Captain Marvel
Scott Hardie: “It was ok.”
This movie shares some of the best qualities of Marvel's movies: A lighthearted sense of humor and unwillingness to take itself too seriously, some buried geopolitical messages for anyone interested in digging deeper, Easter eggs for the hardcore fans, some fun superhero action scenes, a deftness at handling a complex mythology, and a couple of nods to Stan Lee that are especially welcome after his recent passing. It also has a pretty good musical score, something that I don't usually notice in Marvel's films.
But I remain skeptical that any marketing campaign can make Captain Marvel feel like anything other than the minor C-list superhero that she is. The movie may have cost $175 million to produce, but it still feels inessential, like a mere pawn on a much larger Marvel chessboard. It's set in the past, so whenever you notice an incongruity with the rest of the MCU, you just wind up waiting for the movie to resolve it. The heroine, already lacking the bold personality of some of Marvel's bigger names, is almost outshone by her supporting cast. (Admittedly, the supporting cast includes Samuel L. Jackson and a funny cat, so good luck not getting upstaged.)
In a way, this made me appreciate Black Panther more. That movie also had to set the stage for an imminent Avengers blockbuster, but it did so entirely on its own terms and stood on its own two feet, with no need to have seen any other Marvel film to enjoy it. This one is so steeped in MCU lore, it's like an episode of a long-running TV series. It's hard to appreciate on its own because so much of it belongs to the rest of the series.
That said, I love how the movie's official website had fun with its 1990s setting.
− March 10, 2019 • more by Scott • log in or create an account to reply
Scott Hardie: − March 10, 2019 • more by Scott
Scott Hardie: − March 10, 2019 • more by Scott
Matthew Preston: − March 12, 2019 • more by Matthew
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Evie Totty: “It was ok.”
This review contains spoilers. Reveal it.
− April 21, 2019 • more by Evie • log in or create an account to reply
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Erik Bates: “It ruled.”
I actually really liked this movie. I'm a bit of a sucker for nostalgia, so there's that, I suppose. I knew literally nothing about Captain Marvel going into the movie, so I had zero expectations - so that was an easy bar to reach. I understand the arguments that this is a character that could have been just as easily introduced in a different movie without having to have her own solo feature. But I don't care. I liked it!
− December 10, 2019 • more by Erik • log in or create an account to reply
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