The MCU is going back to the 1990s for Captain Marvel, which is both inspired by and set to operate like a '90s action movie. The 1990s-set film will no doubt evoke that great decade through its soundtrack to really place audiences in that time period. Carol Danvers herself, Brie Larson, got in a '90s state of mind while filming Captain Marvel by listening to some bands from that era, as she explained:
I was listening to a lot of riot grrrl making it, that was kind of my pump up music, in particular during the fight sequences. Listened to a lot of L7 and Bikini Kill in particular.
You might have expected Brie Larson to say Nine Inch Nails based her character is wearing the band's t-shirt in the Captain Marvel trailers, but her cuts are much deeper than that. As she told CinemaBlend’s own Sarah El-Mahmoud, Brie Larson was listening to riot grrrl a lot during filming. Riot grrrl isn’t a band, but a genre born out of indie rock, with a punk sound and a feminist message.
Specifically, Brie Larson listened to L7, which were a punk and grunge band from that era. L7 is considered part of riot grrrl, although they weren’t as overtly political as some bands of that movement. Bikini Kill, on the other hand, is considered to be one of the trailblazers of the riot grrrl movement, punk rockers known for fiery performances and feminist lyrics. Bikini Kill first came on the scene from 1990 to 1997, but just reunited for a tour this year.
These punk rock bands with a girl power message seem like an ideal soundtrack for the actress to get in front of the camera and star in the MCU’s first female-led film as one of the universe’s most powerful characters.
It’s also fun to think of how Brie Larson was listening to music to get her pumped up before filming a fight scene, just as an athlete would before a game or a fighter prior to stepping in the ring. Rocking out to music that pumps her up to get ready for a fight just seems so on brand for the ultra-competitive Carol Danvers as a character.
While I don’t think we’ve heard any of the bands from Brie Larson’s playlist in the Captain Marvel trailers yet, some of the TV spots have definitely had a '90s flair with songs like “Celebrity Skin” by Hole and “Ready to Go” by Republica. We’ll have to wait to hear the whole soundtrack, but Brie Larson also told Sarah that she thought they did a good a good job with it.
You can check out Sarah talking to Brie Larson in the video below.
Captain Marvel has screened and the early reactions are very positive. The film is killing it with pre-sales and is on track for a big opening weekend.
Captain Marvel opens in theaters on March 8. Check out our 2019 release schedule to keep track of all the biggest movies coming this year.
