Colin’s Column: Was “Captain Marvel” worth the hype?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By: Colin Bauer

Staff Writer

Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou

Directors: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Synopsis: Being an extraterrestrial is hard enough, but for Captain Marvel it’s excruciating. Set in 1995, she is at war with the Skrulls against her people, the Kree. She finds herself on Earth and continues to have flashbacks to a previous life as Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With assistance from SHIELD’s Nick Fury, Captain Marvel attempts to uncover the truth about herself, as well as to defeat the Skrulls.

Review:

“Discover what makes a hero” represents what this film does so genuinely well:  showcasing women’s empowerment, and it should be noted that the film was released on Women’s Empowerment Day. This film truly illustrates diversity, but faults in the areas of plot, cinematography and performances.

Audiences have seen a female drive a superhero movie before in Gal Gadot’s amazing work in 2017’s “Wonder Woman.” However, there is nothing new about the concept of “Captain Marvel” except when looking at it in terms of diversity. This film shows a woman coming into her own by discovering things about herself and not letting the odds get to her when they seem thin. The film leaves a lasting impression on the audience on feminism.

Aside from that, everything about this movie is questionable. The overall plot of the film expands on a multitude of events that connect to other Marvel movies. While this is cool to see, one would have to be a fan of this franchise since its inception. Therefore, it feels that Marvel has given up on trying to just make a movie and instead focuses on what comes next which ultimately impacts the story at hand. For this movie, there is so much occurring on screen during the opening act that the plot gets a little lost. Audience members may not be able to tell precisely where this movie is going to go. Part of this is due to tone because this movie can’t decide if it is going to be a superhero film or a comedic film which ultimately throws the plot aside.

The cinematography is pretty generic. No one shot truly stands out and certain shots depicted in fight sequences leave the audience questioning why the directors chose that particular shot. Some of the fight scenes also feel oddly placed together which didn’t help the overall quality of cinematography. Even sequences of dialogue with Jackson and Larson are  bland and uninteresting to watch.

The performances are lackluster as well. Larson is an interesting choice for the main character. She is beautiful and talented but often feels as if she is holding something back from her portrayal. Some scenes feature her stealing the show though, but those are few and far between. Jackson delivers one of his worst reprisals of Nick Fury ever in this feature. Part of that could be how the film’s adventure influences the rest of the MCU, but Jackson feels like he throws the towel in multiple sequences.

Perhaps the problem with this movie is that it feels too late in the MCU’s overarching storyline, and therefore feels unnecessary in the overall cinematic universe. However, it does provide a great example of female diversity, which ultimately saves this movie from being a complete disaster. “Captain Marvel” will leave audiences saying “what a mess.”

SCORE: 5.5/10