Captain Marvel: Review

‘Sup.

I finally saw Captain Marvel, and I’m here to tell you, it’s . . . marvelous.

(Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.)

But in all truth, this is an excellent, powerful, inspiring, fun-filled movie, which I believe everyone ought to see.  It’s not knock-your-socks-off-with-emotional-trauma like Infinity War, but it’s deep and rich in its own way.  While still delivering a rollicking good time.  For a lot of MCU fans, Avengers is “that” movie, their go-to fun and feelsy story, you know?  For me, I think, “that” movie is gonna be Captain Marvel.  ‘Cause I wasn’t particularly struck with Avengers.  But this one?  BOY, OH BOY.

CAROL DANVERS IS THE LIGHT OF MY LIFE AND IF YOU TALK TRASH ABOUT HER I WILL FIGHT YOU.

I am calm.  I promise.  I am calm.

*hyperventilates*

[Before we begin:  this is the kind of story I really can’t discuss without spoilers, so if you’re super invested in going spoiler-free, ya might want to skip the rest.  Fair warning.]

Carol is definitely a new favorite among the MCU pantheon, for me.  She’s such a powerful heroine.  She hits all the right notes:  spunky, mischievous, stubborn, and fearless.  Angry at the right moments.  Compassionate at the right moments.  But what I love most is the substratum of calm, level-headed toughness that lies underneath the fire & sparks.  You don’t always see it.  But she pulls it out at certain moments.  She’ll get this . . . Look . . . in her eyes, her jaw kinda locks in, and it’s like, Mama’s not mad, just disappointed, and somebody’s about to get their butt whipped.

Side note:  Brie Larson’s thousand-yard-stare is an icon in the making.  #queen

Being the first MCU heroine to star in her own movie is a huge responsibility.  But Carol Danvers has shown herself up to the task.  (Btw, I can’t believe it took twenty-one films in eleven years to get us here.  *shoots pointed glance at the Marvel execs*)  She is one strong woman, that’s for sure.

Which is a phrase that people sorta hate, sooooooooooooooo let’s unpack it.

From the talk circulating on the Interwebs before Captain Marvel released, it sounded like folks were afraid Carol was going to be Physically Stronger Than the Majority of Men She Encountered.  Which (apparently) would be Problematic.  (Are y’all telling me you’ve never met a stronger-than-average woman who could beat most men in a fight?  ‘Cuz I have.)  But BE THAT AS IT MAY, the majority of Carol’s story is not about physically dominating men.  She only gets her full powers at the very end, at which point she’s stronger than every human on Earth [I’d say roughly the equivalent of Thor.]  But before that?  In her life as a regular girl, an amateur racer, an Air Force cadet, and a fighter pilot, Carol spends a lot of Quality Time™ being left in the dust by men.

Who then stand back and laugh at her.

But she never frickin’ gives up.

That, my friends, is her true superpower.   

She wasn’t an unusually strong or talented kid.  She wasn’t the world’s best athlete, or what have you.  She was just a little girl with a dream.  But she had the iron will to see that dream to fulfillment, in the face of literally everything a “man’s world” could throw at her.  Carol Danvers takes risks, she gets her hands dirty, aned instead of being praised & encouraged for it (as a male would be), she’s mocked & ridiculed.  By her own PARENTS, no less.  But does she let that stop her?

No.

THAT IS WHAT MAKES HER A STRONG WOMAN, YOU GUYS.  And that’s what makes her a superhero.

I loved the brilliant way the moviemakers used imagery to highlight this theme.  ‘Cuz at the beginning, there’s an extended flashback where we see Carol, over and over, falling down and landing in the dirt–you know, crashing her go-cart, slipping from the ropes at basic training, etc.  Falling down.  It hurts to watch.  Because she’s vulnerable, and she’s being laughed at; and we’ve all been there, haven’t we?  But in the film’s climax, at the moment when Carol’s galactic enemies are trying to strip away her powers & they’ve almost succeeded–that’s when we see the other side of those painful flashbacks.

That’s when we get to watch her standing up.

Again, and again, and again, through the years, she gets back on her feet.  Wipes the dirt from her hands.  Looks her tormentors in the eye, and you can just hear her thinking, I’m going to prove all you suckers wrong.

Which she does.  She takes complete control of her superpowers, becomes Earth’s mightiest defender, kicks the villain 1000 yards down the road [literally], and zooms off into the sunset to finish saving the world.  It’s a beautiful thing.

While I’m at it, let me also point out that THERE IS ZERO ROMANCE IN THIS FILM AND IT GIVES ME LIFE because I am soooooooooooooooo tired of pointless romance being shoehorned in just to sell more tickets.  This story did not need a love interest.  Ergo, there was no love interest.  Carol Danvers is happy on her own.  Ergo, she remains on her own.  Ya see how easy that was, Hollywood?

There was a magic cat, though.  😉

TL;DR:  Fantastic Marvel film.  10/10 would recommend.