Captain Marvel Review: 90s Nostalgia-Overload

First things first, I will try and keep this Captain Marvel Review as spoiler free as possible. But everyone has seen the trailer, and you know that this film takes place far before the events in last years Avengers: Infinity War. In fact, it takes place before the events of most of the MCU — bar the first Captian America film — as it takes place in 1995, with flashbacks to 1989.

Where has Captain Marvel Been?

So, how come we haven’t seen Captain Marvel before? How on earth will they write their way out of that? Don’t worry! They cover it and cover it pretty well. Make sure you stay till the end though for the, now obligatory, post credit scenes, of which there are two!

If you are anything like me, then since I saw the first trailer with Captain Marvel falling through the roof of Blockbuster Video, I was trying to get my head around where Captain Marvel had been through the entire MCU film series to date.

My first thought, when Nick Fury uses the pager at the end of Infinity War, was that maybe she has been in some kind of stasis or cryosleep. I don’t know why that was my first thought, probably because I am not that clued-up on Captain Marvel as a character, as some of the other Marvel characters I’ve grown up with.

Well, as it turns out, I was way off. She has of course been off-world — she’s almost/kinda an alien anyway, and a lot of the film takes place on Hala, the capital of the Kree race.

Captain Marvel Review: 90’s Nostalgia

In a similar way to how Guardians of the Galaxy was made by its soundtrack, Captain Marvel is also placed squarely into the 90s with a great soundtrack.

Whereas Guardians featured a soundtrack of songs released up to the year 1988 when Peter Quill (Star-Lord) is abducted from earth. Captain Marvels heavily 90’s inspired soundtrack is great for the people, like me, that grew up listening to music in that era.

I mean, Nirvana are on the soundtrack, can it get any better than that?!

Yes, because Captain Marvel wears a NIN – Nine Inch Nails tee for a large portion of the movie!

A close friend of mine, actually said this is her favourite Marvel film to date, and mainly because all the songs struck such a chord with her. It is a 90s nostalgia trip. But beyond that is is a Marvel & MCU nostalgia trip!

I mean, we have agent Coulson looking young and partnered up with a young Nick Fury! We get to see Fury with both eyes, and even learn the truth about how he lost it!

This is like, meta, fantasy, nostalgia and I loved it.

The Soundtrack of the 90s – Captain Marvel Soundtrack List

You Gotta Be by Des’ree

Connection by Elastica

Only Happy When It Rains by Garbage

Crazy on You by Heart

Celebrity Skin by Hole (End Credits)

Kiss Me Deadly by Lita Ford

Please Mr. Postman by the Marvelettes (sung by Samuel L. Jackson)

Come as You Are by Nirvana

Just a Girl by No Doubt

Crush with Eyeliner and Man on the Moon by R.E.M.

Whatta Man by Salt-N-Pepa

Waterfalls by TLC

Now don’t go expecting these to be on the soundtrack if you buy it, as the Original Motion Picture Score is a cinematic, orchestral score as you’d expect from a Marvel film, but it does rather take a backseat to these songs.

Setting up for the Future

The thing is, this is an origin story (well this is a Captain Marvel Review, but you know what I mean), though told in a slightly different way than we may be used to for a Marvel film. And that means that we really only get a brief glimpse of Captain Marvel’s power, and it is POWER!

In a truly epic climax, we get to see what Captain Marvel can really do. But it is unfortunately over all too quickly. You gotta leave the audience wanting more though right?!

But the thing that gets me most excited, is what the future hold. They’ve shown us what she can do, and they’ve set up her character. I can’t wait for End Game, because hopefully, we will get to see some more absolute awesomeness from one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes.

It’s exciting to think of her going up against someone that is as formidable as she is. And hope that Marvel can pull it off, where DC seem to be struggling.

But for now, we just have to wait… Only a month to go before End Game hits, and perhaps we are due a trailer that includes Captain Marvel now that the film has been released. What do you think Marvel?

The future is bright. And it is a marvel to behold.