Cpt Marvel Review

So Captain Marvel is out now. I am prewarning you below has spoilers! If you don’t want them then quit reading right now! If not and you just want a review / my thoughts then keep on reading. This is my last Marvel big screen blog until after End Game. Thinking about a bit of the Netflix universe but not sure if I will do it or not.

This was a good MCU movie. It wasn’t great. It couldn’t have launched the MCU the way RDJ did with Iron man. Having said that though I think at this point no movie could. It is almost like this came out at the wrong time. Anything between Infinity War and End Game is going to feel like filler…. But if rumors are true, marvel is staking a whole lot on this. Supposedly signing a 7 movie deal for Brie Larsen. She will be the new RDJ. First what does that mean for him? Are we losing Tony? Also what does that mean for the MCU, more space movies? Is the next “phase” going to be about space? I have no problems with that, they could tell some good stories from that. I mean we all are waiting on Adam Warlock…. Or with the Skrulls will the next phase be back on earth and the secret wars? I mean this made nice skrulls so it really is hard to tell. This long winded rant is saying Marvel is hooking the horses to her, but I can’t tell what direction they are going in. I am sure the extra scene after End Game will clear that up.

Totally unrelated, well sorta. Now that Disney owns the entirety of Marvel, will we see the X family or the fantastic 4 in the next phase? That would be swell, they both have space adventures so that could all tie up nicely together.

I was pleasantly surprised with the whole feminism aspect, to be honest. I had heard this was going to be some big girl power movie. I don’t want mixing social issues into comics. Unless it is well done. I realize the Xmen were a metaphor back when Stan created them and that was well done. I realize this is a great platform for it but I also realize I am selfish and want to escape a world full of strife for a world where earth has great heroes. If you can make these movies with a message that is so well done, then do it. But the day the MCU gets preachy is the day I quit watching it. These petitions to have more LGBTQ characters make me mental! Not because they are around but because they want to change the universes.  Like the Joker isn’t gay, hasn’t been since the what 40s? So why now? If you wanna make new character gay, then do that (Look at JK Rowlings) but you don’t need to change what exists to appease people. Okay that got off topic, my point was I was worried this was going to go overboard. It didn’t at all. She is a strong lead character, she fell down and came back. She takes no shit, I mean if that is what they mean by a feminist movie then I got no complaints! I watch MCU to escape reality, this one did it, a nice escape.

Lets get down to the actual movie. If Stranger Things has 80’s nostalgia down then Cpt Marvel hits the 90s pretty damn good. (Is the heavily influenced 90s female rockers part of the grrrl power motif?) Anyways let’s start with the Kree. I kinda always picture them the villains after Ronin in Guardians but they come off as pretty decent peeps. And for most people into comics it is easy to see the Skrulls as bad guys. Seeing Korath early on was a nice throwback. I thought he would have been a bigger villain than he was in Guardians. Vers should have been an easy figure out where the name came from but I failed at that. A young Nick Fury is awesome, I stand behind him getting a movie. Of course it is always nice to see Coulson.  It becomes clear fast that the Kree aren’t the good guys. And not too long after that, the Skrulls aren’t bad. The lead Skrull is actually pretty funny and adds a lot to the movie. What I don’t understand is what are Captain Marvels powers? So she flies, shoots lasers, is tougher than most? IS that it? And does her power come from the tesseract? Did she absorb some of its power and she is a living infinity stone? IS that the same as Vision? We see the same “cheesy” Marvel formula. (Don’t get me wrong it works) but hardship happens, the hero is broken but then makes a huge comes back! Here is my thing, she has these memories then breaks free of the power inhibitor. I wish during the movie she had more of these memories. Honestly I wish there was a bit more of her back story. The previews show like it will have a bunch of her past, but it is literally a quick flashback and done. Either way she takes off into space and is badass enough to stop the alien invasion by herself. Stopping the bombs and blowing up a ship. She literally chases Ronin away with his tail between his legs. I get it, she had to leave with the Skrulls for the entire MCU to make sense but I kinda thought that was cheesy. You would think discovering she had a life, friends and such on earth she might wanna stick around.

Do I need to mention Goose? He is pretty bad ass in his own right, but I think he will always be a background character / comic relief. I don't see him developing into say a rocket raccoon. But I could be wrong. Also I have to say, that's how Fury lost the eye?? Come on! Give the man a stand alone origin with something better! Or, or is that really just decent writing showing not everything is crazy, some things in the MCU just aren't exciting. Don't expect every story to be a battle to save humanity....

Brie Larson is decent. I say decent but she isn't amazing, not bad but not RDJ for sure. (I know I should stop comparing her to him, but he is an icon and if he is handing her the torch she has to step up the game!) I don’t know Cpt Marvel as well as say Iron Man so I can’t say if she fits the role perfectly or not. DO I like her? Ya she is not bad. She seemed a bit stiff in a couple of scenes. All in all though she was good. It is hard to say if she nails the role without knowing the character. I like the cocky smart ass, is that the actress or the role? I am not sure. Love the final Avengers trailer though when she smirks at Thor. I THINK she will be a good addition to the MCU cast. Oh while I am on the trailer part, the after scene is this good but possibly weak sauce. REALLY! That is how she comes back to earth? I am hoping in End Game they actually have a scene of her coming home, not just assuming everyone who see End Game saw this and they just write her into the movie right away. I mean I have to give it time, but I was hoping she gets a big splashy entrance for te rest of the Avengers to meet her. 

So I do need to mention the two things that really bug me and make 0 sense! Lets call them the plot holes! Giant gapping holes!! First the Tesseract. Cpt America dropped it in the ocean, Howard Stark pulled it out. He was a founder of SHIELD and when Avengers starts it makes sense they have it.  But wait! Somehow Mar-vell has it??And wouldn’t she know what it is? The Kree empire seem to know the stones. Ronin does for sure, when he gets one he knows right away and threatens Thanos. So why or how did Mar-vell have it??? Second the pager…. I am sure a few people have beefed about this but really WTF!! Thor shows up from another world and levels a small town but Fury doesn’t page… Maybe cause he ends up being a good guy. So okay we let that go. Even though to quote Fury they realize they are hopelessly, hilariously outmatched. Then we have Avengers, it is literally an alien invasion. She is from freaking space but no, Fury doesn’t page her. IT WAS AN EMERGENCY! So they save New York, you would think even for a chat he might say he please come I need to know what else is out there… Then, hey Thor shows up again with more aliens. Still nothing…. Gets shot and Hydra is about to launch battleships that will enslave humanity. That’s not important enough. Murderbot almost kills humanity, still just a ho hum kinda thing. Even when earths best defender goes missing, no call. PLOT HOLE!!! Jebus! Anyway that was my nerd fan boy part of the rant…

So Cpt. Marvel is the future of the MCU, or that seems to be the plan. Let’s take a moment and think on this Disney / Marvel Juggernaut. They have the X-men now, they have fantastic 4. The crossovers could make Infinity war look small. (Hell the could bring in the Jedi if they really wanted. Think the man with the mouse saw this all coming?) Anyways I would love that kinda crossover, all the Marvel heroes and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that in the next 5 years. I mean it will take some time to build the Xverse into the MCU. But once they do, X men Vs Avengers would be amazing. (At this point they could honestly right a whole new script, they wouldn't have to follow Civil War or Infinity War or Secret Wars. The MCU is pretty well its own entity now) However I want them to keep the current cast, in Xmen! First I am not hearing good things about Dark Phoenix. Which makes me sad, that is one of my all time fav X stories and last time they made it. It stunk! I can see if that is a flop a whole new group coming in, again. For a second time… I dunno how to move the Xmen into the MCU but I don’t want another reboot. I will admit how the last reboot was done, was very good. But I like the current cast, I don’t wanna see all news faces yet again… As for Fantastic 4 screw it, do a third reboot. 

Last thing is the Stan Lee opening. Fucking perfect. Super classy of Marvel to do that for him. If watching that doesn't hit you right in the feels I don't know if your actually a Marvel fan. You may disagree, you may have loved this movie. Maybe you hated it, I dunno but that was a nearly perfect opening honoring the face of Marvel for all these years....