Reviews From the Dark Side
Captain Marvel
Released 3/8/19
I don't think I have seen a film from a popular franchise stir up so much controversy before its release in my life (well, until Episode IX comes in December). I'm serious. I don't even recall Ghostbusters 2016 having the type of clash between supporters and naysayers before release that the latest edition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe has. Of course, I can only be talking about the MCU's first female-led movie, Captain Marvel. There's been a lot said about it. Some good. Much bad. So, what's the real scoop? Without further ado, let's get into it.
Captain Marvel begins its journey in 1995 on the alien Kree capital planet of Hala. We find our heroine, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), who goes by the Kree codename, "Vers", struggling to understand vague dreams of what looks to be a past life. While on a mission to a Kree outpost planet with her space force military unit led by her trainer, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), Vers is captured by her people's mortal enemies, the Skrulls. The Skrulls want something from her. What that something is continues to unfold when Vers escapes to Earth with her captors in hot pursuit. But, of course all of this alien activity is not going to go unnoticed (especially when you crash land through the roof of a Blockbuster Video). And, soon, the peacekeeping force SHIELD is on the scene investigating led by a younger Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) who will skeptically team up with Vers to unravel the mystery of both her identity and what the Skrulls are really after.
So, now that you know what it's about in a nutshell, what did I think about it? Before I get into that, I want to note that I deliberately avoided other reviews of this film, both favorable and unfavorable. Captain Marvel has become such a polarizing subject that I wanted to be sure I was as "pure" as I could be before viewing.
Let's start with the elephant in the room. That, of course, would be Miss Brie Larson. We know the stories. We know what she's said that's caused the kerfuffle. I have no interest in debating the virtues or divisiveness of it for the trillionth time. Everyone's personal opinion of her is what it is. What I tried to do as I watched the film was separate the actress from her politics and view her actual performance as objectively as I could. And the conclusion I came to is...she was fine in the role. Don't misunderstand. Larson isn't going to win any awards for this. But, the trailers cut for the movie didn't do her any favors. She came across as wooden and expressionless. As you learn very early on in the film, there are reasons she comes through as stiff. Her character is very much one who has been indoctrinated with a certain philosophy for an extended period of time. And she did emote as time went on. However, I will say I think she handled dramatic sequences better than comedic ones. I don't think the latter medium is her forte. Going in I was half expecting a cringeworthy performance. What I got was one without many frills, but, one I didn't come close to wanting to hide my eyes in utter horror from. I read somewhere that Larson has a five picture deal with Disney to play Captain Marvel. She's not stellar at it at the moment. But, it is a role that I'm interested to see if she eventually grows into. My hope is she doesn't try to ape Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark. There is some attempted snark in a couple of scenes that had varying degrees of success. I would like Larson to seek her own level on this as there's only one RDJ. Mimicking him would be a mistake.
Now we go from the elephant to the 500 lb gorilla. Much speculation has been made as to level of feminist doctrine that would be included in the movie. There are some of those elements in the film. Everyone has their own level of tolerance for it. There are flashback sequences of Danvers' life where she is scolded or ridiculed by men for doing things that are traditionally male driven. Personally, I didn't take offense to it. Things of this nature do happen. It's life.
The one thing I did take a large issue with is the depiction of Mar-Vell. Briefly for those who aren't familiar with this character, Mar-Vell was a Kree warrior who became a cosmic hero until his death from cancer. He was one of the first heroes to challenge and defeat Thanos. So, comic book nerds (which I am), should have expected to see a grand introduction to this character on the big screen. This wasn't to be. Mar-Vell (Annette Benning) was gender swapped and made into a Kree scientist responsible for Danvers' powers. The comic geek in me just doesn't accept that. I'm not a big fan of changing characters who have traditionally been one thing for the sake of meeting a diversity quota. And this change felt very much agenda-driven to me. It wouldn't have been as bad if Mar-Vell at least came across as exciting as, say, Tilda Swinton's Ancient One in Doctor Strange. Swinton was at least compelling and given interesting things to do. Benning is bland and this depiction of Mar-Vell is a waste of one of Marvel Comics' legacy characters.
Let's look at the supporting cast. Ben Mendelsohn as Skrull leader, Talos, adeptly blends a mix of danger and dark humor to his role. He also adds a touch of desperation and vulnerability that belies how he initially enters the story. Saying more would give away multiple plot points so I'll stop there. Lashana Lynch as Carol's best friend and fellow Air Force pilot, Maria Rambeau, was fine from a performance standpoint. However, I wasn't quite feeling the chemistry I should have between the two actresses. Something just wasn't quite meshing there for me. A brief aside to Lynch's part in the film. Rambeau does have a daughter, Monica. And her Air Force nickname is "Photon." Since the story takes place in 1995, I'll leave it to the comic geeks to put two and two together for what the future holds on that one. There is another side note on Air Force nicknames I'll get to a little later.
Last, but, not least, let's talk Samuel L. Jackson. First let me say that one of the absolute best elements in the film is the seamless CGI de-aging of Jackson and Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson. In 2019, this CGI should be what it's all about. There is absolutely NO excuse for bad effects in big budget movies any longer. The de-aging effect is so flawless you honestly can't tell you're not looking at Jackson or Gregg from 20 years ago. Throw an afro wig and goatee on Sam and you have Jules from Pulp Fiction in the mid-90s. It's that good.
As for Jackson's character, is there ever a time you're disappointed by him onscreen? He's one of the best elements of the film. But, I do add a caveat. He played the Hell out of the role of young(er) Nick Fury. However, he played Fury as much more of a goofball than what we know this character to be later in his life. And, while I didn't dislike this aspect of the character, I was a little taken aback by it. The goofiness is particularly present in Fury's interactions with Goose, the cat. I did find his interactions with Larson surprisingly enjoyable. The two fed off each other very well. I found the chemistry between Danvers and Fury much more distinct and believable than I did between Danvers and Rambeau.
I do have some reservations about one narrative going forward in the MCU. And that has to do with Captain Marvel's power level. It's been touted that she's the most powerful hero in this universe. By the end of this film, there's little doubt of that. That's why I'm worried. She has power to the point that it's not a stretch to say she is overpowered. She's tearing through ship hulls like they're tissue paper and flying through space without the aid of a mask. That last point is significant because she clearly needed a mask when she was exposed to space throughout the movie. My hope is that she is going to be part of the reason for Thanos's defeat and not the main reason for it as has been speculated in some corners. That would be the ultimate cop-out ploy and be such a disrespect to the other characters in the MCU. But, the saving grace in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame is the Russos. They haven't given the fandom one reason to doubt them in three efforts so far. I'll err on the side of the brothers delivering an ending that's satisfying.
It might sound like I didn't care for Captain Marvel. That's partially true. I didn't care for parts of it. Overall, I enjoyed myself. The audience in attendance with me seemed to enjoy it. The film does have a strange, shoehorned placement within the MCU timeline. Even though it is alluded to where Captain Marvel has been the past 20 years, it's still hard to wrap your head around the fact that there has been no mention of her before one of the greatest climaxes in modern movie history. All of that said, my final thought of Captain Marvel is the same as it is for its star. It's a fine, watchable movie. It's nothing truly spectacular outside of outstanding CGI, but, it does have that slick Marvel polish and blends drama and comedy in the manner we've come to expect from the MCU. There is a fair amount of cheesiness in some scenes as we we're treated to a rendition of No Doubt's "Just a Girl" during a battle scene for no particular reason. And you remember the whole nickname thing I mentioned earlier? Well when I discovered what Danvers' nickname was in the Air Force, the revelation was worthy of one of several eye rolls I had when watching Solo a couple of months ago.
Captain Marvel is not a must watch on the MCU list in my opinion unless you're already a fan of the franchise or just have an interest in obtaining some background information on upcoming events. CM really doesn't tie into the Infinity War or Endgame until the mid-credits scene. The end credits scene is another throwaway scene meant for sheer amusement involving Goose the cat and an object MCU watchers will find vaguely familiar. And, let me not forget this film's shining moment. There is a wonderful tribute to "The Man", Stan Lee. It's enough to bring a tear to your eye.
I don't know where the MCU is going. If anything, Captain Marvel raised more questions for me. But, CM, did nothing to make me want to get of this crazy train anytime soon.
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
***1/4 stars
Last, but, not least, let's talk Samuel L. Jackson. First let me say that one of the absolute best elements in the film is the seamless CGI de-aging of Jackson and Clark Gregg's Agent Coulson. In 2019, this CGI should be what it's all about. There is absolutely NO excuse for bad effects in big budget movies any longer. The de-aging effect is so flawless you honestly can't tell you're not looking at Jackson or Gregg from 20 years ago. Throw an afro wig and goatee on Sam and you have Jules from Pulp Fiction in the mid-90s. It's that good.
As for Jackson's character, is there ever a time you're disappointed by him onscreen? He's one of the best elements of the film. But, I do add a caveat. He played the Hell out of the role of young(er) Nick Fury. However, he played Fury as much more of a goofball than what we know this character to be later in his life. And, while I didn't dislike this aspect of the character, I was a little taken aback by it. The goofiness is particularly present in Fury's interactions with Goose, the cat. I did find his interactions with Larson surprisingly enjoyable. The two fed off each other very well. I found the chemistry between Danvers and Fury much more distinct and believable than I did between Danvers and Rambeau.
I do have some reservations about one narrative going forward in the MCU. And that has to do with Captain Marvel's power level. It's been touted that she's the most powerful hero in this universe. By the end of this film, there's little doubt of that. That's why I'm worried. She has power to the point that it's not a stretch to say she is overpowered. She's tearing through ship hulls like they're tissue paper and flying through space without the aid of a mask. That last point is significant because she clearly needed a mask when she was exposed to space throughout the movie. My hope is that she is going to be part of the reason for Thanos's defeat and not the main reason for it as has been speculated in some corners. That would be the ultimate cop-out ploy and be such a disrespect to the other characters in the MCU. But, the saving grace in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame is the Russos. They haven't given the fandom one reason to doubt them in three efforts so far. I'll err on the side of the brothers delivering an ending that's satisfying.
It might sound like I didn't care for Captain Marvel. That's partially true. I didn't care for parts of it. Overall, I enjoyed myself. The audience in attendance with me seemed to enjoy it. The film does have a strange, shoehorned placement within the MCU timeline. Even though it is alluded to where Captain Marvel has been the past 20 years, it's still hard to wrap your head around the fact that there has been no mention of her before one of the greatest climaxes in modern movie history. All of that said, my final thought of Captain Marvel is the same as it is for its star. It's a fine, watchable movie. It's nothing truly spectacular outside of outstanding CGI, but, it does have that slick Marvel polish and blends drama and comedy in the manner we've come to expect from the MCU. There is a fair amount of cheesiness in some scenes as we we're treated to a rendition of No Doubt's "Just a Girl" during a battle scene for no particular reason. And you remember the whole nickname thing I mentioned earlier? Well when I discovered what Danvers' nickname was in the Air Force, the revelation was worthy of one of several eye rolls I had when watching Solo a couple of months ago.
Captain Marvel is not a must watch on the MCU list in my opinion unless you're already a fan of the franchise or just have an interest in obtaining some background information on upcoming events. CM really doesn't tie into the Infinity War or Endgame until the mid-credits scene. The end credits scene is another throwaway scene meant for sheer amusement involving Goose the cat and an object MCU watchers will find vaguely familiar. And, let me not forget this film's shining moment. There is a wonderful tribute to "The Man", Stan Lee. It's enough to bring a tear to your eye.
I don't know where the MCU is going. If anything, Captain Marvel raised more questions for me. But, CM, did nothing to make me want to get of this crazy train anytime soon.
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
***1/4 stars
0*= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
