What's new.
So, anyway, I went and I saw this with my kung fu sister, and it was a great time. The movie was a lot of fun. I cannot say enough about Samuel Jackson as a younger Nick Fury. He's spot on, hilarious, and almost the best part of the film.
The best part was clearly the cat.
There were some things that grated on my nerves precisely as they were meant to ("It's called cockpit for a reason"), and there were some things that made me scratch my head a little.
Honestly, I think the film lacked the emotional punch that other Marvel films have managed. Captain Marvel was great, but there were a few things I think could have been, well, punchier. There wasn't a punch the air moment in Captain Marvel (think here Eowyn's "I am no man" line before she obliterates the Witch-King of Angmar—you should have heard the theatre when it happened. Holy cheers, Batman!), when there could have been. There was a line that could have done it, but somehow failed to.
I think if the character of Captain Marvel lost her temper a little more in the beginning and during the delivery of that line (those who've watched know it), if there had been anger behind those words, I might have been able to relate a little more. I mean, here is a woman who had all her remembered life been told to tone it down discovering that it was done precisely to reduce her power (every woman can relate here, I think). That would piss me off. That would make me angry. I wanted to see that reflected in Carol Danvers, but didn't. Instead of angry, it was delivered a little more flatly. I get you don't want her to disintegrate her opponent, but that doesn't mean she shouldn't be furious about it all. I want that fury. I want to see that rage, even if it's controlled (controlled, not repressed. There is a difference). Because I feel it. Often.
I never got that, and I'm a little disappointed.
That said, there was something about her character that I greatly loved, that the film pulled off brilliantly. The constant falling, and then getting back up. The images, the expression on Carol Danvers' face, it was all perfect. In those moments, when she failed, and stood back up, fists clenched, I felt the connection to her that I had been lacking in other areas of the film. Those were a series of quiet "fuck yes!" moments, and I adored them so much. Failing is a given. The thing I loved about Carol Danvers was that she got back up, and sometimes it felt like she got back up just to spite the dudebros who were laughing at her failure which... fuck yeah! That's relatable!
It might just be that I'm a particularly spiteful person, but the older I've gotten the more I tend to try again (where before I would collapse in on myself and find somewhere to hide while I rock myself, sobbing. I was a sensitive child). More frequently, I try again because fuck you, that's why.
That's something about Carol Danvers that I really appreciated.
All in all, this was a great, fun movie, and I am honestly looking forward to seeing her return in the next Avengers.
Right, I have writing that needs doing. What did you think of Captain Marvel?
Ciao!