When you think about Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “Captain Marvel,” which tells the story of an intergalactic freedom fighter and member of the Kree warrior race that has to save Earth from an invasion from the evil alien race of Skrulls, you probably wouldn’t immediately think of “RoboCop” as an apt cinematic comparison. However, according to co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the ‘80s classic action satire served as one of the biggest inspirations for the upcoming superhero flick.
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Speakng to Collider, Boden and Fleck detailed some of the films that served as an inspiration for their Marvel Studios film. Previously, we’ve heard directors of superhero films compare their work to classic films, but we’re hard-pressed to find similarities between the PG-13, four-quadrant “Captain Marvel” and the ultra R-rated violent thriller “Robocop.”
Allow Boden to explain:
“There will be humor. It is not a dark movie in that way like ‘RoboCop.’ I think that what is exciting to us about ‘RoboCop’ was this idea of a character who’s finding himself and finding his past, and even though it’s a dark movie, it’s also like extremely emotional in that way. If you remember that scene of him walking into his own home, you know? And remembering those moments from his past life and remembering who he was, I mean, that’s big. And that was one of the first things that we talked to Marvel about in terms of this character, was the idea that self discovery and reconnecting and rediscovering your humanity and who you were and it’s a huge part of this film.”
Co-director Fleck also details some of the other films that don’t necessarily serve as inspiration in the larger sense but are getting homages in “Captain Marvel.” “There’s some ‘Terminator 2’ in there, ‘French Connection’ is not so 90s but there’s a big homage to ‘French Connection’ in here,” says the director.
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Boden interjects, “There certainly is. We even slipped a little ‘Conversation’ into this movie.”
Fleck continues, “Yes, not an action film but you have to look for it. There are little moments, homages to shots from our favorite movies.”
We’re just hoping this means that Brie Larson will drive a truck through a melting Ben Mendelsohn in the film. Or maybe Jude Law gets his arms blown off by photon blasts by some terrible people? Eh, probably not.
But you better believe we’ll be looking for “RoboCop” homages when “Captain Marvel” arrives in theaters on March 8.