The Marvels is filled with action, comedy, and a fast pace making for some fun-filled entertainment.
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to a strange wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.
The Marvels isn’t some convoluted tale, there is a considerable focus on entertainment, action, and fun. The movie puts the petal down to the floor and keeps that pace going throughout the film with very little downtime. It amplifies the action, supports the comedy, and keeps the theme of fun without getting too lost.
The film tries to recreate the 90s feel of the first Captain Marvel but also tries out some new things and what they did worked. Some really funny moments had me laughing so hard, particularly Nick Furry and Kamala’s parents and I appreciated the effort and some mix-ups the movie did. The writing accomplished some well-timed lines to be entertaining and representative of the characters they built from the previous film/series.
The acting may not be ground-breaking, but the cast had some shine to them. Samuel Jackson’s Nick Furry may be sillier and less of the frit and grime we are used to but still manages to accomplish a lot with this role. Iman Vellani is absolutely the MVP of this film. She is a fan girl at heart with a lot of pep and obsession. Vellani’s light, airy, total fan-girling, and yet surprisingly deep when she needs to be. She achieves much in bridging a lot of things to come. Teyonha Parris is much like what we saw in Wandavision, feeling one part drama, one part comedy, and one part invigorating. Parris has a decent grasp of the character’s trauma and delivers her lines with fortitude and edge but never goes too far. Brie Larson is as intense as ever and dives into the extremes and keeps that chilling face of stone-cold passive force. Larson did dive into some comedy and I was very pleased with what she accomplished.
The movie has some pockets of character development and an ethical component that strikes hard and paints the superhero world again in shades of grey. Danvers and Rambeau’s stories hold a bit more punch and give audiences that relief from the silly storms that this movie is loaded with. Khan’s story holds touching moments as well, which as a bridge helps add some moral lessons that might go well with an extreme fan.
The Marvel’s action sequences feel like we have someone who understands a superhero movie fighting element. There are some noteworthy fights and the held energy, pizazz, and characters from movies like Avengers and Winter Soldier. There was some stiff choreography at times, but the movie, fortunately, uses the fast pace to unload that comic book feel.
Overall, the hate this movie has been getting is a bit strong than needed after seeing the film myself. The Marvels holds a lot more in terms of fun, fandom, entertainment, and complexity than a few other MCU films have been. The fast pace was enjoyable for the feel and drive which helped keep the comedy good, the plot moving, and the action having that superhero slam that we had in the phases. It’s just a good time and one that doesn’t rely too much on the proceeding movies to enjoy. It’s purely going to be mind-numbing entertainment. However, there were certain plot points where it felt like certain beats were missing, but nothing took away from how enjoyable the ride was. I sat there from start to finish with a big smile on my face and it sent me out the door eager to see it again making it a highly rewatched MCU movie for me.
The Marvels is now playing in theaters.
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments below
