Qs you have/ things you liked/disliked about Capt Marvel [SPOILERS]

[Dark Raven]

Here's a thread for any questions you might have about the movie. Also, for things you liked or disliked about the film.

This thread is full of spoilers, but they don't have to be tagged here.

Here are a few of mine. I'll think of more later.

Questions:

1. Is there something that's meant to be sexist about telling someone to smile?

Some stranger once told me very early on in the morning to smile, because life can't be that bad. As I didn't like people telling me this when I was tired and don't have to pander to them, I replied that someone had just died and asked him what he had to say to that.


Things I disliked:

1. I would've preferred Carol's call sign was "Warbird" instead of "Avenger". Why did they have to give her that name just so Fury could name his initiative after her?

2. I wish that someone actually gave her the name Captain Marvel. They couldn't find one single opportunity to call her that? She could've decided that she was going to take that name as her own to honour it. How is she going to get that name now since she doesn't think of herself like that and even Fury hasn't thought of her that way? And they spoke about Mar-Vell and Fury referred to her as Marvel, but it was never applied to Carol.

They could've even gotten Monica to call her that when she called her Lieutenant Trouble. Monica could've called her Captain Marvel in reply.

3. Didn't like Brie's mostly flat delivery.


Things I liked

1. Goose the cat was fun. I liked when he was hanging on when the plane took off, or when he was floating in zero gravity. Also when the Kree declared him a major threat.

2. Fury was cool in his scenes and it was good to get more of his background.


There's more but I'll think of it later.

 

[MahvelBaby!]

My main gripes are some of the action scenes are shot too dark. And were hard to make out.

I like the beginning of the movie but I think the reason for some it's meh is that scene where the skrulls are going through carols memories kind of grinds the movie to a halt. That scene goes on a bit too long imo. Felt jarring first time I saw it.

 

[Web-Head]

I wasn't a fan of that scene either. It was just really weird

As far as the smiling thing goes, there was some backlash saying "Carol doesn't smile" and such. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if that scene was apart of the reshoots.

I hope the display of her powers/ when she's binary going forward looks cooler. I liked it, but I think when we see Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and Thor use them, it looks cooler. Stupid and real minor nitpick, I know. I think it will look even better in future installments and with a bigger budget.

 

[Dark Raven]

Were there any scenes in the trailers that didn't make it into the film or was different? Anything that was deliberately misleading in the trailers like some of Infinity War?

Also I don't think any of the action scenes really stood out or there wasn't a "wow" moment of her doing something or even suddenly becoming fully a hero (whether as Cpt Marvel or as Carol). There wasn't anything of her saving people like Iron Man did from the terrorists in Gulmera or the plane pilot. Nothing like Spider-Man going to fight Vulture even without his tech suit. Nothing like the No-Man's Land scene in WW.

Since they did make a gender switch, I also would've liked it if Jude Law told "Vers" that he was Mar-vell and she believed him, but Carol only found out later in the film that he was actually Yon-Rogg and that Annette Bening was actually Mar-Vell. But maybe fans might not have liked that kind of twist.

 

[MadVillainy]

I liked the movie overall. What I'm saying below are nitpicks that didn't take away from the film, but are still things I didn't really like.

• I didn't really like the use of the mid credits scene.
  
  
• I liked SLJ in this movie and I really liked him and Larson together. But I think Dan Murrell on SJ said it best and I'm paraphrasing "SLJ's portrayal of Fury works well in this movie, but not in the franchise as a whole." They come off as 2 completely different people. And of course I know this is in the past, around 10-13 years before we meet him in the Iron Man stinger. But I think it would've been better if they started pushing him toward his colder Phase 1 and Phase 2 portrayal. Like it's so jarring to me to see him in CM and then the next day when I watched TWS. Again I know time passes, but they could've at least hinted at this. Or even that he would become the director of SHIELD. Honestly...this can all be fixed by a Nick Fury movie imo. I'm still down for that if SLJ is. Set it in between CM and IM. I'm not a fan of prequels, but I think part of what a prequel should do is kinda hint or show how a character changes. I mean this is a bad prequel example, but if in Attack of the Clones Anakin was a happy boy and all of the sudden in Revenge of the Sith he's so full of anger it would've been jarring. I just wanted to see hints of Fury being smart and ahead of the pack like he is in the rest of his portrayals.

• The retcons/plot holes were pretty bad. Again they didn't take away from my enjoyment of the movie, but they did leave me with a lot of questions. The biggest one, that a lot of people have been asking...why the **** didn't Fury call Carol during the Battle of New York or The Battle of Sokovia. And I know I've seen all the MCU fanboys defenses.

1) Those events weren't important enough. I'm sorry but that one is just stupid. I'm not trying to be rude, but that's really stupid. A freaking giant portal that is allowing an alien race to come through kill, capture, and destroy or a whole city lifting in the sky isn't important enough to call for help when you have it? No that's silly. Hell, I'd even say when Thor showed up he should've called her. It's kinda like how it's stupid that none of the sorcerers, who are supposed to be Earth's protectors, showed up for any major event like the Battle of New York or Sokovia
2) Maybe he tried and she didn't come. That could be it I guess we have to see what happens when Fury and Carol meet in Endgame. Fury: "Where have you been?" that could be interesting. Maybe he holds some resentment.​

Speaking of Thor in Avengers, Fury claims they started preparing for higher warfare because of the Asgardians. Why weren't they doing that when the Skrull and the Kree showed up? It's not like it was a secret that Fury hid from SHIELD. It seems like he wrote a report on it.
Yes, I know the real life reason: Marvel, very understandably, didn't think that far ahead. But it seems very careless and frankly lazy that they didn't try to make things line up. Like they know where this story ends up, I feel like if they weren't lazy they could've made things line up fine. Retconning just seems weird with a live action movie, especially when it's not that needed.​

There is one thing that's not a nitpick that actually kinda bothered me with Captain Marvel"

• Carol didn't really have a great character moment. The MCU gets by a lot by being "fun" and having great characters. And most if not all of the best characters (or at least best received one) have great moments that sum up everything you need to know about the character. And I'm not just talking about a great action scene or display of power. Like Iron Man showing up in The Avengers blasting AC/DC, Spider-Man lifting up the rubble, etc. And very true we can get one in the future, but even within first movies we should be getting great moments like Star Lord's introduction dancing and getting the orb, Steve diving on the grenade, the "I Am Iron Man" press conference.

I don't feel like we got that from Carol in this movie. In fact I feel like you can go through the best and worst MCU movies and the worst ones are the ones without great, non action, characters moments. Carol really needed on to show who she is. The best we got was that hokey standing back up montage, but it didn't feel earned or even good. I mean for example in Cap 1 there's something similar. Steve stands up for what is right to the guy who's disrespecting the WWII soldiers. Next scene, Steve is getting the brakes beaten off him by the guy who is literally like twice Steve's size. But he's still getting back up and saying "I can do this all day." Carol's moment didn't really have that greatness. And we really need that moment especially if she's meant to be the leader of the Avengers moving forward. Come to think of it, I'd argue we haven't gotten that moment from Dr. Strange or Black Panther either. Not saying those characters are bad, but there is now "I can this all day" scene. There's no "I Am Iron Man" scene.​

Here's a thread for any questions you might have about the movie. Also, for things you liked or disliked about the film.

This thread is full of spoilers, but they don't have to be tagged here.

Here are a few of mine. I'll think of more later.

Questions:

1. Is there something that's meant to be sexist about telling someone to smile?

Things I disliked:

1. I would've preferred Carol's call sign was "Warbird" instead of "Avenger". Why did they have to give her that name just so Fury could name his initiative after her?


Things I liked

1. Goose the cat was fun. I liked when he was hanging on when the plane took off, or when he was floating in zero gravity. Also when the Kree declared him a major threat.

-I'm a man who admittedly has RBF and have been told to smile, usually by women. and I didn't know it happened to women until about 4-5 years ago when a then girlfriend told me. I always just thought it was a very rude thing to say. But all the women I've spoken to do say it is seen as a form of sexual harassment.
-About Carol's call sign: I actually really liked that. The "Avengers" name never made sense until Endgame. There is nothing they've been avenging. They should've been called The Defenders. Tony has the clunky line about "If we can't save the world we'll avenge it or whatever" but it didn't fit. It doesn't hurt the movie/the MCU or whatever that they are called the Avengers, but I did like they did that with CM
-See to me, I didn't mind the cat. But it felt really really really low denominator type stuff. What does the internet like? Cats. Let's give it to them. And specifically that moment you mentioned was really lame to me. An animal reaction shot is very low imo

I like the beginning of the movie but I think the reason for some it's meh is that scene where the skrulls are going through carols memories kind of grinds the movie to a halt. That scene goes on a bit too long imo. Felt jarring first time I saw it.

Very much agree with that

 

[samsnee]

Agreed that the space action scenes were shot way too dark. Even her big moment at the end was hard to follow.

Also agreed it was disappointing they didn’t show Fury becoming the Fury we know later. In the end, when he writes the Avenger Initiative, he still seems like a happy go lucky guy. I left wondering where the guy was we heard did the Bogota mission.

 

[MadVillainy]

Also agreed it was disappointing they didn’t show Fury becoming the Fury we know later. In the end, when he writes the Avenger Initiative, he still seems like a happy go lucky guy. I left wondering where the guy was we heard did the Bogota mission.

Yeah I feel like we never really got why Fury is so badass either. He mentions he was a spy in the Cold War, but I don't feel we got any thing cool outta that. They said he was a desk jockey when CM takes place.

Again he doesn't have to line up 100% with where he is in IM. But we should've gotten hints. I don't see how this guy turns into the one step ahead of everyone, secret keeping guy he ends up being

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't know if telling someone to smile is sexual harassment as such. Maybe it's more plain harassment. Because what business is it of a stranger's what you are doing? And they don't know the kind of day you may have been having or what has happened. So to impose a happy mood on someone else just because you are in one and think everyone else should be feeling the same way is incorrect.

When I said to that stranger who randomly told me to smile that someone had just died, he felt like a complete fool and was suddenly very apologetic.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Women go through it more than men. And it's indeed no one's business to tell anybody to smile.

I have taken the NYC Subways my whole life and the only time I see this phenomenon the players involved are women of varying ages trying to get where they are going and weirdo creeps who out of nowhere try to engage with these female passengers who are minding their own business and not bothering anyone else.

 

[MadVillainy]

I don't know if telling someone to smile is sexual harassment as such. Maybe it's more plain harassment. Because what business is it of a stranger's what you are doing? And they don't know the kind of day you may have been having or what has happened. So to impose a happy mood on someone else just because you are in one and think everyone else should be feeling the same way is incorrect.

When I said to that stranger who randomly told me to smile that someone had just died, he felt like a complete fool and was suddenly very apologetic.

I don't know if you're a women or not, but plenty women feel like it's sexual harassment. I think most due from my experience. And from what i can tell it mostly happens to women. It's happened to me, but none of my male friends. And I'm not a woman so I'm just gonna take their word for it and say what is or isn't sexual harassment to them.

 

[Heretic]

My girlfriend told me the other day that "you should smile more" is an insulting comment that men have made all of her professional life...as if her ability in an office job is boiled down to how pretty the men in the office think she is. It's apparently a common thing for women...a not so subtle way of belittling everything about them.

Given that this is the case, us guys should be a little more aware of it in the future. I bet a lot of guys aren't even intentionally being insulting when they say it, so it's a good thing to know.

 

[Web-Head]

This is what came to mind when I saw that scene

Brie Larson was told Captain Marvel should "smile more," so she posted photoshopped pics of male superheroes smiling

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't know if you're a women or not, but plenty women feel like it's sexual harassment. I think most due from my experience. And from what i can tell it mostly happens to women. It's happened to me, but none of my male friends. And I'm not a woman so I'm just gonna take their word for it and say what is or isn't sexual harassment to them.

My girlfriend told me the other day that "you should smile more" is an insulting comment that men have made all of her professional life...as if her ability in an office job is boiled down to how pretty the men in the office think she is. It's apparently a common thing for women...a not so subtle way of belittling everything about them.

Given that this is the case, us guys should be a little more aware of it in the future. I bet a lot of guys aren't even intentionally being insulting when they say it, so it's a good thing to know.

I'm a guy. I never tell anyone they should smile more regardless of their gender, because you never know what experiences a person has gone through in their life. I think saying that to someone, male or female, is just assuming too much about them, and assuming that maybe they are generally miserable people when they could be having a bad day. Or they could have had lots of pain and hardship in their life. Or any number of things.

For these above reasons, even as a guy, I would find it a bit insulting if someone said that to me, because people don't know what's going on with me. And I don't owe them anything either.

 

[MadVillainy]

It's not a bad message to send at all. It's actually a great message. But like a lot of the messages in this it's about as subtle and nuanced as using a flamethrower to light a candle

 

[davetbeau]

I would have preferred Fury had already lost his eye in the Cold War instead of how it really happened.

I didn't like Carol's friend piloting into space, briefly entering hand-to-hand combat with an alien and then getting into a Star Wars style starship battle after.

I didn't like Talos' scene beginning with him drinking a soda, afraid of the cat, his science guy and just the overall silliness behind everything.

I didn't like the inclusion of the tesseract.

I did like Carol's characterization and I found her likeable.

 

[Obi-Ron]

Was not a big fan of how they handled the Skrulls. Captain M working with them is just ridiculous

 

[Dark Raven]

I'm guessing that, since the Skrulls have turned out the way they are, that there's never likely to be a Skrull invasion of earth now? Or even the FF fighting Super Skrull? What reason would the Skrulls have to create one with the power of the FF if they're all just refugees wanting to get to safety and not really villains at all?

It seems that CM has followed the Agents of SHIELD formula and made the Kree almost entirely villainous.

 

[Heretic]

I'm a guy. I never tell anyone they should smile more regardless of their gender, because you never know what experiences a person has gone through in their life. I think saying that to someone, male or female, is just assuming too much about them, and assuming that maybe they are generally miserable people when they could be having a bad day. Or they could have had lots of pain and hardship in their life. Or any number of things.

For these above reasons, even as a guy, I would find it a bit insulting if someone said that to me, because people don't know what's going on with me. And I don't owe them anything either.

As a guy who has dealt with sometimes crippling depression for his entire life...I know that when people want you to ACT happier, they are generally doing it so that THEY wont be affected by your issue, not because they actually care about your happiness. So, yeah...it would bother me as well.

But the fact that it's traditionally been used as a chauvinistic weapon against women means that it took on extra meaning in the film.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

The facts are what the film says about the Skrulls applies to THIS group of refugees. We aren't given a full picture of the Kree/Skrull conflict. In fact Talos intimates he himself has done terrible things in the battles between the two races.

Just because these Skrulls are sympathetic doesn't mean that EVERY Skull is a hard luck case and we certainly don't get a picture of whatever leadership the Skrulls may or may not have.

Then there is the time jump from 1995 til today. Who is to say some event turns the Skrulls militant? Say they find a home but that world is destroyed by a certain purple planet eater? This sends their civilization into a tail spin that allows for religious extremists to come to power. Those militants read their sacred texts as implying Earth should be their new home... Boom. Secret invasion.

And this would be a lot more interesting than a simple tale of evil character the heroes must band against BECAUSE we know that the Skrulls are "people" and that the fight against them isn't merely one of absolute good vs absolute evil.

 

[Sony23]

Likes

Brie and SLJ's chemistry.
The action sequences.
Carol's sense of humor


Dislikes

The portrayal of the Skrulls and the refugee subplot. They should've been frightening and dangerous. Not played for laughs. Seeing Skrulls sitting around a dinner table was ridiculous. I wish they took inspiration from Aliens and have the Star-Force land on a Kree outpost and are attacked by Skrulls hiding as civilians.

Never getting to know more of Carol's history. They could've told us so much about her. Her family, career in the Air Force etc. Wasted opportunities.

Fury losing his eye to a cat. It's beyond stupid and really ruins Winter Soldier.

The wasted potential of the Kree/Skrull war. This could've been like t Star Wars Especially the 3rd act. It would've been awesome seeing Carol attacking an armada of Kree and/or Skrull ships. Ronan

 

[Dark Raven]

Although Marvel are bored of origin stories, I think this one could've really benefited with going a more linear route. They could've started off with Carol in the air force and a friend to Maria Rambeau. Then she befriends Lawson and gets her powers. Then she's kidnapped by Yon Rogg and becomes a Kree soldier etc. We would've seen more character growth and gotten to know her instead of these flashbacks with were rather bitty and didn't really reveal much about her at all.

I also think that she should've shown her heroism early on without powers, just like Steve Rogers did before he even gained the super soldier serum. It shouldn't be that she is only able to get back up when she's Captain Marvel, which is what it seemed to suggest. All those other flashbacks suggested she was still treated without respect and, although she had numerous tries at different times in her life, she still seemed to find herself down on the ground.

 

[Random490]

The smile thing is a sexist thing to do, I've heard women discuss it way before this movie was ever announced. I believe it coming up in conversations with Captain Marvel really started when someone edited the first trailer so she's smiling in every shot. According to reports that scene was always in the movie, so when the whole thing came up it was just confirmation that this happens. It's a subtle sexist thing so don't feel surprised you never heard it before. It goes back to the days of "you have to act this way or you'll never get a husband and spend the rest of your life as a spinster". It implies that unless you always "look pretty and pleasant, as a women always should," then there's something wrong with you.

Fury's eye to me is kind of like the Mandarin, while I would prefer a serious take I just found it so funny that I can't help but love it.

As for the origin of the name "Avengers" I think it works for why Fury was so adamant about having a reliable response team for great threats and his policies on how SHIELD handles enhanced individuals. However it ruins my head-canon that Hank Pym designed the Avengers Initiative as part of a Shield think-tank and that Janet was the one who came up with the name. This would reference them as founding members while keeping the origin of their name from the comics intact.

Also some missed opportunities: it would have been nice to see that Peggy Carter was the director of SHIELD at the time and maybe have Melinda May be the agent Coulson talks to about taking down Fury.

 

[samsnee]

I hate when people comment on how I look. I have a resting angry face, even if I'm not, so just move on.

 

[Willie Lumpkin]

Overall, I thought the film was very good and balanced and consistent with what I've come to expect from Marvel films.

I did have a thought as I was walking out though: "Will she be able to hang with the likes of Thor and Tony Stark - not physically, but personality wise?"

She had a somewhat generic personality, and I'm not sure how she'll work with those other characters. Good writing will likely be the key, but I'm curious to see if she can stand out in future films and not be upstaged by the others.

 

[P Supreme]

I bet average woman would love to be told to smile JUST KIDDING DON'T BAN ME LOL

My biggest gripe was the actions scenes were too dark and just not that good to be honest
Not enough of Coulson and Fury together although I love that Skrulls imitated Coulson and he was riding with fury that whole time very clever

HATED HOW FURY LOST THEY EYE just UHHHHHHHHHHHHH

would have like a linear origin as well but I get it the general public are tired of them