#apparently a black widow trailer came out a day ago | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

charlierejouis · 5 years

Text

Captain Marvel Q&A Review

I want to try something a bit different. Rather than straight review this movie, I want to talk through some questions people may have about the movie. Having seen it once, I’ll try to get to some questions and keep this as spoiler-free as possible. Here’s an example.

What was it like seeing Marvel’s first female-led movie?

Well, frankly I haven’t seen Elektra yet. I haven’t heard a lot of good things about it. It was made in an era when superhero movies aren’t at the same quality we know them to be now. After ranking the MCU films, I’m starting to get more interested in the films outside of the MCU, especially some of Marvel’s films outside of the MCU that doesn’t have Deadpool in them.

Jokes aside, let’s go!

Were you concerned about Captain Marvel going into the movie?

Yes. I tried to read one of the newer Captain Marvel comics and couldn’t get past the issue #0 of the series. Then seeing the trailers and semi-controversy surrounding the movie, gave me successively less hype over this movie that I genuinely wanted to like. The thing that gave me the most concern was meeting with Chris Claremont at NYCC and hearing him say that he was concerned about this movie. Though some of his complaints were about not getting his touch on Carol’s character in the movie, a good number of the issues brought up about Captain Marvel were the same issues other people have been voicing.

What are some of the issues people have with a Captain Marvel coming out?

Frankly, Carol’s not been doing so well in the comics department. Recently, Marvel Comics has been pushing her as sort of the face of a new era of comics. Since becoming Captain Marvel, though, she hasn’t had a series sell well or last long. Factor that in with another Civil War event that doesn’t put her in a good light, but still makes her out to be the supposed good guy, and it’s not surprising that Captain Marvel isn’t a hilariously popular character with a good number of Marvel fans.

What is your take on the politics surrounding the movie, up to its release?

Full disclosure, I don’t personally align terribly well with modern-day third/fourth wave feminism. I have a number of issues with both sides of the intersectionality arguments. However, I personally side more with the arguments against so-called “SJW issues”, especially considering many people making arguments against them are on both sides of the political aisle. Before seeing the movie, I feel like the idea that the making of this movie into a feminist battleground was a mistake. Not because I don’t think politics in movies is a bad thing, but because I was worried that this controversy was a way of distracting people from how good or bad the actual movie would end up being. I think that Brie Larson going after fans and critics was stupid before the film came out. People were not expecting this movie to do well the instant it was announced and her actions didn’t help to ease people’s concerns about the film.

And, after seeing the movie, how has this view changed?

I was not expecting this to actually be a feminist movie. Like, I know Brie Larson actually said that this was a feminist movie, but I figured that meant this was a good movie for women and girls to see come out on the day we celebrate them. No, this movie is, without exaggeration, a feminist allegory for women who live under the patriarchy. This results in at least some changes I know will piss fans of the comics off. However, I don’t have too much of a problem with the movie with that recognition in mind. I still think that marketing for this movie goofed up, but only in not giving us the best of Carol in the movie. Though, as an overtly feminist movie, I don’t think this will have as wide an appeal as it would if it wasn’t. Like, I wouldn’t be shocked if the upcoming Black Widow movie goes in a different direction and is considered better than this movie in any and all respects.

Are there any things fans of the MCU/comics ought to look out for?

One big thing I can say is that Monica Rambeau is in this movie. In the comics, she was the first female Captain Marvel so it will be interesting to see how her future pans out across the MCU, especially with Miss Marvel in play. Ronan the Accusor and Coulson are in this movie, but they don’t play a seriously large role in this film. In regards to continuity, they do refer to the Strategic Homeland Intelligence, Enforcement, and Logistics Division as SHIELD in this movie, which kind of messes with Iron Man stuff. This movie also messes up some things with the first two Captain America movies and the first Avengers film. Also, the Marvel Studios logo is a tribute to Stan Lee and I’m glad that we got that.

What did you think of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel?

I don’t love Brie Larson as Captain Marvel in this movie. A lot of people say that she gets worse the more the movie goes on. To be honest, I think that she has some of her best moments as the movie goes on. However, I can’t say that this was a good performance for Larson as Captain Marvel. Interestingly enough, her best moments were playing off of other characters whom I considered to be more interesting than her. I don’t want to jump on it being her fault as she’s apparently won an Oscar a few years ago and I don’t love the directing or writing of this movie overall. Not to mention that this is her first time as the character. Maybe, under the Russos direction, she’ll improve in my eyes. Carol does smile when she sees Stan in his cameo and that made me like her a bit more.

Do you have any serious issues with this movie?

I have a lot of small issues with this movie. There’s one twist that everyone who’s seen this movie knows was supposed to be a joke. I’m not mad it happened so much as slightly annoyed by it. I don’t love some changes I hinted at earlier as one ruins a lot of potential for the MCU’s future, another feels like we were lied to by marketing for this movie, and others leave a bad taste in my mouth. Usually, my inclination is for movies to not spend more time than they need to do their thing, but this could have benefitted from having another half hour to tie up some loose ends or explore some issues presented within the movie.

Are there good things about this movie?

I love Samuel L. Jackon as Fury in this movie. We get to see him while he’s still a bit more optimistic about the world and it’s amazing seeing him play off of Carol. After the feminist angle of the movie is fully revealed, the movie becomes more fun to watch. A few expectations are subverted in ways that make sense for the movie’s bend and aren’t terribly unwelcome changes of pace. Apparently, they got the composer for Fortnite to write the music and she did a good job, though I doubt she’s getting an Oscar over this. And, I’ll say it again. I really, genuinely, and unironically hope we get a movie with Monica in the future. I don’t care that she didn’t do a lot in the comics. I want to see her do something in the MCU.

Do you need to watch this movie to understand Avengers: Endgame?

No. There is a bit of an explanation as to why Carol wasn’t a part of the MCU so far. We do see her give Nick Fury the pager he used in the end-credits scene of Infinity War. There’s a scene from Endgame that involves her, similar to how the end-credits scene of Ant-Man showed a scene involving him in Civil War. However, other than the assurance that she will be in Endgame, there’s not much of a connection to this movie and Endgame, at least so far as I can tell. To be fair, Marvel is trying to be as quiet as they can regarding this movie, considering how much it’s supposed to change about the MCU. Not getting a serious connection to it isn’t terribly shocking, disappointing though it may be.

Overall, how does this movie rank among the MCU?

Before watching the movie, everything I had seen and heard regarding the movie led me to believe this was going to be, at the very best, a movie just shy of my top 5 or, at the very worse, the next worse film in the MCU. I’m happy to report that, after my first viewing of this movie, it’s in neither extreme. I can’t say it’s outright the worst movie in the MCU, but it’s pretty close to it. For all the talk Captain Marvel being the strongest hero in the MCU, I can’t say I’m terribly impressed by her powers, considering I don’t understand how her powers work in the MCU. And, regarding Carol Danvers, she might actually be one of the worst people behind an MCU hero. For now, I’d say that it’s an okay film that’s close to being my least favorite film in what’s shaping up to be the best phase of the MCU. I may even consider it to be the outright worst film in the MCU.

Is it worth watching?

Ultimately, I had fun watching this movie. To invoke Digibro, it could have been much better, but it could have been so much worse. However, that’s because I already enjoy the MCU. I left the theatre and could barely explain why it was a good film for my Uber driver. No one whose I trust, of varying political views and allegiances to the MCU, said this movie was better than okay and many said it was below average. If you’re fine with your movies having more of a feminist angle, definitely give it a shot while its in theaters. Otherwise, you’ll likely have some fun with this movie when it comes out on DVD. I can’t really advocate watching this while in theaters.

If you have more questions for me, I’m planning to do a follow up where I get into more spoiler-related stuff. See you!

#captain marvel #mcu #well... this happened #i've had this ready for a while #but here it is

0 notes