“Captain Marvel,” ranked as the most highly anticipated release of 2019, zooms into theaters today. It’s the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), but only the first to star a female character. Even though it doesn’t get everything right, the movie is a fun and fresh take on the superhero genre. It’s amazing what happens when women and people of color take center stage.
Set in 1995, and loaded with wonderful pop culture references, the movie is both an origin story and a mystery. Written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (with Geneva Robinson-Dworet also receiving screenplay credit), the movie opens with “Vers” (the excellent Brie Larson) training to be a Kree warrior. She’s haunted by dreams of her past but is fully committed to helping the highly regimented Kree in their galactic battle against the shape-shifting Skrull.
Vers ends up on Planet C-23 (aka Earth) and slowly starts gathering clues about her real identity (Air Force pilot Carol Danvers) and learning how to harness her superpowers to become Captain Marvel. In a neat twist, she becomes a true superhero by embracing her human emotions.