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Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Stan Lee tribute (3 more)
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel
Young Nick Fury
GOOSE
Forget what the review bombers say. This movie was fantastic, an excellent and well planned out entry to the MCU. First off, excellent tribute to Stan Lee at the beginning, well done. Brie Larson was absolutely stunning as Carol Danvers, managing to capture and show the brooding and serious side of Captain Marvel, as well as the witty and humourous side to her. I loved young Nick Fury way more than I do the present day Nick Fury. Ben Menhdolsen, Jude Law, and Annette Bening were absolutely fantastic as their characters. The real star of the show though: GOOSE THE CAT. OH MY WORD, GOOSE. STOLE EVERY SCENE HE WAS IN. The Agents of SHIELD fan in me wanted more Coulson, but I was okay with his screentime.
  
The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers (2012)
2012 | Action, Sci-Fi
The dynamic between The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man is hilarious! (1 more)
Comic Book action at its best
Avengers Assemble!
The Avengers or Avengers Assemble depending your country of origin is a Marvel Comics collaboration story bringing together Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and Black Widow into one super-team to defend the Earth in time of crisis. Traditionally the team also includes the character HawkEye, however for the film he has been turned to the bad guys' side!

If you haven't seen the individual films for Iron Man, Thor and Captain America, then some of the early film may be a little difficult to follow. Personally, I haven't watched the Captain America film yet, so was a little unsure as to what was happening in bit that brings Captain America into the film. The villain of the film is Loki, half-brother of Thor, so again, if you haven't seen the Thor film, you won't know who he is or what his significance to the story is.

S.H.E.I.L.D. agents Coulson and Nick Fury make a reappearance this film. Agent Coulson has appeared in both the Iron Man and Thor films with S.H.E.I.L.D. head Nick Fury appearing in all the previous films.

Marvel fans will be delighted to know that in this film we get to see the flying S.H.E.I.L.D. headquarters, The Helicarrier. A large portion of the film is set aboard with scenes both inside and out!

As a standalone film it is alright, however knowledge of the previous Marvel films from which the characters are taken makes it is much better and easier to follow.
  
The Mighty Captain Marvel Vol. 2: Band of Sisters
The Mighty Captain Marvel Vol. 2: Band of Sisters
Margaret Stohl | 2018 | Comics & Graphic Novels
5
5.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The only reason I read Volume 2 is because I felt guilty for not reading all of my library books. Again, skews to the younger demographic. It also pulls from the 'Captain America: Hydra-Agent' mess that I can't even acknowledge to be valid. I haven't read it.... and I was kind of pissed that he killed Natasha (spoiler alert?).
After this volume... I can't wait until they reboot Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel in January and give her character back to Kelly Thompson.
The last issue of the volume was the best, mostly because Carol's back on Earth with her friends and only gets emo at the end.
  
Captain Marvel, Volume 2: Stay Fly
Captain Marvel, Volume 2: Stay Fly
Kelly Sue DeConnick | 2015 | Comics & Graphic Novels
7
7.8 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
Decent but not for me
I get that I am not the target market for this incarnation of Captain Marvel. This collection is split roughly in three. The story surrounding Chewie, with Rocket, was good, funny and well written. The second story, trying to save a rock star from an arranged marriage, was tedious drivel (similar to volume 1's Phantom Menace trade negotiations rubbish), and the third was slightly more what I would have expected from Marvel, a villain's attempt to take over New York.
A good collection for a character that some might really love, but definitely not my cup of tea.
  
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
2011 | Action, Adventure
Captain America: The First Avenger is a return to form for the Marvel comic-book film universe, and a solid final lead-up to the multi-hero film The Avengers, coming next year.

Chris Evans does a fantastic job of introducing us to the wiry little guy with guts who eventually becomes Captain America. Such unashamed, honest virtue is different from the typical superhero movie we’ve come to see over the last few years, and for good reason: internal conflicts often make for dramatic films. However, I don’t think such unwavering idealism would have worked with any other comic-book character than Captain America. Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones add heart to the movie, but the soul of this movie really is the Captain. Hugo Weaving as The Red Skull plays a satisfying villain here, but his motives aren’t clarified enough to warrant his fervor for evil. Hayley Atwell, playing love interest and British agent Peggy Carter does a more convincing job in her role than Hugo Weaving does in his.

The plot of the film was pretty standard fare. Hero battles villain. The ending was more climactic and earnest than I had expected walking into the theater, and it gracefully sets up the Avengers movie. Like many of the other Marvel movies of recent note, there is a decent amount of self-deprecating comic book humor that helps break up the slower parts between action scenes.

The effects of the film were solid. They were pulpy enough to feel like a Marvel universe, rather than our own, but they still carried the action to an exciting level. The art department and cinematographer did a good job recreating the 40’s asthetic throughout the film, though there was enough exotic comic book elements to bring you back into a world where superheroes really do exist.

Despite its own flaws, this is one of the better Marvel films to come out since Iron Man, and count me in to watch The Avengers next year.
  
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Brie and Sam's chemistry Ben Mendelson as Talos The skrulls First post credit scene (0 more)
Messy first act Badly paced Very poor cgi Unremarkable cinematography Generic action sequences (0 more)
A solid, if unremarkable entry for the MCU's first female outing
The 21st instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the penultimate feature in their Phase 3 plan, and the final stop on the road to Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel welcomes another superhero into its family and applies the same formula that Marvel Studios has relied on to manufacture their episodic products but their latest is also their weakest film in years that never truly realises its full potential.

Set during the mid-1990s, the story follows Carol Danvers who has extraordinary powers at her disposal but no recollection of who she is or where she comes from. However, when she crash-lands on Earth after a recent mishap, she begins tracing her step towards her origins in order to unravel her identity, finds assistance from a low-level bureaucrat working for an espionage agency, and discovers a secret that unlocks her full potential.

Written & directed by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, the first act of Captain Marvel is a mess that tries to acquaint the viewers with its own world yet hurries through it in a way that leaves the audience confused. The story begins to take some shape once the plot moves to Earth but other than the back-n-forth banter between its primary characters, there isn't really anything that's appealing or refreshing about it.

That montage of snippets from Carol Danvers' past in which she is told by others that she can't do anything, she is no good, she is weak, she doesn't belong & she will never make it will reverberate with many, and it is a welcome element in the picture. But instead of digging deeper into this aspect, the filmmakers head for a rather simplistic approach and narrate the story with half-hearted zealousness.

The action segments are seldom impressive, storytelling is very basic, predictable & bereft of surprises, and some key moments are executed in a rather lacklustre fashion. Editing paces the plot inconsistently, fails to provide a rigid structure to it, and splices together action scenes so monotonously that they are missing the sense of wonder & excitement. The score is fine but only a few incorporated songs work out in its favour.

Coming to the performances, Captain Marvel packs a talented cast in Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Lashana Lynch, Annette Bening & Jude Law. Larson embraces the eponymous role yet it is her fine rapport with Jackson that stands out more than her individual input. But it's Mendelsohn who impresses the most, delivering a compelling performance that only gets better as plot progresses.

On an overall scale, Captain Marvel is enjoyable to an extent, packs few amusing moments, and features a marvellous superheroine. Like Carol Danvers, this film had limitless potential. But unlike her, the filmmakers fail to tap into that element and possibly weren't even aware of what was up for grabs here. Generic, mundane & underwhelming, Captain Marvel isn't the film that the most powerful superhero in Marvel faction deserves, and is no match to the studio's finest efforts.
  
Captain Marvel (2019)
Captain Marvel (2019)
2019 | Action, Adventure
Good story (2 more)
Space theme
Its marvel!
The female lead (1 more)
Rushed
Contains spoilers, click to show
I love marvel but have not committed to watching them all yet, what better time to do this than in lockdown?

Decided to go for the chronological order with this being my second one. I love the plot mentions to other films and the clever way they have fit it into the universe. The makeup and space parts of the film are great.

Also Jude Law....... 😍

I felt the concept of her regaining her memory could have been better explained and a longer process. Although I understand why it isn't. I found either the scripting or the acting for Brie Larsson to be quite false and the humourous/sassy sections forced. I was fully up for Captain Marvel being my next female icon but she didnt hit the mark (sorry).
  
Avengers vs Thanos
Avengers vs Thanos
Jim Starlin | 2013 | Comics & Graphic Novels
8
8.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dated but good
This collection of comics from the 60s is quite an epic read, in terms of volume. We see a different side to Thanos at times, as he seems to be less powerful than in more recent stories and more vulnerable or in need of help. The collection covers interaction with Iron Man, then Captain Marvel, then Adam Warlock, then the Avengers and finally Spider-man gets in on the action.
This is mostly one continuous story as Thanos' plans are foiled and he comes back time and time again.
The story has some real metaphysical mumbo-jumbo that I could have done without (including my favourite, most cringey line ever "Death by ... Time-mind Sync-warp!"), and the dialogue really has dated pretty badly, most notably in the Captain Marvel section.
A real epic read to get something of a feel for Thanos' origins, and a good lead in to the Infinity War/Gauntlet saga.


Read for free on Kindle Unlimited trial.
  
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ClareR (5726 KP) Apr 22, 2019

Thanks for this - I’ll have to show my husband. He has all the Infinity Gauntlet/ War/ Aftermath comics (and a load more besides ?? ). I’ll have to ask him if he’s read/ got these as well!

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Ross (3284 KP) Apr 22, 2019

Its quite a pricey book because it is massive (I have been chipping away at it since October!), but is free on Prime or Kindle Unlimited (and I think you can get a free 3 month trial on KU at the moment if you hunt through "today's deals" on Amazon).