'Captain Marvel' Scene Breakdown Reveals Brie Larson Could Have Punched A Kid Instead Of An Old Woman
Want to know how directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck staged the big train scene in Captain Marvel? Well then it's your lucky day, because there's a video devoted to that very thing! In the Captain Marvel scene breakdown below, Boden and Fleck walk you through the scene in question, revealing influences, behind-the-scenes info, and more. Check it out.
Captain Marvel Scene Breakdown
Want to know the origin of the Captain Marvel train scene? The one where Captain Marvel punches the hell out of an old lady? It turns out the directing duo were inspired by William Friedkin's The French Connection. Specifically the scene where Gene Hackman is chasing after someone. The French Connection sequence is much grittier, of course, but it's a fun bit of trivia.
The old lady punching scene was in the very first trailer for Captain Marvel, and instantly caught everyone's attention. It's not really an old lady – it's actually a shape-shifting Skrull in disguise. In the above clip, Boden and Fleck reveal that they originally thought of having the Skrull disguised as a kid, because it might be funny to watch Captain Marvel get into a fight with a child. They eventually changed it to a grandmotherly old woman, and the rest is history. Sorry, people who really wanted to watch Brie Larson punch a child.
The directors also are nice enough to point out what some might be a continuity error – one I admit I didn't catch. Midway through the scene, Boden and Fleck point out that they were unable to get an extra to return for one specific shot. To rectify this, they had someone else – the film's stunt coordinator – dress up like the extra and take his place. The scene goes by so fast in theaters you probably won't notice it, but when the video is slowed-down and paused here, it's highly noticeable. Movies!
Vanity Fair has a whole slew of these scene breakdown videos, from different directors, on their channel. I recommend combing through the archives, because there's some informative stuff in there.