Captain Marvel is a weird one. It comes at a time where toxic fan discourse has piqued at an all time high. It also arrives after a movie that has the most dramatic story impact so far in the franchise (Infinity War), and Ant-Man and the Wasp (a movie that arguably does very little to progress the characters and story of the MCU). And not to mention that Endgame is coming right after. A lot rides on this movie. It not only introduces a crucial figure to the current Marvel movie canon but it also introduces a powerful female main character. That's awesome. But it's unfortunate that the main thing that's holding it back is the eponymous character herself.
Brie Larson's Captain Marvel is introduced as a character with amnesia. This runs into a lot of problems. Let's take a character like Iron Man. In the first movie, we get that he's obnoxious, hilarious, and an engineering genius. In Captain Marvel, since she doesn't really know who she is for most of the movie, as an audience member, I feel just as lost as she is. That obviously gets cleared up towards the end of the movie but, damn, is that boring. Not to mention the expository fugazi of the first act throws a wrench into the film's pacing that makes its crucial introduction to the character stand out from the rest of the film in the worst ways while a lingering but non-present Brie Larson performance is kind of just there and adds very little to this character. This is heartbreaking since I adore Brie Larson and I think she and the directors and writers could've done so much to make this character stand out from the rest. They could've made her a super prideful, badass, inter-galactic pilot chick instead of this stoic, stiff character with occasionally awkward, out-of-character bursts of post-Whedon-esque comedy. She's weird and so far her character just isn't interesting enough to carry an entire movie. But I think that was true for movies like Doctor Strange, Captain America, Black Panther, and The Incredible Hulk. I guess my taste in narratives and characters have changed dramatically since then. Although I liked those movies a lot when they came out, I don't really feel the urge to revisit them any time soon. I don't know. But what I'm getting here is that a lot of Marvel heroes feel bland and heroic. Captain Marvel is no different and that's disappointing because we've arrived here so late in the game. I do expect her character to blossom into something great though.
Fortunately, the same can't be said about its side characters though. Which is an anomaly for Marvel movies from the past. Remember Malekith or Yellowjacket or Darcy Lewis? Me neither. The new characters that stand out are the Skrulls. The movie does a phenomenal job introducing their motivations and giving us a far more nuanced interpretation of their characters than I had ever hoped. Ben Mendelsohn as Talos is awesome. Though I can’t really say much about him and the other skrulls due to spoilers. What I can say is that they were definitely my favourite part of the movie. I think Marvel movies need more nuanced characters like them in future installments. Samuel L Jackson is once again great as Nick Fury. There’s still a lot to him to be explored but he stole every scene that he was in. There’s also a lot of vulnerability with his character and his performance compared to that of Larson. Again this is very unfortunate but in a weird way, the dynamic works due to the energy that he brings to his role and to those scenes and the distance that Larson has with these moments. Maybe that was the intention? Lashana Lynch is just as compelling as Jackson is in her role as Maria Rambeau. She’s makes us care for her character but the chemistry between her and Larson wasn’t all there from what I’ve seen. So I feel that that’s a dynamic that doesn’t work. Also I forgot Jude Law was in this movie… Umm, he’s pretty generic if you ask me and I’ve never been a fan of his performances (except for Spy) and this movie does nothing to change my mind about him.
There’s a cute cat! For those that are into that kind of stuff. But a lot of it stands out in a bad way due to some wonky-ass CG and I’m not talking about THOSE scenes (you’ll know what I’m referring to if you’ve seen it) it’s just when they need to get the cat to do something, it’s replaced by a CG model and the difference is noticeably jarring. The action scenes aren’t great and, again, the CG isn’t great either and it takes me out of the experience when I see a poorly rendered aircraft mixed with real environments. This has been the case with a lot of the recent Marvel movies like Black Panther (though it’s not nearly as acrocious as that) and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Infinity War look great and distinct but there’s nothing distinct about Captain Marvel visually. I do want to applaud Lola VFX for perfecting their de-aging technology. It’s used for about 80% of the movie and it’s jaw-dropping and seamless. I just love geeking out about stuff like this, okay?!
A lot of people seem to really like the score by Pinar Toprak. I think she uses a lot of interesting and standout textures similar to the synth score in Ragnarok. But, like Mothersbaugh’s work in Ragnarok, as interesting as this is, there are no themes or motifs that stand out for me. I only remember that there were some synth and choir elements in Captain Marvel. It works but it’s nothing remarkable. Captain Marvel’s theme itself seems to be working off of the generic Marvel logo music as well as the Captain America themes (not including Winter Soldier) and it’s super generic and, in my opinion, kind of boring. This isn’t a problem I have exclusively with Captain Marvel but with most Marvel films. I only really remember Avengers, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Iron Man, and the end credits for Doctor Strange. Except for the Avengers motif, there doesn’t seem to be a clear musical direction for this franchise.
In the end, despite all these problems I have with the movie, I still think it’s very enjoyable. It’s bogged down by a dull and sometimes awkward lead performance, a mixed bag of great and not-so-great CGI, and an underwhelming score (though the soundtrack itself is pretty great but I’m a sucker for 70’s-90’s rock/pop music). What really stands out for me is its side characters, and the overall message of the movie. Like, Black Panther, I think the movie has so much heart. And these two in particular are the most important ones in the MCU so far in the grander scheme of things (and I’m not talking about setting up future movies or anything like that). Captain Marvel in particular, tells a moving and at times heartbreaking story about the casualties of war, xenophobia, and fractured identities. And it does that incredibly well despite all its flaws. So when I look back, I’m not going to remember the boring space stuff and the boring protagonist. Instead, what’s gonna stick with me is what I felt when the movie took the time to show me something different and more compelling than the narrative that was originally presented during its first hour. I think everyone should watch this movie and form their own opinion of it. Who knows? You might be pleasantly surprised by where the story takes you emotionally. I didn’t know I would end up feeling so emotional by the end compared to how bored I was during the first half of the movie.
