Captain Marvel is the twenty-first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first woman led movie in the franchise. (How long have they been promising us that Black Widow movie? At this point, I’m good.) It stars the Oscar award winning, Casey Affleck shunning, ally of women of color Brie Larson as the titular character, a woman who bleeds Kree blue blood, but has memories of Earth. She fights for the Kree against the shape shifting Skrull, which leads her to the answers that she is looking for about her past and what she wants to do in the future.

A lot of people are comparing Captain Marvel to Black Panther, which seems ridiculous because while Black Panther was a standalone movie, it really wasn’t an origin story. A better comparison would be Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and Guardians of the Galaxy. (Also try comparing any of the aforementioned movies to Black Panther, and they would crumble under the comparison.) I would also not include The Incredible Hulk or Spider-Man: Homecoming because those characters were already established as their heroic alter egos before the movie begins. Vers or Carol Danvers may already have her powers when this movie begins, but she does not become Captain Marvel until the end of the movie.

For the unfavorable reviews that aren’t reactionary trolls of all genders with fragile egos looking for something to complain about because a woman or a person of color is the lead in the movie, Captain Marvel does take some narrative risks that do pay off, but could leave viewers cold in the beginning. [It also doesn’t help that the previews were dreadful. Dumbo and Frozen II did not put me in the right headspace to see this movie. Particularly Dumbo seems so depressing. No thank you!]

Captain Marvel starts in the middle of the origin story, and the movie deliberately makes us emphasize with Vers because we feel as disoriented and restless as she does to get answers. We’re thrown in the middle of a conflict and alien worlds with even less orientation than Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re not prepared to just go along with the ride and get comfortable with being uncomfortable, then you probably won’t like the beginning of the movie. You’ll mistakenly think that the movie’s footing is not as sure as it is and blame your discomfort on a conscious narrative choice.

Also because Captain Marvel takes well-known characters such as Nick Fury and shows us what he was like before he became Director of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I would not be surprised if viewers just fundamentally did not like getting a Nick Fury that isn’t already a seasoned badass prepared for every situation. People come for Samuel L. Jackson to glower and curse, but he is funny, sweet and earnest. I loved seeing what he was like before life hardened him, but I don’t think that many people want to admit that while they enjoy the humor of MCU movies, they weren’t prepared to get their laughs from him and see him as the person that needs to be rescued. I don’t think that people were ready to see Samuel L. Jackson in that light, and it could have been a shock to the system.

Unlike many of the later Marvel movies, if you have not been watching the franchise, Captain Marvel isn’t a bad place to start because at most, you would need to see Captain America: The First Avenger to understand one aspect of the plot, but I don’t think that it is required viewing. It is kind of like a prequel sequel to explain Nick Fury’s scene in Avengers: Infinity War and appears to be a crucial plot point for the upcoming Avengers: Endgame.

Seasoned Marvel fans will probably appreciate Captain Marvel for the feat that it is able to accomplish. It has to simultaneously be an origin story while living up to the reputation of the twenty movies that preceded it. None of the other origin stories had a standard to meet. They could be more conventionally safe yet exciting. This movie faces high expectations, which it mostly succeeds in meeting and actually had quite a few twists and narrative surprises.

S

P

O

I

L

E

R

S

I was suspicious of the Kree and the idea of any organic being interfacing with AI instantly creeps me out, but I did not expect that the Skrulls were actually decent! Captain Marvel snuck in a message about not believing the propaganda that you were taught and extolled the virtues of questioning authority and orders. The Skrulls aren’t terrorists who need to be eliminated. They are refugees from a war in which the Kree are the aggressors.

Also on a more visceral level, which is retrospectively obvious, but I still didn’t see coming as the movie was unfolding, Captain Marvel really condemned prejudice, jingoism, sexism and racism. I definitely got some Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek vibes. The Skrull are not conventionally attractive, are denigrated as lizards and are instinctually hated for their abilities. They aren’t initially treated as three-dimensional people, and their deaths are initially not given any weight or consideration, but then we realize, just like Captain Marvel, that we were always wrong to have that attitude. They tricked us into initially empathizing with the Presidon’t supporters, which let’s be real, if you’re not one of them, it is incredibly difficult to do, but they exploited our sci fi prejudices and knowledge of the Skrull to show how we too can be tricked into being complicit and condoning horrific abuses. It should not be taken for granted how hard it is to facilitate such an awakening to one’s own prejudices and flaws without falling into a pit of recrimination and completely derailing the whole movie. Even though she was brainwashed, Vers probably committed war atrocities, and every Skrull’s death that we cheered on was wrong!

I have loved Ben Mendelssohn since Animal Kingdom, and casting him added to my belief that the Skrull were probably evil, but I’m so happy that he finally had an opportunity to be funny and tough. Unlike Spock, he may be the butt of a lot of insensitive alien jokes, but his wordless facial expressions to their ignorance and insensitivity were brilliant. I really hope that Talos comes back. I loved the Skrulls’ storyline, and that their technology used memories like home watching a TV show or movie with an antenna or the power to focus like an antenna.

I know that it is apples and oranges, but I preferred Captain Marvel to Wonder Woman. Captain Marvel does not have any scene equivalent to Wonder Woman’s Themyscira scenes, which is as close as women are going to get to Black Panther because there is no Wakanda for women. We’re stuck on Earth, and Amazons (I think) only appear in DC Comics. So why did I prefer Vers to Wonder Woman, a figure that I’ve adored since I was a child when I took one of my mom’s bracelets because it reminded me of hers?

Carol Danvers lives in my world and is a victim of gaslighting and being undermined her entire life. She was in the military at the time of the Tailhook scandal. I hate that previews for Captain Marvel gave away the most powerful scene in the movie, but all the times when she falls down and gets back up really resonated with me even before I saw the movie. Carol Danvers is a real woman in the real world who has to actually navigate the sexist bullshit that I have to navigate everyday, but unlike me, she doesn’t get worn down. She does not see every set back as vindication for others’ opinions about her. She uses setbacks as fuel to not only do better the next time, but to surpass her critics and her alleged advocates. She knows how to hear advice and instruction without accepting it or at least initially accept it and be willing to hold it loosely. I love that we always see her watching people, and her defining characteristics are a sense of mischief and to be the tip of the spear. Even though she has been robbed of herself, she does still know who she is. She is someone who has always had to circumnavigate seemingly benign authority to get to who she is whether it is on Earth or Kala. “I’ve been fighting with one arm tied behind my back, but what happens when I’m finally set free?”

What happens is that she makes Ronin tuck his tail in between his leg and never return to Earth again! Captain Marvel is the most powerful hero we’ve ever seen in the MCU. Even before her awakening, she was stronger than average, but now she is a one-woman air force. I’ve always hated when two people are fighting, and one person has an advantage, which that person agrees to temporarily relinquish to have a “fair” fight, which usually gives the opponent the upper hand. I loved that she never hid her light under a bushel. I can’t wait to see her square off against Thanos!

I was also surprised that Captain Marvel had a black best friend, Maria, but not the kind that just exists to meet her white friend’s needs and has no life outside of her friend. I didn’t expect Maria to play such a pivotal role, but she was the anchor to Vers’ humanity. It seemed like an authentic relationship.  Carol is an auntie, and unlike most movies with a woman in the lead, she didn’t get saddled with protecting a kid the entire movie! It was the right proportion of kids on sreen in the movie. Maria is also a real black woman because her instinctual response to the call for adventure was, “I’m not going into space,” then changes her mind because she has to handle some business with her friend. I was delighted that I finally got to see two black people dominating the second half of the movie instead of the usual one black person per movie quota, especially in a movie of this genre. Outside of Black Panther, it is a rare sight to see, but they’re real black people with little experience with the unknown.

Captain Marvel never got a love interest! I hate when movies feel as if they have to have a romantic subplot. It was basically a buddy cop movie with Fury as her partner. I was a little concerned that Yon-Rogg, played by the still hot Jude Law, was going to play that role, but instead he ends up being creepy secret stalker guy who overplayed his hand, “My blood runs through her veins.” How did that work out for you? She looks good, but clothes serve a utilitarian purpose. Everything serves her mission, even her wardrobe changes.

I’m a cat lover, and I am here for Goose! The final post credit scene may be my favorite to date. I love that they were cat people, and I hope that Goose comes back to help Captain Marvel fight Thanos! If I had to criticize the movie, the 90s references felt clunky, but I was amused by the technology disparities. Thank God that we don’t live in those times any more.

I think that Captain Marvel will improve with repeat viewings, and if it is still playing when Avengers: Endgame is coming out, I may try to see it in the theater at some point the week before the latter opens. Captain Marvel is a deliberate slow burn movie, but it ends very strong and left me wanting more.