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‘Captain Marvel’: Brie Larson excels, film lacks chutzpah (IANS Review, Rating: ***)
By Troy Ribeiro
Film: “Captain Marvel”; Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck; Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Clark Gregg, Jude Law; Rating: ***
Captain Marvel is the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first film from its portfolio to evolve around a female-superhero. It serves as an origin story of the eponymous character. So, naturally with some serious expectations, the stakes are high for the film and the larger-than-life, female-superhero character.
Set in 1995, when S.H.I.E.L.D is just a budding task force and the Avengers are in their early stage, the story follows Carol Danvers, aka Vers, to her alien mates, a former US Air Force Fighter pilot, as she turns into one of the galaxy’s mightiest heroes.
It is a desperate tale of identity with Vers honing her powers by working to figure out, along with the audience, who she actually is.
When we meet her, she is a Kree warrior fighting alongside her friend and mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) as part of the elite Kree military, Starforce, which is a special-force unit, tasked with fighting the shape-shifting rivals the Skrulls.
When a field mission goes awry, she is kidnapped by Skrull commander Talos (Nen Mendelsohn) and interrogated for information about a mysterious mcguffin. However, soon she manages to mount a chaotic escape, crash landing on the nearest planet which happens to be Earth, also known as C-53.
Here, despite being chased by Skrulls, while Vers finds comfort in Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), an old colleague from her air-force days and her daughter (Akira Akbar), we learn that Vers and her superior officer, Lawson (Annette Bening), crash-landed in the desert, where Vers, confronted by an alien force, blew up the energy core that was Lawson’s experimental light-speed project.
This accident gave Vers her power that makes her a legend.
The narrative built on templates from the MCU fare of cosmic action adventure, makes the film appear like an ordinary, run-of-the-mill, superhero romp. And the convoluted screenplay along with its casual pacing, makes the viewing tedious.
The trouble is, in the first half, from Vers’ initial combat training session to the aforementioned Skrull ambush, its frenetic opening doesn’t give us much time to get to know her or the alien world she exists in.
Also, while the second act drags at a slow pace, the final act with the climactic sky battle that takes place over the sun-washed Great Canyons, appear standard fare.
The film lacks in emotion and isn’t quite as funny as it thinks it is. While the 90’s references are consistently entertaining, including the IT gag, the dialogues lack the punch of the earlier Marvel films.
On the other hand, what emerges as intriguing is the appearance of Samuel L. Jackson as the young Nick Fury, who had earlier appeared in six Marvel films. He has been de-aged by the kind of computer wizardry that will write humans out of the future. He shows up in the scene when Vers crash-lands on earth.
While Brie Larson radiates as Captain Marvel, she is aptly supported by her colleagues. There is an engaging chemistry between her and Jude Law, as well as Jackson.
Unfortunately they are all burdened with too many agendas making their performances appear perfunctory.
The plot works hard and succeeds to build the connective tissue between this film and the MCU. The two post-credits scenes are both definitely worth staying for as they tie Captain Marvel squarely into the MCU.
–IANS
ribeiro/in
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.