Captain Marvel

It's nearly impossible to talk about Captain Marvel without directly comparing it to its DC sister, Wonder Woman. 

That fact alone is a bit sad - they're only being compared because they're the first true "big" female-led superhero movies - but it's also a super intriguing exercise from a film perspective.

Thinking about specifically where each film is placed in their respective universe's timelines, it's clear that Captain Marvel has little to lose and everything to gain. The degree of risk is incredibly low because, no matter how good or bad this film turned out, people are still going to put their butts in seats for Endgame in a little over a month (holy f**k am I excited BTW). 

Wonder Woman on the other hand had the weight of the entire DCEU on her shoulders. In a rush to get to the team-up film, DC was slapping films together that were stupid, made little sense (Suicide Squad, you're still awful), or didn't live up to their full potential because of specific decisions (looking at you BvS). Gal Gadot, Patty Jenkins, and the film crew were basically looked upon to right the ship and save a lot of potential disaster. $800 million, and many great critic reviews later and Wonder Woman not only temporarily "saved" the DCEU - which is in a somewhat better place now after an enjoyable Aquaman - but almost simultaneously stated: "Screw the DCEU, Wonder Woman will just do this on her own." 

The MCU on the other hand hasn't had an outright origin story for quite some time, me thinking that Doctor Strange all the way back in 2016 was the last true one (Black Panther and Spider-Man had their intros during other films). Since Doctor Strange, each Marvel film has arguably had some sort of value-add element mostly around being a team-up film (think Thor Ragnarok). In that spirit then, wedged between two insanely-anticipated Avengers flicks, Captain Marvel seems a lot like a Phase 1 Marvel film that's out of place. That doesn't make it bad or less enjoyable, but the stakes feel comparatively low. 

To finalize the comparison between Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel I could write probably a whole article on it but it can easily be summed up as: Wonder Woman is the better all around movie. Aside from a generic third act battle (it's not that bad, guys), WW was expertly crafted as an origin tale and, quite frankly, the No Man's Land scene is still one of the best superhero scenes of the last decade, not to mention Hans Zimmer's main theme for her. Captain Marvel on the other hand is an enjoyable ride from Marvel Studios, and Brie Larson proves she was the right candidate for the job, but the film itself sometimes feels as if it's checking the boxes like a dutiful Marvel/origin story should do. 

"Yeah I farted. What of it?!"

Super long prelude aside, Captain Marvel's best elements are its cast. Idiotic internet trolls aside, I'm not sure anyone ever doubted Marvel's choice of Larson, especially given the unfathomable success/genius of their other casting choices (e.g. RDJ, Evans, Pratt, ScarJo, etc.). Larson does exceptional here as the fiery Carol Danvers, known for most of the film as "Veers". Larson has the spirit to carry this character and she's already a proven actress in her craft so, honestly Marvel is lucky to have locked her down. Sam Jackson is back as a de-aged Nick Fury and it's easily his largest and most fun role in the MCU yet. He and Larson have great chemistry and it's fun to see a character we've known for so long earlier in his career. Ben Mendelsohn plays the Skrull villain and is a asset to the film in terms of its storytelling and humor. The remainder of the cast does fine aside from those three that deserve mention and perhaps most interesting is to see how Danvers will fit into the MCU with other heroes; always an added treat with the Avengers films.

Do you think this makeup
will look corny in 2030?

Marvel's story is also a strong suit, building into a mystery that pulls you in and you want to figure out. It's pacing could probably use some tweaks but I found that the memory gaps experienced by "Veers" and her quest to piece them together was confusing at times, but in the right ways where it all eventually comes together at the end. There are several twists along the way, none of which are mind-blowing, but they're still well earned and one even plays into the larger MCU arc. During this time, Captain Marvel can often be funny and it (specifically Larson) establishes a certain endearing charm that will carry this character far. Many of the funniest moments come from Mendelsohn or the feline friend, Goose and these are all good, clean, but very funny jokes. It's never quite as funny as some other/recent Marvel films, but the formula here still works tried and true. 

Where Captain Marvel struggles is with its inability to shake the feeling that its just checking boxes as it goes. For the entire first hour my reaction was sincerely, "is this it?" as the film was rather bland. Enjoyable, but bland. Once the mystery starts to evolve and once Fury and Danvers team up, the film becomes far better, but we're too many superhero films into this life that obligatory actions in an origin story are mostly dis-interesting and easy to spot. Even the 90s setting throughout the film somewhat feels obligatory in nature like "Oh yeah we're in the 90's so we'll show you Blockbuster, slow technology, and here's a handful of 90's songs." The music choices in particular are strangely hastened throughout the film, only offering up mere seconds of each song, seemingly to remind you of the time period. Only "I'm Just a Girl" by No Doubt is used in any sort of creative fashion, which is a shame for these period pieces like that to not use music in a way similar to Atomic Blonde did.

"Is your favorite movie Mad Max: FURY Road? Eh? Eh?"

As I mentioned earlier, Captain Marvel was a super low-risk investment for Marvel and, in a way, it's treated as such. When it attempts to be more than just the origin story we need before Endgame, it's at its best, but otherwise it's just a "good" addition to the Marvel filmography, but no where near the top-tier of their best. And no, internet trolls. That's not because she's a woman or because it's Brie Larson.

CONS

• The first hour is shockingly just "okay"/good
• Tends to feel like it's checking boxes for the sake of doing so when it comes to origin stories
• The 90s setting is fine but the film's ability to hold up that appearance isn't the greatest
• Worst offender is the "oh hey, here's 10 seconds of a 90s grunge song to remind you we're in the 90s!"
• Doesn't do all that much else except introducing the character for Endgame. Unlike many Marvel films of the past couple years, this one doesn't have that "value add" element. And no, the fact she's a woman really shouldn't be it if you think about it
• Didn't do a whole lot to excite me from an action perspective; there wasn't enough focus on good choreography and instead some unneeded shaky cam came in to play to "add chaos". It'll be interesting to see how much better the Russo's utilize her

PROS

• Larson was a great casting choice and will fit into the MCU seamlessly. Makes me really excited to see how she interacts with others
• The entire cast is having fun with Jackson and Mendelsohn being the highlights. Jackson in particular seems to be enjoying his biggest MCU role yet
• Goose the cat adds some wonderful comedy and the film has some really funny bits after that tame first hour
• Her origin story is crafted into a mystery that was fun to follow and try to guess what was happening. Once the plot starts to unfold the film becomes all the better for it
• Per Marvel usual, there are superb special effects
• Fun, easy watch that does its job before Endgame

Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10