Movie review: Captain Marvel
YOU KNOW how they say that Alita is proof that a good live-action anime movie is possible?
Well, I submit that Captain Marvel is proof that a good live-action Dragon Ball Z movie is possible. Not that they should do it, because they already tried and failed 10 years ago.
It may look like I’m digressing from my review, but I am not.
My point is that Captain Marvel (both the movie and the character) is not as much fun as the other characters and stories surrounding it.
Those who follow the comics would know that Captain Marvel of the MCU is a hybrid of the original Captain Marvel (the Kree hero, Mar-Vell) and Ms Marvel (Carol Danvers).
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The movie stayed fairly true to the source material, as close as the MCU usually does anyway.
However, the titular character (Brie Larson) is more a feel-good role model for girls that is devoid of personality. She goes Super Saiyan, but that’s about as memorable as she gets.
The story of the war between the Kree and the Skrulls (who look like Dragon Ball Namekians), and characters such as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) were far more intriguing.
Extra acting points go to Jackson for portraying a younger, more fun-loving Fury, and Mendelson for playing a Skrull with a personality and depth of character.
Throughout the movie, I could not tell if they made Jackson younger using CGI, or just put makeup and a hairpiece on him.
But both the CGI de-aged Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) – and sometimes Captain Marvel herself – look fake.
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I think one of the reasons I like the portrayal of the Skrulls here is that they always appear in fantastical scenes.
Captain Marvel is set in the early 90s, a fertile ground for pop culture references and a gold mine for nostalgia-inducing music, both of which the movie used to full effect.
On the other hand, you have space combat, aliens, and lasers, but those more interesting settings are few and far between.
The main plot of Captain Marvel is predictable and it’s littered with plot-holes and bad decisions.
What held my attention are the side plots that, I feel, could have been spun off as their own movie instead.
That said, I think Captain Marvel played its part as both a prequel to the current MCU story arch, and as a setup to Avengers: Endgame with a dash of timely social agenda.
However, it did not pull it off as well as Black Panther did.
By: AZIZUL RAHMAN ISMAIL
RELATED ARTICLE:
Movie review: Captain Marvel Pt 2
I ADMIT I am a huge fan of Marvel superhero movies such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Dr Strange, and the phenomenal Black Panther.
The problem began when the studio bloated its movies, featuring every superhero it could possibly find, and on many occasions, derailing a serious dramatic moment with funny one-liners.
Nonetheless, I was prepared to enjoy Captain Marvel, the same way I enjoyed previous solo superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I am not going to say I was disappointed, but neither am I going to say I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
The story begins with Kree warrior Vers (Brie Larson) training with the Commander of Star-Force, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law), and being told to control her emotions, especially since she unleashes a tremendous amount of fiery energy when she is angry.
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Vers has no recollection of her past, but is haunted by visions of a woman (Annette Benning) whom she doesn’t know.
When the Star-Force is sent on a mission to retrieve a spy, Vers is captured by the dreaded shape-shifting Skrulls.
While making her escape, she causes a huge explosion onboard the Skrull ship. She, along with Skrull leader Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and a few of his followers, end up crashing on Earth.
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As both sides try to uncover something on Earth that is connected to Vers’ memories, a huge revelation is made that changes the course of her life.
Essentially, Captain Marvel is a prequel of sorts, as it is set in the 1990s, and introduces us to a younger Nick Fury (Jackson) and a rookie Agent Coulson (Clark Greg) of S.H.I.E.L.D.
It also tries to connect some dots about what takes place during other Marvel movies, especially what happened at the end of Avengers: Infinity War.
While Larson, Jackson and Mendelsohn do a commendable job with their respective roles, the movie lacks a much-needed emotional impact.
At one point, our heroine recollects all those times in her life when she was told she couldn’t do something.
This part should resonate with the women in the audience, but I wished it was presented a bit better.
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