(With apologies to Libby Gelman-Waxner and Paul Rudnick)
Logline: Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in an intergalactic war between two alien races. (IMDB)
Early on in Captain Marvel starring Brie Larson and a computer-generated imagery young version of Samuel L. Jackson playing a young Nick Fury, I thought, “How does she get her hair to stay perfect while fighting the bad guys, and isn’t it hard to kick ass when your honey-golden locks hang over one eye?”
If I were Captain Marvel, I’d keep a scrunchie on my wrist – à la Winona Ryer in Heathers and Jason Momoa in his dusty pink velvet tuxedo at the Oscars – to get that hair out of my face when necessary.
Although the first third of the movie bored me with its non-stop action and scant character development (I found myself thinking “What the hell is happening? I should have ordered a large popcorn instead of small”), we soon learn more about the background of our amnesia-victim protagonist.
That’s when things get interesting.
I wish Captain Marvel had been given more screen time with her best friend, Air Force pilot and single mom Maria Lambeau (played by Lashana Lynch), who wows audience members for being so real: kind and caring, smart and confident.
As Joanna Robinson wrote in Vanity Fair, “She’s the beating heart of a rare comic-book-based story that chooses a love story based in friendship rather than a damsel-in-distress girlfriend or boyfriend to save. Instead, Carol (a.k.a. Captain Marvel, a.k.a. Brie Larson) is fighting to protect Earth and the relationships that matter to her most—which happen to be her bonds with Maria and Maria’s daughter.”
This Generation X audience member enjoyed the 1990s setting (Los Angeles) and music (No Doubt, Garbage, R.E.M., etc.), which provided a fun backdrop for this origin story.
The nice young man at the ticket kiosk told us the movie has two mid-and post-credits scenes, which I appreciated, as did apparently the rest of the audience because we all stayed glued to our seats despite the movie’s running time of 2 hours, 5 minutes, which is actually short for a Marvel Universe film these days (Avengers: Endgame runs 3 hours, 2 minutes).
Women at the helm: Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Produced by eight people; two are women: Victoria Alonso, Patricia Witcher. Screenplay by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet. Music by Pinar Toprak.
Rating (out of 5): ♥♥♥
Katherine Valdez laments the proliferation of trailers and movie reviews that give away the plot. Read reviews at www.NoSpoilersMovieReviews.com and www.NoSpoilersBookReviews.com.
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