Movie: Captain Marvel
Release Date: March 8, 2019
Run Time: 2 hours 3 mins
Rating: A
Marvel gives us “Captain Marvel” for Women’s History Month — its first female-centric superhero film in 14 years — and it sure does not disappoint.
Before "Wonder Woman" hit the box office 2017, both empowering the DC side of the superhero-based companies’ rivalry and making Marvel look bad, audiences hadn't seen a female lead in a superhero film for over a decade. With two unsuccessful female-oriented films back to back, Catwoman and Elektra, the hesitation behind Marvel's decision to showcase a woman as the lead was misguided. There was no excuse to ignore an entire gender and deprive an entire generation of women the opportunity to see itself on the screen.
That being said, “Captain Marvel” is progressive, but Marvel still has a lot of room for growth in all areas of representation.
The closest to a solo woman lead in the past decade for Marvel was Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johansson, who fights on the front lines alongside the Avengers. When "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was first released, a toy based on a scene featuring Black Widow from the film was replaced with Captain America, overshadowing the woman’s role and pretending as if the man had done the job. With the introduction of Captain Marvel, female audiences can see a representation of themselves, something that is essential for the development of young minds.
“Captain Marvel” provides an easy-to-follow plot for viewers who are not accustomed to the Marvel universe. While the plot acts as both the origin story of Captain Marvel and a prequel to "The Avengers," the film did a brilliant job of carrying the story without the support of the pre-Avengers narrative.
Brie Larson plays the quick-witted Carol Danvers, a woman whose spotty memory of a previous life restricts her full potential. Once she is back on her home planet Earth, she uncovers the truth of her past and discovers that she had been fighting with one hand tied behind her back. The clever incorporation of '90s nostalgia provides a different vibe for the film, including nods to Blockbuster and bomber jackets that send viewers back nearly two decades. No Doubt’s 1995 hit “Just A Girl” was, no doubt, a stellar choice for an intergalactic fight scene.
Overall, the film marks the potential Marvel has to fuel more empowering movies — with more inclusion.