“Captain Marvel” was an amazing origin story about honor, bravery and vulnerability. It showed that even space-powered superheroines with mildly overpowered abilities can make for a fun and meaningful movie.

For those who have been under a rock for the past few months and have no clue as to who or what Captain Marvel is, here’s a quick summary: Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson and known by the alien race Kree as Vers, is a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Taken in by the Kree, a race of noble warrior heroes, after being attacked, Carol learns to fight against the evil shape-shifting race known as the Skrulls.

There are so many great things about “Captain Marvel,” making it surprisingly difficult to list them all. There’s the great message to young girls, finally giving them a strong female superhero in the MCU to look up to. There’s the marvelous (pun intended) special effects, and intense fights that keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Marvel movies as a whole have struggled with comedic moments undercutting serious stakes and emotional scenes. As one of the most anticipated movies of 2019, Marvel did an excellent job at giving scenes an emotional punch, but put in enough witty banter and fun moments to make it a fully enjoyable experience. One of the more surprising comedic centers was Carol’s cat, Goose. The loveable cat has a little bit of a hidden past, and diehard fans will finally learn how Nick Fury lost his eye.

Marvel movies tend to be contrasted to the DC movies as having a more lighthearted tone and theme. “Captain Marvel” continued the bantery and fun nature of superheroes that everyone has grown to love, all the while making sure that every scene and line and moment had its own part to play in Carol’s arc.

Another pleasant surprise in “Captain Marvel” is all the old questions that get answered. Many of these surround Fury, like how he chose the name ‘Avengers Initiative,’ how he lost his eye and a few more references for diehard fans such as referencing the Tesseract and, even vaguer, the mention of Budapest once more. In the first Avengers movie, Black Widow and Hawkeye mentioned a mission they had in Budapest, saying that “you and I remember Budapest very differently.” Many fans have developed theories as to what actually happened in Budapest, and now “Captain Marvel” has added a little more context to the mystery.

While “Captain Marvel” was mainly used as an origin story for the superhero to enter in “Avengers: Endgame”, one of the best things about the movie was the message. Carol starts out learning things like honor and the greater good. But the overall theme of the movie is strength. Not raw, physical muscle, but the strength to get back up after you fall down again and again and again. Carol falls, but she gets up, time after time. That is the message that needs to be sent to all the young girls who never had a female superhero as strong and brave as Captain Marvel.

One of the more interesting twists of the movie was seeing how quickly Carol and Fury became friends, as well as bringing in old friendships like Carol and Maria Rambeau. The friendships developed and explored in “Captain Marvel” was nice change and really nailed home the reminder that this story is an origin story for Carol, setting up the stage for her to appear in “Avengers: Endgame.”
“Captain Marvel” certainly helped hype up “Avengers: Endgame” by using the mid-credits scene. Without spoiling anything, the short scene, about a minute long, tied in “Captain Marvel” to “Avengers: Endgame” spectacularly. A little treat for fans was to see a slice of the aftermath of Thanos’ snap. Featuring faces like Captain America, Bruce Banner and Black Widow, the mid-credits scene truly set up the stakes of the final Avengers movie.

The last perfect part of the “Captain Marvel” package was the acting. Exceptional performances from names like Samuel Jackson (Nick Fury), Brie Larson (Carol Danvers) and Jude Law (Yon-Rogg) gave the movie its own depth and a meaning beyond that of just a superhero movie. While some were skeptical of Larson’s ability to act as Captain Marvel, she cast aside all doubts in her role.

“Captain Marvel” was certainly one of the most enjoyable Marvel movies out there. While it might not contend with the momentous occasion of the first Avengers movie or “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” one of the best Marvel movies, “Captain Marvel” gave fans and moviegoers another character to root for against future evildoers, or even worst-case scenario, a new Captain for the Avengers to get behind post-“Avengers: Endgame.”