Image via LA Film School
So over the break I finally saw Captain Marvel. I have been waiting for this movie ever since I heard about it (I’m pretty sure this was during the days when I used Tumblr–which has sat unused for a couple years now). When I learned that this would be the first female-centric Marvel movie, I was estatic. When its release date was pushed back because of other Marvel movies, I resented the fact that another Spiderman movie was going to be released (really, a third?). I dreamed of the day that I would be a college freshman and I could go see the movie. I wondered what it would be like to be independent and go see the movie with my friends.
Well, the movie finally came out. I stayed home for spring break and I dragged my parents to go see it with me. Spoiler alert: I cried. This movie was so important to me. I did not expect to cry, but I realized how incredible it was to see a women in such a powerful role. The issues that women deal with on an everyday basis were wove so amazingly into the storyline of the movie. Just because Captain Marvel is a superhero does not mean that she does not deal with mundane issues that women today also deal with. She was constantly criticized for being emotional, but it made her more of a relatable character.
SEMI SPOILER ALERT!!! (This doesn’t completely spoil anything important, but don’t read if you don’t want to know anything about the movie before seeing it).
The montage in which Carol is constantly knocked down and then gets back up is the specific scene that made me cry. People, especially women, are often told they cannot do something. Sometimes we make mistakes. But it matters that we get back up. Carol realized that she has more power in herself than she realized. In the end, she realizes that she doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone. She rejects the patronizing attitude that she has been treated with. And to me, that is such an important message to teach.
(Spoiler Alert Over)
Beyond that, the song choices were amazing (“Just a Girl” was PERFECT) and the humor was perfectly light-hearted. I fell in love with Goose. This movie reignited in me a love for superhero movies, but I cannot believe it took this long to make this movie. Captain Marvel is so important to me because it is a representation of what I can be. It has female friendship (which Marvel movies also tend to lack). It has women in central roles (Even behind the scenes, as this was the first Marvel movie to have a women in the Director role). It teaches that women can make mistakes and it does not make them have any less worth. It teaches that women can be powerful and important. Even though I knew all of these things, I lost it in the theater to see it all play out in front of me.
Needless to say, please go see Captain Marvel if you have not already. It just might make you cry.