Captain Marvel (third-pass / 2D / SPOILERS)
Cert: 12A / 124 mins / Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck / Trailer
Apologies for the lateness of this review, writing time is competing for top billing at Blackout Towers. First review way back here, second (micro) review here.
CAMEO So, this was the third time of watching Captain Marvel, and the third time that the opening ident featuring Stan Lee brought me to tears. Ditto with his cameo in the train-scene. What I absolutely adore about this is that because the movie is set in 1995 and Kevin Smith's Mallrats was released in that same year, the Stan we see on the train is rehearsing the lines for his appearance in that film. It's the scene with Brody in which he plays himself after an appearance at a comic book store. So for this Marvel Cinematic Universe cameo, Stan Lee doesn't play Man At Window or Guy Opening Fridge; Stan Lee plays Stan Lee. An amazing tribute to a unique man which is fucking beautiful, frankly.
But I digress. What becomes clearer watching the movie after a break is that the amount of exposition mixed with call-forwards in the first act means that the viewer is bombarded with way too much information. Ironically, this isn't as noticeable on a first-pass when you're just gawping at everything anyway, but the more you understand what's going on, the more jumbled its beginning becomes. Anything before Vers lands in the Blockbuster feels needlessly cluttered.
GUN On a more positive note (because I do love this, remember), the feeling grows that there's nothing in the actual story itself which dictates that Carol Danvers needs to be a female character. It could as well be Carl Danvers. That she's a woman is just a bonus (albeit a long overdue one). And whereas DC's Wonder Woman did a great job of ramping up its girl-power while retaining credibility, Captain Marvel is altogether less showy about it - although no less important. And that's either the mark of true narrative equality from Marvel, or a damning indictment of the homogenisation of superhero cinema. Definitely one of the two.
It's slightly odd to think that Danvers ends up being the one who inadvertently names The Avengers. As above, it's cool that there's a female touch to these proceedings, but way back in the supergroup's debut comic it was The Wasp who came up with the moniker. It's bad enough that she was recently reduced to being a sidekick in a movie where she should have co-headlined, but now this? I expect Hope Van Dyne to have her own kick-ass movie in short order by way of recompense.
It also occurred to me watching this again that Maria's daughter Monica is around 11 in 1995, which would put her in the mid-30s by the time of Endgame. Might we see the budding pilot teaming up with Carol Danvers in the future when she takes the fight to Thanos? Well, that movie's out by the time of posting this review, and that question has been answered…
Tonally, the other character-chapters in the MCU.
It is.
It is.
The jury's still out on that one.
That's possible.
Nope, I thought there was in the scene where Goose gets hungry for the first time, but I didn't hear it the next time round.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Captain Marvel (first-pass / 2D / SPOILER-FREE)
Cert: 12A / 124 mins / Dir. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck / Trailer
Okay, so you know the score. It's late (or early), I'm buzzing and I'm emptying my head after a first-pass viewing of Captain Marvel. There are no spoilers in here, but for best effect don't read this until you've watched the film. These are brief first reactions, they'll probably change as I get to know the movie better, and I've probably interpreted some of the moments incorrectly anyway. Right.
The film follows a mid-1990s Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) as she struggles to piece together fragments of memory and make sense of who she was, who she is, and who she's supposed to be. A human fighter-pilot from Earth? A Kree Starforce warrior from Hala? Both? Neither? The last thing she needs is to be thrown head-first into a Skrull invasion of Earth, although in that respect at least she's got good company in the shape of a particularly lithe Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)…
FOUNDATIONS Building on the foundations of pan-galactic politics laid by Guardians Of The Galaxy and strengthened by Thor: Ragnarok, the movie jumps straight into an alien civilisation with relatively little exposition. Marvel are expecting you to be on-board for this already, although given it's the 21st movie in a series, that's perhaps not an unreasonable assumption. The Kree/Skrull dynamic takes an interesting path, considering what we've already learned of politics of the former. But this is is treated more of a supporting aspect, rather than the main focus.
This is mainly because Carol arrives on our screens fully-formed and ready to beat the shit out of alien invaders first, then ask questions later. Her backstory and subsequent character development comes in the form of flashbacks, reveals and the gentle unravelling of the knot that is Danvers' memory. Online rumblings that the film is 'slow' have been greatly exaggerated, although it tells its own story in its own time, teasing out just the right amount of details to keep things ticking over, but not holding enough back to seem smug or self-indulgent. While the twists in the tale aren't quite telegraphed, they follow the familiar structural beats of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
DRIFTERS They key thing is that (despite the pre-emptive crying from the usual corners of the internet), Captain Marvel isn't trying to be an MCU movie for girls, just a great MCU movie. The fact that it largely succeeds at this should draw precisely the right reactions from both sides of the fence. Much like Ant-Man and Doctor Strange, this isn't an attempt to re-invent the wheel - more to create a new cog which is integral to the existing machine*1.
Larson is an absolute natural at this of course, an outstanding actress who's more than willing to commit to a role that's fun, energetic and sometimes outright silly - but still taking it no less seriously for all that. Both the performer and the character blend seamlessly into the MCU, thanks in no small part to the assistance of Jackson as the audience's long-time touchstone. Ben Mendelsohn puts in a solid turn which will be initially underrated by most, and Lashana Lynch's character of Maria is crying out for more screen-time. Annette Benning is under-used in the Marvel tradition of getting Robert Redford / Glenn Close / Michelle Pfeiffer to rock up and bring a bit of gravitas to the proceedings. Jude Law is also in this film.
TRIOS It's not all plain-sailing, of course. The 1990s soundtrack is a little on-the-nose, and in playing some of the more iconic Grunge™ tracks, it's arguably used some of the era's least interesting music. That said, this is a major studio picture and not a hipster's mixtape, so that's understandable. I'd just be very surprised if this movie shifted albums in the way which Guardians did, because that's clearly the intention of such recognisable tracks.
Another problem could be that who Carol Danvers was seems far more interesting than who Captain Marvel is, and the film's climactic showdown has little to reveal as a result. There are plenty of big-stupid-grins to be enjoyed throughout, but the real goosebump moments come earlier rather than later. Captain Marvel is a very solid entry in the saga, but doesn't feel like anything more than that on a first-pass. And as Ant-Man & The Wasp was an unabashed palate-cleanser after the heavyweight Infinity War, the feeling remains that this should have a bit more clout as we hurtle toward the Endgame…
The business-end not spoilers, but highlight-to-read anyway):
• Is there a Wilhelm Scream? I think there is, a second-pass should clear this up. • Is there a Stan Lee cameo? There is, and it's quietly magnificent. Awarding the film an extra point for this. • Is there a mid-credits scene? There is • Is there a post-credits scene? There is*2
It's very much on-par with the MCU standalone films.
Which is by no means a bad thing, but perhaps not a surprising one either.
It is.
It is.
Not really, but everyone involved is on reliably solid form.
Possibly. Discussions will be lengthy, at any rate.
*1 And using those two examples particularly, Captain Marvel succeeds in being its own thing. As I've probably mentioned before, Ant-Man is a structural retooling of The First Avenger, while Doctor Strange is beat-for-beat Iron Man. Meanwhile, Carol Danvers is bringing her own booze to this particular party, and it's a more varied ride as a result. [ BACK ]
*2 Although a disturbing number of people stood up and left after the mid-credits scene. Who the hell loves Marvel enough to come to the midnight-screening of an MCU movie, but can't wait an extra six minutes once the names begin to roll at 2:20 in the morning? What the hell else are they going to use that time for? Amateurs. Anyway, the end-credits scene is fun as adding one more piece to a puzzle we thought had been previously completed... [ BACK ]
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Fair play to Armstrong though, he won those races not only when he was off his box on steroids, but also riding what's essentially a girl's bike. I imagine the bullying he sustained for having a racer instead of a proper BMX is what spurred him on to cheat, and there's a lesson in there for us all; play nice, kids.
Anyway, the Stephen Frears biopic of Lance Armstrong's rise and fall is well-paced and affecting, given that the audience already knows the outcome of the story. That said, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one expecting to see more of 'the fallout' once Armstrong's cheating was brought to light at the end, considering up until that point, the film paints Lance as a cheat, liar and chronically insecure narcissist. If anything, the screenplay almost undermines its own point, not kicking the cyclist further once he's completely fallen, but also failing to sufficiently vindicate Walsh, the journalist who helped expose him. While I can well imagine Walsh took no great glee in being proved right, the film seems to take even less.
(Although am I the only one who finds it fascinating that Armstrong successfully sued the Sunday Times*1 for claiming he cheated in much the same way that Liberace successfully sued the Daily Mirror for implying he was gay?)
Portraying everyone's favourite two-wheeled cheat, Ben Foster is quite-remarkable in a film which is only ever quite-good. Even Chris O'Dowd is great, demonstrating that he actually has a far better hand for drama than comedy. There's a delightfully meta scene in which Foster's Armstrong runs through a list of acting candidates being touted to play him in the movie of his life. Naturally, Foster's name was nowhere to be seen, yet he's probably given a far better performance than any of those mentioned would have (although they weren't being touted for this version of the story, obviously). Understated plays from the supporting cast work in the film's favour, although Guillaume Canet is one step away from Going Full Frankenstein™ in his portrayal as the dope-endorsing sports doctor Michele Ferrari, and his heated, ethical discussion on the subject gets a bit pantomime when he's let loose.
It's not a point which is played upon for too long, but I liked that The Program pokes into the science and biology of sports performance, to at least explain how the drugs were helping the team win races, even if the why is left as 'because they're cheating dicks coerced by their lead cyclist'. On a more technical level, what's going on with the camera-focus in the post-mountain-leg restaurant scene? It's almost as if Cinematographer Danny Cohen is trying to blur out people mid-frame who don't want to appear in the film. Except they're, y'know, the extras. It doesn't de-rail the film (obviously), but in a dialogue-heavy scene it's very distracting.
Although I had no interest in cycling (and still don't, to be fair), The Program is a fascinating movie dramatising human psychology more than sportsmanship. That said, it's debatable whether viewers who are familiar with the proceedings will get more or less out of the film…
As engaging as it is, probably not.
Rental.
This film should open the door for both Foster and O'Dowd to take on more challenging roles, yes.
Up to a point, absolutely.
Nah.
Not a one.
The Program stars none other than Lee Pace, aka Ronan The Accuser from Guardians Of The Galaxy, a movie which starred Peter 'the voice of Darth Maul' Serafinowicz.
[All roads lead to Darth Maul, today.]
*1 *It also wasn't lost on me that since The Times has been under the Murdoch banner, their institutional approach to journalistic integrity bears a striking similarity to Armstrong's sportsmanship ethos. It's been noted that way, at least.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Picking up right where The Desolation Of Smaug leaves off, Peter Jackson's final installment of the Hobbit trilogy clocks in as the shortest of the set, at just under two and a quarter hours. Not that it feels it, necessarily. While it doesn't dawdle the way its predecessors did, there are still some pacing issues, although at this point in the story all that matters is reaching the ends of the various threads which are being spun. In this respect, the film succeeds fairly well (although I am a casual fan at best, so I'd be hard pushed to go toe-to-toe with any disagreeing Tolkenists).
The bottom line is that if you've been on-board for the ride so far, you've already weathered the worst that this adaptation of the story has to offer, and The Battle Of The Five Armies has all of its prep-work done for it by 'Journey' and 'Desolation'*1. What follows then, is the resolution of the 'what have we done?' cliffhanger from the previous film, leading into the titular Battle. Once the plot turns to Thorin Oakenshield, holed up in his castle and going nuts over the Arkenstone, the lion's share of the action is brought to him, although we do occasionally cut to other locations for a bit of alternate-rumble relief (and can I say how great it is to see Christopher Lee's Saruman kicking off properly? Yes. Yes, I can). There are frowns, there are laughs, there are roars and there are tears. And in the case of Thorin himself, there's a decent performance from Richard Armitage as he seems to do action far better than he does brooding melodrama*1
Martin Freeman seems to have less to do in this film (which, considering the over-arcing title…), but he's clearly settled into the role by this point, and his own resolution scenes at the end of the film play nicely. Which is just as well, because once again Peter Jackson doesn't want to let you off the rollercoaster when the ride stops, and there's A Very Gradual Wind-Down™ before the credits hit the screen. It's not in the same league as Return Of The King, but again you can feel the reluctance to admit that the story is done.
There's still much to point-and-laugh at, of course. Orlando Bloom appears to be almost entirely animated in this episode, such is the strain of the effects department to keep Legolas at the same age. Meanwhile, Armitage's accent is worn out from its constant commuting between Huddersfield and London. Stephen Fry's 'Master' seems determined to turn the film's early Laketown sequence into a full-on pantomime, and this mantle is gamely picked up by Ryan Gage as his lieutenant Alfrid in his scenes which follow, hamming things up like a budget Russell Brand. Oh, and a cross-eyed Radagast is just as hilarious as he was in the preceding two films, I kid you not.
A satisfying end to a trilogy which has taken far too long to reach its conclusion, then suddenly realised that what it owes its audience is a good old fashioned massive punch-up. And the middle 80 minutes of the film is just that ruck, but it's the one you've been waiting six hours for, so you can't really complain…
Largely.
Pretty much, although some of the moments had me rolling my eyes.
I think it actually does.
If you've seen the other two at the flicks, you'll want to see this one big as well.
Although obviously the 3D is neither here nor there, as usual.
I won't.
I will, but I'm not sure it'll be at the cinema.
Y'know what? The middle-section of this film is basically carnage, so I'm not all together sure. If it's in there, it's certainly not as prominent as the one in An Unexpected Journey.
…I'm not the only one who thinks Dark-Galadriel is hot, am I? Like, hotter than Light-Galadriel?
*1 By which I mean the previous films, not the bands Journey and Desolation. Obviously.
*2 Although whatever Armitage does in these films, it's still way better than watching him driving around tornados. Then again, Actually Being In A Tornado is better than watching Richard Armitage driving around tornados…
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
