Film Review: Captain Marvel

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Mad Jax
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Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Mad Jax » Sat Mar 09, 2019 12:15 pm

Although nothing in this film will set the world on fire, it's not as bad as I anticipated. Low expectations can do wonders, I guess, but there were some surprises that made the film reasonably enjoyable. Ben Mendehlson gives a performance I wasn't expecting, and some of the visuals are noteworthy (some space scenes near orbit make for some memorable shots), but there isn't much to say about the rest of it. It has a tightly written plot that for some reason reviewers are calling "lazy" (and I suppose that might be due to standard character arcs) but it's coherent and serviceable for what they're trying to do. I guess when a film lands perfectly on "average" it's hard to know what to say about it.

You wouldn't be wasting your money on this one, but at the same time, you aren't missing anything if you don't catch it in theaters. "Matinee if you have time to kill" would be the most I'd recommend on this one.
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

dogbite
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by dogbite » Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:17 am

it lacked tension to carry you from scene to scene. Nor was there any particular emotional core to the story. The supporting cast was quite good.

It fits neatly into the MCU as a whole and tidies up a few things. The end credit scenes were good and bode well for Endgame imho.

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Mad Jax
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Mad Jax » Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:14 pm

Yea I didn't want to elaborate too much but the protagonist really doesn't have an arc. There's no flaw she overcomes nor does she suffer any real pathos. Either one of those would have made her more interesting. On top of that, I'm not convinced Brie Larson is all that good of an actor, academy award or not. Also consider that Ryan Fleck is a terrible director. Watch Half Nelson if you want an example of his unskilled film direction.
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

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redjay
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by redjay » Wed Mar 13, 2019 2:32 pm

need to get round to seeing this. The last female superhero I saw in the silver screen was Wonderwoman - I was blown away at how fun that movie was. Though I would have liked to have heard the original wonder woman score in the closing soundtrack.
At the halfway home. I'm a full-grown man. But I'm not afraid to cry.

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Mad Jax
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Mad Jax » Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:29 pm

Honestly, if a female superhero film is what you're aiming for, you probably would appreciate Alita: Battle Angel a lot more. It's got a bit of an odd story structure, but it has an interesting world and I think Roza Salazar gives a better performance than Brie Larson does in CM. Also Christoph Waltz is always good.
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

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redjay
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by redjay » Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:08 am

Have added Alita to my watch list for when it gets released on DVD/Streaming.

I made it to Captain Marvel at the weekend. Good fun stuff, though not quite as good as Wonder Woman IMO.
At the halfway home. I'm a full-grown man. But I'm not afraid to cry.

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Evil_Bert
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Evil_Bert » Tue Mar 19, 2019 9:09 pm

I saw it and thought it was alright. Captain Marvel is a character that is just not a good fit in the MCU. The comic book character has been killed off and rebooted a number of times. This one is not much better. I saw it simply to get ready for Endgame.
Illegitimi non carborundum.

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trophywife26.2
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by trophywife26.2 » Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:33 pm

I liked Captain Marvel a lot. I don't think the story or special effects or acting were something huge and ground breaking or the best film I've ever seen, but I'm very happy to see it in the theater. I'm satisfied with the movie and would be willing to see it again.

To me her character arc is subtle and something many women (and some other groups) can relate to, being told to dull down their emotions and strengths, that they can't do certain things, that they have something to prove aka their worthiness, etc. She's being gaslighted, but she stops believing it. That's a change, though subtle.

I liked this review https://www.wired.com/story/captain-mar ... powerment/ here's a snippet..
Some people will like the film, others won't. Some might find it too feminist; some may think it's not feminist enough. Some may like or dislike it for reasons that have nothing to do with its meaning, direct or implied. The beauty of being a fan of anything is that you get to make up your own (damn) mind
Even if it's something disappointing, it's still better to know the truth. Because people can deal with disappointment. And once they've done that, they can feel that they have really grown. And that can be such a good feeling. -Fred Rogers

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Random
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Random » Sun Jul 21, 2019 2:36 pm

trophywife26.2 wrote:
Mon Apr 01, 2019 7:33 pm
I liked Captain Marvel a lot. I don't think the story or special effects or acting were something huge and ground breaking or the best film I've ever seen, but I'm very happy to see it in the theater. I'm satisfied with the movie and would be willing to see it again.
I liked it too, but was scared off from replying here because it seemed no one else liked it. I liked the fact that she held her own, that she was not a weak woman, and that when she finally found out the truth, she believed it even though it went against all the training/brainwashing she had in her memory.
There are 2 Gods. One who created us. The other you created. The God you made up is just like you-thrives on flattery-makes you live in fear.

Believe in the God who created us. And the God you created should be abolished.
PK

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moksha
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by moksha » Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:35 pm

I identified with the cat, or at least sometimes I feel like that.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
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Corsair
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Corsair » Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:47 am

moksha wrote:
Mon Jul 22, 2019 7:35 pm
I identified with the cat, or at least sometimes I feel like that.
I think you're just waiting for a Marvel movie that features a flightless bird.

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Dravin
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Dravin » Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:54 am

Mad Jax wrote:
Tue Mar 12, 2019 4:14 pm
Yea I didn't want to elaborate too much but the protagonist really doesn't have an arc. There's no flaw she overcomes nor does she suffer any real pathos. Either one of those would have made her more interesting. On top of that, I'm not convinced Brie Larson is all that good of an actor, academy award or not. Also consider that Ryan Fleck is a terrible director. Watch Half Nelson if you want an example of his unskilled film direction.
What stood out to me is that her banter with Samuel Jackson just fell flat. Now that could be entirely the director's fault but when you are playing off Samuel L. Jackson in a Marvel movie and the banter is flat it doesn't leave a good impression. I may be weird, but for me some of the most enjoyable parts of many of the Marvel movies are the banter, it brings a chemistry that makes things enjoyable so outside of any issues with story arcs or plotting and the failure of that aspect between two main characters brought the movie down for me.

Not a waste to watch by any means, and if a friend I was hanging out wanted to watch it I'd not object, but not exactly a Marvel favorite for me.
Hindsight is all well and good... until you trip.

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Evil_Bert
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Evil_Bert » Tue Jul 23, 2019 10:01 am

Dravin wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:54 am
What stood out to me is that her banter with Samuel Jackson just fell flat. Now that could be entirely the director's fault but when you are playing off Samuel L. Jackson in a Marvel movie and the banter is flat it doesn't leave a good impression. I may be weird, but for me some of the most enjoyable parts of many of the Marvel movies are the banter, it brings a chemistry that makes things enjoyable so outside of any issues with story arcs or plotting and the failure of that aspect between two main characters brought the movie down for me.

Not a waste to watch by any means, and if a friend I was hanging out wanted to watch it I'd not object, but not exactly a Marvel favorite for me.
I think you hit what was missing in the film for me. There just didn't seem to be any chemistry between the Nick Fury and Captain Marvel. The conversations, just didn't flow.

For a fun movie, check out Shazam. I usually don't like the DC movies (Wonder Woman and Aquaman are exceptions), but Shazam was humorous, it didn't take itself to seriously and was enjoyable.
Illegitimi non carborundum.

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Random
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Random » Thu Jul 25, 2019 3:36 pm

I agree that there wasn't good banter. In fact, I don't recall banter, so I guess that's how much it impressed me.
Dravin wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 9:54 am
What stood out to me is that her banter with Samuel Jackson just fell flat. Now that could be entirely the director's fault but when you are playing off Samuel L. Jackson in a Marvel movie and the banter is flat it doesn't leave a good impression. I may be weird, but for me some of the most enjoyable parts of many of the Marvel movies are the banter, it brings a chemistry that makes things enjoyable so outside of any issues with story arcs or plotting and the failure of that aspect between two main characters brought the movie down for me.

Not a waste to watch by any means, and if a friend I was hanging out wanted to watch it I'd not object, but not exactly a Marvel favorite for me.
There are 2 Gods. One who created us. The other you created. The God you made up is just like you-thrives on flattery-makes you live in fear.

Believe in the God who created us. And the God you created should be abolished.
PK

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Random
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Random » Thu Jul 25, 2019 3:38 pm

Evil_Bert wrote:
Tue Jul 23, 2019 10:01 am
For a fun movie, check out Shazam. I usually don't like the DC movies (Wonder Woman and Aquaman are exceptions), but Shazam was humorous, it didn't take itself to seriously and was enjoyable.
I was treated to Shazam for my birthday. I liked it. I think the actor who played Shazam was really good. He acted so dorky, like the kid the character really was. Made me never forget that a kid isn't going to magically act mature just because he's magically in an adult body and in a super hero outfit.
There are 2 Gods. One who created us. The other you created. The God you made up is just like you-thrives on flattery-makes you live in fear.

Believe in the God who created us. And the God you created should be abolished.
PK

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Random
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Re: Film Review: Captain Marvel

Post by Random » Thu Jul 25, 2019 3:42 pm

I was surprised that I liked Aquaman after I realized that the Aquaman of the comic books I grew up reading was the bad guy in the movie. Instead of him, there was a surprise love child, and the wife of comic book Aquaman went to movie Aquaman. It really worked well - and I like that the blond Aquaman was not an eternal foe, but had a change of heart when he realized . . . . Well, I don't know if I should give spoilers, but I guess I already have.

I haven't seen Wonder Woman. I would like to, though.
There are 2 Gods. One who created us. The other you created. The God you made up is just like you-thrives on flattery-makes you live in fear.

Believe in the God who created us. And the God you created should be abolished.
PK

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