Film

Captain Marvel

Name: Captain Marvel
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Released: 2019
Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening

A 1990s-set origin story for the MCU's most powerful hero. Carol Danvers discovers her true identity while caught between warring alien factions, and the film does something genuinely clever with memory and self-determination. Brie Larson brings a wry, unflappable energy that cuts through the usual superhero solemnity. It's funny when it wants to be, spectacular without drowning in noise.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a big, buoyant superhero origin set in the 1990s, with a lead who finds her footing through scrappy action and a sense of fun that doesn't mind being a crowd-pleaser.

Skip it if the Marvel formula is front and center, so if you're weary of tidy blockbuster plotting and fight scenes that lean heavily on CGI, the pleasures here may not land.

What it asks of you: It runs just over two hours at a brisk, cheerful clip, asking you to go along with genre conventions and digital spectacle rather than dig for depth.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Wonder Woman2017

Another superhero origin that uses period setting (WWI) to ground its hero's discovery of power. Gal Gadot has similar unshakeable presence, and the film earns its spectacle through character rather than just effects.

But The climax relies heavily on exposition and prophetic destiny. Some find the tonal shift into standard blockbuster territory deflating after the film's stronger early half.

Thor: Ragnarok2017

A cosmic adventure that mixes genuine humour into the superhero template without undercutting stakes. Taika Waititi's visual playfulness and Jeff Goldblum's chaotic energy prove MCU films don't need to be solemn.

But The jokes land best if you're already invested in Thor's arc. Standalone, it can feel like you're missing in-jokes about a character you haven't met properly.

Guardians of the Galaxy2014

An ensemble space adventure with personality baked in. James Gunn makes the ragtag team's chemistry feel earned, and the 1970s/80s soundtrack gives it warmth most sci-fi blockbusters lack.

But Structured around quippy banter that some find exhausting. The plot is fairly thin and exists mostly to hang comedy on.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Captain Marvel

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Zero Dark Thirty2012

Both films centre on a woman discovering herself through pursuing truth against institutional denial. Both protagonists are more dangerous than they appear, and both films treat their focus with documentary-like seriousness rather than heroic mythology.

A procedural about obsession and the cost of single-minded pursuit. Kathryn Bigelow builds tension through competence rather than explosions, and Jessica Chastain's performance is all controlled intensity—much like Larson's Carol Danvers, she plays a woman who doesn't need to perform her power.

But It's morally ambiguous about torture in ways many find unsettling. The pacing is deliberate and unglamorous; if you came for spectacle, you'll be disappointed.

Black Widow2021

A spy thriller dressed as a superhero film, with a strong focus on character and grudges rather than cosmic stakes. Florence Pugh is magnetic, and the film treats its protagonist's past with actual seriousness.

But Despite excellent performances, the final act reverts to the MCU formula of big armies fighting. The tonal whiplash bothers some viewers.

Doctor Strange2016

A visual feast that's never quite like anything you've seen. Benedict Cumberbatch's arrogance-to-humility arc is genuinely satisfying, and the Inception-style action sequences alone make it worth the watch.

But The script leans on quips that don't always land. The pacing sags in the second act while it explains magical rules.

Ant-Man2015

Smaller in scale and stakes than most MCU entries, which lets it breathe. Paul Rudd's everyman charm and the creative use of scale-shifting make it genuinely fun rather than just impressive.

But It's slight by design. Some want more weight and consequence from their superhero films.

Eternals2021

Chloé Zhao brings real artistic ambition and philosophical weight to the superhero form. It's visually stunning and genuinely concerned with what immortality costs you over millennia.

But Ambitious and overstuffed, with ten characters fighting for screen time. The narrative collapses under its own complexity in the second half.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings2021

Grounded martial-arts action that feels weighty and earned. Tony Leung elevates everything he touches, and the film earns its emotional stakes through genuine family conflict rather than apocalypse.

But The third act surrenders to green-screen spectacle after building something more tactile. Some of the early humour undercuts the character work.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings poster

Thor: Love and Thunder2022

Waititi returns for a love story wrapped in godly combat. Chris Hemsworth proves he's genuinely funny, and Natalie Portman as an action hero is overdue and excellent.

But Relies on constant joking that some find exhausting. The villain—despite Christian Bale's best effort—gets lost in the tonal chaos.

Annihilation2018

Both explore what happens when you're changed by contact with something beyond Earth's understanding. Both resist the urge to make alien encounters safe or fully explicable.

A strange, gorgeous sci-fi film about a team entering an alien phenomenon. It's conceptually ambitious without being bombastic, and Natalie Portman anchors it with genuine curiosity and dread rather than action-hero certainty.

But Deliberately ambiguous and unsettling; there are no clear victories or explanations. Some find the pacing slow and the ending frustratingly open.

Arrival2016

Both centre on a woman learning to see the world differently through alien contact, and both treat that transformation as fundamentally isolating—the clarity comes at a cost nobody else will pay.

A first-contact film that's actually about language, time and what we lose to gain understanding. Denis Villeneuve creates genuine awe through ideas rather than action, and Amy Adams conveys entire emotional arcs through small gestures.

But It's quiet and conceptual in ways contemporary sci-fi blockbusters rarely are. The emotional core might feel slight if you're expecting aliens and combat.