'Captain Marvel' Review

Synopsis: Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the shape-shifting Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.

Runtime: 124 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language)

Who should see it? Marvel fans of all ages.

Carol Danvers is finally making her cinematic debut in Captain Marvel a month before the long-awaited Avengers: Endgame. Co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck with a script from Boden, Fleck, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Nicole Perlman, and Meg LeFauve, Captain Marvel is the twenty-first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the first female-lead feature from Marvel Studios. Thus far, I'm getting the impression that the film is being held to a higher standard by certain critics and audience members than most Marvel-fare due to this and outside controversies. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, bless your hearts as you've done well avoiding the toxic discourse. 

Getting back on track, the Avengers: Infinity War post-credits scene teased that a powerful ally would soon be joining the Avengers to help defeat Thanos and reverse the ensuing chaos which resulted from the dreaded snap of the Mad Titan's fingers. Therefore, Captain Marvel had the responsibility of introducing Danvers as someone whom audiences would consider a powerful asset for Earth's mightiest heroes. I'd go as far to say it exceeded my expectations in that regard. While it may come at the cost of audience members slinging the dreaded words "Mary Sue" and "over-powered" towards the titular character, Boden and Fleck fulfilled their duty for the most part. I believe those specific criticisms towards the character could have been avoided if she'd faced more powerful adversaries though. This isn't to say that she didn't struggle at all over the course of the film, but I wish the villains had been in the same league as her concerning her powers. Carol needs a suitable opponent, but I suspect Endgame will rectify that issue.

Though the action was somewhat standard for Marvel, the cinematography, visual effects, and production design were visually-appealing when rooted in the cosmic aesthetic established by Guardians of the Galaxy. I particularly liked the stark contrast between the dark environments and Carol's bright display of her abilities. Otherwise, I was very engaged in the core-narrative and taken aback by some surprising plot twists. It was quite refreshing that the story didn't unfold as expected. Since this is a spoiler-free review, I'm steering clear of story details, but I'd like to highlight a few aspects I appreciated. I particularly liked the narrative framing device, approach to showcasing memories, and I felt the film's female-empowerment angle was incorporated tastefully. While there were undoubtedly characters and story threads that could have been expanded upon, the script serves its purpose and the charming cast wins you over.

Leading the charge, Brie Larson captures the go-getter, spunky attitude of Carol Danvers incredibly well while we see an unfamiliar, free-spirited side to Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury who's twenty-five years younger thanks to some remarkable de-aging CGI! In their shared screen time, Larson and Jackson have an effective rapport that's best described as a delightful buddy-cop dynamic. Clark Gregg is also de-aged to reprise his role as familiar S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson, albeit with substantially less involvement than Fury. I really wish he'd been in it a bit more!

Filling out the supporting cast, Lashana Lynch and Akira Akbar play the mother-daughter pair of Maria and Monica Rambeau as Annette Bening takes the form of the Kree's Supreme Intelligence. Lynch and Akbar's mother-daughter duo are endearing additions thanks to their connection to Danvers while Bening seems not to be used to the fullest. 

Concerning "key" Kree characters, I was underwhelmed by Jude Law's Yon-Rogg and the militant Seal Team 6-esque Space Force as a whole. They're absent for large chunks of the film, so when they're suddenly pivoted as being more important, it's not an effective shift. Law plays the mentor role as best he can, but lacking screen time and development cripple the character. I held out hope there'd be exciting developments and much-needed backstory surrounding the return of Lee Pace's Ronan the Accuser and Djimon Hounsou's Korath who were last seen as the bland baddies in Guardians of the Galaxy, but alas, they were hardly onscreen for maybe ten minutes. On the contrary, Gemma Chan's Minn-Erva had some cool moments of action as the Space Force's sniper though.

It's almost impossible to discuss the Skrulls at length without spoilers, but I'll say that Ben Mendelsohn's Talos is surely a stand-out character. Caked in make-up, Mendelsohn chews up the scenery like no-one else, and it's quite glorious! I also really appreciated that the Skrulls were more complex characters than the trailers would have you believe. 

Lastly, Goose is a stand-out in its own right, with the feline providing much of the film's levity. Since Captain Marvel is set in the '90s, there's also plenty of opportunity for connective narrative tissue and nostalgia, so keep an eye peeled for references, easter eggs, and familiar characters. Not to mention Stan Lee, who gets a lovely tribute at the start of the film in addition to another trademark cameo. And there are two post credit scenes, so stick around afterward! 

Captain Marvel's unique spin on Marvel's origin story formula also serves as a satisfactory introduction for Marvel's most powerful superhero. It's not a genre game changer, but did it really need to be? I don't think so, and I give it a glowing recommendation nonetheless. Higher, further, faster baby!

Film Assessment: B+

'Crazy Rich Asians' Review

Crazy Rich Asians follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young, to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but also nervous about meeting Nick's family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to inform her of key details of his life. It turns out he is not only the heir to one of the country's wealthiest families, but also one of its most sought after bachelors. Thrust into the spotlight, Rachel must now contend with jealous socialites, quirky relatives and something far, far worse - Nick's disapproving mother. It soon becomes clear that while money can't buy love, it can definitely complicate things.

Based on Kevin Kwan's best-selling novel, Crazy Rich Asians is a romantic comedy directed by Jon Chu while Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim were charged with adapting Kwan's novel into a feature length script. Kwan and Chu had two major distribution offers from Netflix and Warner Bros. The distribution deal with Netflix was enticing because it entailed artistic freedom, a green-lighted trilogy, and a seven figure payday. However, the two ultimately went with Warner Bros because it meant a major studio would be throwing its weight behind a theatrical release with an all Asian ensemble. While it may not seem like it at first glance, Crazy Rich Asians is going to probably mean a lot to most Asian audience members. The reason being that it's one of the first times they've probably felt fully represented in the cinema. 

It's no secret that Asians are perhaps the demographic most underserved by Hollywood. Oftentimes, Asia is seen by studio executives as little more than a market with substantial box office potential. In recent years, this has lead a number of major blockbusters to stage their big action set-pieces in Asian countries and star Asian talent, but more often than not, this feels like pandering rather than proactive inclusion. The reason being that these locations and actors are rarely given a meaningful purpose or chance to shine within the context of the story, instead simply there to sell tickets overseas. Well, times are changing, as Crazy Rich Asians is the first Hollywood studio movie since 1993 to feature an all Asian or Asian-American cast (Wayne Wang's Joy Luck Club being the most recent case). 

Recently, films depicting minority gender, sexuality, or race seem to harbor an inner desire to make bold statements about our current socio-political atmosphere. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with that provided the commentary is tastefully incorporated, rarely do these features make an effort to normalize diversity through the lens of a movie that's ordinary. Well, Crazy Rich Asians does just that. It's proud of its heritage and culture, but doesn't make a big deal of it and is sure not to shove it in your face. It's a conventional rom-com which just happens to be set in Singapore and star an entirely Asian cast. These elements are intentionally interwoven tightly into the story so that it couldn't really be made any other way, and I find it respectable that the studio didn't handicap the production by whitewashing any characters for the sake of the picture's commerciality. It's proud of its ensemble, but never boastful. 

Perpetuating the idea that it's normal to release a major Hollywood movie lead by Asians will only enable other films to follow suit. From that standpoint, Crazy Rich Asians is definitely a big deal, and you should totally support it if you'd like to see greater Asian representation in Hollywood. Before discussing the film's shortcomings, I'd like to say that cinematographer Vanja Cernjul had a nice eye for capturing the extravagant sets and lavish costumes. The production design and costumery were gorgeous and really accentuated the overabundance of wealth these characters possess. Otherwise, I honestly found it to be a by-the-books rom-com. Light-hearted and entertaining, but nothing too special.

Then again, I'm really not the target audience for this sort of thing... Though Crazy Rich Asians does definitely suffer from some sluggish pacing and an overabundance of formulaic storylines at times, I quite enjoyed the film overall. I won't rush to buy it on Blu-Ray or anything, but I certainly wouldn't complain if ever goaded into watching it on a date.

What most elevates Crazy Rich Asians above its cliché-ridden narrative though is its excellent ensemble. Constance Wu is smart, sweet, and down-to-earth as Rachel while Henry Golding exudes a pleasant personality and an abundance of charm in the role of Nick Young, and spark certainly were flying between the two. I've heard murmurings of Golding being a good fit for Bond (he's British-Malaysian so it wouldn't violate the rule of Bond being British), and will concede I'd absolutely be up for that after seeing his work here. Elsewhere, Michelle Yeoh excels in the space of Nick's protective, disapproving mother and the other members of the Young family are wonderfully played by Gemma Chan, Pierre Png, Nico Santos, Remy Hii, Ronny Chieng, Victoria Loke, Lisa Lu, and a host of other actors.

As supporting player, Awkwafina leaves perhaps the most memorable impression since a great deal of the comedic relief comes from her character Peik Lin Goh. Other members of her family similarly serve up some big laughs and are portrayed by Ken Jeong, Koh Cheng Mun, and Calvin Wong respectively. On the more serious side of things, Tan Kheng Hua plays Rachel's mother and she really relishes in every tender moments shared with Wu. 

Crazy Rich Asians is by no means groundbreaking in terms of storytelling, but it's certainly a significant step forward for Asian representation in Hollywood. Based on the box office projections, the film should soon recoup its budget and I imagine other studios will see that centering films around Asian ethnic groups can make them crazy rich as well!

Film Assessment: B