In 2019’s Captain Marvel, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck transport us back to the nostalgic ‘90s, before the explosive events of Avengers Assemble, introducing yet another character from Marvel’s impressive comics legacy to the MCU lineup. Featuring a deep-rooted conspiracy, a story of self-discovery, and powerful nostalgia-fuelled photon-fists, Brie Larson portrays Captain Marvel for the first time, just before her appearance in Avengers: End Game.
“I have nothing to prove to you”
Carol Danvers/ Vers/ Captain Marvel in response to Yon-Rogg and one of the more powerful quotes.
Carol Danvers is a “noble warrior hero” fighting alongside the Kree against the shapeshifting Skrulls in an intergalactic war that leads her to crash-land on Earth during the mid-90s. Set in a previously unexplored era of the MCU timeline, the ‘90s backdrop offers an entertaining reminder of a time where dial-up internet and slow CD-Rom drives were all we had to combat intergalactic threats. Fortunately for Nick Fury, technology improves in a relatively short amount of time before he has to deal with another invasion of Earth in Avengers Assemble.
Danvers struggles to recall her past, and has recurring nightmares of a woman she barely recognises, and a shipwreck. Considering her amnesia, it is fitting that nostalgia is such a prominent part of the experience for the audience; it also happens to be one of Captain Marvel’s most enjoyable aspects, earning a few chuckles from cinema viewers when she is dumbstruck by the agonisingly slow loading speed of a ‘90s computer. Ultimately her amnesia serves as a convenient plot device for telling an origin story that introduce audience members to Captain Marvel, while the pacing of the film allows us to learn her backstory at the same time she does.
We travel from Hala, the Kree home-world, to a barren alien planet on a search-and-rescue operation that plays out like an opening to Star Wars, though perhaps reminding us of Guardians of the Galaxy, before rudely smashing through the roof of a bygone relic of the last decade: a Blockbuster video store. In fact the ‘90s aesthetic is maintained throughout, showcasing flannel, grunge, and Street Fighter II arcade cabinets. Danvers grunge fashion expresses her rebellious personality and individuality – and more importantly that she has great taste in music, seen rocking Nine Inch Nails and Guns ’N’ Roses shirts. Though a minor nitpick, those keen-eyed experts of the flannel-era may notice that the Street Fighter II cabinet seen during one of her flashbacks actually came out three years after the scene depicted and that, seeing as she seems to have disappeared in 1989, she probably won’t have heard “Come As You Are” as Nirvana’s Nevermind came out in 1992. Having said that, even if the Skrulls look more like TV aliens – perhaps extras from Star Trek – this helps promote the ‘90s aesthetic.
The story leads us down a conspiracy-ridden rabbit hole, not helped by the fact that the Skrulls can be anyone – from a member of a Kree strike-force, to an unsuspecting old lady on a subway carriage. The important thing to take away here is that you are probably surrounded by Skrulls at all times, though thankfully, they’re scared of cats. Further to this, if you happen to be a cat-lover, or hold the belief that the MCU was really lacking in cats, you’re in luck, as Rocket Racoon is joined by another small mammal – the cat/ Flerken, Goose.
“You’ve come a long way. You’re not as strong as you think”
Yon-Rogg to Captain Marvel – a comment he comes to regret.
Perhaps the most prominent aspect of Captain Marvel’s story – aside from Goose – is its strong female characters, following the lead of Wonder Woman and Black Panther. Larson’s Captain Marvel emerges as a charismatic powerful figure and strong feminist hero, who mockingly proves herself against the contrived comments made by her macho mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). We are reminded that this is set during a time when female pilots in the military were only allowed to pilot planes to destinations, and not in active war-zones. Fittingly, her co-pilot and equally charismatic best friend, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), offers her support, with opportunities to show off her expert skills as a pilot during combat. Consequently this is also one of very few times where a female character in a Hollywood blockbuster pilots a plane in a fight scene. Importantly, we have two powerful female characters to inspire the increasing number of female fans interested in the superhero genre. As such, more of Larson’s highlight moments should demonstrate her warrior prowess, but there just aren’t enough fight scenes to really showcase Captain Marvel’s power. Consequently the climactic battle sequence falls flat, coming across as somewhat rushed, underselling Captain Marvel’s super powers. DC’s Wonder Woman (2017) excelled in this department, demonstrating Wonder Woman’s power and ability as a warrior, with dynamic action sequences and musical cues to boot. In this vein, it is a shame Boden and Fleck didn’t take much inspiration from Patty Jenkins’ directorial efforts in Wonder Woman, as the impression is given that we are being held back from seeing more until End Game.
The cast is particularly well chosen. Aside from Larson, who truly embodies the role of Captain Marvel and succeeds in building our anticipation for her appearance later in the year, Ben Mendelsohn steals every scene he is in. As the Skrull General Talos, he delivers some of the best dialogue cues in the film, offering both comic relief as well as more sombre moments that encourage us to sympathise with his situation. Moreover, we are treated to a digitally rejuvenated Samuel L. Jackson, reprising his role as Agent Fury. Though he is initially startlingly different in character from the experienced leader of S.H.E.I.L.D. we recognise from his other Marvel Cinematic appearances, during the course of the film he develops into the character we remember from past film appearances. His chemistry with Larson is fittingly reminiscent of popular ‘90s buddy-cop shows and stands out as one of the most endearing aspects of the film. Though his attachment to Goose should not go unnoticed. Jude Law, meanwhile, stars as Yun-Rogg, Vers’ mentor, a seemingly respectable authority figure, with Annette Bening taking up the role of the enigmatic woman from Danvers’ dreams. Without giving away valuable plot details, there is a looming impression that there is something sinister about the nature of the Kree-Skrull war.
It is a shame that Captain Marvel places emphasis on being a prelude film as the attempts to establish artefacts of the MCU often overshadow the film’s present plot, giving the impression that the directors were pressured into advertising the upcoming Avengers: End Game. While it is entertaining to see how artefacts connect Captain Marvel to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at times it feels as though too much emphasis is made to remind us of the highly anticipated Avengers: End Game. This is an issue present in other Marvel Studios productions, especially in Doctor Strange where, rather than allow magic to command the unique quality in the Marvel Universe that it enjoys in the comics, a direct connection between the Eye of Agamotto and the Infinity Stones diminishes this aspect of Doctor Strange in favour of forcing a connection to the Studios wider plans, when it doesn’t necessarily need to.
As with Doctor Strange, this prevents Captain Marvel from freely telling its own unique story without the constant intrusion of Marvel Studios’ need to remind us of its connected universe, as though they are intended to keep us occupied until End Game – though this is perhaps less distracting than realising Ronan The Accuser poses with his hammer throughout the events of the film, even when he isn’t using it…
So far the MCU has been plagued with dispensable villains, leading to a great deal of disappointment. As a comic book fan, hearing the title Age of Ultron implied a massive story featuring one of the most terrifying villains in the Avengers rogues gallery. Unfortunately what we got was a throw-away, one-off villain, who ultimately amounted to very little. The same could be said of Baron Zemo in Civil War and the wasted potential of Kilmonger in Black Panther. Lack of foresight and ability to see the potential in writing interesting villains has lead to unthreatening situations – thankfully rectified by Thanos. While Captain Marvel lacks an element of risk, the ‘villains’ are much more interesting this time round. The fact that we – like our titular heroine – are lead astray is a much more interesting concept and avoids falling into the same ‘villain dies at the end’ trap as other instalments in the franchise. This allows Captain Marvel to retain an element of character that reflects Marvel Studios’ recent trend of allowing directors more creative freedom with their MCU instalments. Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Doctor Strange showed a creative departure from the linear, and therefore safe style of previous entries.
Tonally, this is a humorous, family-friendly feature with a soundtrack that features ‘90s highlights from Nirvana and R.E.M., to Elastica. Sadly the OST is somewhat lacking, overpowered by the conversely memorable nostalgic tunes. By contrast, Wonder Woman boasted dynamic musical cues with a character theme that is instantly recognisable and added to the excitement and energy of each scene. Though, while it may take longer for the computers of the decade to hack into dangerous intergalactic artefacts, we can at least enjoy the classics of the ‘90s. Even the Kree’s AI leader, Supreme Intelligence (Annette Bening), seems to have a flare for Nirvana’s “Come As You Are”.
“Call me ‘young lady’ again and I’m gonna put my foot in a place it’s not supposed to be”
Maria Rambeau to Talos, assuring viewers of Captain Marvel‘s empowering feminist stance.
Ultimately Captain Marvel serves as an excellent introduction to a character new to the cinematic scene and, hopefully, to those unfamiliar with the characters comic book history. Fans of the comics will enjoy some of the Easter eggs and in-references, though unfortunate shortcomings come in the form of a lack of dynamic action sequences that show off Brie Larson’s intergalactic warrior status, and more advertisement for Avengers: End Game than the hour long trailer reel before the film starts in the cinema. Nonetheless, the acknowledgement and awareness of political and social themes, coupled with a fantastic cast and characters, provides Captain Marvel with its own identity – which is telling, considering Danvers’ struggle to uncover who she is. They’re also the films strong points, with its choice to reel us in with a tantalising use of nostalgia and cats. If you’re already a fan of the MCU, you’ve probably already seen it. If not, what are you waiting for? Avengers: End Game, perhaps?
