Captain Marvel: Where's the Love:

[MCP]

This is one of the rare FanFixes that not only improves the original film, but turns it from something I rather grudgingly watched into something I really enjoy. With calculated trims and insertion of some excellent deleted scenes, the movie is made far more consistent, and Carol is turned into a more likeable, admirable, and heroic character. Most importantly, she isn't strong because she's fed up with men telling her what to do, she's strong because she finds connection with people, and she stands up against those who would try to divide us against each other. My feelings about the film overall and its original vibe are written in more detail here: https://boxd.it/1WMyMz I will try to only speak in MINOR SPOILERS here when I describe the film's changes. Firstly, early on we get a scene with Carol and Yon-Rog talking with and training some Kree kids. (All these deleted scenes are now in HD btw, virtually indistinguishable from the theatrical cut.) It helps to flesh out the society and allows Brie Larson to show some more personality in a friendly, relaxed situation. There's also an extended cut of their conversation after training where she jokes that when Yon-Rog visits the Supreme Intelligence, it probably takes the form of himself. And after this, there's a brief deleted scene with Carol and the Starforce joking around before their mission a bit. And there are many small trims to lines here and there where Carol seemed arrogant or looking-for-a-fight. The net effect is that early in the film, we have a better chance to bond with our heroine, and she shows more of these emotions that Yon-Rog is always telling her to control. Whereas before, she hardly showed any emotion at all! On the Skrull ship, Earth, and thereafter, there are many small trims to moments that seemed incongruous or just made Carol come off poorly. She doesn't scream at a Skrull, doesn't confront a comicly-misogynistic biker, doesn't get interrupted by the operator when rigging up an interstellar communication device with Radio Shack parts and a payphone. Her interactions with Fury are improved too, becoming less antagonistic and arrogant. And flashback scenes are added when she visits Maria, so that we start feeling she's missing that sense of connection, of her friends and family. And Goose! I have to admit, on this recent rewatch, this brief bit of fanediting fully got me feeling the feels. Speaking of Goose, his little scratch is just that, and a bit of movie magic prevents it from affecting Fury too much. The big ship fight is now accompanied with "Violet" by Hole rather than the very on-the-nose "I'm Just a Girl" by No Doubt. The deleted scene where Yon-Rog visits the Supreme Intelligence is reinstated, and it pays off that discussion from the beginning of the film. And then when Carol needs to stand up and fight back at the end, it's not to a montage of men putting her down, it's to a montage of all the human connections she built that the Kree wiped from her and took away from her. She reclaims her feelings in a positive way rather than the cynical, damaged p.o.v. of the theatrical release. The end result is a real triumph. It reveals that there's lots of good acting in this movie, from Larson in particular, and there's a great story here, too. I have to blame the vison and directing of Fleck and Boden for this one. With some better editing and scene choices, (as well as different color grading and audio in parts of the film), Larson lives up to her heroic name here, and the film becomes worthy of being Marvel's first heroine. One of my favorite FanFixes on the site, and highly recommended for those who had an issue with the original tone, or just anyone looking for a great sci-fi flick!

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