Review Detail

An excellent edit of Captain Marvel that streamlines the movie tonally. This edit removes any references to sexism that Carol Danvers faces, and tones down some of her meaner moments. While I think there is a really interesting story that Marvel could have told about Carol coming to terms with being from a planet that treats her gender poorly, the sexism is never actually addressed as part of the story and just ends up feeling tacked on. Removing it helps bring the focus back to Carol and her quest for her memories. Same with the underlying girl power motif. This could have been fun if Disney had leaned into it, but instead it's random appearances feel out of place in a movie that is clearly about something else.

The editor made a couple other fantastic changes. Flashbacks are now desaturated. This distinct visual look actually helped make the flashback sequences play better giving them a more mysterious quality. I was surprised by just how effective this trick was.

The other massive change is to the opening structure of the movie. Jude Law is given a new introduction, and most of the Kree home world scenes have been played with. This is the first time I believed Carol was an accepted part of that world, and I found myself more engaged with the movie than I ever have been before. It is a huge improvement in every way, making her relationship with Jude Law much more engaging.

Unfortunately, the second half of the movie still suffers from some script problems that are outside of the editor's control. Carol still has a limited emotional arc, and surprisingly cares very little that for her old friends the Kree or that they lied. There is a lovely change to Carol reconnecting with her memories that the editor added. Using some of the flashback footage we can see Carol start to connect with her memories far better than in the theatrical version. I really liked this change, and actually thought the editor could have pushed it a little further. It goes a long way towards fixing an area of the movie that really lacks character development. Unfortunately, what the back half of the film needs is additional footage that simply doesn't exist. But the editor did a fantastic job with limited resources here.

All that said, this is far superior to the theatrical version. The edits are smooth and unnoticeable. There were one or two moments where I thought the dialogue was a bit loud, but otherwise this was a very sound edit from a technical perspective.

If you want some Captain Marvel in your life, this is the version to watch.