The Marvels Review: "Overburdened by MCU homework"
by Ken Jones, Chief Film Critic
2019’s Captain Marvel was the first time in many, many years that fans of the MCU were ambivalent about an MCU release. Granted, the toxic fandom of a certain corner of sexist, comic book fanboy trolls played an outsized role in that, but it was a harbinger of things to come, with the post-Endgame MCU becoming more muddled and uneven. As the sequel to one of the most divisive MCU films, The Marvels is unlikely to right the ship for Marvel Studios, but it is not a lost cause.
While this is a sequel to Captain Marvel, with Brie Larson returning in the role of Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, it is also a continuation of the stories of Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), from the Disney+ shows Ms. Marvel and WandaVision, respectively. All three women have gained varying kinds of power to manipulate light. Their powers become entangled and whenever one of them uses their powers, they swap places by teleportation. They need to work together to stop the villain of the film, a Kree warrior named Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), who is tearing open jump points in space to syphon planetary resources to resupply her home world.
In addition to the Disney+ shows Ms. Marvel and WandaVision, Secret Invasion is also a helpful resource as Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and the Skrulls are also involved in the storyline. Secret Invasion isn’t as key to understanding things as the other two are, but it is still another touchstone that does inform some of this film. This is the problem now with the MCU; on the one hand, The Marvels is the shortest movie in the MCU, clocking in at lean 1hr 45min, but there is so much that relies on having an understanding of not just Captain Marvel but also two to three Disney+ series to varying degrees.
Is it possible that someone could enjoy this film without having a working knowledge of the backstories of Kamala and Monica? Possibly, but there’s bound to be questions when Monica explains to Carol that she got her powers from a witch’s hex. Or that Kamala’s bangle, which is actually a Quantum Band, was given to her by her grandmother. This stuff is going to feel like too big a mountain for some people to ever bother undertaking. It is nearly impossible to separate it out from the greater MCU, which means it requires a significant amount of homework to have it all make sense.
For those fully invested in the MCU or those who may be okay with missing some context, there are aspects to recommend this film. The three leads in Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris are an enjoyable trio. They do make a good team. There is a shared history between Carol and Monica, as Monica’s mom was Carol’s best friend in Captain Marvel. “Aunt” Carol’s absence had an impact on Monica, as did The Blip. Carol has some trauma in her past, trying to recover lost memories, and the events of the film are unintended consequences to some of her previous actions.
The one who brings the best dynamic to the group and the movie overall, though, is Kamala. I was a big fan of Iman Vellani’s performance in the Ms. Marvel series and she continues to bring the charm here. As a big Captain Marvel fangirl, she acts as one might expect a teenager to act when they meet their idol. Her “this is so cool” enthusiasm generates the most laughs and enjoyment to be found in the film. Like a positive teammate in sports, her energy is infectious.
The best moments of the film are the interactions between these three characters, learning to become a team, learning to work around their entanglement, but also how they support each other. At one point, Monica unloads what she has been keeping inside about her mother, Carol, and everything, and when she is done, Kamala goes in for a hug, eventually leading to a group hug. There are small little scenes of affirmation like this scattered through out the film; it may be overly simplistic to say that they are a feminine touch, but it is a different camaraderie than you would find between Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor, which it is refreshing.
After being Carol’s sidekick in Captain America, Nick Fury is relegated to more of a supporting role this time, staying mainly at the S.A.B.E.R. space station orbiting Earth, and watching out for Kamala’s family. The cat-like Flerken named Goose is back, and the film uses the Flerkens in a manner that is a twist on a classic Star Trek episode. Also, theater fans will appreciate an extended nod to Cats.
When the film focuses on the three Marvels, the film is at its strongest. In a lot of other areas, it is lacking. Dar-Benn is an entirely forgettable villain; I forgot her name well before the end. She carries a similar hammer, but it is unclear if she is Ronan the Accuser’s successor or just a similar being. The plot is more than a little disjointed, both in the editing and the plot. I would need to watch it again, but at one point, during the first encounter between the three Marvels and Dar-Benn, a door opens that I didn’t think was there before.
Were it not for all of the MCU bloat loaded on top of everything, one could make the case that The Marvels is more or less a breezy and enjoyable mindless action flick, and there is nothing wrong with that. The good parts are good, but the fatigue and feeling of prerequisite homework with previous MCU titles is bound to turn off a lot of people. For those who can get past the MCU mythology, there is some fun to be had with this film, particularly with the three leads. It is nowhere near the best of the MCU, but it is also not the worst the MCU has to offer, either.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars