Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel – On the Kree planet of Hala, Vers trains with her mentor, Yon-Rogg, to control the powerful abilities she has been given. After a fight with their enemies, the Skrull, Vers finds herself literally thrown to Earth in 1995, attracting the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D. Having strange memories about a previous life on Earth, Vers begins to unpick what really happened to her years before and as her powers grow stronger, the threat from her enemies get closer to Earth. Can she figure out who she is in time to defeat those who wish to harm her and her friends?

Captain Marvel (2019) – Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56660636

Rating: 12

Running Length: 124 mins

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn

Genre: Comic Book, Action

REVIEW: CAPTAIN MARVEL

I’m going to start this review with 2 facts: 1) I’m a woman and 2) I’m a feminist. ‘Captain Marvel’, based on Marvel comic’s heroine, tries very hard to appeal to people like me but its unnecessarily strong message leaves me cold. Where it falls flat is it’s desperation to tick all the current social media feminism boxes as possible. Every feminist cliché you can think of is thrown at the screen in such a not-at-all-subtle way that it soon becomes eye-rollingly patronising. Female superheroes have existed for a long time (Captain Marvel herself was created in 1968) and, while Hollywood may only just be catching up with this concept, one of the main issues feminists have with them is the revealing, skin-tight and borderline obscene costumes (Black Widow’s figure-hugging black rubber get up got a lot of criticism not too long ago). It is therefore disappointing that despite its need to show how women can be strong, powerful and as capable as any man, she still needs to wear a tight costume that displays her body as much as possible, and Hollywood beauty including perfect hair and (albeit minimal) make-up.

However, fact number 3) about me is that I love movies like this. Leaving aside the somewhat by-the-numbers approach to feminism, ‘Captain Marvel’ is excellent comic book fare, fitting in nicely within the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). After the ambiguous post-credits scene from ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, we get a satisfying movie to fill in the gaps of exactly who the eponymous heroine of Captain Marvel is. While Brie Larson is a little bland (the in-vogue sassy monotonous ‘girl’ archetype is a little wearing at times), her interactions with other characters are great. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury (who, unlike the other movies, is not quite sure of himself) is fantastic, especially when he can’t contain his childlike glee when confronted by a particularly happy feline.

With some fantastic humour (which is far less sexual than some of the other more light-hearted Marvel movies), ‘Captain Marvel’ toes the line between serious action and comedy well. Although the blunt instrument feminist message may be too overpowering for some, the ‘Captain Marvel’ doesn’t disappoint with the elements fans have become accustomed to with the immense MCU so far.

CONTENT: IS ‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The opening shot of the film is of Vers, lying on her back where she has clearly suffered some injury. Blue blood trickles from her nose and, when she holds up her hand, it is covered in blue blood. A character near her is thrown back after being shot and an alien approaches her, pointing a gun at the screen. The camera then cuts away.

Vers and Von-Rogg train together and fight, they trade powerful blows, punching  each other in the face and throwing each other around the room, neither suffer major injuries and remain friendly throughout.

Vers is part of a group of fighters who go to a planet and discover potential enemies. There is a very tense standoff where the group are approached by numerous others and they are unsure whether they can be trusted. It is clear that the situation could turn deadly very quickly and this could be quite scary for some kids.

A male pilot speaks to a woman in a sexist manner, saying ‘You know why they call it a ‘cockpit’ don’t you?’.

An elderly woman is punched in the face, causing shock among others. This woman is soon revealed to be an alien who has taken on her form and a fight ensues between the two.

A dead alien lies on an autopsy table, covered by a sheet so nothing graphic is seen. Another character, out of curiosity, lifts the sheet to look at the alien’s crotch, he looks at another character and raises his eyebrows before putting the sheet back down.

A character is shot in the chest and a large, hole is shown clearly. There is no blood but the character is killed.

There are numerous fight scenes where characters are badly beaten or intense battles which could be a little scary for younger kids, however they are mostly exciting rather than distressing.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘CAPTAIN MARVEL’ FOR KIDS?

With an overriding message that may not appeal to everyone, ‘Captain Marvel’ is nevertheless an excellent addition to the MCU. Due to some exciting comic book style action scenes, we feel this movie is appropriate for kids aged 8 and over.

• Violence: 3/5
• Emotional Distress: 0/5
• Fear Factor: 2/5
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (some characters wear tight-fitting clothing)
• Bad Language: 2/5 (some mild and infrequent moderate cursing and blasphemy)
• Dialogue: 0/5
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of misogyny, amnesia, controlling your emotions, power, betrayal, trusting the right people, protecting the weak, finding your place in the world, sacrifice and fighting those who are seemingly more powerful than you.

Words by Laura Record