Review: "Captain Marvel" Sets Its Ambitions a Little Too High

Scene from Captain Marvel
It has been three years since the Marvel Cinematic Universe (M.C.U.) let a character be introduced in their own film. Despite having an expansive galaxy-spanning cast of characters, it feels like everyone these days is required to begin their lives in cameo roles (see: Spider-Man or Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War). It's not a bad way for a cinematic universe to expand without needless spin-off movies. However, there's something odd about introducing Captain Marvel into the equation. Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is one of the most powerful characters in Marvel lore and thus is deserving in her own standalone movie. However, it feels strange that in a moment so harrowing as the year-long gap between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame that this film needs to exist. It's an entertaining enough ride through the galaxy, but there's nothing special in this origin story. If anything, it's the studio's weakest entry in quite some time. It's great to have her defending the galaxy, but it's unfortunate that the story isn't more interesting.
Captain Marvel introduces audiences, for the first time in the M.C.U., to a character who is deemed to be so powerful that she could probably defeat Thanos. There's a lot of weight to this decision, especially given that her story takes place over a decade before the first Iron Man movie. It's supposed to be the introduction of the Avengers Initiative as well as how Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) came to be involved with it. There's a lot of weight that comes with the film that goes beyond introducing one of the series' oddest characters. It's true that she's not the first intergalactic character with their own franchise (Thor, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange), but she is among the strangest creations yet.
Some credit should be given to the M.C.U.'s stranglehold on pop culture. Because of the slow integration into a world full of odd symbolism like Infinity Stones and Tesseracts, Captain Marvel is allowed to forgo complicated descriptions and back stories to these alien landscapes. Audiences are expected to just keep up as Carol talks about the Kree and Skrull civilizations. Even the memorable Flerken named Goose is a very weird character that doesn't even need a reason for randomly showing up. This is a confident world lacking in deeper exposition, allowing the story to be about Carol's origin in this greater story. She is coming after 20 films that have tested what cinema can explore on a mainstream platform. Even then, Captain Marvel is maybe the weirdest, most isolating film in this world since the 2013 entry Thor: The Dark World.
Because there's no need for jargon, it feels like the film takes too many shortcuts in introducing one of the more complicated characters. Whereas Doctor Strange slowly nudged viewers into the psychedelic visuals, Captain Marvel merely asks audiences to just go with it. Carol is a compelling character in that she starts off as a Top Gun-esque fighter pilot who is kidnapped when she gains powers. It's a struggle between her being human and alien, which is something that should work. However, the film's fatal flaw comes when it decides that the way to understanding Carol, an almost godlike character, in a human way is to place her within the realm of memory loss. The audience is introduced in fragmented fashion to a past that looks like a far better movie. The film introduces relationships that are never allowed to be given depth beyond basic statements. The past is handled so haphazardly that the emotional stakes are almost entirely erased, which is odd given that this is a story about fighting Skrulls.
It would help if Captain Marvel embraced any personality of its world. In one of the film's more memorable moments, Carol crashes down to Earth through the roof of a Blockbuster. It's a kitschy element full of fun 90's references, but it's the extent to this creative twist on superhero cinema. The soundtrack is largely conventional hits that add no personality to the overall story. Whereas Guardians of the Galaxy established itself immediately with "Come and Get Your Love," Captain Marvel never uses its soundtrack in a meaningful way. It's mostly wince-inducing and pandering. While the fashion is a nice touch, there's not enough to the world that feels lived in. Then again, the film doesn't allow for anything to sink in before returning to Marvel's military interests where Carol is trying to track down a mentor (Annette Benning) who is working on a secret mission. 
Despite its best intentions, there's also not much that Captain Marvel does to make Carol a dynamic character. Larson is the first Oscar-winning lead in the M.C.U. and with this being her introductory chapter, it's strange to note that she seems reserved, lacking any deeper acceptance of her emotional complexity. There's also little sense of joy in her chemistry with the supporting cast. There are fleeting moments of personality, but Carol is more regimented. Any attempt to make her familiar is difficult, especially as she is introduced punching walls with laser-inducing hands. It could just be the performance, but it may also be that the story's fragmented nature never allows consistency before jumping to the next action piece. It's as much about S.H.I.E.L.D. and Skrull plot lines as it is Carol's personal identity. It's one of the unfortunate realities of a franchise that's 21 films deep. There are too many masters to serve.
This isn't to say that Captain Marvel is a bad character. She's likely to be a great addition to Avengers: Endgame. However, this complicated world is just thrown at the audience in a way that feels like a game of trust. You're either on board with the strange Kree backstory or you're left confused by Marvel's oddest film. If anything, the film would be done well with more of a personal, grounded story that doesn't require an origin story full of Earth-shattering details. Thor benefitted from recognizing the comedy and Shakespearian drama in its cast. By the end of Captain Marvel, the only thing that audiences know is that Carol is super powerful and Goose is awesome. The story is once again evidence that the M.C.U. suffers from uninteresting villains. There's too much going on, and it's all mishandled in a way that sabotages everything that works about the film. Most of all, Larson is unable to salvage her introduction in ways that the average superhero has been able to do in this franchise. There's still no reason to understand why we care other than that she's powerful, which is not enough.
Captain Marvel is among the weakest films that Marvel has released in the past decade. It's a misfire that is likely to confuse audiences. It's full of great individual moments, but together reflects a story that wants to try too hard to challenge the medium. Whereas most M.C.U. films have infused personalities that play with form, this is evidence of how limiting that is. Maybe in better hands or a more conventional structure, this could've been a great introduction to a very unique character. Instead, it's just another generic space fantasy film that is too rambunctious for mainstream audiences. It's great that films this bizarre are allowed to exist and be predictive box office hits, but it also comes at the risk of just being mediocre or dull. Captain Marvel is likely to be a nice addition to the bigger universe, but so far her personal journey lacks any reason to care, in part because it feels like even the film is more interested in everything but her.

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