By Lexie Kauffman ‘22
On March 8, 2019, Captain Marvel hit theaters, taking the box offices by storm. The story of Carol Danvers filled the screens across the globe.
The movie opens with Carol Danvers being called Vers and serving as a Kree soldier. The Kree are an alien nation that has thrived in the Marvel universe for years. Her powers are controlled by the Kree, and she has little respect from her fellow soldiers.
When she participates in a mission against the Skrulls, the Kree’s enemy, she finds out that there is more to her story than she ever knew.
Six years prior, Danvers had awoken on a Kree planet with no memory, only blue blood –
the blood of the Kree pumping into her. While on a Kree mission, the Skrulls help Danvers realize that she had a life before the Kree.
In the midst of a battle, Danvers gets stuck on Earth, crashing into a Blockbuster Video store. While on earth, she makes acquaintances with Marvel’s Nick Fury and Phil Coulson. Fans were elated to see this S.H.I.E.L.D. duo as Fury had disappeared in Avengers Infinity War, and Coulson had died in both Marvel’s the Avengers and Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
While Danvers is on earth, she teams up with Nick Fury to find the Skrulls and the truth about her past life. In her adventures, Danvers finds out that she was originally from Earth and finds the address of her supposed best friend.
Reunited with her best friend Maria, Carol Danvers uncovers the truth about her life. She was an air force pilot who went on a mission with her mentor, a woman that was a Kree scientist, and was shot out of the sky by the Kree. The Kree wanted an energy core that Danvers’ mentor, Wendy Lawson, had created and was hiding from them. In her final moments on earth, Danvers shot the energy core, causing an explosion that gave her powers. Because she had absorbed the power, the Kree kidnapped her and took her back to their planet.
Through these events, Danvers discovers the truth about the Kree and team up with the Skrulls to stop them. With the help of Fury and a cat named Goose, Danvers protects Lawson’s work and the Skrulls.
The movie ends after Danvers gives Fury the pager that is seen in Avengers Infinity War. She flies off into space to protect the Earth from alien threats while Nick Fury starts the Avenger Initiative. This initiative is named after Carol “Avenger” Danvers and it provides a sweet way to connect her to the modern avengers like Iron Man and Captain America.
This movie is a beautiful story of a powerful woman who provides a wonderful role model for young girls everywhere.
The movie starts slowly, setting up Danvers’ backstory for fans that did not read the comics. Once the movie progresses past the set up, it is instantly amazing. The fight scenes were works of art, the comedy hilarious, and the acting impeccable. The chemistry between Samuel L. Jackson, the actor who plays Nick Fury, and Brie Larson, the actress who plays Carol Danvers, flows straight into their characters, providing a friendship that fans love. On top of this incredible friendship, Nick Fury adopts a cat who steals the show.
Goose, an orange tabby, is a crucial part of the plot. Cat in alien language is “Flerken”. To species like Krees and Skrulls, cats are extremely dangerous, proving comical relief when the big bad alien is afraid of a small cat. The feline, however, is not as harmless as he seems. Goose has a special power that helps save Fury and Danvers multiple times.
To begin the movie, there was a special Marvel opening that was dedicated to Stan Lee, the man credited to creating Marvel. Lee passed away in November of 2018. Captain Marvel was the first Marvel movie to premiere after he died. However, death cannot stop Stan Lee from making a cameo in his movies. Before his death, he pre-recorded cameos for multiple upcoming movies, including Captain Marvel. His tradition is still continuing on after his passing.
Over all, I absolutely loved this movie. I recommend it for everyone. Even though it is a Marvel movie, it is not crucial to watch others before this. Yes, there are references that non-Marvel fans will not get, but the plot is well-explained. Even if I had not enjoyed this movie, the end credit scene would have made everything worth it.
As a Marvel fan, I am anxiously awaiting Avengers Endgame, and the end-credit scene to Captain Marvel is a scene from the awaited movie, picturing the modern avengers meeting Captain Marvel for the first time. This scene was the cherry on top to a wonderful movie that will forever be a legacy.