By Michael P Coleman
Just before the lights dimmed for the new Captain Marvel, my elder brother texted me, having seen the film the night before, and said it was a “must-see.”
As is typical, my elder brother was dead wrong.
Captain Marvel is not only less than a must-see, but if not for another great turn from Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury and a surprise, star-making performance from a pussycat, Captain Marvel is perhaps a “Netflix-and-chill.”
In the spirit of full disclosure, most Marvel heroes have always been pale imitations of their DC counterparts, and this Captain Marvel is no exception. A blond, white girl named Carol Danvers who flies around in a red and blue suit and saves people and stuff. Hmmmm.,.where have I seen that before? Oh, I don’t know…maybe every week for the last three years on the CW’s Supergirl. And what’s Supergirl’s real name? Kara Danvers.
Yup. Hand to God. But unlike Supergirl’s Melissa Benoist or countless other actresses who’ve played strong characters, Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson isn’t a solid enough actress to pull it off. Or at the very least, Larson was saddled with a muddled screenplay that didn’t give us a chance to care about her.
In addition to Jackson, Captain Marvel features four time Oscar nominee Annette Bening in a far too small role. In addition to playing the Supreme Intelligence, Bening should have given Larson some acting lessons between takes.
Captain Marvel’s special effects are great, and it was wonderful to see a female character kick ass with the boys, but we’ve seen that executed far better in several other movies, including last year’s Wonder Woman and Black Panther.
As I alluded to earlier, Goose The Cat may have been my favorite character in this obvious bid for a new franchise. After laughing at Goose, I almost went to our local animal shelter to find a tabby that my pit bull wouldn’t terrorize. I hope Goose is in Captain Marvel’s all but inevitable sequel, or at least in next month’s Avengers: Endgame.
Make sure you’re in your seat by the end of the previews, or you’ll miss the heartfelt tribute to the late Stan Lee, the architect of the Marvel Universe. Lee deserved a better send off than this Captain Marvel.
We all did.
Captain Marvel is, sadly, in theaters everywhere.
Connect with freelance writer Michael P Coleman at michaelpcoleman.com or follow him on Twitter: @ColemanMichaelP.
