Chris Gore
The Good, the Brie and the Ugly
Diversity. I love diversity of opinion. I also support inclusion. Which is why for this review you’ll find many opinions from our team at Film Threat about Marvel’s latest film and new female superhero Captain Marvel. There’s a lot to like, there are some things to dislike, and much will be discussed. But let’s start on a positive note, there is no debate that Goose the cat is the star of this film and no critic that I’ve observed seems to disagree. Critics across the board have nothing but kind words for Captain Marvel’s furry friend. Secondly, Sam Jackson is, as always, great. Oh, and the character of Maria Rambeau played by Lashana Lynch is exceptional and I honestly wish that she was the lead in this film. And… well that’s it.
What?! Let’s dive into the most flawed aspect of Captain Marvel, and that is Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. She is the weakest link in the film. It’s unfortunate because I thoroughly enjoyed her performance in the film Room. But not only is she miscast in this role, she seems to be acting in a completely different movie than her counterparts. Someone at Marvel must have not paid careful attention while shooting and did not seem to notice her lackluster performance. Larson is out-shined by everyone, including non-human actors. (And by non-human, I’m not just talking about Goose the cat, but digital characters as well as the special effects.) It all comes down to a tone issue. Larson just doesn’t fit this role and, at times, seems uncomfortable and worse, unconvincing. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that there was so much acting against a green screen or acting against tennis balls or something. But just because Larson is acting against inanimate objects, doesn’t mean she needs to act like one too. It comes down to her character being likable and relatable and she is none of those things. The fact that Black Panther featured so many great female characters shows that Marvel can deliver when it comes to women on screen. In fact, go watch Black Panther again. I wish Larson was half as likable as Shuri in that film.
This is by far, the worst Marvel movie since… well, pre-MCU movies or TV like when Thor appeared on The Incredible Hulk TV show way back when. (Look it up, that actually happened.)
With the upcoming conclusion to Avengers: Infinity War on the horizon with Avengers: Endgame, the shoe-horning in of Captain Marvel as the savior may end up being a colossal error on the scale of focusing so much screen time on Jar Jar in Star Wars Episode I. What I do find astonishing is how many critics are texting me privately to tell me how much they did not like it. Let’s face it though, the only opinion that matters is the audience. Studios can push agendas all they want, but the only color Hollywood responds to is green (money).
3 out of 10
By 8:00 A.M. on opening day in the United States, the film held a 33% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes from more than 58,000 reviews, which was more audience reviews than
I’ve been waiting for the Captain Marvel to air, hoping it would complement the MCU, but her origin was so clouded with action and special affects, that it is unclear to know how she truly became Vers and where she is going at the end of the film. I like her attitude though she looks lost in her role at times. She’s able to help us understand some details from Affinity War, but Samuel L. Jackson was the true star, holding up the integrity of Marvel. Jude Law is terrific, as expected whenever he’s performing. I just wish I liked the overall movie more.
Ehhh, it was okay. Larson was stiff as a board but it was a decent by the numbers Marvel movie.
They squandered a villain with great potential (Skrulls) in order to take a side in political allegory. Larson was sorta OK at first and I even liked some of the stuff in the first half of the film. But it started halfassed and got less assed as it went. By the end it was just outright stupid. Too bad. I really had high hopes.
I don’t get where you think that the Skrulls were wasted “to make a political point”. Honestly, I just thought it was an awesome plot twist, especially since GOTG already established that the Kree are not exactly the nicest folks.
25 years will have passed between the time this movie took place and Phase 4. That’s plenty of time for some evil Skrull to have taken over and turned them into a threat. They might be the Big Bad for the entire movie cycle.
A villain that hasn’t yet been used is hardly squandered.
I disagree with Mr. Gore. Larson is well cast in the role. It’s the lack of her character’s depth in the script that let Larson down. I doubt any actress could’ve pulled off a better, or actual, performance. Even Meryl Streep couldn’t mat “She-Devil” work, so don’t bother bringing her up.
No The Breeders, Kate Bush, or Kittie, no sale.
Pfft yeah okay.