Captain Marvel is
not one of Marvel’s best efforts although it does enough as the run in to Avenger’s Endgame. There are actually
two ways to look at the film: as part of the wider Marvel cinematic universe
(MCU) and as a standalone film. Any high rating it does achieve will be as a
result of the former as opposed to the latter. It should not get any extra
plaudits as a marvel’s first standalone film with a female lead because it does
not set the standard of DC’s Wonder
Woman in terms of breakthrough status.
Although the power on display by the female lead is impressive it doesn’t
set her up effectively considering her relative obscurity thus far. There is
still so much to learn about her place in the bigger picture especially when
considering that she is a not a household name. The failed attempt to make her breakthrough and
achieve iconic status was the main reason for the film being so underwhelming
as a standalone effort.
This film stars Brie Larson as Carol Danvers- an ex air
force pilot and ‘noble Kree warrior’(?) with a sketchy past- who is on a
journey of self-discovery which leads to her eventually assuming the mantle of
Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel is
reported to be the most powerful hero in the MCU and is caught up in the
intergalactic war between the skrulls and the Kree and she is the key to ending
it. Samuel L. Jackson tags along as a younger Nick Fury before the world got
stranger and there is a strong supporting cast featuring the likes of Ben Mendelsohn
as Talos, Jude Law as Yon Rogg and
Annette Bening as the kree supreme intelligence. Oh, who could forget Goose
(cat or nah?).
Positives
Captain Marvel is a strong film within the context of the MCU
as opposed to a standalone film. The chemistry between Larson and Jackson is
evident in how they play their characters and the mysteries of the plot are
revealing to an extent especially when the true power of Danvers is unveiled
for all to see. Mendelsohn also has a good turn as Talos the Skrull leader
whose motives are questionable up until a certain point. There are a lot of
topsy turvy moments that are complimented by big reveals particularly the true
power of Captain Marvel and the role she plays in the Kree-Skrull conflict.
The film does place a lot of things in context for the MCU
especially the reasoning behind the “Avenger” initiative created by Nick
Fury. Kevin Feige has long touted
Captain Marvel as the most powerful hero in the MCU (more powerful than Thor in
Infinity War) and the film is clearly determined to set the
record straight particularly as she is supposed to play a key role in Avengers: Endgame. Another important
contextual detail of the film is that it is set in 1995, long before the
supposed beginning of the MCU with Iron
Man. This does lead to questions regarding the timeline of the MCU as we
understand it and that can be a good thing although it can just be seen as yet
another big reveal. One wonders why
there was no mention of her before in the MCU but it is still interesting when
you trace the trajectory of the MCU since 2008 and all the interesting
references that might give some clue that there is greater out there. If she
had been out of focus for so long then the MCU must be a very big place to
explore. The essence of Captain Marvel makes that clear by her absence and it
eagerly makes you wonder what she has really been up to throughout the universe
to the point where she would never even have encountered a Thanos. This does not even compare to the idiotic
Captain America who was presumed dead before being discovered in ice several decades
later. This film makes it clear that Captain Marvel has been out and about in
the universe for a little over 20 years without returning to earth. Captain
Marvel therefore represents something grand as a human from Earth with
extraordinary abilities caught up in intergalactic struggles. Thor is the only other
Avenger with a similar experience although he is supposedly limited to 9
realms. One gets a sense that Captain marvel has been to much more than 9 realms. Who knows?
Negatives
The primary negative is that this film is not as effective
as a standalone film. The reason for this is that the main focus of the
plot is to build towards the big reveal of Captain Marvel as this almighty hero
and it does not succeed to a great extent. The kree-skrull conflict takes a
backseat to this important reveal of Danvers’ true power and identity
particularly in the second half of the film. The film literally ends up being
about Captain Marvel only; who really cares about the kree-skrull conflict
anymore because you come to realize that it’s just a backdrop for Danvers to do
her thing. It’s amazing that the kree-skrull conflict was not effectively developed particularly on
a visual intergalactic scale. They could have at least put the world on alert
instead of relegating it to a couple individuals like Nick Fury. Danvers is not
effectively tied to this bigger issue probably only when she flies off into the
large universe never to return for the next 20 years or so. Realistically, in the first instance, there
was no reason for Danvers to even arrive back on earth following her brief
hiatus where she didn’t recall much about her past. The plot spends a lot of
time attempting to reveal Carol Danvers’ true identity and the true power
within and it barely succeeds because it does not achieve the exhilarating effect
that was intended. If it did achieve this necessary exhilarating effect then it
would have been a top film but she probably did not have formidable enough
opposition apart from her own limitations. The film just becomes too
Danverscentric even when highlighting her role in the creation of the “Avenger”
initiative and by emphasizing that her return will lead to the deliverance of
the universe from Thanos’ grip. The film did not succeed as effectively in this
regard because the exhilarating effect was not achieved. This would have taken
more time to achieve and she needed more formidable opposition.
The action is a bit stodgy at times. We know Captain Marvel
is supposed to be extra powerful but the inspiration was lacking and this is
revealed when she put on her predictable light show.
All in all a good film but did not achieve the necessary exhilarating
effect which could have elevated it to higher heights within the MCU.
