Captain Marvel is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Carol Danvers finds herself in the crossfire of an inter-galactic battle on earth while trying to remember a past life in the air force.
You know, Black Widow is long overdue a solo movie. It’s wonderful that Marvel is finally working on that. My hope is that it doesn’t turn out as frivolously or as equivocally as this. I did not like Captain Marvel. Before I get to that, I must assign credit where credit is due.
The de-aging makeup on Samuel L. Jackson is genuinely ground-breaking. Aside from one or two dodgy shots, the CGI seamlessly blends in. The actors are pretty good for the most part, the highlights being Lashana Lynch and Ben Mendelsohn.
The approach the writing takes with the Skrulls was something I didn’t see coming and the possibility for commiserations and empathy were effectively engaged. Danvers getting her powers via an exploding energy core made for a fantastic looking visual. That’s the extent regarding positives.
Take the high points away? We’re left with an aesthetically rancid, poorly directed superhero flick. Captain Marvel is a movie desperately in search of style, of which it seems to have none. The action scenes in this movie are incredibly boring. The direction lacks confidence as the movie never seems conscious of how to build momentum, excitement or intrigue.
The premise involves the protagonist suffering from memory loss, and it’s an interesting plot hook. But what it needs is cohesion, structure and focus. This movie never interested me because it’s not intelligently executed.
What really killed this movie for me was Captain Marvel herself. Brie Larson is a visible talent, but her unnatural charm, a lack of a real arch, and her forced relationships with other characters failed to engage me. The character appears to be written as quippy and confident but Larson's one-note take never feels organic to what shoulder be a brighter characterisation.
Larson looks great for the role, but I’m struggling to find a kernel in Danvers. If she’s supposed to be the new leader of Marvel’s next phase, this movie gives me no confidence in her as a character. Hopefully things will improve, but this was a thoroughly weak origin story.
Captain Marvel fails both in characterisation and action. It lacks charm, it lacks vigour, it lacks fun, it lacks engagement. Just to add insult to injury, wait until you see how this movie deals with Fury losing his eye; it’s a joke of a retcon.
I was bored by Captain Marvel. I forgot about it very quickly. As far as the MCU is concerned, the movies have found their Danny Rand. I hope that she improves in Endgame, but, as of right now, this was dull.
Written by Seán Mac G.
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