There's a lot to be said for franchise fatigue a decade into the Marvel Studios film run. Films that seem to have the same tone, the same visual effects and the same cinematography can be... exhausting. But since many of them are at least above average I can often let it slide. There's a lot to be said for simple and effective hero's journey style adventures; stories that are often both fun and satisfying to watch. But what happens when structure is lacking and the pacing leaves a lot to be desired? Unfortunately in what should have been a heightened cosmic adventure this instalment often feels flat and incredibly bland, settling for dry deserts and grey concrete instead of having otherworldly aspirations.
All the usual pieces are present and correct with sarcastic hero Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and eccentric villain Talos (Ben Mendelson) searching the stars for a macguffin. But none of these inclusions stand out for some reason in a story that has no reason to be so pedestrian. They're copying the Guardians of the Galaxy with the sci-fi locations and on-screen text sign posting each new world, but there's none of the outlandish fun or the interesting character developments. This is just another amnesiac plot without any intrigue, one that shows too much early on robbing it of any sense of mystery. The revelations are nothing new and even the ultimate power source turns out to be one that's already been recycled more than once.
They could have at least stuck to the classic origin story arc to lend this all a sense of momentum, but for some reason this isn't handled very well at all. The pacing is all over the place as it rushes to show flashbacks as soon as possible, instead of depicting the protagonist as an underdog that has to rise to the challenge. Captain Marvel aka 'Vers', as she's known in the first act, is already a better fighter than her mentor Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) displaying unparalleled power amongst her colleagues in the cosmic A-Team 'Star Force'. Even ignoring the fact that characters played by Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou were obviously villains in movies set years later in the series there's almost no drama and it lacks any interesting dynamics.
After a mission goes awry Vers finds herself on Earth (where else) and there are a series of chases and action beats involving a young Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson). But again what should have been a high tension Bourne Identity style thriller or even a light hearted buddy cop team up feels stilted and more often than not is just strangely boring. Even the bad guys here, the shapeshifting 'Skrulls', feel underused and various inter-galactic possibilities are sidelined for city streets and military bases. With so many ideas being lifted from other sources it's mind boggling that none of them are focused enough for it to feel like a strong through-line in a story that lacks its own voice.
In terms of overall spectacle there are a few action highlights with an elevated train chase and an extended space station finale but again these are underwhelming. There are no fun moments with Carol developing or understanding her new powers, and there are no dark revelations in which she learns what is really going on between Star Force and the Skrulls. Instead they've focused on giving series regulars Nick Fury and Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) a digital face lift to sell this all as a prequel. In some shots I can see how this might have worked, but in others it just looks weird and waxy like it always does. Maybe some simple hair appliances and make-up should have been used, but for some reason they insist on doing it this way.
The 1995 setting is an interesting choice that also feels underused, and in a pre-Iron Man world nobody is that shocked to see aliens duking it out in Los Angeles. Rather than use this as a story beat which changes things forever it's just an excuse to play some terrible pop songs and show a few brand name logos. With both Guardians and Thor having played with the idea of a jukebox soundtrack it's odd to see it done so poorly. The result is a jarring and confused film that seems like it wants to copy what came before while mixing things up... but ends up doing neither. The sights and sounds of the human world should have been a signal to our hero after years of brainwashing but she's never that bothered by anything that goes down.
The performances are all fine, but even Brie Larson seems weirdly disconnected from the events of the story. There's no clear character distinction between the opening that shows her as a ruthless soldier, and the third act where she remembers her humanity. Maybe the first act should have been like Captain America's origins, but maybe it wouldn't have been enough. A brisk montage is all that is apparently needed, even though she jumps between stoic and humorous early on during the scenes with Nick Fury without motivation. There's an immediate bond between them which comes out of nowhere, and his hard edge military past is nowhere to be seen. Instead there's a lot of slapstick involving a cat... because they have effects budget to burn apparently.
Overall this is what it is... just another Marvel movie going through the motions. It's not quite as annoying as the underused potential shown in Ant-Man and the Wasp, but it's close in terms of a wasted premise. Captain Marvel as a super-energy fuelled hero battling with the limits of her power and her human side is a classic story arc. But this is constantly less than the sum of its parts and, paradoxically, it seems more concerned with advertising the military than depicting real human struggles. It's kind of forgivable since we've seen some of the best that this franchise can offer recently, but as a contrast to those highlights it's kind of a big step down and a story that is at best forgettable but at worst far too dull.
2/5
