The Marvels

Much has been said about the MCU and it's "downfall" as of late. As is the case with the fickle internet, it seemingly has become the "cool" thing to hate on Marvel. Factor in the inexplicable vitriol against Brie Larson and you have a potent uphill battle for The Marvels to climb. It's disappointing, but I suppose not all that shocking and is often a case of the loudest voices seeming bigger than they are. 

I admit, Marvel has had some highs and lows this year. Disney+'s Secret Invasion was probably my least favorite Marvel piece of entertainment yet - horrendously boring, while Quantumania (I considerably overrated it) now feels distant and hardly impactful. But, there have also been highs like Guardians 3, the newest season of Loki, and even Ms. Marvel herself (in mid-2022). The Marvels also got a much needed delay to both create some breathing room while likely getting some special effects upgrades that had begun to show their "ugly" colors in other Marvel properties. 

I like to think myself a realist and a fairly avid and entrenched MCU fan, so the hatred/anger/writing-off of The Marvels before it even releases annoys me. What's worse is it's undeserved because The Marvels is a blast and a superior sequel to its predecessor, Captain Marvel (which I also overrated, but it gets FAR too much hate).

The best way I can describe The Marvels is that it's a B/B- movie with some A+ scenes and A+ cast chemistry. Those latter components take it far even if the story and villain feel very "flavor of the week" in variety. The short, sub-2-hour runtime is new for Marvel and I actually thought it created a bit of whiplash, leaving me confused sometimes with how we got from one scene to the next. So, it's not perfect, and between the lines it's built on a pretty generic foundation, but the three core heroines do a lot to make it shine. 

Look! They're just as confused
as I am about all the hatred!

I'll start with the MVP, Iman Vellani. I loved her in Ms. Marvel and she is probably one of the best additions to the MCU in the last 5 years. She balances her could-be-annoying-but-it-isn't teenager schtick and heartfelt eagerness with ease and much like in the TV show, her comedic timing and delivery is fantastic. I highly anticipate the day her character can meet Yelena or Peter Parker because it's going to be a hoot. Brie Larson continues to own the role of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (don't @ me haters, get out of here) and while Endgame basically just had her coming in to save the day, The Marvels explores her character much deeper, helping her get much needed growth as she's been sidelined for a while now. Teyonah Parris gets much more personality as compared to Wandavision, becoming almost the reluctant maternal figure of the trio. All combined, their chemistry is consistently worth watching, and at times downright hilarious. Toss in some well timed Samuel L. Jackson quips ("It's ok, it's just Carol" at one point got me good), Goose the cat humor, and Kamala Khan's family getting some time to shine and you've got a much funnier Marvel outing than I had expected. 

For the most of the action, we're also getting some special moments thanks to the "switching" mechanism that entangles the powers of these three. The exposition-heavy explanation never makes all that much sense, but the back and forth swapping of places leads to some laughs and some even cooler action beats (not to mention, some great music pairing!). The extra time has provided ample improvement to the special effects as The Marvels is one of the better looking Marvel properties in the last year. Oh and, you'll not want to miss the mid-credits scene this time around because it's a BIG one. 

The passion for hating this film from the onset is so confusing to me. It reminds me of Rolling Stones' Peter Travers reviews of Michael Bay films that were so obnoxiously negative you would have thought Bay bedded Travers' wife. And while no one is saying The Marvels is "rescuing" the MCU or even above midline in terms of overall ranking, it's still got plenty to offer. My wife, my friend, myself, and even the majority of my audience all seemed to have a good time with it so this may be one of those efforts where you need to tune out the dramatic noise of the MCU's "downfall". 

CONS

• The writing can be exposition heavy and not make a lick of sense
• Forgettable villain and overall plot is "meh"
• Probably too short because I was getting whiplash from some of the transitions between scenes
• Not all of the action is memorable 

PROS

• Lovable core trio that you want to root for. Iman Vellani is my MVP; I love her as Ms. Marvel
• Funnier than I would have expected thanks to the chemistry of our leads and some outrageous Goose moments
• "Switching" action feels fresh and provides cool moments
• Extra time to polish special effects paid off
• Short, sweet, and generally entertaining mid-tier MCU. Plus, that end teaser!

Rath's Review Score | 7/10