Warning: Review contains mild spoilers for Captain Marvel, based only on trailers and promotional materials.
It’s odd to think that, after twenty Marvel Cinematic Universe Films (MCU), there has not been an MCU film with a female lead. Though there have been strong female characters like Black Widow, Okoye, Gamora, and Nebula, never has one of them single-handedly led an MCU feature film. Even Marvel’s direct competitor, DC, beat them to the punch with 2017’s Wonder Woman (Patty Jenkins, 2017), showcasing the first female-led superhero film in nearly twelve years (Elektra [Rob Bowman, 2005] being the latest film since Wonder Woman). Wonder Woman was not only critically and financially successful, but also pushed the boundary of female-led superhero films becoming the highest-grossing film directed by a woman (Wonder Woman’s 821 worldwide total beating out Mamma Mia’s [Phyllida Lloyd, 2008] 609 million). Now, nearly two years later and on the cusp of the behemoth that is Avengers: Endgame (Joe and Anthony Russo, 2019), the twenty-first MCU film, Captain Marvel (Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, 2019), released on March 8, 2019; signifying the first female-led and female-directed/co-directed MCU film. With big shoes to fill and a swell of (trivial) controversy involving the film’s main star Brie Larson, Captain Marvel has become the largest-ever global box office debut for a female-led film (Captain Marvel’s 456 million overtaking The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1’s [Francis Lawrence, 2014] 273 million worldwide). Unlike Wonder Woman’s more domestic impact, Captain Marvel has situated itself as one of the most successful global films of all time, as the film has already reached a billion dollars worldwide with 644 million coming from foreign markets alone. Symbolic of its global success, Captain Marvel is a fun and progressive movie that appeals to all audiences. Unfortunately, aside from strong performances from Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, Captain Marvel loses its charm quickly by becoming more of a bridge to Avengers: Endgame than providing a cohesive and self-contained story. Though there is a lot of humor and action to enjoy, Captain Marvel is a bland film that demands more emotional depth and nuance from its lead character to stand out among past MCU films.
Set in the 1990s, Captain Marvel revolves around air force pilot Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) as she is indoctrinated as a member of the alien Kree Starforce Military. After training for six years under mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) and the supreme intelligence (an organic artificial intelligence), Danvers suits up to wipe out members of the enemy Skrull species who have raged war on the Kree Empire. After working with Guardians of the Galaxy’s Ronan the Accuser (Lee Pace) to rescue an undercover spy, Danvers is soon captured by the Skrulls. Barely escaping with her life and brainwashed by visions from her past, Danvers escapes the clutches of Skrull leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and crash lands on Earth. Danvers then teams up with Shield operative Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and other allies to stop the Skrull invasion of Earth and put an end to the Skrull-Kree Galactic war.
Captain Marvel does a relatively good job setting up its story, however, it doesn’t round out the edges as cleanly as past MCU films. It’s hard not to see Captain Marvel as a misstep in certain areas, as the jokes are more awkward than funny, the action feels forced, and the fast pace is a hindrance to the emotional resonance and character development. More times than not, Captain Marvel expects more out of the audience, as the lore is more profound, complex, and upfront as opposed to equitable lore-heavy films like Thor (Kenneth Branagh, 2011) or Doctor Strange (Scott Derrickson, 2016). This isn’t exactly a bad problem to have but it does cause the film to take a significant amount of time to gain traction and identity. For example, the first act of the film is a complete bore that is more style than substance, favoring action over storytelling. The film takes too much time focusing on who the Kree and the Skrulls are rather than setting up Marvel herself, causing the later rewarding parts of the film to fall flat. Though this is partially due to the way Captain Marvel’s obtuse narrative is set up, the main issue lies with the film’s misuse of its 1990s setting and nostalgic iconography. Unlike Guardians of the Galaxy (James Gunn, 2014), where the 1980s culture is used to build Star-Lord and the world of the Guardians, in Captain Marvel, the 1990s are used more as a background accessory than as a tool to create agency and nuance in the film. Though the soundtrack is filled with artists, ranging from Nirvana to No Doubt, and 90s-esque visuals of Blockbuster Video and rocker attire are apparent, the film squanders these cultural staples by using them to further the flashy action rather than build setting and personality. For example, No Doubt’s “I’m Just a Girl” plays over Danvers in fun fight scenes; but rather than showcasing a bad-ass, take-no-attitude character, the mismanagement of music causes the scene to become cliché and tiring rather than subtle and empowering. Which, in turn, renders Captain Marvel empty, inconsistent, and ultimately lacking in a coherent identity.
Alternatively, the best aspect of Captain Marvel is its progressive agenda around women in entertainment. Being Marvel’s first female-led film, it’s easy to fall into the conventional trope of using Danvers as a tool to prove to the audience the obvious fact that “Females can do it just as well as men can!” Such a critique could be made for Wonder Woman, due to Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) not displaying agency, strength, or independence outside of her crucial relationship with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine). Fortunately, Captain Marvel does away with this dated trope by always using Danvers as a source of her own power and strength. Never once is Danvers’s agency or motivation sexualized, defined by men, or used to fit societal standards.
As opposed to Wonder Woman, characters are displayed as equal allies to Danvers, exhibiting their own agency rather than being used as cheap stepping stones to further Danvers’s individual character. For example, Danvers interacts most often with Fury and her air force partner Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch). Through each interaction, Danvers exhibits traits of motherhood, friendship, and kindness married with a cocky and resilient attitude. Danvers is intelligent, merciful, cunning, and — overall — gives more insight to the characters around her. Fury is often lost or confused without Danvers’s influence, and Rambeau is a struggling single mom looking for help in her fellow woman. Danvers, Fury, and Rambeau are all able to find harmony and achieve greatness with balanced and diversified perspective, communication, and understanding. This concept is what makes Captain Marvel different from similar films, as the film’s focus is on intersectionality and diversified understanding rather than perpetuating exclusivity and social binary.
Unfortunately, Danvers is also the biggest issue that plagues Captain Marvel in terms of the way her character is written. With the narrative following Danvers as she gains the ability to remember more about her past, it becomes hard to connect with her during the journey as a lot of character-building moments are undercut. We are never truly given enough time for Danvers/Captain Marvel to feel established as an independent, and unique character that feels different from other MCU heroes; even ones with only one movie behind them. This is due to the fact that the film’s pace is too fast and the narrative is written from a perspective of amnesia. Throughout the film, Danvers struggles to find her identity and personality as she does not remember much about her past. Echoes of Tony Stark’s cockiness, Thor’s heroism, and Star-Lord’s charm are all apparent in Danvers. However, Danvers never actually feels like these are her own personality traits, as the lack of backstory and character-building moments are absent due to Danvers’s lack of memory. Though these past events that should establish Danvers are displayed through flashbacks, they are never the main focus of the film. This issue causes Danvers to feel incomplete and awkward without entirely establishing her as fully developed. Fortunately, the best remedy for this issue in Captain Marvel is Danvers’s interaction with Fury and Rambeau, as they provide great foils for Danvers to gain insight into establishing her awareness and wholeness. However, the film never concentrates on these deep and emotional character interactions as the goal is to ramp up the action and style rather than emotionally bind and ground Marvel’s personality. In turn, once Danvers does (or should) become whole by the end of the film, moments of empowerment, resolution, and impact ultimately fall flat.
Captain Marvel is by far one of the most different films in the MCU, as the film’s themes, lessons, and progressiveness remain unrivaled to past entries in the franchise. As good as Brie Larson is as Marvel, there is just not enough of Marvel herself to feel as established as past MCU characters. Though the film has its fair share of action, laughs, and fun, Captain Marvel demands more from a sequel to focus and explore Marvel herself rather than have her be used as a conduit to Avengers: Endgame.
7.0/10
Author Biography
Jason Husak is a University of Alberta film studies graduate who currently resides in Edmonton, Canada. He hopes to pursue his passion for film by doing a graduate degree in film studies. For more in-depth film reviews, discussion, and analyses, you can follow Jason on his personal Twitter and Instagram or his film and entertainment podcast Boring People, Bad Opinions on podcast and social media services.
Film Details
Captain Marvel (2019)
USA
Directors Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Runtime 123 minutes
