By Allie Boulier

Marvel’s latest film, Captain Marvel, released on International Women’s Day, is the ideal movie for feminists and lovers of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Captain Marvel is the female Marvel character I have been craving. Captain Marvel is the first stand-alone female hero film Marvel has made, slightly behind DC as it released Wonder Woman in 2017. Black Widow, Marvel’s other most notable female character besides Captain Marvel, is stoic, flat and frankly, boring. Captain Marvel, on the other hand, is dynamic, funny, and relatable. It’s almost as if in the creation of Black Widow, Marvel gave her an extra hard exterior to “make up” for her gender, where as Captain Marvel is allowed to behave like a person, as she doubts herself, acts goofily, and struggles throughout the film.

Captain Marvel wasn’t always the role model we love so dearly, as her past is less than perfect once under the eye of an investigative feminist. Originally, Captain Marvel was a male alien named Mar-Vell, and Carol Danvers was a mere love interest in Marvel Comics ¨Captain Marvel¨ series from 1968. To adapt to the changing social tides of the 1970s, Danvers became the focus of the series and became Ms. Marvel in an attempt to appeal to feminist audiences. In 2019 with the resulting character Captain Marvel, I can say Marvel Comics has succeeded.

The vibes of Captain Marvel are not unlike Guardians of the Galaxy. The soundtrack of both center around a decade, as Captain Marvel features strong tracks from the ‘90s while Guardians of the Galaxy includes lovable hits from the ‘80s. Furthermore, both films include lots of comical relief, and spaceship fighting scenes (like Star Wars). Interestingly enough, Captain Marvel also includes pinball machines, a Radioshack, and a Blockbuster.

A fair warning: If you’re looking for some insight into the Marvel Universe after Avengers: Infinity War, this movie is not for you. Captain Marvel takes place in 1995, years before Infinity War begins; however, it does include two after-credit scenes, one of which is staged after Infinity War.

This is not against Captain Marvel, it’s just in the wake of Marvel’s last film fans everywhere were left with questions, and this latest movie does not provide the answers we crave. Rather, Captain Marvel is primarily an origin story film, which means it focuses mostly on character development and background rather than plot. If you’re looking for a comparison think SpiderMan: Homecoming instead of Thor: Ragnarok.

Although Captain Marvel does not shed much light on the future of the Marvel Universe, it does provide insight into the past. Since it takes place in 1995, we see how SHIELD gains the tesseract, Fury loses his eye, and the beginning of Agent Coulson from Marvel Agents of SHIELD working for Fury.

Since Avenger’s: Infinity War, co-founder of Marvel Comics Stan Lee has passed away. In light of this tragic news, fans were left wondering if Lee’s famous cameo would be included in Captain Marvel, and I’m happy to say audience members can expect to see him. Additionally, in dedication to Lee, rather than the traditional opening of different Marvel movie clips to spell the word Marvel, the clips were all of Lee. For a second afterwards, the screen went black and said simply: “To Stan.” The moment was heartwarming and lovely, and I felt touched before Captain Marvel even began.

Other personal favorites of mine include a very minor character-a cat named Goose. Goose, originally seen as a cuddly pet, was hilariously scanned by alien technology and declared a high level threat. Imagine a cute little orange tabby erupting tentacles from its mouth, eating five aliens, and meowing adorably.

Domestically, Captain Marvel has already reached over $153 million and from the lines I saw this weekend, I predict this number will keep climbing. After months of slow movies and no blockbusters to be seen, without a doubt Captain Marvel is the movie to see right now.

Take your sisters and your girlfriends and anyone who loves a little space adventure or a Marvel movie because Captain Marvel is a crowd pleaser.