I’m eagerly anticipating seeing Larson in Avengers: Endgame, but this film really felt like enduring a preview before the flick; forgettably enjoyable, a means to pass the time before the centerpiece.
Disney’s brand-new superhero film comes on the heels of various other films that have actually resisted stereotypes with females and African-Americans in starring roles. Captain Marvel halfheartedly attempts to break Marvel’s tired formula, yet finishes up meandering in needlessly jumbled story that fails to inform us who Carol Danvers really is. Or perhaps even worse, why we should care about her.
Hollywood had mostly left ladies out of the superhero films, in part due to very early bombs such as 2004’s “Catwoman” and 2005’s “Elektra.” Introducing Captain Marvel was a risk. Perhaps less so after the successes of Wonder Woman and Black Panther but still one that the MCU needed to acknowledge.
Apart From Iron Man and perhaps Captain America, has Marvel ever before launched a fantastic origin story? Introducing the heroes of the MCU constantly feels like such a job, a formulaic process that is tired and overdone. In this, I think Spiderman: Homecoming was an excellent transition where the characters backstory was not really covered. Of course, considering that Spiderman had been introduced so many times before and had an established fanbase, I can understand the reason’s why an intro for Captain Marvel was necessary.
When Captain Marvel first appeared in Wonder Super-Heroes # 12 in December of 1967, the character was a blonde dude called Mar-Vell whose name human beings mispronounced (turning the 2 words right into one, “Marvel”). In 1968 he befriends a lady called Carol Danvers, an U.S. Air Force pilot at a top secret army research base. During a surge of a Kree device, Danvers is saved by Captain Marvel, whose DNA merges with hers, transforming her into a half-Kree lady with extraordinary powers. In the ’70s she reappears as Ms. Wonder, a character, that lastly had her very own leading series in 1977. Her introduction in comicdom is pretty bad, by today’s standards, established as a love interest of Mar-Vell’s.
So, simply put, the Captain Marvel we have actually seen in trailers and posters and teasers played by Brie Larson is a fairly brand-new concept.
The Story or Lack Thereof
The story truly deals with an absence of a daunting villain; the final face-off occurs after Danvers realizes her complete potential, and she is never really at risk. While she has three different primary relationships, the only one that seems to gel at all, is that with Nick Fury.
Nick Fury is the only companion that really feels like a solid partnership, the chemistry between the 2 characters triggering the second they meet. Rambeau isn’t fleshed out in the tiniest. While the play on amnesia as a gap is somewhat useful, it doesn’t seem to really apply as her mannerisms throughout the movie show her familiarity with all things on Earth. There is a brief allusion to a universal translator, but she seems to know how to use everything from motorcycles to telephones without any hardship at all. An alien being would have to have at least some confusion wouldn’t they?
We do not invest time with Yon-Rogg, as well as his link to Danvers feels far-off; it’s difficult to care when their relationship sours, as it was never actually established to begin with. He repeatedly tells Danvers that she is “also emotional,” yet oddly, we never see any proof of this whatsoever.
While Danvers is developed as an exceedingly effective warrior, she doesn’t encounter a real physical obstacle. Her main problem is that she’s not fully informed of all of the facts. When this situation is corrected, there’s absolutely nothing stopping her from microwaving her opponents right into stardust. There’s little contentment seeing the comeuppance, though, due to the fact that we never ever disliked, nor feared her villains in the very first area.
What Worked?
On the plus side, the movie has one of the most adorable Stan Lee cameos a sweet send-off to the male that birthed this universe.
In addition it was really enjoyable seeing Phil Coulson back on the silver screen. I hope that this is the start of his greater integration into the MCU as a whole and perhaps a re-alignment of AOS and the MCU.
Finally – probably the best character in the film cannot go without praise. And that of course is Goose the Cat!
