Erupt: Captain Marvel — Movie Review
Marvel has had an incredible Phase Three so far. The 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain Marvel introduces a new hero who seems more than capable to even the odds after the aftermath of Avengers: Infinity War. Does the Women’s Day release strike all the right chords for yet another marvelous outing?
The film begins with the usual rendering of the Marvel logo, but swaps out film footage from the MCU in favour of stylized footage of Stan Lee’s cameos over the years, a homage by directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck that is sure to take Marvel fans back into the past.
Vers(played by Brie Larson), a member of the Kree Starforce, a team of super-powered individuals, lands on Earth(referred throughout the film as Planet C-53) after surviving an ambush by the Skrulls, a devious race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury and Vers team up and unearth leads to the mystery of Vers’ identity. The cloak of mystery that surrounds Fury finally lifts, this movie serves as his origin story as much as it does for Vers.
Dressed in grunge, Vers is effortlessly charming and is a testament to Marvel’s history of impeccable casting choices, from Robert Downey Jr. to Benedict Cumberbatch. The iconic suit, complete with the Mohawk helmet, transitions beautifully from the comics into the big screen. Instead of using conventional flashbacks to tell her tale, Captain Marvel relies on Skrull leader Talos breaching Vers’ memories of her former self to find that she’s been through numerous struggles against failure and misogyny. The scene where a pilot taunts “There’s a reason it’s called a cockpit,” echoes a harrowing past of belittlement and prejudice. The way she handles her powers subvert most superhero tropes, as she is asked to keep them in check instead of unleashing them upon her foes.
“You were the most powerful woman I knew right before you could shoot fire from your fists”, says the brilliantly characterized Maria, Vers’ longtime friend and copilot, vocalizing that physical strength is only one of the many forms of power.
Her daughter Monica and Vers also share a moment when she gets to customize the colors on her green Kree suit, resulting in the iconic blue and red combination in Fury’s pager decades later. Also, the absence of a romantic track helps avoid diversions from the main plot and perfectly works in favour of the film.
The technical wizardry employed by Marvel transports viewers into the 90s by digitally de-aging Nick Fury and Phil Coulson into shockingly convincing forms of their younger selves, played by 70-year-old Samuel L. Jackson and 56-year-old Clark Gregg respectively. The CGI and special effects are spot on, from the impressive light show that Vers puts up against her foes to the spectacular vistas of alien megacities across the galaxy.
An evocative soundtrack which includes the work of celebrated icons of the 90s like Elastica, TLC, Hole, and Nirvana, set the tone of nostalgia and female power, themes that the movie readily embodies from start to finish.
On the other hand, one cannot agree that the film is flawless. Continuity issues with the editing and a wafer-thin storyline stick out awkwardly in a few parts of the narrative. The humor, despite being a character streak that all the characters have in common, comes out forced at times as well. Adding to that the film’s long runtime and Brie Larson’s mediocre acting, bring down the awesomeness quotient. Those who know their Marvel lore will be pleased with the subtle references peppered throughout the film.
To sum it all up, Captain Marvel turns out to be a memorable experience. While it may not compete with the likes of films like Black Panther and Infinity War, it is without a spot of doubt the best piece of audio-visual grandeur you could get this weekend. If you are a stickler for critic ratings, watch it for the post-credit scenes that bridge the gap between the past and the present and the momentum it builds up for the endgame. One also learns of the origins of the names “Marvel” and “Avengers”, and of Fury’s eye patch. The Skrull invasion holds immense potential and raises the possibility of a sequel as part of Phase Four of the MCU.
“What happens when I’m finally set free?” is a question that hits too close to home for those limited by the shackles of society, one that Vers’ unconventional origin story grapples with, and finally resolves.
Vers is unstoppable when her fury is unleashed, an allegory of women being held back from their true potential. Thinking of Captain Marvel as a mere feminine foray by Marvel into the superhero stage is to tie one hand behind her back- it’s time to set her free.
This article was written in collaboration with Yin Rav, Antony Terence, and Abhishek Ramachandran.
