Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson and directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck is something of an important moment as far as comic book movies go. While it is not the first big budget superhero movie starring or directed by a woman (that honor goes to 2017’s very good Wonder Woman), it is the first for Marvel Studios, home of Iron Man, the Avengers, and Black Panther. Marvel has generally made better and more lucrative films than DC, home of Superman, Batman, and Suicide Squad. But up until now, it was primarily a boys club, both in front of and behind the camera. So for the most successful studio to finally give meaningful screen time and creative input to women is important and not to be undervalued. Representation matters and the bigger the recognition, the greater the progress, I hope. 

But there’s also the matter of the film itself, independent of the economic, social, and political forces that shaped it. Is it any good? Eh, it’s okay. 

 The film begins with Vers, a proud member of the warrior elite class for the Kree, a humanoid alien race that sometimes has blue skin and sometimes doesn’t. She’s smart-alecky, tough, and eager to help in the fight against the Kree’s mortal enemies, the greenish, gobliny, pointy-eared, shape-shifting Skrulls. The only problem is she can’t remember anything beyond six years ago but has fitful nightmares about a past she can’t really recall. Vers goes on a rescue mission that goes wrong and ends her up on Earth in the mid 1990s, where she meets up with a mid-level government agent named Nick Fury. Even a casual comic book movie fan knows this is where Captain Marvel’s story directly intersects with the larger Marvel universe. From there, Vers discovers who she used to be and how she came to live with the Kree. I won’t go into any spoilers here, but it’s probably no surprise to say that she’s not who she thought she was. 

Vers, who is later known as Carol Danvers, is played by Brie Larson who, despite being an Oscar winner, seems to lack the gravitas to pull off this role. She seems to smirk more than emote and when she lands on earth and strides around in her silver and green suit like it’s the most normal thing in the world, her performance has shades of Buzz Lightyear before he realizes he’s a toy.

The script which was written by no fewer than five different contributors feels uneven – overstuffed in some areas and woefully thin in others. Vers transition from Kree warrior to Carol Danvers is superficial and muddy, and there are plot holes the size of a plummeting spaceship throughout. There are some really enjoyable moments of comic relief, and certainly the moments when Danvers stands up for herself and fights against those who have manipulated and oppressed her are satisfying. But overall, I didn’t leave the film soaring, energized by a combination of great filmmaking and significant representation.

However, I also acknowledge that I may not be the ideal audience for this picture. My two daughters loved it, and wisely pointed out that there was no romantic subplot as a crutch and that Danvers was an independent character rather than someone defined by the men in her life. They also appreciated how relatable Danver’s struggles being respected in a man’s world felt to them. (Having a discussion with my daughters about chauvinist micro-aggressions after a Marvel movie is just one of many perks of this gig.) They also pointed out that the scene when Vers who becomes Carol Danvers who is eventually dubbed Captain Marvel whips up on a roomful of her former fellow Kree soldiers while No Doubt’s 90s anthem “Just a Girl” plays is just pretty freaking cool. Who am I to argue with that?

I thought Captain Marvel was okay, my daughters thought it was great. Go see it with your teenagers and see what you think.