PETALING JAYA, March 6 — Cinemas today begin the worldwide screening of Captain Marvel, and early reviews filtering in have hardly been flattering of the latest from the Marvel juggernaut.
The 21st film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) comes two years after DC’s first female-led superhero pic, Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman, but the production was set in repeatedly trumpeting the theme of female empowerment as the narrative of the film, starring a stellar cast of Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn and Annette Bening among many others.
Misleadingly, while the trope does reside within the film, the irony of the whole movie focused on Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel struggling to control her emotions is a head-scratcher for an otherwise banal back story of one of the strongest superheroes in the MCU.
Danvers, as a character, and Larson as an actress, fail to deliver in terms of relatability and likeability in comparison to the rest of the MCU’s stable, which is a concern considering the position of Captain Marvel in the next phase of the MCU which she apparently will lead a whole host of young ‘uns set to take over post-Thanos.
It is however a Marvel offering, where it’s worst, is still above the competition.
Ignoring the constant harping of supposed feminist values by publicity machine, Captain Marvel is indeed worth its ticket price, despite perhaps ranking in the bottom rungs of MCU’s collection of tales, which are rarely as mediocre in terms of being a stand-alone production.
Perhaps the red flags by the late preview screening are justified, and with the Malaysian media only catching it late this morning, one would be hard-pressed not to believe that even Marvel is super confident Captain Marvel will deliver the goods compared to its other groundbreaking offerings.
This is despite riding high on the hype of the upcoming Avengers : Endgame.
A mediocre plot, with no groundbreaking visual work on screen, and yet, Captain Marvel is hardly a stinker to give a miss.
There is a lot happening onscreen, and here’s our spoiler-free guide on the good and bad to expect and what you should keep an eye out if you’re planning to catch Captain Marvel in the cinemas.
Thumbs up
— Granted, while it’s a weak origin story, it’s effective as an Avengers prequel, and even an origin story for the line-up of Marvel’s cream-of-the-crop and Nick Fury.
— The plot twist towards the end with the Skrulls was the only moment you could feel any sort of emotion reverberate through the cinema halls, so get those tissues on standby.
— The Stan Lee cameo with the Mallrats reference and the moving opening tribute.
— Goose the cat deserves a movie of its own, for Flerken’s sake!
— Agent Coulson, though we yearn for more of the lovable Phil.
— The two bonus scenes, pre- and post-credit which serves as an Avengers : Endgame teaser — which is as good as any of the teasers released so far. Please do not be among the cinematic plebians who walk out without a thought.
Thumbs down
— While 1990s references are piled on, the nostalgia does not come even close to being organic as in Guardians of the Galaxy, despite an inspiring soundtrack featuring the likes of Hole, Elastica, Nirvana, TLC, Garbage, No Doubt, Desiree and REM that appear almost like an afterthought.
— It’s unimaginative and predictable, and if you’re looking for moments that evoke emotion, look to the Skrulls and every tie-in reference to the Avengers to convince yourself otherwise.
— Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck and Larson, who are also co-writers of the screenplay with Geneva Robertson-Dwore appear uninspired and to have struggled to incorporate MCU’s continuity within the film, or even the likeability of Danvers. Note: this will probably only impact MCU diehards — but be reminded of when in the timeline was S.H.I.E.L.D. first referenced in the movies, and the journey of the Tessaract.
— It’s a feminist statement, Danvers is a strong woman. Just emotional. Contradict much?
— The opening fight scene, which is on the level of Deep Space Nine (and that’s not a compliment).
— Larson herself appears mis-cast, and despite constant harping on nine months spent on physical training for the role, Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot appeared physically and visually more awe-inspiring in the action sequences.
