Captain Marvel Review

       

   

               A lot has been made of the fact that Captain Marvel is Marvel Studios’ first female-led film, both in front of and behind the camera. And rightfully so but none of that would matter if the film bombed. It didn’t. Captain Marvel has crushed the box office to the tune of approximately $800 million thus far. Which maybe makes this redundant. If y’all are interested in the film, you’ve probably seen it at least once. But I want to get my thoughts out there and debut a new review format.

               Said format is fairly simple. I am going to list and discuss the moments and aspects of Captain Marvel that had the most impact on me. They could be either positive or negative although this time they’ll be pretty positive because I really enjoyed this film. And this will be VERY SPOILER FILLED.

So, without further ado, let’s jump in!

Honorable Mentions: Goose, Mar-Vell, Stan Lee

5. The Skrulls

 

The star extraterrestrial

               This features two huge Marvel alien races. Although the Kree have featured prominently in Guardians of the Galaxy and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we still do not know much about the race. That doesn’t really change here. Yon-Rogg is as huge waste of Jude Law’s incredible talent. He is not a well-defined character. And there are no other Kree characters outside of the Supreme Intelligence, but even they are just vaguely menacing with no clear motivations or personality.

               The Skrulls are the exact opposite. While they first appeared in this film (as far as we know), they have more motivation and personality than the Kree have in numerous appearances. And this is all because of Captain Marvel’s excellent twist and Ben Mendelsohn’s outstanding performance. From the very outset of the film, we are told repeatedly that the Skrulls are evil villains. About two-thirds of the way through, it is revealed that the Skrulls are refugees looking for a place to call home. Talos is trying to find his family and those with them. It is at this point that Talos turns from being menacing to jovial and charming. And Mendelsohn nails it. Even though this a controversial change from the comics, I loved it.

               The big rumor since it was announced that Skrulls would be in this film has been that the MCU is building toward a Secret Invasion adaptation, but this film seems to be leading us to the exact opposite conclusion. Is it possible not everyone agrees with Talos that Earth is not bad? Or, even more likely, this is not the only group of Skrulls and other groups will make their way to Earth or already have.

4. Chill Ass Nick Fury

Look at those pores

               Samuel L. Jackson seemed like he was having so much fun making this film. He has said numerous times that he loves playing Fury and this younger version is so different from what we have seen in the past. Fury is a fun loving, joyous individual. He and Carrol immediately develop a chemistry and friendship that is absolutely believable.

               The anti-aging CGI in this film is legitimately amazing. If I didn’t know that Sam Jackson is 70 years old, I would think he just looked like this. It isn’t quite as good on Clark Gregg (Look at his hair), but still better than Marvel’s previous attempts.

               I would be remiss not mention that Fury loses his left eye because of a Flerken scratch. This one event turns Nick Fury from easy going middle management to hard-nosed super spy. See the following exchange from Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

Steve Rogers: Soldiers trust each other, that’s what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around and shooting guns.

Nick Fury: The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.

               Nicholas Joseph Fury is the saltiest man on the planet.

3. The Rambeau clan

               Besides Fury, Carol has two friends: Maria and Monica Rambeau. There has been some controversy surrounding these two, especially Monica. For those that are unaware, in the comics canon Monica takes up the moniker Captain Marvel about 30 years before Carol. She is an incredibly powerful, brilliant character that even led the Avengers for a time. At the same time, Carol Danvers was going by the name Ms. Marvel. Monica received her powers in a similar way to how carol does in this film. And there is some questionable optics from choosing to remove a prominent black women from the Captain Marvel lineage.

While I believe that Monica become Spectrum in a future film, I am not so sure  Maria Rambeau will ever be much more than Carol’s best friend. Maria is a certified badass in this film, but she mostly exists to remind Carol how amazing and strong she is. And it is fine for a character to exist solely in the role of the protagonist’s friend but combining that trope with Monica’s removal from the lineage and it doesn’t look great.

I am not trying to say that Marvel Studios or anyone working for them is racist, it is just an unfortunate byproduct of the story they want to tell. And I think that Rambeaus are excellent in this film. Maria is badass single mother fighter jet pilot. Monica is a precocious child with a deep connection to her mother and her “Auntie Carol.” They form one of the emotional backbones of this film and it is better for having them here.

2.  Carol Standing Montage

 

This isn't part of it, but its hard to find pics of it on Google.

               It is not perfectly set up, but the climax of the film is a montage of Carol Danvers standing up after being knocked down at various points in her life. This is not a subtle moment nor is it incredibly original. But it is effective. I teared up. I had some slight chills at this moment. It was excellent.

1.      Brie Larson

Marvel Captain GIF from Marvel GIFs

The reason the previously mentioned montage worked so well despite mediocre setup is because I care about Carol Danvers. Because Brie Larson is amazing in this film. She perfectly embodies the heart and spirit of Carol Danvers and the Captain Marvel lineage both in this film and the comics. Maybe no MCU actor has embodied their role so perfectly since Chris Evans became Captain America.

               Carol Danvers (And Brie Larson) is at times charming, angry, confused, hurt, and cocky in this film. But she is also always deeply relatable as a person just doing their best while trying to figure out their place in the universe. And that is what makes this film special. Higher, Further, Faster indeed.