The ‘Captain Marvel’ Review on Rotten Tomatoes Is a Sign of Unjust Times

Is this really what the world has come to? In case you haven’t heard, the Captain Marvel review on Rotten Tomatoes isn’t too good. The latest score it has received on their “want to see it” tracker is hovering around 50%. This is a far cry from the usual 90% or more that Marvel movies are known for. 

Fans all over the world are sticking it to the movie (specifically Brie Larson) after a series of comments that were made by the actor were seen as more than what they are. While doing an interview, Larson remarked that the critics who typically review her movies tend to be white males. She went on to say that she aims to make her press days more inclusive.

“About a year ago, I started paying attention to what my press days looked like and the critics reviewing movies, and noticed it appeared to be overwhelmingly white male,” Larson says. “So, I spoke to Dr. Stacy Smith at the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, who put together a study to confirm that. Moving forward, I decided to make sure my press days were more inclusive.”

And then…

“I don’t need a 40-year-old white dude to tell me what didn’t work about A Wrinkle in Time. It wasn’t made for him! I want to know what it meant to women of color, biracial women, to teen women of color.”

Basically, she noticed that most critics of her movies were of the majority and wanted to see that minorities had a say too. I say good on her. As a world that needs diversity, good on her. 

Apparently, seeking diversity is a crime. Some people on the review website have gone out of their way to slam Larson for speaking out….

• “I somehow feel that Skull [sic] are not the enemy, but that I am, since Brie Larsen has been careful to state she doesn’t want the Press Tour to include types like me.”
• “Terrible movie hate it already!!!!!!”
• “Brie Larson has already said that this movie isn’t for me. I’ll spend my money elsewhere”

…and it’s just ridiculous.

Just plain stupid

Look, there’s freedom of speech with no merit behind what you’re saying and then there’s the opposite. I can’t say for certain, because I don’t actually know Brie Larson, but I suspect that she is not stupid and can count how many of each gender and race review her movies. If she’s sees a discrepancy, I have to believe that it’s factual. Therefore, asking for the same basic principals that our society was built upon is not unreasonable…nor does it mean that she should be condemned for it.

No matter what happens with the Captain Marvel review on Rotten Tomatoes, at the end of the day the movie will probably do just fine and this unfortunate series of events will be brushed under the rug. It’s just shitty that people still have the desire to blow things out of proportion and become offended by the most unoffending things. 

Cheers,

Joel

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