Caution: Spoilers lay ahead.

Captain Marvel, an airforce pilot gifted powers after her plane crashes, is the latest addition to team Avengers, and she’s full of surprises that will have you in awe even after the credits roll. With great acting from Brie Larson, an adorable alien-race cat Goose, and an intriguing storyline, Captain Marvel answers questions fans have been dying to know, while creating more questions that we’ll have to see answered in Avengers: Endgame, releasing April 26th.

Carol Danvers’ entrance to the MCU is spectacular. Watching her struggle throughout the film, only to stand back up more powerful than ever at the end was inspiring to women (and men) everywhere. If you can find the courage to push past everything holding you down, the version of yourself in the end will be more confident and stronger than who you were before.

Captain Marvel is by far the most powerful superhero on screen to this day, and the action sequences showcasing her strengths and powers further backs that up. The ending fight in space where she tears through spaceships and missiles shows just how far CGI has come from where the MCU began with the first Iron Man. The visual effects were off the charts and showcased Carol’s powers (which were so pleasing to watch). They also were instrumental in Samuel Jackson’s “de-aging” effects, which allowed him to play a much younger Nick Fury, and that “movie magic” worked seamlessly and was near impossible to notice.

Goose, who of course gets her own separate section, stole the show for me. As a cat person myself, she was adorable and I loved all the scenes she was in. Her fluffy cuteness made everyone smile, and she developed an odd relationship with the macho Nick Fury who admittedly had a soft spot for her. For those who didn’t know she was an alien called a Flerken, she had some fun and slightly terrifying action that audiences didn’t see coming. 

The Skrulls had an interesting impact on the story. After learning their intentions and knowing that the Kree were trying to force them under their rule, I started to feel bad for them. They were just looking for a home to live in peace (as far as we know now), and their sudden change from “enemy” to “friend” was unexpected.

Yon-Rogg (played by Jude Law) was a great villain and I loved his relationship with Carol in the beginning. They started out as friends and battle-buddies, and he ended up being her greatest enemy in the end. Their fight at the end was built up well and had a lot of meaning.

If the 90’s vibe wasn’t clear enough with the outfits and the Blockbuster store, the soundtrack cleared that up right away. The songs were energetic and I found myself bopping along while Carol fought off the bad guys.

When the credits rolled, and after the Endgame credit-scene ended; I found myself with one question. How is she going to be balanced out with the other Avengers in Avengers: Endgame? When she broke free from the Supreme Intelligence (which was holding her power back), she was unstoppable both on earth and in space. Other Marvel characters have been very strong (Iron Man and Thor), but they are nothing compared to Carol now. She could eat Thanos for breakfast (and frankly so could Goose), so how they are going to dull down her powers to make Endgame as interesting and emotional as Infinity War? We will only have to wait and see, but one thing is for certain: none of us can wait to see Captain Marvel and the other Avengers in action again on April 26.

Rating: 9/10.