How do I write a review when I’m too tired and stressed to be clever? When I’m not sure how to be spoiler free? I guess I do it by being straightforward and not caring if you don’t want to know plot details.
First off—a confession. I don’t know a whole lot about the comic book version of Captain Marvel. She was never a character I felt compelled to dive into the details of. A few things I do know: she has a military background and she’s super powerful; her real name is Carol Danvers; she used to be known as Ms. Marvel; and, until relatively recently, she wore a skimpier costume. The reason I bring this up is to say I’m not sure how well the comic version and the movie version of Captain Marvel match up. I’m not sure that matters all that much for the purposes of this review, but I thought I’d put it out there.
One thing to know going in—this movie is background. By that I mean that it takes place around 1995, more than 20 years before current Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU) events. The character of Captain Marvel was teased at the end of “Avengers: Infinity War”. This movie serves as her introduction, how she fits into the MCU, and why she hasn’t shown up before.
Another thing you should know—this movie doesn’t entirely stand alone. If this is the first Marvel movie you see, you’ll probably be somewhat confused. There are characters from other films: Agent Coulson and Nick Fury (de-aged and sans-eyepatch), along with the main villain from “Guardians of the Galaxy” in a semi-cameo. The alien race known as the Kree factor in heavily. They were also introduced in “Guardians”, then explored more thoroughly in TV’s “Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D.” Season 5. As the MCU keeps growing, the necessity of familiarity will get more pronounced.
Alright. Review.
In my review of 2015’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” I wrote that Marvel has a formula. My premise was that the formula wasn’t such a bad thing. There were enough variables with enough potential for changing the ratios of elements such as humor and drama that the formula hadn’t gotten stale. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore.
For example, there are scenes that feel like they’re being recycled from previous movies. There’s a fight scene on a train (also done in “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Spiderman 2” with Tobey Maguire). There’s also another incident that reminded me forcibly of Groot (an ambulatory, talking tree from “Guardians of the Galaxy”) bouncing bad guys around a hallway. In Captain Marvel, Groot was replaced by a creature that looks like a tabby cat until giant tentacles erupt from its mouth. Both of these scenes in “Captain Marvel” were fun and well done. I don’t need bigger explosions, but my preference would be more original action.
Another example was the sound track. One of the strengths of the Marvel franchise to this point has been that the films for each character or team have had a different style. That seems to be breaking down somewhat. The sound tracks for the two Guardians of the Galaxy films have been songs from the ‘70s. The latest entry in the Transformer’s franchise (admittedly a different studio), had an ‘80s punk rock sound track. And the music in “Captain Marvel” is ‘90s alternative. Taken individually, they’re all very well done. The song selections are fantastic and really fit the aesthetic of their movies. My objection is the laziness of reusing the pattern.
Just one more gripe, and this involves a spoiler in case you want to skip this paragraph. Captain Marvel’s origin is explored in this movie, including how she got her powers. She was in close proximity to the explosion of an engine that was powered by alien technology. Her body somehow absorbed the energy, so now she can fly and “shoot” destructive bursts of power from her hands. However, it seems to me that without a renewing power source, her abilities should have been depleted by use. I would have loved some sort of explanation as to why they haven’t.
My conclusion regarding “Captain Marvel” is that it was well done, but lazy. The recycled action and reused sound track style, while enjoyable in the context of this movie by itself, were disappointing because I’d seen and heard them in other settings. They point to what could become a systemic problem in Marvel movies unless they’re recognized and corrected.
