With the Marvel Cinematic Universe being the biggest pop cultural force of the last decade, every aspect of the universe has been discussed and analyzed. Especially criticized was the lack of diversity in the films, both in front of and behind the camera. Of the first twenty MCU films, eighteen were directed by white men. Of that number, exactly none of them top-billed a woman. That would change with “Captain Marvel.” Ryan Fleck and Anne Boden would be the latest directors plucked out of the world of independent film to helm a massive, superhero blockbuster. This gamble would pay off, as “Captain Marvel” would become another billion dollar grossing success for Marvel, though not without some controversy.
The film begins with Vers, an amnesic human woman with powerful plasma producing abilities, living on the alien home world of the Kree empire. She was drafted some time ago into the Kree a war against a shape-shifting race known as the Skrulls. Vers is captured by the Skrull, who probe her fractured memories. They are seeking a light-speed engine and Vers' memories might be the key to that. She escapes to Earth, in the mid-1990s. Both alien federations are pursuing her. Soon, the woman known as Carol Danvers is teaming up with an American secret agent named Nick Fury to rediscovers her past, her old family, and learn the truth about the Kree.
Carol Danvers is a character that has floated around Marvel comics since the sixties, passing through at least four superhero personas, her origins growing more convoluted and bizarre. (Until her re-branding as Captain Marvel, and subsequent new series, she wasn't even that popular.) Boden and Fleck's script – which they co-wrote with Geneva Robertson-Dworet and probably the MCU writer's room – smartly dispenses with most of that. Instead, they not-so-subtly rework Danver's origin story into a metaphor for gas-lighting. Unlike most superhero character arcs, where a hero learns more abilities as the film goes on, Carol is as powerful at the beginning of “Captain Marvel” as she is at the end. She is surrounded by men who tell her not to use her abilities, not to listen to her emotions. It's all part of a grander web of manipulation, spearheaded by a man that claims to have her best interest at heart but is only interested in controlling her. Obviously, this is a story that resonated with a lot of women and is certainly a clever take on a by-now routine story arc.
It's a sluggish start. Once Carol reaches Earth, “Captain Marvel” picks up considerably speed. The decision to make the film a nineties period piece – aside from freeing the movie up from the rest of the Cinematic Universe continuity – adds a charm that differentiates it from other superhero flicks. The filmmakers dot the proceedings with easy nostalgic signifiers. Blockbuster Video and beepers are minor plot points, Radio Shack puts in a cameo appearance, and every single needle-drop is way too on the nose. Yet it worked one hundred percent on me. As a misbegotten nineties kid, these touches tickled me just right. Moreover, “Captain Marvel” catches that hard-to-define nineties quality. The chase scenes, flat desert landscapes, and government conspiracies within the film all seem abreast with the movies made around 1996.
Carrying us through both of the film's wildly different settings is Brie Larson. After her Oscar win for “Room,” Larson was pretty much immediately presumed to get the part of Carol Danvers. Certain qualities of Larson's are well suited tot he part. She has a wry smile that makes every smarmy one-liner soar. She also captures the character's determination – visualized during a montage that shows her standing up after getting knocked down throughout her life – and righteous angry. However, Larson lacks a certain ability to be an action hero. She has no physical poise during the fight scenes, her body language always being slightly stiff and off-putting. Anytime she has to ball her fists and shoot some laser beams from her hands, it always looks a little goofy.
Ultimately, “Captain Marvel” works best when its a buddy movie between Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson. Since this is a younger, less experienced Fury, Jackson – digitally youthened in a seamless manner –gets to play a snarkier and more upbeat spymaster. The two interact in an effortlessly charming way. Jackson's stone walling proves an ideal deflection to Larson's smirk and sarcasm. A conversation in a road side bar, while toiling in a waiting room, or escaping the bad guys in a records vault all produce laughs and smiles. The two are great together and that charm keeps the entire movie afloat.
While I'm hardly one to believe that comic book movies should display utmost fidelity to the source material, “Captain Marvel” does make a somewhat questionable change to long-established Marvel lore. In the comics, the shape-shifting Skrulls are undeniably bad guys. In fact, they are among of the comic universe's most devious foes. “Captain Marvel” brings the Skrull to the screen with one huge difference: The Skrulls aren't so bad. Instead, they are victims of the Kree, innocents without a home world fleeing extermination across the galaxy. Much like “Iron Man 3's” Mandarin twist, this is a massive upheaval of comic nerd expectations that is a bit too clever for its own good. In the books, the Skrulls are bad and the Kree suck too. In the movie, the Skrulls are innocent victims and the Kree operate an amoral war machine. Would more complexity have been too much to ask?
Setting the movie a decade before most of the rest of Marvel's cinematic output keeps “Captain Marvel” from being too bogged down by continuity. However, the film still has to include shout-outs to the wider MCU. Whether this is done organically or not is a matter of debate. “The Avenger's” Tesseract, one of those dang Infinity Stones, has a role in the story that could've been filled by any plot device. (Trying to mentally keep track of where all the Stones were over the decades proves distracting.) A young Philip Coulson has a bit part, showing his strong character even if his role could've been filled by anyone. Ronan the Accuers and Korath the Persuer re-appear, before their canonical deaths. Honestly, most of these call-backs amount to simple in-jokes. Such as the fate of Fury's eye or the way Carol contributes to the Avengers' team name.
The movie's sense of humor and the strong interaction between its cast members, its best qualities, carry all throughout its supporting cast. Ben Mendelsohn, returning from “Mississippi Grind,” appears as Talos, leader of the Skrulls. Mendelsohn could've just played another calculating villain. Instead, he makes Talos a comedic straight man with an amusingly matter-of-fact way of speaking. (A highlight is a conversation about the limits of Skrull shape-shifting.) The banter Larson has with Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau is sharp-witted while her relationship with Rambeau's daughter is especially adorable. Annette Benning is probably way overqualified for her role but her ability to cast a slightly edgy warmth couldn't be better utilized. Of course, among the film's best supporting cast member is Goose the Cat, a lovable feline who hides a laugh-out-loud secret.
As was the case with my Peyton Reed retrospective, Ryan Fleck and Anne Boden's next project hasn't technically been announced yet. But it's pretty easy to guess. One assumes that the team is had at work on a sequel to “Captain Marvel,” which the highly secretive Marvel just hasn't officially announced yet. Your superhero franchise film doesn't make a billion dollars and not spawn a sequel.
Watching Anne Boden and Ryan Fleck go from tiny indie filmmakers to big budget directional superstars sure has been interesting. It's not a path I would've guessed if I saw “Half Nelson” back when it was new. It is interesting that many of their stylistic quirks and writing interests have been maintained throughout their entire career. I'll admit, aside from their cape movie, these guys don't really tell the kind of stories that get me passionate. My heart wasn't entirely in this Director Report Card. At the same time, most of their films are pretty good too. I am interested to see where they take Carol Danvers next, and where their careers advance after having such a success on their resumes.
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