Captain Marvel: Marvelously Okay

Image+Courtesy+of+Marvel+Studios+and+LRMonline

Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios and LRMonline

Ashton T. Livingston, Entertainment Editor

Captain Marvel is the newest Marvel film and it doesn’t feel like something new, it really feels like something from the first phase of Marvel. The story itself is fine and has enough twists and turns to keep you entertained. It’s a fun movie, most of the actors are all great and hit their comedic beats and know what to do in their scenes, all except for one actress.

The star of the film Brie Larson is sadly only as good as whoever she’s on screen with. Her comedic lines don’t land and I personally think it’s what she’s doing with them. I don’t know if its the director because Brie Larson is an amazing actress given the right screenplay and director and I think that could be what she’s lacking. There are several scenes where I thought “I would’ve done that differently”. As for her character herself she doesn’t have a definitive character trait. She has qualities of so many other characters but nothing definitively Captain Marvel.

Brie Larson in this film is only as good as her co-stars. Sadly however the best parts of  Guardians of the Galaxy (the space stuff) is where the worst stuff of the film is. The beginning of the film is quite boring and the actors here are quite boring so this allows for Brie Larson to be a boring actress as well. Samuel L. Jackson steals the show once we get to Earth. Jackson does what he does best and that is lighten the mood. When on screen with Brie Larson’s semi-brooding Captain Marvel they allow themselves to build a fun conversation that keeps the audience laughing. And the best part of the film. That. Damn. Cat. The cat was possibly one of my favorite parts of the film. I don’t know why, but I loved that cat.

The story is relatively straightforward. Captain Marvel is part of an elite group of alien soldiers that protect the universe from Skrull soldiers. It sounds straightforward but there’s enough twists and turns to keep you watching. The biggest flaw in the story is however how it’s presented. Captain Marvel has a weird version of Amnesia where she only remembers some of it. This allows for messy flashback scenes that create a sloppy character. These scenes however are made visually appealing. They’re very cerebral and trippy and I like watching them.

The action sequences are well, okay. There’s two scenes I can actually remember. This is due to interesting set pieces or a noticeable aspect that allows for something fun. My favorite action sequence was when Captain Marvel had these weird things on her hand that prevented her from using her powers and had to punch people to get them off. As for how these scenes are filmed well, except for that scene I spoke of previously and the train fight, it’s hard to tell what’s happening.

The cinematography overall is nothing too great, it’s kinda just what you’d expect for a phase two marvel movie. The film really lacks in its own style. It just feels generic without any style, and that’s kind of what this movie is! It’s just generic. Without a style it feels forgettable. Other Marvel movies have a definitive style but feels like a part of a whole. This movie feels like a part of a bigger piece but doesn’t feel like its own piece. Captain Marvel is a movie that is fun at times but overall lacks a personality. Captain Marvel for me is C. It’s fun at times but the main character not having definitive traits and a basic story it drags it down.