Drawing a blank? Don't feel bad. I could rattle off a half dozen real ones off the top of my head. Amelia Earhart. Bessie Coleman. Jackie Cochran. Patty Wagstaff. Eileen Collins. The White Rose (Lydia Litvyak, who, fair enough, I had to google her name, but still I knew who she was, generally speaking)
But fictional? Until a few months ago, I would have drawn a blank.
Enter Captain Carol "[REDACTED]" Danvers, United States Air Force.
(Yes. Her callsign is a plot point/spoiler. Just go see the movie. I'll wait)
Photo Credit: Marvel Studios
As a pilot, as an animal lover, as a kid who grew up in the 90's, and as a huge Marvel Cinematic Universe fanboy, my expectations for Captain Marvel were sky-high (pun absolutely intended). Having seen it over the weekend, I'm pleased to report they were met.
There's a lot to love. Brie Larson was perfectly cast, and she nails the attitude, full of confidence and swagger without coming off as cocky. I loved the buddy-cop chemistry she has with Samuel L. Jackson (who as a much younger Nick Fury was an absolute delight). Phil Coulson is hands-down my favorite MCU character, and it was so awesome getting to see him in his rookie days at SHIELD. Ben Mendelsohn was the surprise MVP of the movie, especially given Marvel's checkered history with compelling antagonists.
And Goose the Cat. Oh man. I kinda knew about the twist, but it was still delightful.
Last but certainly not least, Maria Rambeau and her young daughter Monica. The relationship between the two pilots is the emotional anchor of the movie. And Maria gets to show off some serious stick and rudder skills in a dogfight chase through a canyon very similar to the one in Independence Day.
Photo Credit: Marvel Studios
The movie isn't perfect. It's one of the shortest MCU films, and it sometimes feels like they cut too much out. I'd have loved to see more of Carol and Maria's time in the Air Force. We're shown tiny snippets of it and told more than shown how close the two women are. I would like to have seen that shown more than told. Seen how they met, how they became close and what they supported each other through.
I'd have also liked to have seen more of the Air Force in general. If you saw the trailers, you saw just about every clip of Carol's time flying fighters that appears in the movie. I suppose it's enough to get the narrative point across, but Larson spent a lot of time training with the USAF, including backseat rides in a two-seat F-16D, and I would have liked to see more of that translated on screen. If you're hoping for some Top Gun-level aerial cinematography, you're in for a bit of a disappointment.
Which is not to say the USAF hasn't tried to capitalize on the marketing for the film, especially since they are hurting for pilots right now:
Overall though, it's a solid entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Carol is a ray of hope going into the bleak beginning of Avengers: Endgame. She's the future of the MCU going forward, and the future is bright. 😎
No comments:
Post a Comment