Captain Marvel Review

Captain Marvel (2019)
Directed By: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Written By: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L;. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Annette Bening, etc.

Hard to believe it took the MCU almost 11 years to the date to generate their first female led superhero film but I'm sure that's mostly because Kevin Feige and the other masters of Marvel Studios never expected their cinematic universe would become such a cultural phenomenon like it has become in a little over a decade.  Riding off the heels of the disappointing sequel to 2015's Ant-Man (Ant-Man and the Wasp), Captain Marvel finally introduces Carol Danvers to the MCUin a sort of throwback sci/action adventure movie that tries it's best to make her place among such legends like Ironman, Thor, even Rocket Raccoon, not only valuable but essential to this immense comic book movie franchise's lore.  Look, I'm just going to cut to the chase with this installment of the MCU as Captain Marvel has probably been the hardest film of the series to seat through.  Oh and NOT because of it being one of the best and thrilling aspects of the franchise that left be devastated like the end of Avengers Infinity War or amazed by the genre bending, spy thrill ride of Captain America: The Winter Solider...no...I honestly walked out of a free seating of the film thanks to a free ticket by a friend.  yes, Captain Marvel is the very first film I have ever walked out of and it pains to say that about a film in this audience/critically acclaimed film series.  I think what's hard for me to digest about the film is that it feels more like a shoehorned entry in the universe as it actually recons a lot of what has been previously established about the MCU while trying too hard to be this poignant feminist statement at the same time. But I'm getting ahead of myself....maybe I should start with what I thoroughly enjoyed about the film??? O_o  Once again, Samuel L. Jackson is a wonderful screen presence throughout with his buddy cop interplay with Brie Lawson's Carol Danvers.  He just exudes the typical badass yet smooth head cool that'd you'd expect by him as not only a veteran actor but Nick Fury himself.  Also, those de-aging effects on Samuel to make him look like a MUCH younger version of himself from the 1990s were actually almost seamless; blending in with his natural personality and mannerisms with his performance.  It's unreal how far Hollywood has come in terms of technology and while the gratuitous use of CGI has shamelessly plagued the industry for many years now, it's nice to see effects that just feel essential to the film making instead of a blatantly noticeable effort in trying to convey spectacle.

Other characters who steal the spotlight are Carol's old best friend and co-Air Force Pilot, Maria Rambeau, played by British actress Lashana Lynch who definitely provides some needed emotional heart of the film as Carol's arch to remembering her past on Earth before she was abducted by the Kree and spent 6 years on the planet, Hola.  Also, a surprise breakout supporting role for Akira Akbar as Maria's charming daughter Monica Rambeau!  Even at the age of 11, she is so commanding onscreen with her quick wit and otherwise potentially dull scenes with Carol which feel more heartwarming and beautiful than the film honestly deserves.  I hope this very young actress has a stellar future ahead of herself in Hollywood, cause she is just full of charisma and genuine screen presence. :) Another aspect of the film that truly excels is how the change the sides of the Kree and Skrulls by making the comic book team of "noble warrior heroes" into the enemy for the big screen while the menacing shape shifting Skrulls are the unforeseen protagonists as they reveal to Carol the truth about her powers conception and the dark secrets the Kree have been hiding from her all along.  I love this twist as it actually gave the Skrulls some needed personality and stakes in the film as apposed the the Kree characters who for the most part, are all one dimensional and don't make you care about them because the script never truly develops any of them...at all....even when they are revealed to be the bad guys all along.  Jude Law as Von Rogg, Carol's Kree mentor and leader of the Kree soldiers is serviceable at best.  But once again, they don't add much to his character, especially when he is revealed to be the mastermind behind Carol's fragmented memories and devastating slaughtering of the Skrulls....once again, nothing really makes him an impressive villain and by the end of the film he is literally a joke that gets pushed aside once Carol masters her powers....so....yeah....-_-  Lastly, I just want to talk about Skrulls again, especially Ben Mendelsohn as Skrull leader, Talos who does a fine job of being initially quite sinister as the supposed villain before being shown as the very sympathetic and self sacrificing leader of the Skrulls.

While I found the humor problematic for most part and seriously, not landing! My god! O_o  His scenes with the core human heroes and Danvers were spot on comedy as well as when they are making fun of the Skrulls and their shape shifting abilities in terms of what they can do. lol  Also, I can't forget about Goose, the cat! What is with this small and inconvenient characters in these Marvel films stealing the show?!  That cat was a gag that surprisingly NEVER wore out it's welcome, especially when Fury discovers the cat is actually a very lethal and dangerous alien! LMAO! Anyway, I think I have pretty much covered all that I enjoyed about the film as now I must talk about the numerous flaws and infuriating failures of the film.  I just have to start with her leading lady, Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel....sigh....her performance is just so....throwaway and unimaginative.  I pretty sure it's due to the mediocre direction by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck; not to mention the jarring script at times.  The origins of Carol Danvers as the snarky, fearless Air Force pilot are almost criminally overlooked as we get sequences of specific aspects of her human life instead of a really emotionally engrossing set up of who Carol is and what he stakes are in her own film.  Her cliche and bland stoicism as Carol just doesn't make for an awesome lead hero in a summer blockbuster, especially when we don't even know who she was before she became a Kree soldier.  Yes, we get that very emotionally powerful (and a bit forced) confession from Maria about who Carol is....but this is a very embarrassing example of "telling" and NOT "showing", which is odd considering we've seen some very awesome origin sequences in other MCU films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, even Ant-man! O_o  So when Carol tells Talos, not to mention the audience "You don't know who I am. I don't even know who I am!", it truly is her finest moment because it is true but then Maria comes in and tells her who she is and what....now she's ready to save the day?! Ummmmm.....nooooo....-_- Even the moment when Carol finally lets loose and reveals the full extent of her Tesseract based powers, it's not as epic of a moment you'd expect.  Just think about the first time we saw Tony bust out in the Ironman suit Mark I in the original Ironman or when Thor won back his godhood after sacrificing himself to save his new friends on Earth??? Those moments were epic because of the built up to that moment in terms of strong character arcs throughout the film.  So when Carol is out there, blasting and flying around through things like this omnipotent badass from space...is feels more like a "meh", than a "wow" because there is not real build up to this moment of inspiring heroism.  Also, I have to say that the film is bit too tongue and cheek with its 90s setting as once the film takes place on Earth, it almost bangs your over the head with nostalgia.  Now while the initial gag with Blockbuster was pretty funny, the constant 90s references from poking fun at 90s pop culture to the overuse of a 90s soundtrack just takes you out of the film more than keeps you invested in the story.  Did we really need a gag every major song from 1995 being played throughout the film??? Jesus, there are even spots where fight sequences should be suspenseful but are severely undercut by the hilarious inclusion of "Just A Girl" by No Doubt....seriously??! -_-  Even as a fan of that band, it just doesn't work in the context of the film, especially the moment where Carol is suppose to be showing how much of a badass she is by finally giving in to the magnitude of her powers. Ehhhh!!!

Also, once again, I'd like to address the retconning of previous events established in the MCU like Nick Fury's inclusion in all of this when we've known S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't known about the existence of extraterrestrial life before Thor arrived on Earth in 2011 as what was said by Fury himself in the first Avengers.  Now, I can understand Feige and his team of writers wanting to further explore the top secret organization pre-Avengers but it just creates more questions than answers.  Not to mention, characters like Agent Coulson return...only to be severely underused and not needed at the end of the day.  Seriously, what was the point of Coulson being in the film besides being nothing but a glorified cameo by the film's conclusion.  Even Fury's epiphany about tracking down more heroes like Carol doesn't feel earned or match up with what we've known about S.H.E.I.L.D. before hand.  Also, the greatest travesty of the movie is finally finding out how Fury lost his left eye...only to find out it was because Goose hilariously scratch his eye out??!! O_o  Hardly, that ominous and foreboding description that Fury presented Captain America with about how he lost his eye to someone he shouldn't have trusted.  It's one of those moments that could have really drove home even Fury's mysterious past being so intriguing and dark but Marvel once again misfires with a moment that should have been more complex and telling than for quick laugh in a film lacking in most of those.  I guess I should also talk about Anette Bening as Dr. Lawson/Mar-Vel but once again, there's nothing much to her character and Anette doesn't have much to do besides taunt Carol as the image she sees as the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree Civilization.  Even the way Carol gets her powers is kind of laughable and doesn't make for moment of be remembered among many in the MCU.  Honestly, Captain Marvel as a whole feels like a missed opportunity for the franchise's first solo female superhero film as it feels more like a gap filler for the proceeding conclusion of the past 11 years of build to the final battle with Thanos than anything else.  The film feels more rushed and desperate to make Marvel a big player for things to come but the film itself feels more episodic and inconsequential to the main overarching Infinity storyline than even Ant-Man and the Wasp did at times.  Which is not a good thing at all!!! O_O  There's just so much missed opportunity on what could have been done with Carol as this amnesic super-powered Kree hybrid who feels more like a statement of female empowerment than a full realized character who stands out among the previous superheroes we have come to love and adore in the MCU.  Not to worst film ever but certainly a perplexing one that  feels like a boring retread of MUCH better origin stories of Marvel's signature superheroes. Sigh....

"Attempting to capitalize on the unconventional superhero trend with the likes of DC's monumental worldwide sensation with  2017's "Wonder Woman", Captain Marvel is a rather lackluster penultimate chapter to the end of the Infinity Saga as the origins of Carol Danvers is hollow and poorly written with villains who are more inhuman and uncharacteristically stale compared to the heartwarming humanity of the ironically monstrous looking Skrulls.  While the supporting cast the likes of Smauel L. Jackson, Lashana Lynch and especially Akira Akbar do a fine job of what they have to work with, Brie Lawson's performance is the weakest of the bunch considering she is embodying the MCU's first leading lady in a solo superhero outing.  Besides that pager exchanging scene and seeing Ronan the Accuser back in the past, it's surprisingly the most disappointing film in the Marvel's near impeccable run of superhero show stoppers!"

Final Film Score: D