Before I watched Captain Marvel, I asked local teacher Savannah Marlow what she thought of the movie. She responded enthusiastically that the cat was the best part. When I saw the film at the Huntington 7, I made sure to keep an eye out for the cat. I was not disappointed.

For those of you who have not had a chance to see the much-anticipated film, prepare yourself: the first 10 or so minutes are almost unbearably confusing. During this wild ride of a beginning, I was very nervous that Captain Marvel would be hard to follow and that I would have to spend the remaining two hours of the film catching up. If you can hang on through the first few minutes, though, you’ll find out that the confusion is warranted, and that the rest of the movie is a treat.

Although I typically dislike superhero movies, Captain Marvel was worth my time, and I was not disappointed. To potential watchers: I would voice my consensus with Marlow. The cat is indeed awesome. I would also advise the attentive viewer to watch out for the themes that are infused into the movie.

Spoilers — Beware!

As a student of refugee studies and an avid proponent of equality between genders, I was astounded by Marvel’s Captain Marvel. Marvel made no attempt to veil their messages about women and refugees. The superhero in the movie is a young woman who is often told to keep her emotions in check, prove herself and smile a little. She consistently blows these microaggressions aside and asserts herself, going as far as to explicitly say that she does not need to prove herself to her male boss.

In regards to refugees, I thought that Marvel’s message was right on track. Although the imperial power was able to successfully deceive others for a time, the truth eventually came out. Marvel also included a powerful scene in which a refugee family was reunited. The pro-refugee, anti-imperial message was obvious, timely and executed well.