Captain Marvel is among the movies to be released in 2019 that I have been waiting most anxiously for. With Avenger: End Game right around the corner, the introduction of a final piece of the puzzle helps raise questions as to how the pieces will fit together. The character is intriguing. The trailers have been titillating. So how was the delivery?
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is known to her Kree counterparts as "Veers" (spelled Vers). Her fragmented memories were shattered during an explosion that gifted her with special powers. However, Vers has trouble controlling her emotions. Which translates into trouble controlling her powers. Vers is dispatched on a mission to rescue a Kree before the Skrull locate and debrief him. The mission is a trap. Veers is kidnapped and interrogated by the Skrull, providing more glimpses into Danvers history. Danvers unleashes her power to escape from the Skrull, landing her on Earth. The year appears to be 1995. Danvers immediately crosses paths with a much younger Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Together, they begin unraveling the truth about the Kree-Skrull war and how Danvers fits into the story. As the story unfolds, Danvers slowly remembers her past and begins to grow into her full superhero magnificence.
I was surprised when Black Panther was nominated for best picture at the Oscars a few weeks ago. The film had a weak, slow-paced back story that was more "set up" than story. Delivering a character, complete with backstory is not an easy task. It can be slow and tedious as we saw in Black Panther. The approach to delivering Danvers' back story was much better. The story-telling had a better flow. Rather than trying to squeeze in too much information, this film picks up the history through snippets of memory. It is worked seamlessly into the broader story, which remains mostly back story. Yet it is complete in terms of story telling. You get an entire film that can stand on its own without relying on previous or future films. Although that would be ridiculous. I have a feeling we will see plenty more out of Captain Marvel. My biggest complaint was that her character felt a bit flat at times. I get that she is really pissed off, but for an "emotional human" she lacked a bit of emotion. Unless "pissed off" counts as the full range of emotions. A little more range would have been nice. Overall, this film had strong writing.
There seems to have been some flap about Brie Larson being cast in the lead role. It sounds political...I read the headlines and moved on. I don't care about Larson's politics. I didn't want my impression of her or this film to be shaded by stupid things she may (or may not) have said in the past. I thought she was great as Danvers. I would have liked to have seen a bit more range, but I would chalk that more up to the writing. I liked Jude Law as her mentor. I am not a fan of Samuel L. Jackson, which kind of sucks since he is sort of the glue that holds the Avengers together. I wish they would have cast someone else in that role. His overexposure and lack of range irritates me. He is the same character in every film I have ever seen him in. Annette Bening and Lashana Lynch have smaller roles. They were both solid as well. I was satisfied with the casting.
One of the highlights of Captain Marvel was the setting. The film takes place in 1995. The time frame added a campy element to the story, setting up some cheesy fun. References to Blockbuster Video and Radio Shack help establish the era, while later references in the dialogue suggest it to be 1995 more precisely. Fury has a text pager, which, along with dial up connections, felt kind of accurate. However, I would point out that DSL was fairly ubiquitous by 1995. The look of the props added legitimacy to the era, with only minor glitches. I think they may have done the slow computer speed gag one time too many. But overall, it was kitschy fun.
Marvel is adept at threading the needle for PG-13 ratings. Captain Marvel is no different. The film earned a PG-13 for relatively minor thematic material. There is a subtle reference to the size of alien "junk." There is plenty of violence and battle scenes which undoubtedly result in death. The gore factor is minimal, with a heavy dose of blue blood thrown in for good measure. There are a few examples of strong language, to include a not-so-humorous play on words that fell flat for me. Overall, your basic superhero violence and a bit of suggestive themes thrown in for good measure. Not too objectionable. Tweens, teens and older. Maybe younger. The material could cause nightmares, so good judgment in deciding an age range is the best guide. Run time is two hours, four minutes.
Captain Marvel was a fun romp into the back story of yet another Avenger. Possibly the first avenger. At least from one perspective. The writing was mostly good. Danvers could have had a wider range of emotions. The writing could have been better, but was solid. The casting was good. Most importantly, the pacing was spot on with some great chase and battle scenes. All augmented with great CGI. I went to the late matinee showing in iMax. The theater was sold out. I rarely see that. It is a good indicator that this film/franchise is going to go big. I am sure it will also infuse new interest in the continuing Avengers saga. Worth watching at the theater. 7.5/10.
https://www.marvel.com/movies/captain-marvel
Trailer and images subject to copyright.