Wondering whether to go and see Captain Marvel at the cinema? Well, returning volunteer, Isaac Cave, gives his opinion on its new release.
It seems fair to say that the hype around Captain Marvel has gone completely mad. Being the first Marvel film to have a female protagonist, fans have been anticipating this movie possibly more than Black Panther or Avengers Endgame. But did the film live up to the hype? No, no it didn’t. After the high expectations for the film, it was simply very mediocre. Despite the usual razzle-dazzle that Marvel puts into its CGI and marketing, the end result is simply underwhelming.
One of the main drawbacks for me was Brie Larson’s very wooden performance as Carol Danvers. Another stoic, unflappable badass with all the emotional expression of a statue. I’d say she embodies many of the qualities of a Mary Sue as she faces very little adversity, particularly in the climax of the film where her full abilities are unleashed and nothing can touch her. Yet for all her power and backstory, she is the most boring character in the film, with only Samuel L Jackson’s as Nick Fury being memorable. Yet even this performance is hindered by the digital editing to make him look about 20 years younger, with poor lighting attempting to conceal it.
There are one or two decent moments of connection between them but they’re few and far between. The fight scenes also suffer as the camera doesn’t seems to focus on one point and shakes like it was mounted on jelly, making a lot of exciting moments look unfocused and sloppy. On top of this, there are several stupid moments when Captain Marvel should have died. To put it simply, her poorly defined super powers and the climatic moment where she confronts the villain for the final showdown really disappointed me.
Captain Marvel mirrors Black Panther in a number of ways, being a mediocre Marvel movie with an agenda holding it back as a story. Academically however, it’s interesting to compare to another female led superhero film likeWonder Woman. While similar in some aspects, Gal Gadot was able to convey far more emotion and principles throughout her film, while maintaining her powerful abilities. In addition, the setting of the First World War for Wonder Woman was very suitable as it taught Dianna about the true nature of humanity, removing the naïve good and evil perspective she held. This is not the case for Captain Marvel’s 90s setting as it adds nothing to the story beyond a few minor details and a lot of unnecessary references. One final positive note is the homage the film pays to Stan Lee and his surprising cameo, which was very touching.
Featured image by: Omeiza Haruna
