Tag Archives: Disney

Captain Marvel

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Warning: Spoilers.

Summary: Meh.

We went to the theater on opening day. To ensure I was able to give it a fair shake I didn’t waste any of my time with the anti-SJW torrent the film has received on places like Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not my thing. Nevertheless, you just can’t help but hear how the star of the show personally hates you because of your skin color and gender. At the very least, I expect to have my opinion dismissed because I’m just a white male so my opinion doesn’t matter. She had her say, now it’s my turn.

I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, they’re the only films we are still eager to see in theaters with every release, and we buy each one in all formats. Nothing else captures my attention with great stories, wonderful graphics, and such intricately woven characters that immerse you in the story. There is an immense comic source to draw from and they consistently do a great job ensuring that each character actually plays a part. For me, every MCU film has been a minimum 3 stars, and they’re often 4.5+. This one was only a 3.

On that note: The story was awesome. The cinematics were great. Young Fury & Coulson were quite entertaining, and the entire theater reveled in watching SHIELD grow from infancy to inevitably spawn The Avengers. Unfortunately, the humor was limited and many attempts didn’t draw a single laugh. I found myself the only person in the theater that laughed on two separate occasions.

Goose (the “cat”) stole the show. Really.

Brie Larson

Get used to this expression

This installment in the MCU answered many questions that have been alluded to across many of the other films.

Yet, as with most things, the feminist ruined it. I really tried to give her a chance, but Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) really hurt the story. She smiled once through the entire film and grinned a couple times. Her facial expressions were muted or non-existent. Even when learning she was actually human and not Kree there was almost no visible character development.

This was the saddest origin story of any Marvel film by far, and that’s including Spider-Man: Homecoming, which didn’t bother to show how Peter obtained his powers – the one thing that has made every other Spider-Man story rock. When “young” Carol Danvers (several different actresses) were portrayed they showed great facial expressions and character. Brie butchered it.

Brie could have been replaced by any blonde white girl and they would have done better. Fighting and other special effects were great – but would have been depicted the same with any actress. Here’s hoping that Disney acknowledges their mistake and recasts before the next film.

Is it worth seeing? Yes, but my recommendation is to wait until it’s available on Netflix. It’s not worth the trip to the theater.

The Chronicles of Narnia

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This long awaited movie was hyped up in the media for months before the actual release date. I’m certain it made millions of dollars and to be fair, the movie wasn’t bad. Most people gave it rave reviews – except those of us who had viewed and/or own the BBC version of the .

Amazon raves:

C.S. Lewis’s classic novel makes an ambitious and long-awaited leap to the screen in this modern adaptation. It’s a CGI-created world laden with all the special effects and visual wizardry modern filmmaking technology can conjure, which is fine so long as the film stays true to the story that Lewis wrote. And while this film is not a literal translation–it really wants to be so much more than just a kids’ movie–for the most part it is faithful enough to the story, and whatever faults it has are happily faults of overreaching, and not of holding back.

tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch, (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson).

While I must admit the graphic cinematography was outstanding. The story line was butchered beyond reason. The characters were not fully developed, lacked depth and didn’t really touch the viewer on a personal level.

In the 1988 version produced by the BBC, the viewer was drawn into the story; the characters came alive on the screen. The learned professor had some very well delivered and memorable lines. Lucy, in the BBC version, was a memorable character that stole the show, she did an outstanding job as the youngest child, delivering her lines with conviction and sincerity.

If the two movie versions could be combined (let’s face it: technology in the late 80s was not what it is today), this movie would be a timeless classic bar none. The basic plot is the same, and both follow the books pretty close, but the story line in the BBC version wins hands down over the newer, highly acclaimed version.

If you haven’t seen the BBC version, (easily 4 stars) please do. See if you don’t agree.

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