Captain Marvel

After an agonizing wait since "Avengers: Infinity War" last April, we finally have the next step toward resolution of the longest-running action film universe soap opera in history (aside from the Skywalker saga). "Ant-Man and the Wasp" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse" did very little to move the MCEU story forward.

The biggest disappointment to me personally occurred even before the film began. No new "Avengers: Endgame" preview? and no new "Spider-Man: Far From Home" preview? What kind of malarkey is this? To add insult to injury, the regularly anticipated post-credits scene(s) did little to nothing to illuminate the direction of the highly shrouded mystery that is the next film, coming a mere six weeks from now. Since that is the source of my biggest disappointment, it speaks volumes of the magic that Marvel has created in making every new film release feel like Christmas Eve.

Captain Marvel is a new character to the uninitiated, but we flash back to the time of grunge, slow internet dial-up, and generic government sedans. There's even a Blockbuster Video cameo to boot. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is a young, jaded S.H.I.E.L.D agent who stumbles upon the discovery that there are two warring alien species, and their fight has landed on Earth. The Kree are the intelligent, brave, noble warrior species who are battling the reptilian, shapeshifting Skrulls, who hold a secret that will be revealed by the end of the movie (and hopefully even more by the end of "Endgame.")

Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), is a Kree warrior with long-term memory loss. She awakes with strange powers amidst a flurry of flashbacks, and we are immersed in back-story in a somewhat clever trope. She's a human daredevil Air Force pilot, but how did she end up as a blue-blooded alien superhero? Don't worry, you'll find out by the end of the film. Her mission finds her following a rogue Skrull detachment, while uncovering her own truth along the way, and after meeting with Nick Fury, we see the birth of the Avengers Initiative.

Brie Larson plays the role with a breezy ease that is at first annoying, but becomes endearing over time as you get to know her wit and confidence. She has a strong rapport with her Kree mentor, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) but more importantly, opens up a side of Nick Fury that we haven't seen before. In a sense, this is his origin as well, and frankly, opens up a twenty-year window of prequel opportunities in the process.

What I loved about this film is the homage to Stan Lee first and foremost. The narrative moves quickly and with the wit that would make James Gunn proud (sidebar, I am very optimistic on the upcoming "Suicide Squad 2" since Idris Elba took over Will Smith's spot and James Gunn was attached). The dialogue, and casual tone of the characters make this a sharp detour from the heavy "Avengers" tone, and opens a new, more family-friendly interstellar universe (assuming the "Guardians" franchise is dead). We see Korath (Djimon Honsou) and Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) make appearances, so it seems like the sequel(s) will be the connective tissue for the upcoming "Eternals" storyline (2020 and beyond).

You may never look at cats (flurkin?) in quite the same way, as Goose plays an eerily important role in this one. Additionally, the trending toward establishing strong antagonists (Thanos, Killmonger) continues to bode well for the MCEU as Ben Mendelsohn kills it as Talos, the rogue Skrull infiltrator.

In the end, this is an exciting new character full of franchise potential galore. She's part of the new core Avengers going forward (Black Panther, Spider-Man, Dr. Strange) and fills the red, yellow, and blue suit as well as Chris Evans did in his star-spangled getup. You know you're going to see it, even if you're just killing time until "Endgame." 7/10.