‘Captain Marvel’ is a surprisingly funny addition to the MCU family

Posted on March 15, 2019

By MARK VIOLA

You would think that 21 movies into the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), they would have run out of ways to surprise me. Fortunately, that is not the case. “Captain Marvel,” the first film in the franchise to focus on a female superhero, was quite surprising, and also quite entertaining.

Of course, there are obvious comparisons to make to the similarly ground-breaking “Wonder Woman” over at DC, especially since both films feature a story set in the past. (Unlike “Wonder Woman,” which was set during World War I, “Captain Marvel” only takes us back to the 1990s, which provided some fun nostalgia for me.)

Beyond the obvious similarities, the films felt quite different, with “Captain Marvel” going in a surprising direction, which separated it from both “Wonder Woman” and last year’s “Black Panther” — another ground-breaking film when it comes to diversity and comic book films.

What is that direction, you might ask? Comedy. “Captain Marvel” is a quite funny movie, feeling more in line with the “Ant-Man” movies than “Black Panther.” Actually, it makes a lot of sense.

The MCU has done a good job over the years of bringing relatively grounded versions of the Marvel comic book heroes to the big screen. But, as they venture into the fantastic realms, including the sci-fi elements found in “Captain Marvel,” a bit of laughter helps with the suspension of disbelief.

I’m not going to pretend “Captain Marvel” is a top-tier installment in the MCU, but it is still a good MCU film. And, as I’ve said in previous reviews, a good MCU is better than most other blockbusters you’re going to come across.

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