As one of the ‘thousands’ who read this Blog every week, and especially to those who have read Books 1 and 2 of ‘The Ur Legend’, it should be obvious that I write about and admire strong women. In this Blog space I have written about Wonder Women and #MeToo, the women who competed in the Solheim Cup, one of the most riveting golf tournaments I’ve ever watched, Women in Sports Broadcasting, and posted the women’s historic Gold for the US in Nordic skiing, also known as Cross-country.
Growing up I was a comic book fan, during its Silver Age. True confession however, I was a DC comics guy (Batman topped the list, followed by the Flash). The only Marvel comic I read was the Fantastic Four. But the Silver Screen has introduced me to the adventures of Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor and now Captain Marvel. While I loved Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, this flic features a solo female hero, as in the movie Wonder Woman; and given my preference for strong female characters, I sprinted to the box office with my wife, Linda, to see the film. I was not disappointed.
Okay, so, first the critique. The plot was pretty standard fare, unlike Wonder Woman, and it appeared to be without a romantic angle; also a big plus in the Wonder Woman story. The historical context was well done, placed in mid-90s USA. The strip malls were perfect replicas! However, once again Wonder Woman would have to get a big nod; it was set during the First World War, which was both unusual and riveting.
Away from the comparisons, Captain Marvel held its own. In particular, the script was instructive for those of us who write our stories by putting pen to paper, as I do for first drafts, or who use a word processor. Character development proceeded at a good clip in Marvel and I especially liked the ‘transactional’ aspects. This is a common technique that is very useful to authors trying to move a story along. I feel that the transaction between Veers and Fury, once Fury has bought into her story, was brilliant dialogue. Fast paced and smart and it not only drove the plot but developed the relationship between the two main characters. I’d say the only aspect missing was the deep romantic angle we found in Wonder Woman. But, hey, maybe in the sequel?
The only other critical comment I’d make is that Marvel’s powers seemed to be limitless. Most of my DC comic heroes had a limitation. As almost everyone knows kryptonite was Superman’s weakness, Batman was, well, HUMAN and Green Lantern had to recharge his ring his ring every 24 hours. Vulnerabilities are useful in creating more complex plots. Again, But hey, Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel was a real pisser anyway!
Bottom line: Go see it!
