Captain Marvel (2019)
A movie of messages, morals, and marvelous action.
Honestly, Captain Marvel was not a film I was eager to see. I tend to struggle with superhero movies and, as a general rule, wait until they come onto Netflix to watch them. But, with all the hype around this particular film, I had to see what the fuss was all about.
And I have to say that it was an enjoyable experience. The film was a lot of fun and, to top it all off, had some good morals — not something you see every day. Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson did a great job and their banter was a true joy to watch.
Friendship > Romance
Finally, a superhero film without some forced romantic storyline woven through! In the end, the fact that she had the support of friends who were willing to hold her accountable, encourage her when she was down, and drag her to the fight when she wanted to sit it out. She was able to draw on their collective strength when she was at her lowest point — something I’m sure we can all relate to. She wasn’t incomplete because she was single, but was able to achieve great things with the help of a group supporting her — a message I’m grateful is becoming more popular in the media we’re consuming.
Humanness is to be embraced.
It’s so easy, especially in today’s film landscape filled to the brim with superhero movies, to think that our humanness is not enough. Unless we have superpowers through circumstance, birth, or an excessive amount of money, there’s not much we can do to change things. If we’re merely human, we just have to wait until those “more qualified” are able to swoop in and save the day.
But this way of thinking just isn’t true. Our humanness is beautiful and special, it’s something that’s worth celebrating. More than that, we don’t have to be ashamed of our humanness or frailty, but can still do something incredible in spite of all our flaws and weaknesses. We can make a difference in this world, if only we dare to try.
Still, we rise.
To me, this was the most powerful takeaway. Throughout the film, we are shown flashbacks to Carol falling or being pushed down over and over and over again. She was constantly told that she wasn’t enough, that she couldn’t do it, or that she was “just a girl”. She had begun to believe those lies over the course of her life, she had gotten used to falling down, and she believed the narrative that she was too weak.
But then, at the climax of the film, she chose to believe a different story: though she fell hundreds and hundreds of times, she got back up every time. She was able to remember the victorious portion of her story instead of merely focusing on her own flaws and failures.
I wonder how many of us can empathize, knowing when we’ve focused on the falling instead of the rising.
Did I have some major issues with the film? Of course, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t. But, in this case, the good outweighs the bad. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about this film, it wasn’t the best in the MCU, but it was so enjoyable. It’s one that I can see all members of a family enjoying, and one that parents can feel good about taking their kids to see. Captain Marvel provides important lessons about friendships, self-acceptance, and perseverance.
Have you seen Captain Marvel?
What were your biggest takeaways from the film?
Listen to our review of Captain Marvel on The Strategic Whimsy Experiment here: https://apple.co/2DH63Vv.
