Captain Marvel
Considering just how many misogynist garbage-people have come out in protest of this film and its brilliant star, I'm tempted just to give Captain Marvel 10 stars, call it one of the must-see films of the year and leave it at that. But, let's be honest, unlike my reviews on Channel 24, which apparently get pretty good numbers, I don't think I'm going to make too much of a difference on the international box office by appealing just to you, my dear three readers, to be sure to catch this in cinemas. Most importantly, though, it has made a hilariously large sum at the Box Office, both "domestic" and international so that takes care of that.
Here instead then, is my slightly more muted review of what just happens to be yet another damn good addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's not the best MCU film but it's far away from the worst. And, again, if it pisses off so many women-hating troglodytes, it must be doing something right!
Just a month before Marvel Studios follows up its biggest ever film with Avengers: Endgame, we have an MCU movie that is, in every sense, a bit of a throwback. Captain Marvel is set in the '90s, well before the events of the film that started it all off, Iron Man, and it doesn't let you forget it. The soundtrack is filled to the brim with '90s songs that were apparently huge hits when I was a teenager but my head was too busy hanging out with the Fab 4 in the 1960s to notice them. And, of course, it feels like every frame has some sort of reference to '90s culture, both pop and otherwise, as we are confronted with things fondly remembered (Blockbuster Video, arcade games) and, um, otherwise (dial-up internet, floppy disks).
It is, however, also an MCU film that, even more than something like last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp, wouldn't feel out of place in the "Phase 1" days. Only this time with, you know, a girl in the leading role. And to think it only took ten years and twenty films to get here!
Captain Marvel is certainly not one of Marvel's very best films but those all tend to have been from the later stages in the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Put Captain Marvel against films like Thor or Captain America: The First Avenger - let alone against the (not so) Incredible Hulk - rather than head to head with Infinity War or the Winter Soldier and it's a real standout. Let's just consider it a film that has been displaced in time and give it all the props it deserves, rather than focusing on how it's not quite up to the bonkers inventiveness of Thor Ragnarok or the sheer epic scope of Infinity War. I would also say that we should ignore the whole first female-led MCU film thing but the social-political realities around it (see, once again, the online, misogynistic troglodytes) make that somewhat difficult to do.
Actually, though, one of the many triumphs of the film is that it has a solidly feminist message but it's one that is universal enough in its reach that it can be taken to heart by audience members of both sexes: be defined by who you are, not by what others say you should be. Simple, right? Certainly not something that anyone in their right mind would argue with...
Great message or not, this theme may underline the entirety of Captain Marvel and the hero's journey that our heroine finds her self on but it's no more preachy than any other halfway decent superhero movie and, in fine Marvel tradition, it's really all about an excellent cast clearly having fun portraying iconic characters, embarking on an adventure of humour, heart, and thrills. As formulas go, it's certainly one of the better ones out there for mega-budget blockbusters and Captain Marvel slots very nicely into that tradition.
It's not all formula, though, as this is an origin story told almost in reverse. When we first meet our eponymous (but never code-named) superhero, she believes that she is a Kree named "Veers", enlisted in an elite squad of "hero-warriors" to fight the good fight against the Kree's mortal enemies, the shapeshifting Skrulls. Straight from the off, the audience knows that something ain't quite right here and we follow "Veers" on her own discovery of who she is and what she's capable of. Rather than the usual pattern of following a regular mortal human on their journey through science-related freak accidents as they become the hero they were supposed to be, we start off with our hero in full power and trace the steps back with her to see how she got there.
Right from the off, Brie Larson proves herself to be the perfect fit for the character, bringing a unique sensibility to "Veers" - a fascinating mixture of cockiness, no-nonsense-ness, gleeful exuberance and a wryly sardonic sense of humour - that should, theoretically, silence those douchecanoes who trolled her ever since she was first cast in the role but, lets be honest, probably won't. Unfortunately, while Larson impresses straight from the off, the film doesn't quite manage to do the same. The opening, blatantly space-operatic opening mostly plays like what Guardians of the Galaxy would have looked like had a less interesting filmmaker than James Gunn been in the director's chair but it provides just enough set up (and a fun action scene or two) to justify its inclusion in the film.
Fortunately, things pick up considerably once the Good Captain arrives on Earth and ends up teaming up with a younger Nick Fury (Sam Jackson under de-aging special effects that are less off-putting than they have been previously) back when S.H.I.E.L.D was still a thing. Jackson and Larson turn out to be an unexpectantly delightful pairing as they embark on a Marvel-style roadtrip to figure out just why Veers is suddenly remembering an awful lot about a planet that she had never so much as visited before.
Despite its iffy beginnings, the film, which is directed by the husband and wife duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (who also co-wrote the script with Geneva Robertson-Dworet, based on a story by even more writers!), known most for indie films like Mississipi Grind and Half Nelson, as well as some TV work, is a total blast throughout the rest of its surprisingly brief 124-minute run time.
No, it doesn't have quite the same visual panache as some of the other, more recent MCU films but the set pieces are nicely handled - none more so than the spectacular finale that finds Captain Marvel living up to her official title as the most powerful superhero in the MCU to date (the effects are a bit cartoony here, but hey, it is based on a comic book) - and the plot actually has a number of twists that I did not see coming. Best of all, though, is once again the characters, on both sides of the hero/ villain divide, who are all nicely drawn and portrayed by a whole boatload of top-notch acting talent.
Captain Marvel may not have quite as much... personality as more recent MCU films and it's hard not to see it being overshadowed by Avengers 4 in just a few weeks (not to mention another character that once went by the name of Captain Marvel) but there are tons of things to like and, honestly, very little to really take against. It's also about as important a "social event" as Black Panther. More than anything, though, this is about Brie Larson being utterly bloody fantastic in the title role and proves, perhaps more than anyone else so far, that the MCU does have plenty of legs to stand on once the original cast begins to leave their most famous roles behind.
And, oh yes, all you Stan Lee fans, don't be a second late for the film as there is a lovely tribute to Stan the Man right at the beginning of the film.
Here instead then, is my slightly more muted review of what just happens to be yet another damn good addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It's not the best MCU film but it's far away from the worst. And, again, if it pisses off so many women-hating troglodytes, it must be doing something right!
It is, however, also an MCU film that, even more than something like last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp, wouldn't feel out of place in the "Phase 1" days. Only this time with, you know, a girl in the leading role. And to think it only took ten years and twenty films to get here!
Captain Marvel is certainly not one of Marvel's very best films but those all tend to have been from the later stages in the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Put Captain Marvel against films like Thor or Captain America: The First Avenger - let alone against the (not so) Incredible Hulk - rather than head to head with Infinity War or the Winter Soldier and it's a real standout. Let's just consider it a film that has been displaced in time and give it all the props it deserves, rather than focusing on how it's not quite up to the bonkers inventiveness of Thor Ragnarok or the sheer epic scope of Infinity War. I would also say that we should ignore the whole first female-led MCU film thing but the social-political realities around it (see, once again, the online, misogynistic troglodytes) make that somewhat difficult to do.
Actually, though, one of the many triumphs of the film is that it has a solidly feminist message but it's one that is universal enough in its reach that it can be taken to heart by audience members of both sexes: be defined by who you are, not by what others say you should be. Simple, right? Certainly not something that anyone in their right mind would argue with...
Great message or not, this theme may underline the entirety of Captain Marvel and the hero's journey that our heroine finds her self on but it's no more preachy than any other halfway decent superhero movie and, in fine Marvel tradition, it's really all about an excellent cast clearly having fun portraying iconic characters, embarking on an adventure of humour, heart, and thrills. As formulas go, it's certainly one of the better ones out there for mega-budget blockbusters and Captain Marvel slots very nicely into that tradition.
It's not all formula, though, as this is an origin story told almost in reverse. When we first meet our eponymous (but never code-named) superhero, she believes that she is a Kree named "Veers", enlisted in an elite squad of "hero-warriors" to fight the good fight against the Kree's mortal enemies, the shapeshifting Skrulls. Straight from the off, the audience knows that something ain't quite right here and we follow "Veers" on her own discovery of who she is and what she's capable of. Rather than the usual pattern of following a regular mortal human on their journey through science-related freak accidents as they become the hero they were supposed to be, we start off with our hero in full power and trace the steps back with her to see how she got there.
Right from the off, Brie Larson proves herself to be the perfect fit for the character, bringing a unique sensibility to "Veers" - a fascinating mixture of cockiness, no-nonsense-ness, gleeful exuberance and a wryly sardonic sense of humour - that should, theoretically, silence those douchecanoes who trolled her ever since she was first cast in the role but, lets be honest, probably won't. Unfortunately, while Larson impresses straight from the off, the film doesn't quite manage to do the same. The opening, blatantly space-operatic opening mostly plays like what Guardians of the Galaxy would have looked like had a less interesting filmmaker than James Gunn been in the director's chair but it provides just enough set up (and a fun action scene or two) to justify its inclusion in the film.
Fortunately, things pick up considerably once the Good Captain arrives on Earth and ends up teaming up with a younger Nick Fury (Sam Jackson under de-aging special effects that are less off-putting than they have been previously) back when S.H.I.E.L.D was still a thing. Jackson and Larson turn out to be an unexpectantly delightful pairing as they embark on a Marvel-style roadtrip to figure out just why Veers is suddenly remembering an awful lot about a planet that she had never so much as visited before.
Despite its iffy beginnings, the film, which is directed by the husband and wife duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (who also co-wrote the script with Geneva Robertson-Dworet, based on a story by even more writers!), known most for indie films like Mississipi Grind and Half Nelson, as well as some TV work, is a total blast throughout the rest of its surprisingly brief 124-minute run time.
No, it doesn't have quite the same visual panache as some of the other, more recent MCU films but the set pieces are nicely handled - none more so than the spectacular finale that finds Captain Marvel living up to her official title as the most powerful superhero in the MCU to date (the effects are a bit cartoony here, but hey, it is based on a comic book) - and the plot actually has a number of twists that I did not see coming. Best of all, though, is once again the characters, on both sides of the hero/ villain divide, who are all nicely drawn and portrayed by a whole boatload of top-notch acting talent.
Captain Marvel may not have quite as much... personality as more recent MCU films and it's hard not to see it being overshadowed by Avengers 4 in just a few weeks (not to mention another character that once went by the name of Captain Marvel) but there are tons of things to like and, honestly, very little to really take against. It's also about as important a "social event" as Black Panther. More than anything, though, this is about Brie Larson being utterly bloody fantastic in the title role and proves, perhaps more than anyone else so far, that the MCU does have plenty of legs to stand on once the original cast begins to leave their most famous roles behind.
And, oh yes, all you Stan Lee fans, don't be a second late for the film as there is a lovely tribute to Stan the Man right at the beginning of the film.
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