Movie+review%3A+Captain+Marvel

Movie review: Captain Marvel

March 9, 2019

Not so marvelous after all

Despite being usually far and way ahead of DC in every facet when it comes to superhero movies, Marvel was late to the party when it came to granting one of its female characters her own movie (DC’s “Wonder Woman” came out in 2017). In an attempt to make up for lost time, Marvel preformed a rush job in “Captain Marvel,” as the movie lacked polish in a variety of areas, notably in its fight scene choreography and in the wit customary to Marvel movies.

To kick off the origin story teased about at the end of “Avengers Infinity War”, we meet Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel,  on the Kree capital planet, Hala. Danvers, who is played by Brie Larson, opens the movie fighting on behalf of the Kree, a traditionally blue alien species, and is haunted by the fragmented memories of her former life. Using a reverse mentality as opposed to traditional origin stories, Danvers opens up “Captain Marvel” as a full fledged hero, with the details of how she came to be divulged later.

Governed by an artificial intelligence being, the Kree are in the midst of a war with the Skrulls, another alien species with shape shifting capabilities. As an initial mission by Danvers unit goes awry, the movie launches into its overall plot and the titular hero meets an aged down Nick Fury, played by the vaunted Samuel L Jackson. Together, Danvers and Fury discover the truths of her past and about the war between the two alien races.

As mentioned earlier, one of the main problems with “Captain Marvel” is it’s lack of good, quality action scenes. So often throughout the movie, the fight scenes are ended quickly and abruptly with one fighter reigning victorious rather defiantly. Absent of a back-and-forth fight scene or two, Danver’s or other’s fates were never in doubt to put the audience on edge. Despite her other worldly powers, it would have been nice to see Captain Marvel at least work up a little of a sweat when dispatching enemies.

Coupled with the dull fight scenes, “Captain Marvel” also lacked in the witty humor Marvel movies have been expected to provide. Although featuring some moments of brilliance in regards to comedy, generally when involving Goose (Danver’s cat), the movie overall failed to deliver consistent laughs, especially in the beginning.

A bright spot for the 90’s themed movie is it fully embodied the decade the plot was set in. “Captain Marvel” included several references to the decade’s style while also having time to fit in a Blockbuster, remember those? In addition, the soundtrack was filled with 90’s hits such as “Just a girl” by No Doubt and “Only happy when it rains” by Garbage.

Although deficient in some areas, “Captain Marvel” is a must watch for it introduces the theoretical future of the Marvel universe. To top it off, the movie includes a tease toward “Avengers Endgame” in the mid-credits scene so be sure to tune in for that.

 

About the Writer
Photo of Ethan Knauth
Ethan Knauth, Editor-in-Chief

Ethan Knauth is a senior and the Editor in Chief of “The Express”. When not in Newspaper, he can be found out on the field playing for the boys soccer team and participating in National Honors Society and Spanish Honors Society events. When he gets down time, Ethan enjoys hanging out with friends and family, being outside and indulging in pop culture. Despite his Spanglish speaking tendencies, Spanish is Ethan’s favorite subject and he can always go for a quality batch of street tacos. This year, Ethan aims to strengthen his communication and leadership abilities as he heads up “The Express.”

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“Captain Marvel” shines despite poor expectations

The marvel cinematic universe saw its latest installment in 2019’s Captain Marvel. The story follows Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson. Rescued by the Kree with no recollection of her past, she fights in the war against the Skrulls in an elite team called the starforce. During a mission, she gets captured by the enemy, who then try to look through her memory to gather information. This is where the real plot begins. Her escape from the Skrulls takes her to Earth, where she meets Nick Fury. They team up to take down the Skrull, but not everything is as it seems.

When the trailers were released for the film, they were met with awful expectations. People were commenting online about how bored Larson looked and how it didn’t fit the marvel theme. However, Larson’s acting was one of the best parts of the film. Unlike other Marvel movies, the comedy is delivered in a deadpan “over it” manner, that really makes Danvers stand out as a hero.

The setting of Captain Marvel is another highlight, taking place in the nineties, the plot is full of callbacks such as the Smashing Pumpkins posters or Blockbusters, which allows Captain Marvel to have an identity of its own. While the movie takes place in the MCU, it gives itself enough room to breathe, creating an individual story apart from the avengers arc, which is a reflection of the great writing that takes place. The plot is fun and engaging, with multiple opposing forces at a time, creating a fast paced action packed journey that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat.

The fight scene choreography also stands out as one of this movies strengths. Each one is so well shot that its not distracting to the eye. They’re easy to follow and fun to watch. This isn’t exactly consistent throughout the entire runtime however, the final showdown between hero and villain is a bit anticlimactic, but the let down of the fight completely reflects Danver’s dry personality.

The new set of characters are also a highlight. In “Captain Marvel” we’re introduced to several new faces, which sets this movie apart, and is reminiscent of the first Ant Man film.

Captain Marvel’s timely release is important, with the day of release being International Women’s Day. The time is right to show an important female figure in the superhero genre, someone girls can look up to and admire, someone who shows women can be independent and strong on their own, and Captain Marvel does an excellent job of this.

Overall the movie is an excellent watch, with some of marvel’s best writing to date. An awesome soundtrack, storyline and cast of characters come together to really land one for Marvel.

About the Writer
Photo of Ben Hobbs
Ben Hobbs, Design Editor

Ben Hobbs is a senior and the Design Editor for “The Express.” Outside of Newspaper, Ben is a part of the football team, wrestling team, NHS, Investing Club and Latin Club. Ben loves his schnoodle (Schnauzer-Poodle mix) Sally a lot more than she loves him and he enjoys playing guitar. His favorite food is a beefy fritos burrito from Taco Bell because it’s really cheap. He encourages everyone to check out his playlist on Spotify, “Hot Jams” for some hot jams. This year, Ben hopes that the designers on “The Express’” staff can further develop their skills to create spreads that stand out.

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