This article is based on personal opinions, tastes and preferences. Everything I mention here is only based on my own opinion, and may be felt differently for everyone.

Captain Marvel, one of the pivotal figures of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for the next 10 years has finally appeared in his first film. Since the announcement of Brie Larson who will enter as Captain Marvel in 2016, this film has become one of the most awaited films.

Well, finally on March 6, 2019, Captain Marvel officially aired and we can see it live on the small screen. So how’s the film? How is the character of Carol Denvers aka Captain Marvel brought by Brie Larson?

Is it worth waiting for 3 years, or even vice versa?

(Not) Typical Marvel Movie Plot in General
One thing that surprised me the most when watching Captain Marvel was how the director took the plot used to tell the story of a Captain Marvel. Instead of using a typical superhero plot that runs linearly and full of clichés, this Captain Marvel film takes a slightly more complicated perspective, with a semi-linear timeline and different plot twists .

If Marvel films usually use plot twists in the form of story plot events or circumstances that occur during the film’s run, the plot twist in Captain Marvel’s film actually happens to the Captain Marvel character itself which synergizes with the overall film story plot. I myself did not think that this film would take such a plot twist, because my mind was already stuck and embedded in the formulas of previous Marvel films.

The origin story of Carol Danvers has also been changed in such a way that it can synergize with the grand plot of the film. The settings, places, and characters of the Captain Marvel origin story are also made simpler so that everyone can understand easily. There are no alien machines that have strange names and shapes, all are nicely replaced and look more realistic and futuristic. And to be honest, I’m grateful that Carol Danvers’ origin story was changed and made different like this, much more interesting and easier to understand even for ordinary people who don’t read Captain Marvel comics.

But unfortunately, the premise of this different story plot is not accompanied by good character development from the character Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. Throughout the film, I barely felt the emotional side of the main character, there was no meaningful emotional arc that made me empathize.

I feel nothing, no admiration, no empathy, no emotions that I feel when I watch Iron Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange or Black Panther though. Everything feels flat, flat, there is no ‘sticky’ feeling that I feel. And worst of all, I felt this emotion from the beginning to the end of the film. Yes, although there are some scenes that make me say ‘wow’ a little, but still my emotions are flat and flat throughout the film.

I personally feel that Captain Marvel is the most ‘ordinary’ MCU film I’ve ever watched, beating Ant-Man which I’ve always considered normal. Almost all the scenes I watch are tasteless, heartless, emotionless, empty, silent, and can be easily forgotten in a matter of days.

Why?

The first thing I saw and I realized from this Captain Marvel movie is that there is no meaningful setback from the protagonist, no major sacrifices made by the main character, no ‘price’ to be paid that is commensurate with the results or final power obtained. .

If we compare it with the other first Marvel films, it’s clearly much different because they all have a much higher emotional level than Captain Marvel. Iron Man, for example, had to let his cellmate die so he could live and escape from the cave. Thor, must let go of losing his Mjolnir power and eliminating Bifrost’s connection with his girlfriend on earth. Black Panther must die and abdicate temporarily, Captain America must lose Bucky and sacrifice his time on the ice. All full of great sacrifices is not it? So what is Captain Marvel doing in the film this time?

There is not any.

No sacrifice was made by Carol Danvers. There was no loss, no dead family or relatives, no price to pay. Captain Marvel only tells the life journey of Carol Danvers, nothing more and nothing less. Where’s the thrill of the story? Where are the high and low emotional points that the audience can feel?

In fact, if we draw an outline, the Captain Marvel film should be a solid foundation for Carol Danvers who will lead the MCU in Phase 4. explains what kind of leadership qualities Carol Danvers has as Captain Marvel. Everything is clearly shown, but it doesn’t feel right to the heart, there is no emotional attachment and character bonding with the audience.

This film will only feel like a ‘product’ of selling the MCU, not as a superhero ‘character’ that we can admire like Captain America, Iron Man, or even the Hulk. Too bad.

Brie, Binary, and ‘Sexy’ CGI
The plot of the story is not ‘wow’ and doesn’t make me feel amazed, but I have to admit the CGI and character designs from Captain Marvel are very interesting, look realistic and don’t seem forced. Like the Falcon character, Captain Marvel’s character design also looks futuristic and shows reasonable technological sophistication, so it’s still easily accepted by the brain.

When it comes to Carol Danvers’ appearance, I’m grateful that the director didn’t give Captain Marvel a masculine, tomboyish comic strip appearance complete with short hair. I really like the appearance of Carol Danvers with long hair, rather than the masculine version of the comic Carol with masculine hair and very short. This is my personal preference, you know.

At first glance, Brie Larson’s performance as Captain Marvel is almost spotless . There’s only one thing missing: Brie Larson isn’t slender and isn’t tall enough, so the costume she wears feels too bulky and doesn’t match the slim and tall appearance of Captain Marvel. The costumes that are worn don’t seem to fit together, especially when Brie isn’t ‘changed’ and is walking around casually in that costume. I don’t know, maybe I’m just a perfectionist, but it’s really annoying to see Brie Larson wearing a costume that doesn’t fit well.

And if we talk about the character that Brie Larson shows as Captain Marvel, the interactions and narratives presented by him still feel something is missing. The element of sarcasm and cheerfulness that Carol Danvers has in the comics only feels very little, it just feels like a splash. And again I will discuss, there is no expression or personality of Carol Danvers that is ‘stuck’ in the audience, so there is no emotional closeness that is built from the beginning to the end of the film. There is nothing special about the attitude and emotions that this MCU version of Carol Danvers has, so there is no underlying motivation that makes me emotionally like Captain Marvel.

Indeed, there is an ‘effort’ that is deliberately shown to build an emotional connection with the audience, namely when we are shown the personality of Carol Danvers who has never given up since she was a child like the one in the trailer . But unfortunately the scene did not arrive, it seemed forced because it was not accompanied by a good emotional approach from the beginning of the film.