Captain Marvel

Year of Release:  2019
Directors:  Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Screenplay:  Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck and Geneva Robertson-Dwort, story by Nicole Perlman, Meg Lefeuvre, Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck and Geneva Robertson-Dwort, and based on a character created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Gene Colan and Roy Thomas
Starring:  Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimou Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg, Jude Law
Running Time: 124 minutes
Genre: Science-fiction, action, adventure, superhero

In the year 1995, on the planet Hala, homeworld of the Kree Empire, Vers (Larson) is training to be a warrior, but is haunted by nightmares of a past on Earth that she does not consciously remember.  The Kree are at war with the shape-shifting Skrulls.  When a mission to extract a Kree spy turns out to be a Skrull trap, Vers is captured and her mind is probed, revealing that she is a human from Earth.  Vers escapes to Earth and soon learns that she is a test pilot named Carol Danvers.  Teaming up with spy Nick Fury (Jackson) Carol fights to stop the Skrull infiltrating Earth, as well as trying to discover the secret of her past and powers.

This is the latest entry in the seemingly endless MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) franchise based on Marvel comicbooks.  At this late stage, the MCU is like a well-oiled machine, churning out well-made, entertaining films at a rate of two or three a year, so it really isn't a surprise that this is a good, fun film.  Here we are introduced to Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, and the usual superhero origin story film tends to be:  The hero is introduced as a normal person, they get their powers somehow, they learn how to use their powers and finally fight with a villain for the rest of the film.  Here Carol already has powers, and her origin story is a mystery that is revealed slowly throughout the film.  The film is funny, well-paced, with some genuinely exciting action scenes (even if, as is almost inevitable with these movies, it feels like a special effects showcase towards the end), and there is fun 1990s nostalgia.  The script is well-written, with regular twists and surprises, and a surprisingly contemporary relevance.  Brie Larson is a great actress, and she is perfectly cast as Carol Danvers, making for an engaging, kickass new hero, and she has real chemistry with a youthed down Samuel L. Jackson as a young Nick Fury, and it's fun to see Fury take his first steps into the superhero universe.  There is a fun cameo from the late Stan Lee riffing on his cameo in Mallrats (1995).  While there are many references to other MCU movies this can be enjoyed even if you've somehow avoided the others.  The ending sets up sequels and, to be honest, I am more looking forward to them than I am to the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. 
A quick note: As always with MCU films there are additional scenes during the end credits, here there are two, one in the middle of the credits and one at the very end, so make sure to stick around.   

Brie Larson leads the charge in Captain Marvel   

Rogue One

Year of Release:  2016
Director:  Gareth Edwards
Screenplay:  Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, based on characters created by George Lucas
Starring:  Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, Jiang Wen, Forest Whitaker,
Running Time:  134 minutes
Genre:  Science-fiction, action, adventure

Jyn Erso (Jones) is a young convict, who is rescued by the Rebel Alliance.  Jyn's father, Galen (Mikkelsen), is a scientist who has been recruited by the evil Galactic Empire to work on a devastating new weapon known as the Death Star, which has the power to destroy an entire planet.  Jyn is partnered with Cassian Andor (Luna) on a mission to find and rescue her father, so that the Alliance can learn more about the Death Star.  However, unbeknownst to her, Andor's orders are to kill Galen.

If you remember the opening text to Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) about the Rebel spies stealing the plans for the Death Star, well this is their story, expanding a scant few words into a two hour plus film.  The Star Wars series made a triumphant return to screens in 2015 with The Force Awakens, and the current thinking is that there will be a new Star Wars film every year for the foreseeable future with a new entry in the ongoing storyline every two years, and in the interim a standalone film set in the Star Wars universe but not part of the ongoing saga.  Rogue One is the first of these standalone films, although it is intrinsically linked to the Star Wars storyline.  This does not open with the Star Wars title, or have the traditional opening text crawl.  It's also darker and grittier, more of a war movie in space.  Set just before the first Star Wars film, it manages the difficult task of combining cutting edge digital special effects, with technology that would not look out of place in that first film back in 1977, for example the Death Star plans are contained in what looks like an old Betamax cassette, which gives it a nice, chunky physical appeal.  It's a film full of adventure, excitement, and entertainment for Star Wars fans old and new, combined with some stunning visuals and real emotional heft at times.   Cutting edge digital effects allow for moving cameos from some favorite characters.  With appealing characters, well-played by the cast, the conclusion of the film has some real weight to it.

Felicity Jones in Rogue One