Here’s our review for “The Marvels,” the latest sequel starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani that lands in theaters on Friday…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Listen, everyone is entitled to their own opinion but there have been some wildly uninventive criticisms launched at “The Marvels” that will hopefully be dispelled in this review.
The fact of the matter is the Marvel Cinematic Universe — which technically includes all of the TV seasons airing on Disney+ — has fallen into a funk ever since Tony Stark snapped his fingers and blinked Thanos out of existence. Outside of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which was almost a perfect film and James Gunn’s Marvel swan song with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3,” the films and TV series carrying on the next phase of the MCU have felt somewhat bland with little cohesion in storytelling and it’s become clear that perhaps the creative forces running this juggernaut are starting to spread a little thin.
Maybe less really is more where Marvel is concerned because for all the billions the studio earned during a decade plus run leading up to “Avengers: Endgame,” there were very few certified stinkers released during that universe building phenomenon that DC and Warner Bros. so desperately wanted to copy.
Sadly, Marvel has endured more criticism over the past two years than the studio arguably ever faced during that Herculean effort to build to the one-two punch that capped everything off in a pair of “Avengers” movies. Attempts to build Jonathan Majors into the next major big bad have struggled mightily and that’s not even addressing the actor’s off camera legal troubles where he faces a trial for allegations of domestic violence.
Seemingly sure fire hit sequels like “Thor: Love and Thunder” landed with a dramatic thud and big budget new entries such as “The Eternals” fell flat with audiences.
Enter “The Marvels” — a sequel that comes purring into theaters on Friday without a whole lot of buzz because nobody involved has really been able to talk about it. The SAG-AFTRA strike ended on Thursday but that’s already far past the expiration date to wheel out stars like Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson to talk about the film so Marvel has to depend on a loyal yet frustrated fan base that’s growing less and less tolerant of substandard fare delivered by the studio recently.
There’s already been talk about how “The Marvels” will fail at the box office due to expectations for a lackluster opening weekend and a lot of the reviews have been less than kind. But as stated at the start, it feels like many of the opinions about this movie have been based on an overall disdain for the recent direction at Marvel rather than judging this film on its own merits.
Because I’m here to tell you, “The Marvels” was an absolute blast — fun and simultaneously funny, action-packed and a lean delivery at under two hours in run time. The original “Captain Marvel” was an enjoyable trip back through time but admittedly, Brie Larson’s return in “Endgame” fell a little flat for what was supposed to be a spectacular introduction.
Thankfully, “The Marvels” rights the ship again with Larson proving yet again that she might be the person best suited to lead this next phase of the MCU and this time Carol Danvers has an old friend and her biggest fan joining to make this a truly enjoyable romp.
With that said, let’s get to our full review for “The Marvels”…
PLOT
Let’s get this out of the way right at the start — if you haven’t seen “Ms. Marvel” on Disney+, this movie is probably going to be a little confusing but the good news is, you should absolutely binge that series because it’s also one of the best things Marvel has done lately.
That said, at the end of “Ms. Marvel,” our new hero Kamala Khan uses her powers but then suddenly switches places with her idol — the real Captain Marvel — and it really doesn’t make much sense. That’s where we pick up with “The Marvels” as Carol Danvers, Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau — a character built on “WandaVision” — suddenly start zapping into each other’s place whenever they activate their various light-based powers.
What they don’t know at the time is that a Kree warrior named Dar-Benn has found a powerful weapon that she hopes to use to reignite her dying home planet that was left in ruins after Captain Marvel sought vengeance on her former captors, who wiped her memory while transforming her into their ultimate weapon.
When Captain Marvel goes to investigate a mysterious wormhole tied to Dar-Benn’s deadly mission, she’s soon reunited with her wayward niece and a super-fan who desperately wants the three of them to form a team together. Toss in Nick Fury as the coach on the sideline trying to get this trio on the same page because it’s going to take all of them to stop Dar-Benn from destroying multiple worlds in an attempt to save her own.
ACTING, DIRECTING AND SCRIPT
Let’s start with the direction because Nia DaCosta — best known as the director behind the recent “Candyman” reboot — was an inspired choice to lead this film. She’s a bright, talented filmmaker who has quietly been carving out an impressive career but “The Marvels” will be her biggest undertaking to date.
Now you could say that Marvel films are largely color-by-number in terms of presentation because The Godfather Kevin Feige always has final say in what does or doesn’t happen with these movies. That said, DaCosta doesn’t necessarily push new boundaries within the Marvel structure but she definitely puts her own signature touches on this film, especially with the carved down runtime where she’s cut out any excess and only left the best parts behind.
As far as the performances go, the conversation must begin with Iman Vellani — the unknown actress whose first onscreen role was starring in “Ms. Marvel.” She was not only an inspired choice but probably the best piece of casting from Marvel since Tom Holland strapped on a pair of tights and started playing Peter Parker.
Vellani’s infectious enthusiasm as Kamala Khan made “Ms. Marvel” one of the best Marvel TV series to date. Her bubbly personality shines through in every single scene but she’s also more than capable of pulling off more emotional beats that really require range from an actor.
She may not have been first on the call sheet in this movie but make no mistake, Vellani is the star of “The Marvels.”
Now make no mistake, Larson still does a lot of heavy lifting in this film — she just doesn’t have to carry the entire story because she has some great support this time around. Larson exudes a powerful presence as Carol Danvers and she’s really settled into that role after a few appearances across the MCU. As previously stated, if Marvel needs a new leader for The Avengers in a Tony Stark-Steve Roger-less world, Carol Danvers gets my vote.
Teyonah Parris also picks right up where she left off as Monica Rambeau and it’s safe to say by the end of this film, she’s going to have a major role in the next phase of the MCU.
Oh and let’s not forget Samuel L. Jackson, who makes every film better with his performance. More Nick Fury is always welcome. Plus we also welcome back Kamala Khan’s family into this film and they all manage to make this movie even better.
When it comes to the script — written by DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik and Zeb Wells — they aren’t reinventing the wheel but it’s a compact story that builds towards a proper conclusion. The stakes do feel kind of low by the time this movie comes and goes but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — Marvel has sometimes fallen into a trap to make a lot of these films feel much bigger than they need to be.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE MOVIE?
If there’s one area that continues to be a struggle for Marvel, it’s making a compelling villain.
Go back through all of the films and TV series that Marvel has produced since 2008 and you can probably count on one hand all of the truly memorable bad guys that have opposed the heroes from the MCU. To make matters worse, many of the forgettable villains in Marvel history have either been cartoonish buffoons or sometimes fueled by a purpose that almost transforms them into a sympathetic character.
When it comes to “The Marvels,” Zawe Ashton’s Dar-Benn barely registers a blip as far as compelling villains that have rattled the MCU. She has a real purpose as far as the plot goes but Dar-Benn largely fades to the background when opposed by far more powerful figures like Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau.
Like so many films before it, “The Marvels” was great but without a worthy adversary.
It must also be stated that the overarching story at the heart of this movie feels like somewhat standard comic book fare but give me that every day of the week over convoluted narratives like what’s unfolded in some other Marvel movies. “The Marvels” keeps it simple and sometimes simple just works better.
FINAL VERDICT
“The Marvels” really does work at every level from story to performances and while the stakes are low, the under two-hour run time reminds you that not every single Marvel movie needs to be an epic undertaking. Iman Vellani deserves every bit of praise for her performance and here’s hoping these three find a way to team up again in the future.
“The Marvels” gets 4 out of 5 on the Skolnick Scale.
