Seeing Captain Marvel on opening night was a fantastic decision, as the contents of this film are ultra-important heading towards 'Avengers: Endgame", releasing later this Spring. The movie has many positive aspects mainly stemming from a rallying debut by Brie Larson as the namesake character, but this movie's best feature is the thematic build behind Carol Danvers, the human that this story is truly following

Larson is witty and relatable as Danvers, truly delivering a performance that has the chops to keep up with blockbuster superstars like Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, but her reel towards many in theaters will be her reliability, or at least as relatable as an Air Force pilot turned alien hero warrior could be. her role is treated maturely, bridging a gap in movies seeking female empowerment since the success of "Wonder Woman". Her central character arc makes her feel very down to Earth and is one of the best humanizing moments for a Marvel character as powerful as Captain Marvel.

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The movie embraces its setting in the 90s, referencing Fresh Prince and showing our old friend, Blockbuster Video. Even the soundtrack is filled with great songs from the 90s such as "Whatta Man" and "Just a Girl"

Other cast members shine in the film as well, specifically Lashana Lynch as Carol Danvers' best friend Maria Rambo and Ben Mendelsohn as the Skull leader Talos who ends up giving one of the better villain arcs in the MCU, eventually ending up as a red herring for the true baddie that we are trained to like in Jude Law's Yon-Rogg. The nods to the Secret Avengers comic books are alive and well, taking much of the source material to heart while still giving an original take on a fantastical story.

Some other moments that nestle in as "true Marvel fan" nods include Agent Coulson in Agents of SHIELD being a Skull, as he technically dies in The Avengers, as well as origins for Nick Fury's eyepatch, the Avengers Initiative, and many other connecting details within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Tesseract (or the Space Stone) is revealed to be the source of Captain marvel's powers in this universe, decoyed as the key to light speed travel.

Goose, the lovable cat--- I mean flerken--- is also a shining star in the film, giving us all a strange feeling wondering what is really going on with our friendly felines.

There are subtle hints hidden throughout the plot that give true insight to the good and evil in the film, such as showing Kree communicating with Ronan the Accuser, the blue baddie from "Guardians of the Galaxy" as well as his eventual henchman Korath being a part of Yon-Rogg's squad. Some of these hints did a favor to the first act of the movie, which to many may be a source of confusion.

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Critics will also inevitably mention the de-aging effects used on Clark Gregg and Samuel L' Jackson that sometimes stick out like a sore thumb, but the tech used has obviously improved since its use on Tony Stark in "Captain America: Civil War". Otherwise, the biggest cracks against the movie may very well be in comparison to Marvel juggernauts like "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Black Panther", who both were amazing movies made in the last year. The film is a very unique glue that ties together different loose ends and Easter eggs in the MCU, and takes this role a little less seriously than some may want or need.

Specific portions of the film's production truly aid the feel of the overall picture, such as filming on-site in Louisiana and the attention to detail with everything in frame. The best quality of the film is that it embraces being a Marvel movie with Marvel in the title, paying homage to the late and great Stan Lee both in the opening credits as well as his cameo, where Captain marvel, looking for a Skull undercover, sees Stan and gives a respecting smile. These winks at the audience and superhero culture alike are what really sell the film.

The planned sequel seems to be shaping up to another travel back in time to show Captain Marvel's role in the Kree-Skrull War, possibly giving a true adaptation of Secret Avengers. Until then, there will be plenty of MCU action to go around with "Endgame" and "Spiderman: Far From Home" set to release in 2019.

Overall, I give this movie 7 flerkens out of 10.

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