About the film (courtesy of Marvel Studios):
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.
The Marvels is the highly anticipated sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, and it does not disappoint, not totally… The film brings together three generations of Marvel heroes: Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). Together, they must face a powerful new threat that will test their powers and their relationships.
Larson is once again excellent as Carol Danvers, the cosmic-powered superhero who is still trying to find her place in the world. Parris is also great as Monica Rambeau, who is now an adult and a SWORD officer. Vellani is charming and charismatic as Kamala Khan, the teenage Ms. Marvel. If you weren’t aware, Ms. Marvel was a 2022 Disney+ exclusive that consists of six episodes of Kamala’s origin story.
The film’s chemistry between the three leads is one of its strengths. Larson, Parris, and Vellani have a natural rapport that makes their scenes together a joy to watch. The Marvels also features a strong supporting cast, including Zawe Ashton as the villain Dar-Benn, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, and Iman Vellani’s mother, Zenobia Khan (Mehwish Hayat).
It’s clear from its conception that Marvel Studios is looking to The Marvels in a much different direction that its traditional bell cows. This starts with selected the young talented Nia DaCosta to helm this project. The film is clearly attempting to further tap into a younger female demographic while also not excluding everyone else. The strategy could payoff big time or we could see another fast fall off into disinterest in the way that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023) experienced earlier this year.
The bottom line is this: The Marvels is more entertaining than the majority of what’s been offered up, on either the large or small screen, in 2023. The fact of the matter is that we may never again reach a quality consistency level that has not been realized since Phase Three. Films such as this one may be the new normal. And if so, we as fans can either accept it or ignore it. I’m trying, at least for the moment, to focus on the positives.
The Marvels provides its share of entertaining moments filled with action and comedy entangled within one another. So, the experience is not without merit in terms of cinematic entertainment. Many fans will appreciate the rather brisk 105 minute runtime that contains a somewhat decent story along with a few interesting plot points. Others will find this feature a bit too silly and lacking of true substance, direction or building blocks towards a larger future.
Don’t expect to be blown away, but don’t completely count this 33rd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe out. A new fanbase, with different tastes and perspectives could be right around the corner. If they decide to show up in numbers, this could become more of the norm. For the record, I do miss the earlier days of these films, but I’m not totally abandoning ship just yet.
The Marvels is in theaters everywhere Friday, November 10th with early showtimes on Thursday.
