I wanted to like this movie. I really did. I think Wonder Woman is one of the best things to come out of the super-hero universe in...pretty much ever. I was hoping that Marvel would match it in terms of heart and soul and general likability. Captain Marvel really didn't work for me.
My issue is Brie Larson. I felt no heart from her at all. There were moments when I felt like she should be pulling us in, rooting for her, letting her be strong and knowledgeable. I just didn't get that vibe from her. I wanted to like her. I didn't.
Who did I like? The two main black characters in this story. The character of Maria Rambeau was believable and amazing. When she gave Carol her little speech about "this is who you are" I loved it! I wanted to Be Carol in that moment. And then she kicked-a** flying and beating off the bad guys/girls.(Her daughter Monica was pretty great too!)
And Nick Fury Singing? He stole the show.
Of course, I kind-of think he pretty much owned the movie.
As for representation, you can see from what I've posted that it passes the Bechdel test. Carol and Maria are both strong female characters and there is noticeable lack of romance in the movie. It also passes our test for colored representation with two strong black characters, again with no hint of romance.
As for the rest of it? Nothing. No obvious LGBTQ representation. No-one with disabilities--mental or physical--though Fury does end the movie down an eye. But even that does not play a factor in the movie.
You could make a case for symbolic mental health problems, with Carol "fighting with one arm tied behind my back." Also the movie could have been a scathing review on the problems of suppressing emotion. But it never really succeeds in that.
So I give Captain Marvel an "E" for effort, but I feel like it never quite conveyed the power it could have.
I, like you, REALLY wanted to like this movie more than I did. It's good/fine, but I wanted it to be great.
ReplyDeleteI, also, couldn't get behind the main character. She was such a cypher; I had a hard time believing her commitment to the Kree and then I couldn't believe her break from her (amnesiac) conditioning.
I'm not sure what the director and actor were thinking, making her so bland, stoic, and unremarkable (personality or motivation-wise). There was more to the character in the flashbacks to the fighter-pilot past than there were in the Kree-warrior present.
There are 1,000,000 way to be a woman and THIS one was just 99% forgettable and unlikely.