(Captain Marvel)ous Movie!

Going into this movie I thought that Bri Larson would be very unlikeable because of how serious she appeared in the trailer for the film.  It seemed as if she didn't really have any traits period, besides wearing the "laser tag uniform" that Nick Fury (Samuel Jackson's character) points out to her.

Boy was I wrong.


Not only did Bri Larson bring sass and hit excellent comedic moments of this character, but helped introduce the strongest character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a way that made me very excited to see her in future movies, such as Avengers: Endgame. Additionally, because this story took place in the 1990s (taking place before the time period of the MCU), there were much-enjoyed references for the Avengers initiative that audiences have seen expand over the past ten years.


Before I start discussing the technical features of the film, I want to provide some background on the characters. "Vers" (as she is called at the start of the film) lives on a Kree (alien race) planet where she has frequent visions of a life on Earth where she sees herself as a fighter pilot under the name of Carol Danvers. She is training to fight against the evil alien race called the Skrulls, who can shapeshift.

Besides providing Danvers' backstory, the film also follows Agent Fury (Samuel Jackson) and his position in S.H.I.E.L.D. I loved his character because it was fun and exciting to see a younger version of a beloved character and his beautiful interactions with the cat, Goose.



This film had wonderous editing present in their sequences, particularly the jump cuts in the main fight sequence at the end of the film.  They were timed perfectly to make Larson look fierce but also create comedic moments where she loses control of her powers.


There was one specific scene before the climax of the film where Captain Marvel, Agent Fury, and others were in front of a log cabin where the misc-en-scene elements were beyond satisfying.  The mostly unsaturated image made the vibrant green from the background appear effortlessly behind Larson's character, creating a beautiful shot.  I also loved the prosthetics on the Skrull characters; however difficult it is to create a human-alien hybrid, the team of Captain Marvel did an excellent job blending fantasy with reality.
 


I've realized that this film is vastly different than what I desire to do with mine.  Captain Marvel is a prequel to a previously established universe of characters where it sets up scenarios that have occurred on screen.  My film is about a boy who discovers he has a gift but uses the "power" of social interaction to resolve the problem. There is definitely a disconnect with the goals of each film, which I have to be conscious of in my opening.  I need to make sure that I stand apart from the fantasies of the superhero realm; I also must be realistic about how my character would fit in a world where he has this unfathomable ability and how he decides not to take advantage of it.


Analyzing and comparing Captain Marvel and my Superhuman definitely helped me further understand my piece and what direction I should take with it.

Now I just have to wait a few more weeks to see how Danvers will fair against Thanos in Avengers: Endgame.

                                     - Jake


TODAY'S HERO (was) : CAPTAIN MARVEL (Carol Danvers)