NEW THEME MONTH - Camcorder Cinema

Hey everyone!

As you may have noticed, I have not been posting a lot of reviews lately. Mostly because, aside from Avengers: Endgame, and maybe a few other smaller films coming out next month, I'm not honestly all that interested in going to the movies at the moment. Plus, things like new projects and life stuff has made getting to the theater just a little too complicated at the moment.

So, in the interest of getting new content on this blog, and because I'd like to do so, I am dedicated the whole month of May to a special kind of movies. Films that were shot mostly or entirely on a consumer level video camera.

Be it a found-footage film or a Summer blockbuster, if it was shot on a camera you could find at your local Best Buy, I'm gonna talk about it.

So be on the lookout for some fantastic movies you likely have not yet heard of that was shot on a simple camcorder. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I will enjoy writing about them.

Until then, have a great time at Avengers: Endgame. I know I will

SHAZAM - What's in a name? AWESOMENESS!!!

I may have mentioned a few times here on my blog that I am a big fan of superheroes. They embody the best aspects of humanity, inspire good deeds, and encourage us all to be the best versions of ourselves we can be. Growing up with classic characters like Superman and Spider-Man, then becoming enamored with movies, I naturally enjoy the title wave of high-quality Superhero movies we have been getting for the past decade. Though, until recently, when it came to Marvel Comics vs. DC Comics in terms of decent film adaptations, Marvel had been reigning supreme while DC was running in place failing to catch up. Yet, despite a dark and sad rocky start, DC and Warner Brothers seem to have finally become on par with the likes of Marvel Studios with their latest offering, SHAZAM. This is not only a fantastic and entertaining film in its own right, but it is also a genuinely heartwarming and historic moment in Superhero movie history. While I have never really preferred what Comic Book company any given Superhero has originated from, merely being a fan of Superhero's as a whole, I have been longing for the day when these films would come from a Studio outside of Marvel. As much as I love their movies, I do not want to live in a world where they are the only ones who not only deliver a good film but care about these characters and material as much as I or any other Superhero fan does. This is a beautiful moment in cinematic history for us all. Superhero fans rejoice!

For those of you who may not be as familiar with this character as I am, or in case you need a quick refresher, I will leave a few links explaining his origins as well as the reason for his unique name at the end of this review. I assure you, this character has quite the history. Even better, this movie does him justice. 

Based on characters created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck, the story follows a young orphan boy named Billy Batson (Asher Angel) surviving on the streets of Philidelphia and jumping from various foster homes as he searches for his long lost mother. He gets one last chance with a progressive and pretty damn cool family consisting of a pair of sweet yet badass guardians as well as a team of multicultural foster kids. Billy quickly becomes "friends" with one disabled boy named Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) who is a massive fan of Superheroes. After saving Freddy from a pair of bullies, Billy is mysteriously transported to a magical realm where he is confronted by an ancient Wizard named SHAZAM (Djimon Hounsou), who informs Billy of a powerful evil force, known as The Seven Deadly Sins, who have found a host and seek to destroy all things. The Wizard instructs Billy to say his name, and in doing so, Billy becomes The Champion (Zachary Levi). An avatar of the Wizards magic so he may battle evil and fight for justice. Only one problem: Billy has no idea how to be a hero. So, he enlists the aid of Freddy to help him out. Now, Billy must learn how to harness his real potential and become a hero. That is after he finishes showing off his powers to bystanders, gaining online fame with his viral videos, and pretending to be an actual adult so he and his friends can try buying Beer at the convenient store. Then he can maybe try and save the world. 

SHAZAM is a remarkable, entertaining, funny, exciting, and heartfelt movie. There is so much to love about this film that it would take too many paragraphs here to go over it all. So, for the sake of keeping this a relatively short review, I will go over a few aspects of this film that I loved the most. 

What I loved best about this movie was how down-to-earth it felt. While it still succeeds in delivering the goods that you would expect from a Superhero movie (cool action scenes and so on) it chooses instead to spend most of its time developing the characters and being a fantastical journey about growth, family, love, and what being a hero is really all about. In that regard, it's very similar to Black Panther in that it is a story driven character piece first and an exiting Superhero movie second. The only real difference is that while Black Panther was more of a social & political drama, SHAZAM is more of a comedic yet earnest coming of age story. In fact, the movie I was reminded of the most was the Tom Hanks classic Big. Which, coincidentally, is the film which the makers of SHAZAM took most of their influence from when making this film...and it really shows. 

The writing for this movie is smart, witty, funny, emotional, delightfully faithful to the source material, and just downright enjoyable. The characters are well rounded, the conflicts are relatable, and the themes of family, personal identity, and heroism are executed so unbeleavably well. Not to mention the jokes are incredibly funny. Make no mistake: this is not a great Superhero movie because it's funny. No. It is a great Superhero movie because it is honest and sincere. The jokes are really more of a bonus. 

The entire cast, from the heroes to the villains, is outstanding. The chemistry between Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer is especially entertaining and overall joyful to watch. You get the impression that they both had a blast making this movie together. 

As you have probably figured out by now, I love this movie. It was so enjoyable, so surprising, and did so much to restore my faith in Superhero movies not produced by Marvel, that I cannot recommend it enough. It made me feel like a kid again. Speaking of, when I saw this movie in the theater, the cherry on top of the whole experience was seeing a young child in the audience wearing a costume of the titular character. I was so overjoyed that I thanked the kid for doing that. It was that kind of movie. If you are a fan of this character, if you have kids who are fans of Superheroes, or if you just need a wonderful time at the movies, then you owe it to yourself to go see this one. There is a little bit of something for everyone.

For those of you who may be wondering, there are two post-credit scenes. Without spoiling anything, the first scene comes right after the initial end credits and is an important and surprising one to see. The second is after all of the other end credits and is mainly a riff on an old Superhero joke. While it is funny, it is not essential, and you will not really miss anything important. My personal recommendation is to stay for the first post-credits scene only. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

Yes. 

Is it worth seeing in theaters? 

Yes. 

Why? 

It is a heartfelt, entertaining, enthralling experience the likes of which does not come around very often anymore. This must be experienced on the big screen so please don't miss it. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you fall or reading. 

The history of SHAZAM/Captain Marvel 

Why are there two Captian Marvels? 

Pet Sematary (2019) - Mildly improved from the last one (MINOR SPOILER WARNING)

Stephen King has built up a rather strange and occasionally entertaining relationship with cinema. To the point where his name might as well be its own sub-genre. His stories which have been adapted to the big screen have mostly fallen into the "so bad it's funny" kind of execution like Children of the Corn and The Tommyknockers, while few others have successfully been elevated into iconic screen gems such as The Shawshank Redemption and The Shining (the Stanley Kubrick film and not the mini-series). Pet Sematary 2019 seems to fall somewhere in the middle. There are occasional moments in this new adaptation that cause me to suspect that a great deal of the film was removed by Studio executives who only wanted to make a quick buck off of the name recognition, while the filmmakers had intended something much more profound. Even so, while I cannot say I found it particularly scary for the most part, I did find it pretty shocking at times. If only because it did genuinely throw me for a loop that I was not expecting and delivered a little bit of a new perspective on the story. Even so, it was still just adequate at best. Still chilling and enjoyable in its own way, but not as profound as I suspect it could have been. 

Based on the book by Stephen King (which I have not read) and previously adapted into a feature film back in 1989 (which I have seen), the story follows a doctor named Louis (Jason Clarke), his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz), their two children and pet Cat as they move into a new house in rural Maine. Upon arriving they meet their new neighbor Jud (John Lithgow) and discover a secluded Cemetary for pets who have passed away. The misspelling of the word in the title refers to the children who wrote the sign at the entrance. After some time has passed, Louis discovers that their poor cat has been killed in an accident and resolves to bury him in the titular Cemetary. However, to prevent the child from dealing with the loss of the family pet, Jud decides to take Louis past the Cemetary to an even more secluded part of the woods to bury the Cat. Soon afterward, the Cat returns from the dead, though not quite the same as before. Despite the strange secret looming over Louis's head, he decides to just move on as if all is as it was. That is until tragedy strikes again with another death in the family. Stricken by grief, Louis must now decide if he is to use that strange magical burial ground again, or if he should accept that...sometimes...dead is better. 

As I have stated before, I have not read the book this movie was based on. However, I have seen the original film adaptation. Therefore, the best comparisons I can make in this review is how it holds up to the first adaptation. Both films deliver a decent atmosphere filled with chills and occasional laughs. They both feature sympathetic and layered characters, explore a profound and relatable fear (in this case parental grief), and deliver appropriately tragic endings. The significant difference between the two films is in their execution of said ending as well as their build-up to them. Which, to explain any further, I must go into SPOILER territory.  

If you wish to avoid SPOILERS, then please skip any paragraph featuring the SPOILERS prompt, and that is written in RED. 

SPOILERS: 

Okay, so in both films, the tragedy is that the child is accidentally hit by a Truck on the road and is killed. Overwhelmed by grief and unable to deal with it, Louis digs up his dead child and reburies him in the magical graveyard causing his child to rise from the dead. Except their kid is no longer the sweet and innocent child Louis knew before. Something murderous and evil has returned in their place. In the original adaptation from 1989, the family only had one child. A baby boy named Gage no more than two years old. In the 2019 version, the family has a baby boy and an older nine-year-old daughter named Ellie (Jeté Laurence), and it is she who gets killed in the freak accident. While the originals undead baby boy was a little chilling in its own way, it was, at least in my opinion, a little too silly. Because the boy was never really scary on account of his minimal ability to emote. Granted, it was not entirely the boy's fault given his age, but still. In the 2019 version, this change makes the scenes with the child more terrifying, primarily due to Jeté Laurence's incredible performance. This kid outshines everyone else in the whole cast with her conviction and tour de force performance. This kid had better get more roles after this because she is terrific. 

For those of you who skipped the last paragraph, the short version is that one film has a much better child actor than the other. 

Speaking of the acting, the cast, especially Jason Clarke and the kid mentioned above, do a remarkable job with their roles. Needless to say, John Lithgow especially is a welcome old favorite of mine. While he may not be as memorable as Fred Gwynne, who played the same role in the 1989 film, Lithgow succeeds in making this version of the character his own and delivers his usual professional power. I hope to keep seeing more of him presently. 

The visuals, sound design, and special effects are a big step up from the previous film. Even when some of them don't seem to go anywhere. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the film feels incomplete. As if there was a major plot point or story element that was cut out at the last minute by unwelcome input coming from upstairs. Of course, there is no way of confirming this, but it is my personal suspicion. 

While I can confidently say that I enjoyed my time with this movie, I must admit that I was not as impressed as I would have liked to be. The acting is good, the visuals are appropriately chilling and well updated, and there are parts of the story that did genuinely catch me off guard, but I was rarely ever terrified. For a movie based on, supposedly, the scariest Stephen King story, that's saying a lot. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

Maybe.

Is it worth seeing in theaters? 

Maybe.

Why? 

It's a decent improvement that offers little if any new takes on this classic story. Fans of Stephen King's work will likely get a decent kick out of it, but for everyone else, if you didn't like the first adaptation, you're not likely going to get anything out of this. Except for a genuinely fantastic performance from a talented child actor. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading. 

The Highwaymen - Disappointingly dull

You may recall that last year I dedicated an entire month to reviewing Netflix original films. Mostly because circumstances caused me to put my theater time on hold, but also because I find that Netflix, as well as many other online platforms, are becoming wonderful alternatives for distribution of high-quality cinema. While I still hope that movie theaters won't go away, I am glad to see that filmmakers and producers are taking advantage of the freedom that services like Netflix have to offer. Because they are technically a premium network, they are usually comfortable with letting creators do pretty much whatever they see fit to make the best possible product. This can lead to the dilution that Netflix, and by extension any other internet-based distribution platforms, are automatically immune to the repetitive and boring practices of most major studios. Who, as of late, spend too much time playing everything safe and refuses to take any risks. The sad truth is, as much as we would like to believe otherwise, the internet is not immune to producing dull, lifeless, and dreary slogs of products masquerading as high-quality entertainment. Look no further than The Highwaymen, which is, regrettably, the most disappointing Netflix film I have seen so far. 

The story revolves around the efforts to find and apprehend or kill the notorious crime duo of the 1930s known as Bonnie & Clyde. As the two criminals go about committing horrific acts of murder, and the then newly formed FBI failing to find or capture the dangerous duo, the Govoner of Texas Ma Ferguson (Kathy Bates) is forced to consider an alternative option. At the suggestion of a colleague, she reluctantly assigns former Texas Ranger Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and his old partner Maney Gault (Woddy Harrelson) to track down the murderous couple before any more blood is spilled. Now, the two older men must dust off their skills, and deal with their personal baggage with each other, to bring in or bring down Bonnie & Clyde. 

This is an excellent idea for a movie. From what I understand, this is the first time that the antics of Bonnie & Clyde have been told from the perspective of the ones who brought them down. We have a new take on an old story, a classic buddy-cop set up with two older Cowboys upstaging the younger FBI agents, and tons of opportunity for action, humor when applicable, and commentary on violence and the various methods of law enforcement. Sadly, The Highwaymen didn't take it upon itself to deliver such a film. What we have here instead is yet another case of bleakness mistaken for greatness, an unbearable lack of levity, and commentary that fails to make the mark. Not from lack of trying on the writers part. 

While the film does sport an impressive script that technically succeeds in providing potentially dynamic characters, as well as delivering commentary on the strange fascination with celebrating killers and the moral grey area of justice, it is not handled with the delicate balance and delivery that it deserves. This problem in particular I personally blame on the director. The film was directed by John Lee Hancock, late of The Rookie, The Blind Side, and Saving Mr. Banks. All of which are decent films but also share a similar tone and style. That of a brightly toned world and a family friendly mindset of storytelling. Because of this, I strongly suspect that Mr. Hancock was attempting to step out of his comfort zone to try something different. While I applaud his efforts, if that was indeed the case, I don't think he's really cut out for movies like The Highwaymen. The script is really much more suited for someone like Michael Mann or even Christopher Nolan, people who have experience in these kinds of darker stories. Sadly, we are left with a director out of his league. 

Kevin Costner is not much help either. To be honest, there are very few movies with Mr. Costner that I actually like, and that has to do with his style of "acting" being best suited to the tone and story of said movies. Kevin Costner seems incapable of putting any amount of believable conviction into his performances preferring to go with the overused tough & stoic man approach. Usually, that kind of thing would be appropriate for a story like this, but his version of it, in particular, drags the movie down more. The good news is that his lackluster performance is mostly saved by the ever-reliable Woody Harrelson who is always entertaining in whatever he's in. Even when the quality of the movie isn't all that great, Mr. Harrelson manages to elevate it with enthusiasm, charm, and conviction. I could watch this man read the Phonebook on stage and be completely entertained. 

I was genuinely looking forward to this movie. I liked most of the cast, the general idea, and the exciting parts that were showcased in the trailers. Sadly, it seems that all of the best moments were reserved for the advertisements. The films lack of levity, lackluster performance from the leading man, and misguided direction have all cultivated into an overly long slog of a film that I'm pretty sure put me to sleep once or twice. If you have a Netflix account, you would be wise to stear clear of this one. Just watch Zombieland instead. It makes much better use of Woody Harrelson's talent. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you for reading. 

Us - 98% Perfection (Spoiler Free)

Back in 2017, comedic performer and writer Jordan Peele made his feature film debut with the horror masterpiece Get Out. The story of a young interracial couple heading into the country to spend the weekend with the in-laws only to discover a more sinister and unnerving plot in motion. It was a smash hit earning Jordan Peele the Acadamy Award for Best Original Screenplay as well as nominations for Best Director and Best Picture. More importantly, it established Jordan Peele as a genuine talent for real horror cinema: as in films that are well crafted and comment on the human condition that also happen to be scary rather than the torture-porn jump-scare fests we tend to get more often than not. I was incredibly impressed (and still very much am) with Get Out and became overwhelmingly eager to see what the next step would be. Having now seen his much awaited follow up film, Us, I am happy to report that Jordan Peele has once again struck gold with his new nightmare. While this may not be as clever or as memorable as Get Out, at least to me, it still succeeds in delivering a scary, unsettling, and profound experience in its own way. Despite one minor flaw which I will get to momentarily.

The story follows a family of four arriving at their Summer house for a vacation with plenty of fun things to do, including fishing, boat riding, and days at the Santa Cruz Beaches. Our main protagonist Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o), is less than thrilled to visit said beaches due to a mysterious childhood trauma she experienced there. After a day at the Beach, they all return to the house, but just before everyone can get to bed, they are suddenly confronted by four strangers clad in Red waving large Scissors. Soon after their arrival, we discover that these strangers are actually exact Dopplegängers of themselves, and they do not seem friendly. Now, our heroes must survive the night and unravel the mystery of these strange and other creatures stalking them.

As I mentioned before, this is a genuinely true horror film. To me, horror is not about how much you can scare an audience with creepy ghosts, blood & guts, or loud and repetitive jump-scares, but instead about how you can take a profound theme or subject matter and tell a compelling yet nervewracking story about it. The most obvious comparison to make would be The Twilight Zone, which, incidentally, Jordan Peele is a fan of and will be hosting the upcoming reboot. The stories from that show were not necessarily horror, at least not all of the time, they were stories exploring strange ideas and real-world concerns that just so happened to be scary.

Us takes that very notion and through carefully crafted visuals,  nuanced performances, and witty writing (mostly), not only delivers an exploration of duality but also of nature vs. nurture, perception, and the horrible concept of "The Other." The ones who look like us but just can't be, because they're savage and could never be really like us. Except, they can be us.

The acting from the entire cast is what sells the film. Every one of the named characters gets to play their "evil" twin, and it is gleefully clear how much fun they are all having. Each and every performer distinguishes their dual roles brilliantly and performs them both with vast amounts of conviction and passion. Even the child actors are incredible. Needless to say, the MVP award goes to the leading lady Lupita Nyong'o, who carries the movie on her shoulders.

As you might expect, director Jordan Peele shows his mastery in the director's chair. Much like James Wan (another master of horror cinema) Jordan is excellent with actors, has a keen eye for crafty & creepy shot composition, and successfully creates an atmosphere of tension and unease. This may very well be the guy to bring back pure horror cinema, and I could not be more delighted at that prospect. Hell, I'm not even a serious horror fan, but I appreciate it when it's good like this. It's a whole lot better than what passes as "horror" these days, with their cheap jump-scares, and their overreliance on gore, and their incompetent writing, and their...okay, I'm going on a tangent. Sorry.

Now, as much as I enjoy singing the film's praises (because they are well earned), there is one little flaw that prevents me from ranking it higher than Get Out. It is in regards to the ending twist which, as I have already stated in the title of this review, I will not spoil here. What I will say is, while I understand and appreciate what the twist wanted to accomplish, and can understand those who may or may not have seen it coming, I personally don't think it was as well executed as it really should have been. The twist, while still clever in its own way, is executed in such a manner that it raises questions about the story which did not really need to be brought up. Also, it unintentionally diminishes the air of mystery that was otherwise perfectly executed throughout the film. This could very likely be a case of Studio interference but we may never know.

Despite this minor yet ever-present flaw, I was still absolutely impressed with this movie. Not only does it reaffirm Jordan Peele as a genuine talent, but it also gives new life to the horror genre. If you can handle scary movies, then you owe it to yourself to see this one. Just don't blame me if you suddenly develop a new fear of Scissors and/or Mirrors.

Is this film worth seeing?
Yes.

Is it worth seeing in theaters?
Yes.

Why?
It's yet another case of a really talented filmmaker showing us all how horror should be done. It's scary, brilliant in so many ways, and profoundly socially relevant. Do not miss this one.

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.

Captive State - A bad remake of a good Twilight Zone episode

There are few things as annoying as the anticipation of a promising movie, only to have most, if not all of that promise, crushed under its own potential. Everything about this movie screams of intelligent ideas, compelling themes, and profound storytelling, and yet, despite having all of the necessary ingredients, it fails to properly utilize them completely. Captive State could not be a more fitting title for this film, because I did indeed feel as though I was being held against my will by my desire to find something, anything, that would qualify as a redeeming factor in this film that would have made the whole two hours I wasted watching it worth the sacrifice. Much to my dismay, none ever came. This movie is already an instant contender for one of the worst films of the year, and I rue the day I ever come across another that's even worse. 

Taking place in the not too distant future, the story is about a society that has been taken over by an invading alien force. Our nation had been crumbling and was on the brink of self-annihilation until these mysterious creatures, known as "The Legislators," invaded our planet and demanded full control over our government. Humanity promptly accepted their terms and has agreed to live under their rule while the aliens plunder the Earths natural resources. A group of underground resistance fighters is plotting to strike against the alien dictators and ignite a fire to encourage the rest of humanity to resist. The future of humanity rests in their hands as they carefully put their plan in motion all the while trying to evade the ever watchful eye of the police detective assigned to track them down and take them out. Will the resistance ignite the fire or will they get crushed by the uber-powerful dictators? 

Right off the bat, this is an excellent idea for a science fiction story. In fact, as I suggested in the title of this review, the story reminds me of an episode of The Twilight Zone. Notably, the one titled The Obsolete Man. However, while that show, and that episode especially, had a profound story, compelling characters, and an overarching theme worth investing it, Captive State fails miserably to provide any of that. 

The biggest problem with this film is its lack of personal stakes and sympathetic characters. Sure, the ones we follow in the story have back stories we can empathize with, but none of them have anything for us to latch on to. We never learn anything about the characters we're supposed to care about. Not their personalities, their ultimate desires & goals, or their reasons for wanting to fight back in the first place. Yes, resisting dictatorships is in and of itself a noble and worthy undertaking, but there has to be more to it other than the typical chest-pumping "FIGHT THE POWER" stuff. You can put the whole world in peril as much as you want, but unless there is a personal and emotional aspect of the story for the audience to sympathize with, of which there is none in this movie, then it's all for not. 

Another major issue with this film is its atrocious breaking of the "show, don't tell" rule of filmmaking. Be it for budgetary constraints of lazy writing, the movie spends a considerable chunk of its running time telling the audience about past events, the current state of affairs, and major plot points, rather than finding creative ways to visualize any of it. Sure, the visual style and tone of the film are appropriately bleak, and there are some decent special effects thrown in for good measure, but that is not enough to make a compelling story. Watching a movie about resisting an alien invasion should not feel like reading a depressing war history book. 

This is the most disappointing film for me this year so far. It fails to take full advantage of its story, has no idea how to create even a single compelling character, and has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. There was so much potential for this film to have been placed on par with the likes of Robocop or even District 9, a science fiction story about the powerless and disenfranchised fighting back against a ruthless and apathetic leadership. Alas, it was apparently not meant to be with this movie. Rod Serling would be most displeased. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

No. 

Is it worth seeing in theaters? 

No. 

Why? 

It's an absolute failure in every sense of the word. Skip this one and just watch that episode of The Twilight Zone I mentioned earlier. It's a far better execution of this particular kind of story. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading. 

Captain Marvel - Marvel Studios equivalent to Wonder Woman (mostly)

Special Note: 

I would like to make it clear that I am aware of some of the controversy regarding this film and its star. Namely, the comments made by Brie Larson regarding critics, representation, and the need for more diversity. I would like to state that I understand and mostly agree with Brie Larson's comments, but I do not entirely appreciate how they were made. I know her intentions were good and do believe that her heart and mind were in the right place when her statements were made, but I think that they could have been made better. Having said that, I want to make it abundantly clear that this will in no way affect my overall opinion or appraisal of the movie Captain Marvel. As always, this review is of the films own merits and nothing else. 

Thank you all and please enjoy the review. 

One of the things that seem to help Marvel Studios maintain its high regard, rightfully so I might add, is, is their ability to go against expectations and still deliver the goods. Especially in recent years. Black Panther was arguably the turning point for Marvel Studios transitioning from being just a fun studio that made good superhero movies to a risk-taking and status quo challenging powerhouse that not only encourages progress in films and society but demands it by merely proclaiming "if we can do this, then so can you!" This is one of the many reasons I still enjoy Marvel's superhero movies as well as their characters in general, as their ability to inspire and encourage others is phenomenal and beautiful. Though it may be flawed in some areas, Captain Marvel is yet another glorious feather in Marvel Studios cap. Wonder Woman would be proud. 

Taking place in the 1990s the story follows a woman named Carol Danvers (Brie Larson). A member of an intergalactic police force known as the Kree who have been at war against an alien race known as the Skrulls, a species with the ability to assimilate anyone they choose down to the DNA. During a skirmish with a band of Skrulls, Carol finds herself stuck on Planet Earth and is trying to make contact with her squad and hunt down any hidden enemies on the planet with her. Along the way, she runs into a young SHIELD agent named Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who believes her and offers to help. The two of them follow a trail of clues to an air force base where, upon investigating, Carol discovers that she was actually from Earth, but she can't remember her old life. On top of that, enemy agents are quickly working their way into SHIELD. Now, Carol must solve the mystery of who she used to be, and in doing so, become the hero she was always meant to be. 

What I like best about this film is that, as I have stated in the title of this review, it is just about on par with Wonder Woman. In that, it is a much desired and well-executed superhero film with a female lead with a story that revolves around feminist philosophies, issues, and perceptions. Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel is smart, funny, brave, compassionate, and charming in her own way. As a symbol, this iteration of Captain Marvel embodies real feminist strength in the face of adversity and sexism. Offering inspiration to young girls everywhere to follow their dreams and don't take no crap from anybody. A message I can always appreciate. 

Brie Larson is terrific in the lead. She always struck me as a talented actress especially when she won the Oscar for Room. A film that is both delightful and difficult. 

The chemistry between Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson is incredible. Their banter and character clashing make for some of the best scenes in the movie. I have little doubt that they got along well on set. Even better, they are surrounded by an incredibly talented and versatile cast of supporting characters who all offer a level of nuance to the story. Without spoiling anything, some of the characters turn out to be different than what may have been expected. 

The special effects and action scenes are exciting and fun. The CGI make used to make Samuel L. Jackson look nearly thirty years younger is terrific. It's almost scary just how far special effects have come. Not to mention the fight choreography is fluid and easy to follow. Very rarely did I find myself stumbling to comprehend the action on screen. 

Now, as much as I do enjoy this film, it is not without a few flaws. 

The main issue for me is the amnesia storyline. While Brie Larson does a beautiful job with the character, there really isn't much to grab onto for most of the first half. Because Carol Danvers doesn't remember who she was and only knows what others have told her, she mostly comes off as a blank slate with few but funny personality quirks. This could have been fixed a little if the writers had thought to give her a little more to work with before she regains her old memories. As is, it's not bad just not as developed as I thought it should have been. 

I had a blast with this film. It's entertaining, intelligent, relevant, and will hopefully go on to inspire many people, especially women, to be the best that they can be. I look forward to seeing Captain Marvel again soon. 

Is this movie worth seeing? 

Yes. 

Is it worth seeing in theaters? 

Yes. 

Why? 

It's another milestone for superhero movies and for leading ladies. Here's hoping we get a few more in the future. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.