Captain Marvel (2019 Film) Review
Set in 1995, "Captain Marvel" tells the story of Carol Danvers, an ex-U.S. Air Force pilot who becomes a member of Starforce, a military group that's serves and protects an alien race known as the Kree. As a war rises between the Kree and another alien race called the Skrulls, Carol returns to Earth, only she doesn't remember her past life there. As a result, while seeking a solution to the conflict, she sets out to uncover her questions about her past.
Brie Larson plays Carol Danvers/Vers/Captain Marvel. The film features Samuel L. Jackson and Clark Gregg's return to their respective roles as Nick Fury, complete with two eyes, and Phil Coulson. Ben Mendelsohn is Talos, the leader of the Skrulls. In addition, Jude Law portrays Yon-Rogg, Lashana Lynch portrays Maria Rambeau, and Annette Bening plays the mysterious Supreme Intelligence.
"Captain Marvel" was directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film was produced by Kevin Feige and written by Boden, Fleck, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Like all previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, "Captain Marvel" was distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Marvel Studios.
Overall Thoughts
Following through on the end-credits tease in "Avengers: Infinity War," Marvel Studios debuts it's first female-led superhero film in the form of "Captain Marvel." Unfortunately, the film doesn't quite live-up to the standards set by other recent films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Brie Larson delivers a mixed performance as Carol Danvers, otherwise known as Vers and of course, Captain Marvel. On a positive note, comedy is where Larson succeeds the most, though not every one of her jokes land. As expected, there's some fish-out-of-water type comedy done with Carol going to Earth with no memory of her past life there. Though it's a trope that Marvel has played with before, the actress and the writers involved make the jokes land. Her chemistry with Samuel L. Jackson stands out as Larson and Jackson form a fairly enjoyable buddy cop partnership. Unfortunately, Larson's apathetic facial expressions hurt the more dramatic scenes where we're supposed to feel sympathy for her character. I would've thought that those moments would be where the actress is at her best, but her vacant expressions, not to mention the occasionally thin writing, sink those crucial moments.
To me, there was surprisingly little camaraderie between Larson and Lashana Lynch, with Lynch playing Carol's longtime friend, Maria. That's not so much the fault of the actresses as it is the script's. Naturally, Carol meets up with Maria when she returns to Earth and it's supposed to be an emotional moment, but I failed to get invested. The film portrays their relationship through clunky exposition. There are a few flashbacks, but they were rushed and edited so sporadically that it proved difficult to follow the scene. Had there been more time to show their history clearly, the chemistry would've been stronger and I would've enjoyed the time dedicated to Larson and Lynch's character's friendship more.
The other supporting actors vary in quality. Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn prove to be the standouts as both actors bring their endless amount of charm and charisma to the film. Jackson has no difficulty playing a younger Nick Fury and the de-aging effects are hardly noticeable. I never second-guessed the technique for a minute. The same goes for Clark Gregg's Phil Coulson, who has the briefest of screen time unfortunately. Mendelsohn's Talos, the leader of the Skrulls, was more comedic than I expected and that was a welcome surprise. The character's jokes didn't undermine his imposing presence and I got into his personality. As you might have known already, there's a cat involved named Goose. Portrayed by four different felines, the character got a sufficient amount of advertising leading up to the release of "Captain Marvel" and though always with the main protagonists, the feline's involvement in the story is minor. I dare not move on now, lest I forget to share that yes, Goose has cute moments, but they're few and far between. Playing the leader of Kree's elite military unit, Yon-Rogg, Jude Law doesn't make an impression. He goes in and out of the movie and never once has anything of substance to do. The film ultimately decides to save his character for a sequel and that damaged what little time he had in the film.
The score delivers triumphant thrills, though I'd be lying if I said I could remember the music before I listened to it again after watching the movie. The make-up for the Skrulls is impressive and it's wonderful to see such otherworldly characters brought to life via make-up and not through lackluster visual effects. Speaking of, the CGI in this film rings a bit hollow. Make no mistake, it's all well done throughout. It's not like "Thor: Ragnarok" or "Black Panther" where the CGI is inconsistent in quality. For "Captain Marvel," my only complaint with the CGI was that it wasn't imaginative enough and was overused to the point where all the explosions felt like empty spectacle. I suppose you could cite my lack of investment in the lead character for not caring, though I still feel the explosions could've been made a bit more stunning.
Grade: B
Despite an uneven script and performance from its lead, "Captain Marvel" provides otherwise entertaining performances and interesting twists, making it worth your time, especially if you're an MCU fan.
It's more of a mid-range MCU film than you might expect, but if you check your expectations at the door, you'll have a great time at the cinemas watching this movie. While everyone will likely enjoy it, young girls will undoubtedly love the film. For fans, what it lacks in ties to other movies, it makes up for with fun easter eggs and a loving tribute to Stan Lee. Since it's been said that Carol Danvers has an important role to play in "Avengers Endgame," it's recommended that anyone planing on seeing that movie might as well see Carol's origin story film. Whether you see "Captain Marvel" in 3D or not, I will leave that up to you.
Comments
Post a Comment