Captain Marvel

Right now you can watch Captain Marvel in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus — and it goes further with its ideas than most genre entertainment bothers to. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Brie Larson sets the tone, and the world-building does the rest. Start it on Disney Plus whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Captain Marvel earns its spot. What makes Captain Marvel work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. The story follows Carol Danvers as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races. Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel is an all-new adventure from a previously unseen period in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson lead a cast that keeps the bigger ideas grounded in something human. Captain Marvel came out in 2019. The world-building is meticulous enough to sustain multiple rewatches, with details early on that only make sense later. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Sci-fi fans who want ideas alongside the spectacle will find Captain Marvel genuinely rewarding. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Watch for Brie Larson in particular — the performance elevates the material. Satisfying on multiple levels.