Captain Marvel

There has been a lot of talk about the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel.  People are either really excited, or somehow already decided they don't like the "terrible" movie they had never seen.  I might suggest seeing it first, then decide.

In my opinion, it was great.  There was a great balance of action and substance.  The fight scenes didn't necessarily have the big epic feel of some other MCU films, but that is not a bad thing and is not to say it lacks excitement at all.

The acting was brilliant.  The emotion felt relatable for the most part.  For example, the humor was delivered in a very everyday manner.  I mean it wasn't forced, or a series of punchlines.  It was like you were watching friends cracking jokes with each other.  You also see an actor like Samuel L. Jackson, who is known for lines full of four letter words, and he is playing with a cat.  Things like that added to the impact of the more dramatic or action-packed scenes, because you see them in believable casual settings.

A lot of people came down hard on Brie Larson when she was cast in the lead role.  I feel that her more reserved acting brought a lot to the character.  She was a big part of what I was talking about with the emotion being something you can relate too.  For some reason, there was a lot of talk about Larson's lack of smiling in the trailers.  No spoilers here, but it wouldn't really make sense if she was smiling through the whole story.  I truly believe she was a great choice for this personification of Captain Marvel.

Marvel Studios seems to have taken a liking to making their characters look younger through makeup and after effects.  They do it again in "Captain Marvel" with Samuel L. Jackson, who delivers a performance that is a lot like I would have pictured Fury's early days at S.H.I.E.L.D..  With any luck, the coming movies with tell us even more about what happens with him in the time between the events of "Captain Marvel" and when he appears at the end of "Iron Man".  That also brings up another appearance in the movie that I for one was really looking forward to.  Since "Captain Marvel" takes place in the 1990s, Clark Gregg returned to the big screen as Agent Coulson for the first time since the first Avengers.  I am still hoping that the events of "End Game" somehow bring about some kind of reunion moment for Coulson and the Avengers.  Maybe somehow revealing the fact that he was one of the old friends Fury was referring to in "Age of Ultron".

When in comes to visual effects, Marvel Studios has certainly made a name for themselves in the industry.  While not every aspect of the computer graphics were absolutely top notch, overall it was another big win for them.  There were some places where the CG was a bit more obvious than they could have been, but it wasn't like it was badly done.  It just could have had a little more clean up done to the rendering.  As a whole, it was really well done.  It is not easy to create a movie that takes place on Earth, on an alien world, and in space, and they made it all flow very convincingly.

Obviously, there has also plenty of attention given to this being the first MCU movie with a female lead.  With that being said, one of the strongest attributes of this movie was how they managed to deliver on that message.  It was clear and present for pretty much the whole time, but it never felt like they were soap-boxing.  It it into the storyline extremely well.  Even the big moment of confidence and ability is something that everyone can feel good about.

Something fun about the movie are the 90s references.  By the looks of it, the movie makers had as much fun adding them as we will have finding them.  From the moment we see in the trailer when she crashes through the roof of a Blockbuster Video, the nostalgic Easter Eggs are never in short supply.  While there are a bunch of them, they always made sense in creating the setting.  The best Easter Egg is the cameo of the late, great, Stan Lee.  This one may even bring a tear to your eye, just in how fitting it felt.

Let's not forget this is a Marvel Studios movie, so don't leave before the credits are done.  More than that, make sure you are in your seat before the title sequence.  Marvel Studios have made the Marvel title into a feature of its own, but the opening of this one is the best one yet.

Our founder Jeremy would have certainly given this the "Amazing" seal of approval.  I fully recommend it to everyone.  There is plenty of action but no extreme violence.  In fact, the most startling moment in the movie is actually one of the funniest scenes in the movie.  After you see it, please comment with your opions, even if you don't like it.  We only ask that you keep it family-friendly and spoiler-free.

See you at the movies!

-Brad-

Thank you to ESSEX CINEMAS and T-REX for being the theater of choice for our movie reviews. When you are looking for the best place to check out a movie, make it ESSEX CINEMAS and T-REX at the Essex Outlets Center in Essex, VT! 

http://www.essexcinemas.com

The T-Rex Theater is AMAZING!!! With the 60 foot curved screen and 124 speakers which is part of 7.1 Digital Surround Sound, there are 401 extra wide luxury seats with memory-foam headrests making a movie theater trip you will never forget! T-Rex stands for “Theater Real Extreme” 

Also check out movies in Plattsburgh, New York at Cumberland 12!