So…I watched Captain Marvel last Saturday. I thought it was really good! I heard that most reviews were mixed so I was not that excited going into it. I haven’t read any of the comics either so I wasn’t too sure what to expect. Captain Marvel was easily the most feminist Marvel movie I have ever seen, if not the most feminist movie I have ever seen. Maybe I just need to get out more. Brie Larson’s character shows genuine emotional strength, all of which comes from within herself alone. This is in stark contrast to Wonder Woman, the other recent comic book heroine movie. I did not really see the feminist points in Wonder Woman that captivated the mainstream perception. Gal Gadot’s character’s motivation and strength came mostly from Chris Pine. In the end, she is the one in the action scenes and beating up the bad guys but all of her emotions are focused around the male love interest. Captain Marvel does not even have a real love interest in the movie. It’s all about a woman superhero who is one of the strongest characters in the MCU. Go watch it.
SPOILERS STARTING NOW
The movie isn’t without it’s share of flaws. The biggest standout to me is Ronan’s appearance in the last action scene and perhaps his appearance in the overall movie. It felt like he was roped in to provide a connection to Guardian’s of the Galaxy but otherwise gave no contribution. Sure, the missiles that Brie Larson’s character fights off is a flashy show of super powers, but it really has nothing to do with Ronan, the bad guy we know from GoG. In the scene where they actually show him looking out the window of his ship, he looks like a member of the blue man group. Really not impressed.
I also didn’t think the 80’s music worked very well during the action scenes, again a la Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel has been trying to send a more lighthearted tone but the irreverence here seemed out of place. This was at a point where she broke free of Kree control and was testing out her full powers. Was this really a funny moment? I would’ve expected a more serious, epic tone given that it’s the first time the audience sees what she’s fully capable of and also given that she’s fighting for the lives of the Skrull families.
I’ve heard criticisms of Brie Larson’s acting and upon some reflection, the character definitely had only two emotions: extremely serious or extremely happy. Somehow, that was fine for me though in the context of the movie. I’m not absolving fault but I think the overall quality of the movie didn’t suffer that much because of this. Another criticism was that there was a lack of conflict. Captain Marvel just beats everyone up with very little resistance. Again, I was okay with this. It’s 2019 and it’s another super hero movie. We all know how it’s going to end.
The movie focused on her origin and her struggle to figure out who she was. I personally have enjoyed the MCU movies that show us a lot about the characters and their development. Captain Marvel was one of those movies. It’s not perfect. It may just be a way to introduce us to this character before we see her in Avengers: Endgame. But despite it’s flaws, I came away entertained and refreshed.
8/10
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