‘Captain Marvel’ offers a much-needed female role model (Review)
Brie Larson brings the character of Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel, to life on the big screen. Despite controversy over gender roles, the film provides a strong character for both male and female viewers.
Despite the fact that the movie Captain Marvel dominated box offices, raking in over $700 million in about a week (according to Box Office Mojo) and an 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, many are bashing the film for having a female lead.
Captain Marvel stars Brie Larson, who plays superhero Carol Danvers. Danvers appears in the Marvel Comics, but this is her debut movie. The overall plot encompassed the superhero caught amongst a galactic war in the 1990’s. Along the way, she struggles to remember her true identity on Earth years ago.
In one scene, in particular, Danvers has a powerful fight scene on a moving train, showing the depth of both her character and Larson’s acting skills. It had the audience gasping and gripping their seats. The movie was action-packed, and adding a woman role added even more depth to the movie.
However, some critics disagreed with this. The hatred towards Captain Marvel’s female lead got so bad that Rotten Tomatoes shut down their comments section for the movie after “trolls hijack[ed] the conversation” leaving a “vicious cycle of comments,” according to an article by The Washington Post.
It’s a shame that instead of critiquing and using these sites for good, people feel the need to attack subjects like gender that have no bearing over the movie. Larson is a great actress that has acted in movies such as Trainwreck, 13 Going on 30, and 21 Jump Street. Her credentials and passion are there, and trolls seem to disregard this completely.
Many of the comments, that have since been deleted, bashed Larson’s role in the film.
One comment on the milder side of the hate said, “As a white male (you know the bad gender) I will pass.”
Another comment said, “Not interested in supporting Brie Larson’s agenda.”
After reading several of these remarks, I found that the majority of the backlash came from people that have yet to see the film. This makes it appear that it’s not really the film that has them fired up; they just are seeking a reaction.
It is astonishing to me that in this day and age, it is still difficult for some to see past women playing a major role in society. Larson played a strong female role in the movie and should be applauded. It is important that comments like these don’t hold you back from pursuing your dreams, and instead let them push you to prove yourself.
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Parker Shabala is a freshman at Carlisle Area High School and this is her first year of Periscope. She is a section staff writer this year. At CHS, she...
Lanie Lissner • May 22, 2019 at 8:14 pm
I enjoyed this article because it did not have a tone that showed a real gender bias. It talked about what people have said on other sites about the movie.I also enjoyed how it talked about Larson’s career and success because of her acting not her gender.