The world of the MCU continues to expand through both film and television, much like the comics. The same goes true with The Marvels, the latest MCU film that brings three characters together as our leads from different mediums. While the movie functions as a sequel to Captain Marvel, it also acts as a follow-up of Disney Plus shows WandaVision and Ms. Marvel. Despite having some knowledge of these shows, The Marvels still works as a standalone film that perfectly makes these characters stand out with their history. With three stellar leading ladies, the film makes great use of its chemistry while delivering a fun and impactful film that infuses some new life into the MCU.
The Marvels does offer a good recap of what audiences need to know before jumping into the story as we find Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) trying to protect the universe as Captain Marvel, a burden she carries as she continues to patrol across space. The film also follows Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) as she works with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) up in S.W.O.R.D. while carrying a grudge against Carol for leaving her behind when she was a kid. The Marvels also juggle with the arrival of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a local teen from Jersey obsessed with superheroes who also gains powers through a magic bangle passed down in her family. With these characters, audiences get to spend some time with them as they come together to fight a big threat that puts the universe at stake.
The film brings all three of them together as they take on Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a Kree warrior with a resentment towards Danvers who attempts to save her homeworld of Hala from destruction with the help of a bangle similar to Kamala’s and a hammer known as the Universal Weapon. Dar-Benn uses her tools to open rifts in space, which Danvers and Rambeau find and after touching them causes a quantum entanglement with their powers along with Kamala’s. It causes our heroines to switch places any time they use their powers. It is a unique way to have them team up and play with their dynamic on screen. It is perhaps one of the greatest strengths that the film has going for it.
It is a delight seeing Larson, Parris, and Vellani together as we watch them grow as a team. There’s some humor when we see them on this space adventure going through different planets, but we also get to see these three evolve their characters. Danvers has been a lone heroine as Captain Marvel, so she doesn’t play well in a team setting. She also has some baggage with Rambeau, feeling like she can’t connect with her on a personal level after abandoning her for all these years. Rambeau is just starting to embrace her powers but she also feels the hurt after losing her mother and not having Danvers by her side through most of her life. Meanwhile, Kamala is getting to meet her hero for the first time but she also sees a human side to Danvers that she hasn’t seen before and grows to appreciate that. While the film does have fun in delivering this action-packed adventure, it doesn’t downplay the character development that is taking place.
Larson gets to expand on the emotional spectrum of her character and it is an improvement since the last time we saw Danvers on screen. She continues to struggle with the memories she regained during the first film and carries a burden on her shoulders to help the Skrulls and the Kree. It feels like we get a much more human side to her as she also attempts to fix her familial relationship with Rambeau. Vellani on the other hand is a true standout after what we’ve seen in Ms. Marvel. Kamala is a fun addition to the film giving audiences another reason to enjoy her character in the MCU with her comedic timing and hilarious scenes she shares with her co-stars. We also get some crazy moments with Jackson dealing with the mess at S.A.B.E.R. alongside Kamala’s family.
The MCU continues the trend of struggling to give us a well-defined villain with the introduction of Dar-Benn. Ashton does what she can with the script she was given, but it doesn’t seem to be enough to showcase how compelling of an antagonist she can be. We see the consequences of her actions as she takes natural resources from other planets to save her own, often feeling pity for her people. However, the film doesn’t give enough of a backstory to care about her reasons for going against Danvers. Speaking of Danvers, it also seems like there is some missing information regarding the years between Captain Marvel and the sequel that isn’t being shown as we get little details on what she has been up to during those years. It would be great to have some sort of film or series to showcase that.
Despite its short runtime, The Marvels is a fun film that has a ton of heart. Director Nia DaCosta has crafted a neat film as she steps into the superhero genre for the first time and understood what the assignment was when the project was given to her. The film excels not just with its characters, but also in its themes exploring the aftermath of war as well as making those missed connections to keep us human. It is an engaging film thanks to our three leading ladies taking center stage with their great chemistry. Even if it’s not up to par with MCU films from the past, The Marvels is probably one of the most enjoyable Marvel films in this post-Endgame era.
The Marvels is now playing in theaters everywhere.
