Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Captain Marvel Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 3, 2019

Captain Marvel's origins story has a lot riding on it, coming hot off the heels of Avengers: Infinity War when the title character was paged to come save the universe from a particularly nasty bout of mass extinction. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck give the character in this film an appropriate, if not somewhat routine, introduction en route to her part in Avengers: Endgame, this film being a necessary point of entry to establish the character's story, powers, and the possibilities that come with her. The retro origins story travels back about 25 years and folds in several characters and concepts that further ties the Marvel Cinematic Universe together, making it one of the earliest chronologically and most critical for the here-and-now.

Vers (Brie Larson) is a Kree and part of her people's Starforce, a critical military unit on the frontlines of a war against the shapeshifting Skrulls. Vers, who suffers from memory loss and possesses extraordinary powers, has been trained by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) to harness her abilities while her world's leader, an A.I. known as Supreme Intelligence (Annette Benning), appears to her as a figment of her imagination, an echo of a past she cannot remember. A skirmish with the Skrulls results in her crash-landing on Earth, in 1990s Los Angeles to be a little more precise. She quickly meets S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), who are startled to encounter not only her but the shapeshifting aliens in pursuit. As Vers slowly pieces her past together -- a past with origins on Earth -- she comes to learn the truth about not only who she is, but what she is fighting for and the origins of her powers.

Captain Marvel does absolutely nothing to reinvent the Superhero wheel, and the story is not as compelling as some of the other origins stories in the MCU -- those introducing Captain America or Black Panther -- but it's a reliably entertaining vehicle that lays some critical groundwork in the MCU past that will be a vital foundation in its future. The title character's story blends ideas and elements from various origin mythos, with hints of everything from Superman to The Incredible Hulk defining her journey to hero. It has content on offer that is not particularly bold in any directions taken or choices made; it's a comfortable journey that is perhaps more noteworthy for its ancillary content than its primary story drivers.

Beyond the narrative ebbs and flows is also a now-routine spectacle of sight and sound, of grandiose visual effects that play right into the long-established MCU style. A catchy 90s soundtrack pulses the movie's lifeblood through the speakers (No Doubt's Just a Girl blares as the heroine finds herself and hones her skills while kicking some bad guy behind later in the film) but it is Brie Larson who delivers a formidable performance as a character in search of herself. It is her arc that beyond the laser blasts and explosions and typically quick-move and high-impact visual effects truly grounds the picture. Larson never plays the part tiny, even when she is forced to question her own motives and wrestle with the realities of a life she knows and the truth about who she is, where she comes from, and who it is with whom she has allied herself. The character experiences a seemingly unending reveal of questions and answers, each one bringing a new weight to her shoulders until that moment when she brushes it all aside and rises to become the hero she was destined to become. One of the film's best scenes shows her as a youth, falling down after crashing a bike or being brushed back by a pitch in a baseball game, and standing back up. She builds a resilient hero, resilient certainly in terms of her physical prowess but also resilient in terms of her mental stamina. It's not a particularly novel arc but Larson and the filmmakers explore it convincingly, thoroughly, and agreeably, turning a fairly makeshift character into one worth cheering for.

Captain Marvel Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Captain Marvel's 1080p Blu-ray presentation satisfies modern demands. The digital source photography is clear and clean. Noise is kept in check and usually only appears in light quantities in lower light situations. The image reveals no encoding issues or source shortcomings to interfere with the presentation. Core detailing is quite nice. The Blu-ray capably reveals the alien makeup effects, the Kree costumes, and human attire with a fine level of revelatory clarity. Faces appear firmly defined and accurate, showcasing essential pores, hairs, wounds, and other details with commendable, distinctive ease. Dense urban areas around Los Angeles are likewise sharp and revealing, while complex military facilities, for example, showcase fine details and maintain sharpness from corner to corner. Colors are pleasing, finding a tonal neutrality that allows brighter shades to pop and lesser hues to support as necessary. The movie is not unusually colorful but various electronic readouts, superpowers (photon blasts), costumes, locales, and the like enjoy balanced, accurate color reproductions. Skin tones appear true to actor complexion and black levels are stable and never appear to overtly crush out details or, on the other end of the spectrum, needlessly lighten. This is a good quality Blu-ray image from Disney, presenting just as expected from beginning to end.

Captain Marvel Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack is yet another low volume output Disney offering. Adjusting it upwards several decibels from standard calibrated reference levels yields a fairly stout and enjoyable listen with no shortage of surround and subwoofer activity, though the latter feels a little stymied from time to time. Indeed, there are moments of prodigious bass, often accompanying Vers' photon blasts, but there are times -- even with those same photon blasts, such as in chapter eight when she rescues Fury from a Skrull in disguise -- when the low end can't quite come up with the rumble and depth a moment deserves. The track is otherwise zippy and fun, taking full advantage of the channels at its disposal, throwing sounds around with impressive verve and stamina, including both discrete effects and those which effortlessly traverse the listening area with perfect match to the on-screen action. One of the most interesting sonic elements comes in chapter three when big, airy voices emanate from all over the stage, as Vers' memories are being probed by a handful of Skrull captors. There are other satisfying one-off effects, such as a bank of lights which power on from front to back in chapter seven. Environmental support elements are nicely detailed and precisely located, giving scenes that require them the necessary sonic boost to draw the listener into any of several unique locales. Music is energetic and detailed, whether considering orchestral score our popular 90s beats. The former is more at home across the front while the latter finds a bit more swerve around the entire stage. Dialogue is detailed, well prioritized, and finds and maintains natural clarity for the duration.

Captain Marvel Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Captain Marvel's Blu-ray includes several featurettes, a commentary track, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Intro (1080p, 1:51): Less an "intro" and more a lightning-quick behind-the-scenes compilation, Co-Writers/Directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck share a few thoughts about creating the movie's tone, the visual effects, the character, and more.
• Becoming a Super Hero (1080p, 6:40): Larson talks up the opportunity to play the part while fellow cast and crew talk up her contributions and personality. It also explores her flight and physical training for the role.
• Big Hero Moment (1080p, 3:31): A closer look at the character's depth, personality, and history.
• The Origin of Nicky Fury (1080p, 3:33): A brief exploration of Fury's story in the film and his history (future in this film) in the MCU.
• The Dream Team (1080p, 2:44): A rapid-fire praise of Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.
• The Skrulls and the Kree (1080p, 3:31): A quick look at the film's warring aliens.
• Hiss-Sterical Cat-Titude (1080p, 3:23): A retro-looking, 4x3 aspect ratio featurette on the film's feline star, Goose.
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 8:47 total runtime): Included are "Who Do You Admire Above All Others?; Starforce Recruits; Heading to Torfa; 'What, No Smile?;' Black Box; and Rookie Mistake.
• Gag Reel (1080p, 2:02): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Audio Commentary: Writers/Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck explore the film in detail, beginning with the film's Stan Lee opening studio logo tribute and moving on to cover plot essentials, crafting various scenes, cast and performances, inspirations, the film's time period, and much more.

Captain Marvel Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps the most pressing question answered in Captain Marvel is the origin of Nick Fury's eyepatch, which is revealed in one of the film's best scenes. The movie is mostly a two-hour build-up to explaining the end moments of Avengers: Infinity War. Captain Marvel is a good movie, perhaps a little unimaginative in terms of narrative development and story execution, but the film fills in some critical backstory for the character, and beyond, and paves the road for a future where the title character is to play a big role in upcoming Marvel movies. Disney's Blu-ray delivers the expectedly healthy video, the expectedly volume-challenged but otherwise good audio, and a fairly robust package of supplements. Highly recommended.