Despite efforts to review bomb the film on Rotten Tomatoes, internet trolls were unable to prevent Marvel Studio’s latest hit “Captain Marvel” from soaring into the number one spot at the worldwide box office. Starring Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson in the titular role, “Captain Marvel” is the 21st movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first one led by a female character.
The critics
Julian Gutierrez, a senior from the Philippines majoring in psychology, said he would only give the movie a six out of 10.
One thing Gutierrez said immediately was he thought the casting could have been better. “Brie Larson is a good actress but she didn’t feel natural during the whole thing... There were scenes that I feel like could have been taken out because they didn’t make a difference.” One scene Gutierrez referenced was one that shows Captain Marvel trying to figure out how to use a computer. He said he felt the scene was unnecessary because there had already been plenty of others showing viewers how foreign she felt on earth.
Gutierrez mentioned this was because of the Marvel Formula for making MCU movies. “[Marvel Studios] takes this really intense moment and then punches you with humor… a lot of people like that but for me, it just takes away from the emotions you’re feeling for those serious scenes. They break it with a punchline.” Gutierrez said that was his biggest issue with the film. “They did things just for comedic effect and the formula. I don’t like being able to predict a movie… because then the climax is gone.”
Gutierrez said he liked the movie but pointed out several small inconsistencies he noticed, like how Captain Marvel would be barefoot in one scene and then be wearing shoes in the next. Another thing he pointed out was her helmet. In the beginning, she wore it, but at the end of the movie, she no longer needed it, even in space.
“There were a lot of plot holes,” he reflected. “I guess just for audience impact and her hair being amazing they decided she didn’t need a helmet after all.”
Gutierrez also said the movie defied the laws of physics. “Like when she’s falling thousands of feet through the air and crashes into the Blockbuster building. There should have been a lot more damage.”
Gutierrez said in his unprofessional critic opinion the film felt rushed. “I think the music works, the color works, how the scenes are cut works… but [it seemed like] they wanted to focus on [Captain Marvel] finding herself, so they rushed her history like they wanted to rush to the climax of the film.”
He said he thought viewers weren’t given enough background on Captain Marvel and her team’s dynamic at the beginning of the film. “I think there could have been more scenes about how she became [a member of Starforce] instead of just focusing on the one scene about how she got her powers.”
Gutierrez added, “And some people have said Brie Larson had a social justice agenda. She said she didn’t care if forty-year-old white guys liked her movies or not or something like that… a lot of my girl friends said it was a ‘social justice woman warrior’ film but I didn’t notice that so much.”
Guiterrez said movies should be made for everybody, but especially for those who are already pleased with MCU movies like “Captain Marvel.” He concluded, “They got the basics down but they could have done way better compared to other Marvel films.”
In his review for the film uploaded to YouTube, film critic Chris Stuckmann praises Larson’s chemistry with co-star Samuel Jackson but criticizes the movie for its bland visual style and lack of direction. “The film doesn’t have much of a style… it’s very dark and murky. There’s not a single memorable fight in this movie, not just from a visual perspective but a choreography perspective. We’ve come to expect more out of a Marvel film than this… when it comes to this movie… it doesn’t feel like it has its own voice…
“It also doesn’t seem to know what its tone is or message is. There’s 90’s nostalgia for like ten minutes and then it’s sort of a buddy-cop movie between her and Nick Fury, and then it’s kind of a movie about sisterhood between her and one of her past friends. And those scenes were really kind of cute and adorable and heartwarming if there was more of an emotional pull to them… It felt very forced and there just wasn’t enough backstory or information to really [care] about those characters.”
The fans
Trisha Panzo, a junior psychology and graphic design major from the Philippines, laughed as she said, “I think [‘Captain Marvel’] was Marvel-ous.” She said she loved how the story unfolded into what people can expect from ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ the sequel to ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’
Panzo said it also explained questions she had from past movies, like how Nick Fury lost his eye and how S.H.I.E.L.D. ended up with the Tesseract so Loki could steal it in the first Avengers movie. “It makes so much more sense now knowing the backgrounds of other superheroes.”
In an interview for Marie Claire magazine with Keah Brown, Larson was asked to share her own thoughts on playing such a strong female character. She says, “It’s so interesting, as it’s not something I thought about until I was in the cinema watching ‘Wonder Woman.’ About two minutes in, I was sobbing and thought, ‘Why am I crying so much over this?’ But it was seeing all of these warrior women who were so self-sufficient. That wasn’t something I identified with growing up – my hero was Indiana Jones. To have the chance to be one example of this is powerful and exciting.”
Panzo said she thinks Captain Marvel can measure up to DC Comics’ Wonder Woman because they both have great characteristics as superheroes and women. “I think [Captain Marvel] is very brave and I love how sassy she gets sometimes, like the way she talks to Nick [Fury] when she first gets to Earth. I think her sass makes her who she is… and helps her carry on through [what happens to her.] Throughout the movie, she maintains those characteristics [despite being betrayed] and is very considerate of the people around her.”
When asked her favorite part of the movie, Panzo said she loved the banter between the characters and the Stan Lee cameo included in the film. “At the beginning instead of having the superheroes’ faces on the Marvel logo it was Stan Lee, and I think it was a great way to honor him as the Marvel creator.” Lee, who has cameoed in the majority of the MCU films, passed away on Nov. 12, 2018, at the age of 95.
Panzo recommended the movie, and the Marvel universe, to everyone. “It’s a great series of films and you’ll learn a lot from the movies.”
Amy Rawlings, a senior psychology major from California, said she loved how complex the character was. “I loved that it was a superhero movie with a female lead, but more than that she wasn’t just a strong female character. She was a complex character. She had her past… things she was struggling with, and that just made her more of a real woman.
“We got to see her grow through her struggles… and into her full potential which I think is even more inspiring than someone who’s just always strong.”
In an article for Entertainment Weekly, Devan Coggan writes, “Carol Danvers — the Air Force pilot with alien powers that Larson plays in ‘Captain Marvel’ — is very flawed. She may be a part-Kree, part-human warrior with the powers of a god, but she’s anything but godlike: She’s aggressive and brash, impulsive and hotheaded. She’s the first one to rush into battle, and she doesn’t always wait for orders. She tells bad jokes. And in many ways, ‘Captain Marvel’… finds her at war with herself, as she tries to reconcile her Kree perfectionism with her human fallibility.”
Larson says in an interview with Coggan, “You have this Kree part of [Carol] that’s unemotional, that is an amazing fighter and competitive. Then there’s this human part of her that is flawed but is also the thing that she ends up leading by. It’s the thing that gets her in trouble, but it’s also the thing that makes her great. And those two sides warring against each other is what makes her [who she is.] … Just seeing a character who says how she feels and says what’s on her mind and doesn’t let people stand in her way is incredibly empowering.”
Rawlings said one of her favorite parts of the movie was Danvers’ relationship with her best friend Maria Rambeau, played by English actress Lashana Lynch. “I never really noticed it until recently… but two female characters having a conversation in a movie where they’re not talking about a man… is a lot more rare than you realize, so I enjoyed seeing that.”
Rawlings said “Captain Marvel” passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors, which she said is a test designed to measure the portrayal of women in fiction. Rawlings explained, “In order to pass, it has to have two female characters and we have to know both of their names, and there has to be at least one scene where they have a conversation with each other where they’re not talking about a man… It’s pretty low standard, but you’d be surprised how many movies actually don’t pass that test.”
Alex Taehee Lee, a senior from South Korea majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said his favorite scene is when Nick Fury loses his eye but added he doesn’t want to spoil it for anyone by saying why. Lee went on to add he thinks Marvel Studios is using Captain Marvel as a symbol. He said, “The symbolism of justice, security, stability, and leadership qualities of Captain Marvel will [help her] lead the next decade [of MCU films.]
“The MCU has… portrayed the potential and ability of women by projecting a strong woman's image of leadership onto Captain Marvel. This is in harmony with the story of the movie.” Lee said overall the movie was very satisfying because he thinks MCU movies are the best in the world even if they can be cliché.
Writer: Emi Wainwright