With the exception of Ryan Coogler's Black Panther, a film that followed the character's introduction in Captain America: Civil War, when was the last time Marvel really knocked an origin story out of the park?
Ant-Man remains one of the dullest products of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (though Peyton Reed got things back on track with last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp), while Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange introduced innovative visuals in a cookie-cutter format. As the MCU has expanded and stretched itself over the past few years, Kevin Feige and his team of filmmakers have smartly shifted away from the conventional origin story format, relying on team-up movies and fresh looks at classic characters to push the saga forward.
In this new era of the MCU, where minor characters in one movie can become the stars of another, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Captain Marvel seems like something of a challenge. Here is a character who has been teased by Feige and company for years, hailed as the savior destined to help the wounded Avengers in their quest to stop the Mad Titan in just a month's time. But for most non-comic book fans, Carol Danvers (played by the terrific Brie Larson) is something of an unknown. So how do you pull off an origin story without making it feel derivative?
Though it never comes close to shaking up the MCU's core formula (a flaw that few films in the franchise have been able to overcome), Captain Marvel successfully molds the superhero origin story into something more ambitious, something that marks Carol as a distinct and important hero. For the first time, we have an origin story mostly conveyed in non-linear montages- Jason Bourne comparisons are apt, but Boden and Fleck have more heartfelt intentions on their mind. And this time around, it really works.
After a strange flashback/dream, Carol is introduced to us on Hala, the home planet of a race of noble warrior heroes known as the Kree (remember them from Guardians of the Galaxy?). At this point, Carol is known simply as Vers, and she's under the watchful protection of Kree hero Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Vers has more power than she can possibly control, which led the Kree to insert a mechanism on her neck to limit her abilities. She has no knowledge of her past, but the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree guides her to become one of the most crucial weapons in the battle against the Skrulls. Okay, you're probably wondering: who the hell are the Skrulls? They're shape-shifters, able to transform into any creature as they see fit. And they also happen to be the mortal enemies of the Kree, with the two civilizations locked in a brutal, relentless war for years.
Got all that? Let's keep going.
On a routine mission to take out a group of Skrulls, Vers is captured by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), the leader of the Skrull rebellion. Amid the tangled mess of Vers's mind is a secret about Dr. Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening), a mysterious scientist with a connection to the Kree-Skull war. Talos needs Vers to lead him closer to Lawson, but with such pure power, the woman who will soon become Captain Marvel can't stay contained for long. She escapes to Earth, where it's the age of Blockbuster Video and Nerf Guns in the 1990s. As Vers searches for Lawson herself, she'll cross paths with S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury (a brilliantly de-aged Samuel L. Jackson), eventually piecing together her own past and realizing that all she's been told may have led her astray.
If that synopsis sounds more confusing and convoluted than your average Marvel movie, that's because it is. Carol Danvers' origin story may be the first MCU installment to require a second viewing just to understand what the hell is going on at any given moment, as there's much more exposition and sci-fi mumbo jumbo than even the recent cosmic epics of the franchise. However, this is not nearly as debilitating as one might initially think-- like most Marvel stories, the clash of genres and the carefully observed human element surpass the specifics of another MacGuffin-driven plot. You might not understand why Wendy Lawson is so important, but it also really won't matter all that much.
As another superhero movie reliant on different genres to execute its own story, I find it somewhat amusing that both critics and Marvel's top brass already used up the political thriller and the space opera labels as comparisons for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, respectively, since Boden and Fleck's film is honestly more applicable to each mode. There are stretches here that feel like they were ripped out of a Star Wars movie, where the pure fun of the endeavor is practically uncontrollable, but this is also a fairly minimalist tale of espionage and conspiracy. Oh, and it's a buddy movie with Carol and Fury. It's an impressive combination of genre influences, and it works better than anyone would probably imagine.
Still, Marvel has always worked in a mode where different tones and frameworks are constantly overlapping and mingling; last year's Infinity War is perhaps the most stunning example of tonal incongruity miraculously resulting in something ingenious. But there is something novel in how Carol's origin story is scrambled and fuzzy, coming into focus through flashbacks and fragments as she learns who she really is. It's a superhero movie where the hero doesn't know what she's capable of, where she came from, or even the most basic elements of her personal history, forcing her to exist in a state where she lacks a clear identity. No matter what you think of the overall film, it's hard to argue that this isn't something fresh in the genre.
Larson herself has an impressive ability for playing into Carol's core dilemma, giving her a consistent personality while still allowing for an honest sense of frustration to enter the picture. Naturally, Carol's strange position as a lost individual at the epicenter of a conflict, where deception and a false sense of righteousness have misguided her, connects to what might be the film's most interesting bit of thematic work. I suppose this gets into spoilers, but what makes Captain Marvel another fascinating chapter in the MCU canon is its insistence on being explicitly and unambiguously political in its evocation of immigration and refugee crises all around the globe. It's a film about being on the wrong side of history, and how a sudden realization can result in greater understanding and a new direction. Boden and Fleck have a great twist up their sleeve, and it results in a series of poignant moments, some solid action sequences, and a remarkable performance from Ben Mendelsohn. And really, what else could you want in a superhero blockbuster?
Like many films in the Marvel canon, Carol Danvers' origin story obviously suffers from a few issues along the way. Boden, Fleck, and co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet rely on the references to 1990s pop culture to a somewhat excessive extent, which almost serves as an ominous portend of the cultural future we're facing down. Marvel also seems to be a bit indifferent to the physical specificity of their intergalactic worlds, as this is another film where the special effects and design work both feel underwhelming. And the basic story, though told in a somewhat unique fashion, still feels somewhat inconsequential in the grand scheme of the MCU.
Yet despite those bumps in the road, Captain Marvel easily overcomes its small weaknesses for a thoroughly entertaining superhero saga, one that delivers political subtext, surprisingly intriguing filmmaking choices, and the standard Marvel pleasures without missing a step. It's zippy and fun, but it also isn't afraid to slow down for some introspective moments and quiet interactions between characters. It's a strong and thrilling start for a character who is certain to be at the heart of Marvel's future.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (8/10)
Ant-Man remains one of the dullest products of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (though Peyton Reed got things back on track with last year's Ant-Man and the Wasp), while Scott Derrickson's Doctor Strange introduced innovative visuals in a cookie-cutter format. As the MCU has expanded and stretched itself over the past few years, Kevin Feige and his team of filmmakers have smartly shifted away from the conventional origin story format, relying on team-up movies and fresh looks at classic characters to push the saga forward.
Though it never comes close to shaking up the MCU's core formula (a flaw that few films in the franchise have been able to overcome), Captain Marvel successfully molds the superhero origin story into something more ambitious, something that marks Carol as a distinct and important hero. For the first time, we have an origin story mostly conveyed in non-linear montages- Jason Bourne comparisons are apt, but Boden and Fleck have more heartfelt intentions on their mind. And this time around, it really works.
After a strange flashback/dream, Carol is introduced to us on Hala, the home planet of a race of noble warrior heroes known as the Kree (remember them from Guardians of the Galaxy?). At this point, Carol is known simply as Vers, and she's under the watchful protection of Kree hero Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). Vers has more power than she can possibly control, which led the Kree to insert a mechanism on her neck to limit her abilities. She has no knowledge of her past, but the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree guides her to become one of the most crucial weapons in the battle against the Skrulls. Okay, you're probably wondering: who the hell are the Skrulls? They're shape-shifters, able to transform into any creature as they see fit. And they also happen to be the mortal enemies of the Kree, with the two civilizations locked in a brutal, relentless war for years.
Got all that? Let's keep going.
On a routine mission to take out a group of Skrulls, Vers is captured by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), the leader of the Skrull rebellion. Amid the tangled mess of Vers's mind is a secret about Dr. Wendy Lawson (Annette Bening), a mysterious scientist with a connection to the Kree-Skull war. Talos needs Vers to lead him closer to Lawson, but with such pure power, the woman who will soon become Captain Marvel can't stay contained for long. She escapes to Earth, where it's the age of Blockbuster Video and Nerf Guns in the 1990s. As Vers searches for Lawson herself, she'll cross paths with S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Nick Fury (a brilliantly de-aged Samuel L. Jackson), eventually piecing together her own past and realizing that all she's been told may have led her astray.
If that synopsis sounds more confusing and convoluted than your average Marvel movie, that's because it is. Carol Danvers' origin story may be the first MCU installment to require a second viewing just to understand what the hell is going on at any given moment, as there's much more exposition and sci-fi mumbo jumbo than even the recent cosmic epics of the franchise. However, this is not nearly as debilitating as one might initially think-- like most Marvel stories, the clash of genres and the carefully observed human element surpass the specifics of another MacGuffin-driven plot. You might not understand why Wendy Lawson is so important, but it also really won't matter all that much.
As another superhero movie reliant on different genres to execute its own story, I find it somewhat amusing that both critics and Marvel's top brass already used up the political thriller and the space opera labels as comparisons for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy, respectively, since Boden and Fleck's film is honestly more applicable to each mode. There are stretches here that feel like they were ripped out of a Star Wars movie, where the pure fun of the endeavor is practically uncontrollable, but this is also a fairly minimalist tale of espionage and conspiracy. Oh, and it's a buddy movie with Carol and Fury. It's an impressive combination of genre influences, and it works better than anyone would probably imagine.
Still, Marvel has always worked in a mode where different tones and frameworks are constantly overlapping and mingling; last year's Infinity War is perhaps the most stunning example of tonal incongruity miraculously resulting in something ingenious. But there is something novel in how Carol's origin story is scrambled and fuzzy, coming into focus through flashbacks and fragments as she learns who she really is. It's a superhero movie where the hero doesn't know what she's capable of, where she came from, or even the most basic elements of her personal history, forcing her to exist in a state where she lacks a clear identity. No matter what you think of the overall film, it's hard to argue that this isn't something fresh in the genre.
Larson herself has an impressive ability for playing into Carol's core dilemma, giving her a consistent personality while still allowing for an honest sense of frustration to enter the picture. Naturally, Carol's strange position as a lost individual at the epicenter of a conflict, where deception and a false sense of righteousness have misguided her, connects to what might be the film's most interesting bit of thematic work. I suppose this gets into spoilers, but what makes Captain Marvel another fascinating chapter in the MCU canon is its insistence on being explicitly and unambiguously political in its evocation of immigration and refugee crises all around the globe. It's a film about being on the wrong side of history, and how a sudden realization can result in greater understanding and a new direction. Boden and Fleck have a great twist up their sleeve, and it results in a series of poignant moments, some solid action sequences, and a remarkable performance from Ben Mendelsohn. And really, what else could you want in a superhero blockbuster?
Like many films in the Marvel canon, Carol Danvers' origin story obviously suffers from a few issues along the way. Boden, Fleck, and co-screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet rely on the references to 1990s pop culture to a somewhat excessive extent, which almost serves as an ominous portend of the cultural future we're facing down. Marvel also seems to be a bit indifferent to the physical specificity of their intergalactic worlds, as this is another film where the special effects and design work both feel underwhelming. And the basic story, though told in a somewhat unique fashion, still feels somewhat inconsequential in the grand scheme of the MCU.
Yet despite those bumps in the road, Captain Marvel easily overcomes its small weaknesses for a thoroughly entertaining superhero saga, one that delivers political subtext, surprisingly intriguing filmmaking choices, and the standard Marvel pleasures without missing a step. It's zippy and fun, but it also isn't afraid to slow down for some introspective moments and quiet interactions between characters. It's a strong and thrilling start for a character who is certain to be at the heart of Marvel's future.
THE FINAL GRADE: B+ (8/10)
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