Marvel’s Captain
Marvel is the 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The
film is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Mississippi Grind, Room 104 “The
Red Tent”) who also were part of the team that wrote the screenplay. The third
member of their writing team is Geneva
Robertson-Dworet (writer of 2018’s Tomb Raider). This combination of talent has
crafted, in the Marvel tradition, a superhero film that is about more than just
superheroics. It is a nostalgia piece (taking place in the 90s), it is a buddy
action flick, and an empowering film for not just women.
Not
since Captain America The First Avenger has Marvel done a film which takes place
out of our current time period. Captain Marvel takes place in the 90s, 1995 to
be precise. While there are some obvious nods to the 90s (dial up internet,
grunge style, Blockbuster Video), I preferred the more technical nods. For
those that don’t remember, blockbuster action films in the 90s used to boast an
accompanying soundtrack that included pop songs that were made just for the
film. Captain Marvel has some great 90s classics that are so fitting with the
tone of the film that one could believe that if this was released in the 90s
these songs would have been made just for it; especially the songs with female
vocalists like in the bands TLC, No Doubt, Hole, and Garbage. The 90s coined
the term “girl power” and Captain Marvel definitely uses that to its advantage.
But there are also scenes that pay homage to 90s classics as well. A spaceship
chase sequence that looks a lot like one from the 1996 classic Independence
Day, a character stealing clothes and a motorcycle just like Arnold in
Terminator 2, a moment when the hero is on the ground and is told they are “only
human” ala The Matrix, the fact that the Carol and Fury dynamic is very much
like that of a 90s buddy cop movie, and my favorite is a special cameo that
references a very famous cameo from another 90s film. Upon one viewing those
are the ones that stuck out to me but I am sure the filmmakers snuck more in
and now part of the fun in rewatching will be picking that stuff out.
As
aforementioned Captain Marvel also plays as a buddy action flick. You know.
Those movies in which one person is the loose cannon badass and the other is the
“good cop” who is the moral compass and the only person the loose cannon trusts but
that’s only after initial resentment or hesitation. Think of Lethal Weapon,
Rush Hour, or even another 90s staple The X-Files. Here the badass loose cannon
is obviously Carol with her super powers and devil may care attitude. She
always leaps before she looks and has confidence and strength to get back up.
Fury, is definitely the moral compass with his rules and common sense approach
to this intergalactic situation. And when they first meet
Fury is chasing her and she is condescending to him, thus showing the initial distrust. But the formula seems more
fun here being mixed with the Marvel of it all, also it helps that it feels
like it knows that it’s doing this in a kind of meta way.
Finally
this is a film about self-empowerment. There may be a lot of talk about Captain
Marvel being about female empowerment, but I think it’s only because it stars a
female. When listening to the dialogue and seeing many empowering moments, I
think they could be taken as empowering for anyone. I mean sure there is definitely
some flashbacks to Carol experiencing sexism in her chosen profession as a
pilot, but there is one moment in the film that ignores the whole male/female
contrast. One character says to her she is only human. In this scene Captain
Marvel represents not only womankind but all humans. She stands and fights as
one of us for all of us. In that moment her heroism transcends gender and she
is just a hero because she represents the best of us as humans.
The cast
assembled for this film is a wonderful mix of old guard and fresh talent.
Academy Award Winner Brie Larson (Room) stars as Carol Danvers, the hero of the
film who will go by many names through the film but by the end will be
recognized as Captain Marvel. She is joined by returning MCU vet Samuel L.
Jackson (The Avengers) as, in this era, SHIELD Agent Fury.
Jude Law plays the
commander of the elite team of Kree warriors and mentor to Carol. Law’s
character name is not revealed until much deeper into the film as it may be
regarded as a spoiler. Annette Benning (American Beauty) is a mysterious figure
from Carol’s past.
Lashana Lynch (Bulletproof) plays Carol’s best friend Maria
Rambeau (in this continuity Monica Rambeau is Maria’s daughter which I am sure
will play a factor in future MCU films).
Returning MCU vets include Clark Gregg
as Agent Coulson, Lee Pace as Ronan The Accuser, and Djimon Hounsou as Korath.
But my favorite performance in the movie actually comes from Ben Mendelsohn (
Star
Wars Rogue One) as the shapeshifting Skrull named Talos; easily one of the most
watchable actors.
Captain
Marvel definitely stays on Marvel brand by being a fun blockbuster for the kid
in all of us but also does its part to tell the over-arching story Marvel story
by being something that fits properly in the MCU continuity. It’s important to support
more female lead superhero films and Marvel has found a way to make one that is
both fun and important to their overall story.
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