Let’s go flying.
Captain Marvel is the latest Marvel film and also proves that we can’t have nice things in our society anymore. Since Brie Larson (the titular hero) wanted the press tour to have more than just white men conducting interviews and getting screeners the internet basically exploded. To the point that Rotten Tomatoes actually changed its algorithm to prevent review bombing.
Look, if the idea of the first female-led Marvel film requesting perhaps a female-led press tour makes you that upset you probably shouldn’t be operating heavy machinery. How on earth this got so blown out of proportion indicates to me we have too many insecure morons in our country.
Anyway, let’s get to the film.
We follow Vers (Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel) as she is working with her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) as they are fighting against a shape-shifting alien race (I honestly can’t remember their names). Of course, the operation goes wrong and Vers is hurled to earth where she must race against the aliens to learn about her past and stop them from getting dangerous technology.
Look, we have all seen Marvel films before, and this one isn’t that different. A spunky warrior digs deep and discovers who they really are with the support of likable characters just in time to save the day. I have complained about superhero films before (in my once-a-year review of them) in that they all seem a bit familiar. (You may ask me why this bothers me but horror films that are an endless recycling of like three ideas don’t—well, that is my preferred genre). Repetition of storytelling isn’t a bad thing, particularly when we still generally fall into the heroic journey. For me, it is just too much to follow most of the time. I think these new hero stories allow an entry point for people who don’t care about the extended universe. For a superhero flick, this one hits a lot of the right notes.
Granted, I am over-looking the big difference here: representation. How Black Widow hasn’t been given her own film is a puzzle I don’t understand. The whole myth of female led films not being viable is continuously proven wrong, yet we still have to see this as a triumph of a film. I mentioned this last year with Black Panther, instead of being pumped for the first big-budget superhero film with an African American lead, I was sad it took so long. I feel the same here.
The movie is enjoyable. I like Brie Larson, and this is simply another feather in her cap. Her take-no-shit attitude is fun, and the film supplies a healthy dose of action, humor, and plot. I don’t have any problems with the pacing of Marvel films, but I also think they are all a little long.
The annoying part about this film is how people have reacted to it. Over at IMDB there seems to be a fight amongst the reviewers to mark this a 1/10 or 10/10 (though I the criticisms have just chosen to target Larson as a poor actress)—I am sick of this crap. These reviews have been up for a while (pre-release) and I doubt all these people have even bothered to watch it.
Back in reality, I think Marvel fans will overall enjoy the film. I think non-comic fans (myself included) will enjoy it as well, but perhaps not as much as others. For us adults (making a big assumption about my readership), the film isn’t life-changing. However, it might be for young women who get to see someone who represents them saving the day.
Jay Hates Movies 