Audiences were rightly excited for the release of Captain Marvel for several reasons: they would get to see another beloved Marvel character on the big screen, adding to the roster of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers; but also, how could I forget, they would get to see the first female superhero in Marvel comics get her own movie. Unfortunately, Captain Marvel in no wise lives up to expectations.
Captain Marvel is the story of Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) (known initially as “Vers”), a Kree soldier under the supervision of Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). In the war against the shape-shifting Skrulls, a rescue mission goes awry, and Carol finds herself in 1995 Los Angeles, where she meets a young Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who helps her discover her past. In doing so, she finds out that not all is as it seems.
As a film, Marvel Studios has done better. Although the cinematography and lighting were largely fine, the production was good, and the general idea of the plot line had potential (all of which are true for most Marvel movies), some serious problems arose, the most noticeable of which was the severe lack of character development.
There are two examples of this that I’d like to discuss. First, Carol Danvers undergoes no real change or growth as a character in the film. For every truly affective storyline (whether in film, literature, or otherwise) involves characters who undergo some fundamental, internal change, whether in the way they understand reality, how they should behave in it, etc. For example, Will Hunting in Good Will Hunting is introduced as a genius who refuses to use his natural brilliance for the greater good. We learn that this refusal is rooted in both fear and a sort of arrogance. By the end of the film, however, Will has overcome his fear and learned humility with the help of friends; he has become a better man, and there is a certain gladness we experience in watching him do so. Of course, Carol Danvers learns much about her past and experiences a pretty massive disillusion which serves to change her worldview, allowing her to fight for a different side of the war, but there is nothing about her disillusion that causes any internal change to take place in Carol; she hasn’t become a better (or worse) person by the end of the film. There’s no “hero’s journey” for Carol—she’s a hero from beginning to end, which is not very captivating.
Second, we hardly learn anything about any character in the film (besides the ones we already know about, e.g. Nick Fury). There is a scene in which Carol, during the discovery of her past, finds Maria, her best friend from her past life. One would expect this scene to carry some heavy emotional weight; but it didn’t hit home at all because, prior to that scene, Maria is given extremely little screen time: the only time we ever see her is in Carol’s brief flashbacks. Consequently, we don’t know much about their relationship besides the fact that they were friends in the Air Force, and so we aren’t given much reason to care about Carol and Maria’s reunion.
We could say something similar about the Skrull character Talos. Part of Carol’s disillusionment is that the Skrulls (Talos in particular) aren’t the bad guys but the victims. The divulgence of this fact, it seems, again, was supposed to carry a bit of emotional weight; but Carol hardly spent any time with Talos besides fighting him, and we hardly know anything about his relationship with his family, especially not enough to care about the Skrulls the way we’re supposed to.
The last point I want to make isn’t so much about the filmography but about the broader feminist project which pulsated throughout the movie. Most people, if not everyone, in the audience would have rightly expected there to be a general feminist message in the movie since, again, Captain Marvel is the first female superhero to get her own movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the publication of the original Captain Marvel comics was rooted in feminist motivations; but boy did the filmmakers lay it on thick, to the extent that it became distracting. At a certain point it seemed like the screenwriters were worried the audience would forget that Captain Marvel was a feminist film (or at least a film for feminists), so they made sure to make the characters say something about it at every turn.
As filmmakers, making a good film ought to be their chief, if not sole, concern, and not trying to push a particular agenda. That Captain Marvel tries to influence its audience by setting men and women apart from and against each other at the expense of a better-quality film, then, is the saddest disappointment of all.
Julian Sicam
Julian is a graduate student studying philosophy at the Center for Thomistic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX. He recently started a blog at thisshirtisblue.blogspot.com.