9 / 10. Space wars, 1990’s nostalgia and a great soundtrack. Samuel L. Jackson is hilarious and Brie Larson is perfectly cast

Captain Marvel is an excellent Marvel superhero film based on the Marvel Comics space hopping character Carol Danvers, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was written and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

Set in 1995, the film follows extra-terrestrial Kree warrior, Vers, fighting in an intergalactic space war between the Kree and their enemies, the Skrulls. Vers appears to have amnesia and experiences visons of another life on Earth, of U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. This leads her to Earth where she meets the young (ish) S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Nick Fury. Vers tries to uncover the secrets of her past whilst harnessing her incredible superpowers to end the war with the Skrulls and realise her true potential…

The 1995 setting for Captain Marvel worked brilliantly, accompanied by a great soundtrack. Empowering and pivotal moments incorporate Nirvana’s classic “Come as You Are” and No Doubt’s rousing Just a Girl. My favourite job was at Blockbuster Video many years ago, so I loved the scene of Vers crash landing on Earth.

The intergalactic alien Kree and Skrull war part of the story was interesting and the action moved around from various space settings and back to Earth which kept the momentum going. I did guess a couple of things quickly, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the film.

Brie Larson was perfectly cast as Vers / Captain Marvel. She’s played the character as relatable, likeable and cool, with a great dress sense. She brought a great subtle strength to the role, and the full reveal of her awesome powers was, well, awesome. So excited to see her join the Avengers in Avengers: Endgame.

The cast is a strong ensemble; Jude Law as Yon-Rogg, Annette Bening as Dr Wendy Lawson, Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau. Ben Mendelsohn (Talos) is excellent in anything he appears in and Samuel L. Jackson’s Fury is hilarious. He is the official glue holding the Avengers together, from the very start.

All in all, a great origin story that ties events to the present of the MCU and what we will see in the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War.