Captain Marvel

                     The latest entry in the Marvel film universe can be fun for the casual viewer but essential viewing for fans of all the Marvel films and in particular, "Avengers: Infinity War" which left a Captain Marvel clue at the end.

                      There is an inherent problem with origin films and this one falls into the same trap making it fun but flawed. By twisting the origin into memory loss for our heroine, played by Brie Larson, the plot can be confusing. Fans of the comic will appreciate the use of the Skrull-Kree Wars as a story line but the casual viewer may still find themselves lost in the story.

                       What does work is Ms. Larson's performance (which may be unfairly compared to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, who is a very different kind of character).  In a world of male superheroes, Captain Marvel will make a great role model for young girls looking for their own superhero to emulate.  Another big positive is the chemistry between Ms. Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role as Nick Fury. 

                        Since the film takes place in the '90's, Mr. Jackson, along with Clark Gregg (as Phil Coulson) are both made younger by post production CGI. The effect works better for Mr. Jackson. Mr. Gregg looks downright creepy. The rest of the CGI effects are typical for this kind of film, so no surprise there. There are plenty of action sequences but also too many dead moments.

                         Ben Mendelsohn plays the leader of the Skulls and while he is a terrific actor, his dialogue for an alien is pretty ridiculous. Lashanna Lynch plays Maria, an air force pilot and Marvel's best friend. She gets to shine in her own action sequence. Two strange casting choices are Annette Bening as both an earth scientist and the Kree Supreme Intelligence and Jude Law as Marvel's Kree mentor. Both are out of their element in this live action comic book fantasy.

                           Using the film to set up "Avengers: Endgame" forces the writers to inject many elements for Marvel universe continuity. I won't give them away but if you are familar with these films, you'll know them when you see them.  Fans should also stay past the credits for, what has become the norm, the extra scenes. One used for comedic effect and the other important for "endgame".