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Captain Marvel (Blu-ray Edition) Review
Loading...The Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked off this year with Captain Marvel, which served to set the stage for the Marvel Studios superhero extravaganza that was Avengers: Endgame. The Marvel Studios feature, led by Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, started things off on a high note for 2019. The film is now hitting home video, and here’s what’s in store for fans of the MCU.
The Movie: In my original review for the film from earlier this year, I thought Captain Marvel was not my favorite Marvel Studios film. It’s not what I would call a great film, but it is a decent overall movie. It’s a good introduction for the character and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
More than anything, I was a little underwhelmed with a few choices made for the film’s depictions, specifically in the form of the Skrulls, the Supreme Intelligence and Mar-Vell. All are present here and formally introduced to the MCU. Now, the Skrulls getting changed is understandable. Considering this is a period piece, it would be highly problematic for the villainous Skrulls to show up at this point on Earth.
What I do like about Captain Marvel is setting the film in 1990s. It gives the film a nice, little style that makes it more unique from other Marvel films, and enables Carol Danvers to have a fun partnership with a younger Nick Fury, still played by Samuel L. Jackson. The youth visual FX making a 70-year-old Samuel L. Jackson look 25 years younger are quite impressive here. Clark Gregg is also back on the big screen as Phil Coulson. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot to do here.
The film’s major plot twist and the actuality of the villains makes sense and works for the story. However, another major misstep is the under-utilization of Ronan the Accuser, featuring Lee Pace reprising the role from Guardians of the Galaxy. Ronan the Accuser would’ve been a much more natural fit as the major villain for the film. It also would’ve been a chance to flesh out the character a bit more.
Blu-Ray Info: The Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy multi-screen edition release for Captain Marvel is a single-disc release including the film and all the extras. It’s packaged in a standard Blu-ray clamshell case with translucent blue plastic. There’s a slip cover for the Blu-ray case. Besides the Blu-ray disc, there’s also an insert with a download code for the digital HD version of the film.
Video Info: The standard Blu-ray version for Captain Marvel is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen with a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Overall, I think the Blu-ray transfer looks exceptional. Everything looks, clear, crisp and pristine. I like the movie’s color palette. Nothing looks too overly tinted or murky. Everything looks sharps and visible in the movie, which is appreciated.
Audio Info: The original English language track is presented in 7.1 DTS-HDMA. There are also optional Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital language tracks with optional subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. There’s also a 2.0 descriptive audio track for the visually impaired. The film’s soundtrack and Blu-ray transfer sounds crisp and clear. Since the film is set in the 1990s, it has a very nostalgic, 1990s soundtrack with famous pop songs from that era. The sound effects and music all come across nicely on Blu-ray.
Special Features: As a single-disc release, Captain Marvel doesn’t have a ton of special features or Blu-ray extras. However, there’s a decent amount here to keep Marvel fans to enjoy, including the deleted scenes, audio commentary and a little more. Here’s the main extras:
Audio Commentary: There’s a feature-length audio commentary with co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Overall, it’s a good commentary track that provides some nice insight on the production of the film. I especially appreciated the anecdotes on Stan Lee who passed away before the film’s release and is given an amazing tribute in the film’s opening Marvel Studios logo. There’s also a nice look at the film’s youth visual effects for Jackson and Gregg. They really did a great job with those visuals. Sometimes those types of visuals can be hit and miss, but the company who did the work here did a great job.
Deleted Scenes: There’s about eight minutes and 47 seconds worth of deleted scenes on the disc. There’s nothing that’s very earth-shattering in terms of removal. Some of what’s been taken out are just some additional lines or scene extensions. There is one good, interesting scene where Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) converses with the Supreme Intelligence, who looks like himself. Unfortunately, we never get a look at the Supreme Intelligence’s true form, which is a bit of a copout. That should’ve been a credits reveal. There’s a bit more of Talos that clarifies he knocked out and tied up Fury’s boss at SHIELD, Keller, also played by Ben Mendelsohn. Regardless, the movie didn’t really lose a whole lot by deleting all this footage.
Featurettes: There’s also a number of short featurettes that can be viewed individually or together as one full 23-minute feature. Now, for some constructive criticism. Most of the featurettes are rather short and could’ve gone a little bit more in-depth into the production of the film.
Becoming a Hero: There’s a six-minute-plus look at Brie Larson joining the MCU as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel.
Big Hero Moment: This is a three-and-a-half minute featurette looking at the history of the Carol Danvers character.
The Origin of Nick Fury: This is another three-and-a-half minute short featurette on the backstory of Nick Fury, which is showcased in the film.
The Dream Team: This is a look at co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, but it runs less than three minutes. Again, a lot of the featurettes are very short, and I think they could’ve offered a little bit more meat.
The Skrulls and the Kree: This is a three-and-a-half minute look at the alien races of the Skrulls and the Kree that feature a large amount of focus for this film. Captain Marvel did offer a much greater look at Kree society than the MCU has ever really shown before.
Hiss-sterical Cat-titude: This is a look at the Goose character for the film and runs a little over three minutes. I can generally take or leave Goose in the film. I think it was fine to include Goose, but I wasn’t super crazy about his plot twist involving a major part of Nick Fury’s backstory.
Gag Reel: Finally, we have a two-minute gag reel feature showing some humorous outtakes for the film.
