Captain Marvel

When talking about a new Marvel film, how exactly are we supposed to refer to it? If history has taught us anything, only a handful of these projects are indicative of the people making them. Directors, writers, actors, and cinematographers - the Marvel Studios machine tends to subdue personality in return for action and incidents that appeal to their core audience: Comic book fans. Kevin Feige has even gone on record saying that many of the films' biggest action sequences are already pre-designed, and just need someone with the know-how to capture them.

With that said, where do we assign praise or criticism when so much of the MCU is assembled by a boardroom that has done tireless market research and knows exactly how to ignite the box office?

"Captain Marvel," while it may be no exception to the rule, has a different set of problems weighing down on it. It's the first Marvel film made about a female superhero, and with our current political climate being what it is, the Brie Larson-starrer wants to appeal to those seeking female empowerment from their female-led actioners. But within the Marvel framework, that earnestness gets more than a bit watered down.

The most interesting parts of "Captain Marvel," especially when it comes to developing a strong female character, lives on the margins. Telling the story of Carol Danvers in brief flashbacks doesn't do much to develop her character or finding anything unique in her femininity. Yet, the hits keep coming and the triumphs are played as such. Droves of young women now have a film they can cite in the development of their own femininity. When that particular brand of feminism is designed by a company that didn't bother with a female-led superhero movie until after 20 movies, can we really trust that it's coming from a place of understanding and desire to be more diverse? I can't really say, but I can say that if "Captain Marvel" were to inspire young women to use their own power to change the society around them, then who really cares?

By now, you probably already know the story of Carol Danvers (Larson). She was a US Air Force pilot that gained superpowers after an otherworldly power source exploded, changing her DNA and wiping her memories. With the aid of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Danvers discovers who she actually is and is thrust in the middle of an intergalactic war only she has the power to stop.

Back to the Auteur Theory as it applies to "Captain Marvel": When the action isn't barreling toward a conclusion that fits the giant MCU narrative framework, it can sometimes be funny and touching. Danvers' relationships with the people she used to know are broken, and she struggles to repair them because she can't come to grips with who she originally was. Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck find interest in the smaller-stage scenes in the film, and that's where the drama excels. Once the action picks up again, though, it feels like a manifest destiny that the film must subscribe to or it can't exist at all. There's a thought-provoking drama about coming of age in a world that makes it twice as hard for a woman to succeed emotionally, physically and financially, but it gets sunk by a whole bunch of tedium.

The 4K UHD upgrade to the visuals, which were finished at 2K anyway, is most noticeable in the sharpening of dimly-lit sequences. There isn't a huge improvement over the way you probably saw the film in theaters, but there's more than enough done to the textures and colors here that should warrant a purchase. And if you're an audiophile, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is one to die for. The bass levels are what you'd expect from a Marvel project, but everything comes off clear and precise even when the action almost becomes incomprehensible. This is the superior home release of "Captain Marvel," and should be treated as such.

There's plenty of special features on the regular Blu-ray for "Captain Marvel" fans, even though they are brief. In particular, "Hiss-Sterical Cat-Titude" is a cute featurette about Goose, the feline star of the film. The rest of the featurettes are kind of bland and don't do much to make us understand the film or its production. (Although, it was a bit fun to see Larson train with the
U.S. Air Force to understand her role better.) Other special features include:

� Intro with Writers/Directors Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
� "Becoming a Super Hero"
� "Big Hero Moment"
� "The Origin of Nick Fury"
� "The Dream Team"
� "The Skrulls and the Kree"
� Deleted Scenes
� Gag Reel
� Audio Commentary with Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck

"Captain Marvel"
4K Blu-ray, Blu-ray and Digital Copy
$39.99
https://movies.disney.com/captain-marvel