Much has been said about the release of
Captain Marvel, the latest entry in the MCU as well as being the first major comic book film of the year thus far. Not only is it the first film in the universe that places a female character front and center in the story, but it also has battled it's own form of controversy regarding numerous internet trolls in a failed attempt to lower it's Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB scores much in the same way trolls attacked
Star Wars: The Last Jedi and
Marvel's Black Panther before they were even released. What began with over 4,500 negative reviews directed at the film and a sabotaged Rotten Tomatoes score of 36 percent, the promotion of the film quickly became a battle between the film and it's stars vs the trolls attempting to destroy the films reputation upon it's release in an effort to lower it's box office intake to promote their own agenda. Now that the film has been released, the Rotten Tomatoes score has rebounded and currently sits at a reasonable 62 percent with a 79 percent score from the critics and a 7.1 out of 10 on IMDB. The question on audiences minds however, is whether the film is actually any good as well as being a worthy entry in the ever expanding MCU. As Marvel's first female driven installment as well as being their response to DCEU's
Wonder Woman (Which came out first, the only achievement they currently hold over Marvel thus far),
Captain Marvel manages to successfully rise above its sad base of trolls and manages to be a solid and worthwhile popcorn blockbuster.
Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1BCujX3pw8
The plot for
Captain Marvel centers around Carol Danvers on her journey towards becoming Captain Marvel, one of the universe's most powerful heroes when the Earth is caught in the center of a galactic conflict between two alien worlds. The movie's general storyline is pretty standard within the realm of the Marvel universe with the main female character making it standout as well as being set in a previously unseen timeline with the film taking place in the mid 1990's with moments of flashbacks in the air force in the 1980's giving the film a
Top Gun feel to it. The timeline is evident with moments that are bound to provide nostalgia for the audience such as the scene where Danvers character ends up inside a
Blockbuster Video store. The scene is sure to transform the audience back to that time period while evoking their own memories of that store with Captain Marvel intentionally or unintentionally (You decide), blowing the head of then mega-star Arnold Schwarzenegger with his
True Lies poster. The 90's setting is also shown by the de-aging of Agents Nick Fury and Coulson played by Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg. The plot revolving around Danvers haunted by dreams of a lost life she doesn't remember, becomes the heart and soul of the film with the audience becoming sympathetic to her character as well as rooting for her to become the heroine she always wanted to be. The parts where the story becomes a bit confusing as well as messy for audiences is the intergalactic war between the two alien worlds, which surrounds Carols story as the filmmakers weave that element into the story with the flashbacks from the past being distributed throughout the story making the narrative feel rather uneven at times. She discovers that she must team up with de-aged Samuel L. Jackson in order to prevent the main antagonist Skrulls from retrieving a war ending weapon believed to be on a hidden planet.
As far as acting, writing, and directing goes,
Captain Marvel is directed with an extreme dose of high-level fun and energy which translates beautifully on the big screen. One can tell that the cast and crew were having a blast making this movie particularly Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson in the main roles. Brie Larson's performance as Carol Danvers is the heart and soul of the film while providing a female Buzz Lightyear scenario for the audience. Larson brings the right dose of wit and emotion to the part which makes her appealing to audiences. Samuel L. Jackson works great off Larson as Nick Fury turning in one of his strongest performances as the iconic former head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Larson and Jackson's chemistry in the film shines though as audiences can clearly feel a genuine friendship between the two people on as well as off the screen. Clark Gregg is great to see again as Coulson in the MCU film timeline despite the setting of the film taking place a decade before the events of the first
Avengers film. Other notable performances are Jude Law playing Danvers friend turned enemy Yon-Rogg in the film giving the film a
Batman Begins style relationship between the main character and its trainer whose later revealed to be the films main antagonist, one could almost say Jude Law is the Liam Neeson/Ra's Al Ghoul of this film. Ben Mendelsohn does a fine job playing the alien Talos, a misunderstood antagonist to Danvers and Fury who means well in order to protect both his family and race from extinction. Annette Bening shines through with the small role he has and Lashana Lynch as Danvers best friend/Air Force pilot. Her moments with Danvers in which she tries to convince Carol of her past in the present are effective and powerful. As far as performances go, the main cast all did stellar performances and brought a genuine sense of excitement and fun to their roles. In terms of directing, the film carries the same style of action, humor, and visual thrills that has made all the previous Marvel films a success with their audiences. These films are made purely to entertain with little moments of maturity presented along with serious messages that comes across as inspiring for comic book fans. Within
Captain Marvel's fun and games, the film carries themes regarding family, powers, honor, trust, memories, and heroes. The message behind the film says that it's important to rediscover one's past and roots as the past can mold the person into who they become today. As far as the intergalactic aspect of the story, the film says that Wars are confusing and it's not always clear whose on the right side.
The films technical achievements worth noting are the visual style of the film which is groundbreaking though that's nothing new for the MCU and the films attempt to make the 90's look as authentic as possible with the inserting of Blockbuster and a Gameboy in the mix. The films intergalactic worlds are appealing and visually stunning but they don't have the same kind of impact that lets say Wakanda had on audiences a year ago with
Black Panther. A lot has been said about the films first half as some reviews criticized the films buildup of characters and plot. Personally the first half of the film was done as handled fairly well given all the information and characters it was delivering to the audience. The establishing of the Kree empire as well as the ongoing war with the Skrull was presented as fairly balanced as possible with Danvers character being introduced in the present before ended up in the previous timeline. The films pacing moves steadily making the film feel like it doesn't move too fast nor too slow. As confusing as the the films narrative may come across at times, it's flashbacks give what's essentially a standard plot substance and elevates it over the majority of Marvel entries. When the story is focused on Danvers character, the film truly shines and makes it worth watching, especially seeing her character and Jackson's go back and forth in a battle of wits and swagger. It's one of the more unusual pairing of actors in a film that proves to be a pleasant surprise. The true standout of the film happens to be the main character Goose, a cat that manages to have a few surprises of his own.
Is Captain Marvel a perfect film? No, it has narrative and story issues that make it feel uneven at times along with falling into the generic traps of a typical Marvel storyline, but it rises above most due to the heart of the story which is the character of Captain Marvel. She represents Marvels Wonder Woman (Sorry Blackcat), and their attempt to top that films success on the DCEU side. Did Marvel do a better job at presenting their first female character compared to Patty Jenkins
Wonder Woman? No, that film is still superior as it's writing, directing, and acting are stronger but the impact and appeal that
Captain Marvel has on it's audience thus far since it's release makes her a worthy contrast. While that should not be an invitation for people to begin tearing the other film apart, rather they both should be celebrated for portraying female heroines in a light that's both positive and mature. Moments such as Captain Marvel being shown to overcome the adversities of her life with the moving score in the background is touching and one of the most powerful moments in the movie that basically defines her character as well as represents the soul of the story. Despite it's faults,
Captain Marvel is a solid and enjoyable Marvel flick, that manages to both entertain it's audience while making the case along with
Wonder Woman that future female-oriented comic book films are the pathway to both universes success.
Final Verdict:
Ignore the trolls and SEE IT
Stay after the credits though for a special scene involving Captain Marvel that builds up hype for
Avengers: Endgame.
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