What hinders Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels” is that it literally is all over the place. This feels like Marvel is trying to squeeze in so much in ninety minutes, and while often it succeeds in getting the idea across, it can also stumble here and there. Nonetheless, “The Marvels” still winds up being a bang up Marvel entry, one that’s packed with some excellent fight sequences, wonderful conflict, and a great trio of characters, all of whom present a common goal in spite of how they operate as superheroes. Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeua and Kamala Khan are all heroes in their own right approaching the ideas of the superhero in their own mind set.
Rambeau is about structure, Danvers is about altruism, while Khan is very much about basically living out a fantasy that she’s envisioned since she was a small girl.
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, 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 an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with two other superheroes to form the Marvels.
“The Marvels” takes the next natural progression in the “Captain Marvel” wing of the MCU franchise by giving us differing views on the Marvels, and while Danvers is very much the core of the trio, Nia DaCosta allows all wonderful actresses to garner their own spotlights here and there. The chemistry is the main draw for “The Marvels,” as the trio manages to watch a lot like long time friends, all of whom realize very early that they have to work in tandem, or else be defeated. The writers manage to balance out a lot of the characters with Rambeau’s grudge toward Danvers, and Danvers inherent guilt over the death of her best friend Maria.
As well, there’s Kamala’s loyalty to her family, all of whom consistently chase after her to ensure her safety. Iman Vellani really comes in to her own in “The Marvels” essentially stealing every scene she’s in. Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris are top notch in their respective roles, but Vellani injects the whole Peter Parker aesthetic, allowing the audience to live through her. In any case, as mentioned the movie’s downfall is that it tries to squeeze in so much in such a short run time, jumping back and forth through sub-plots, latching on to bizarre tonal changes, and even indulging in scenes that feel like nihilistic leftovers from James Gunn’s own galactic trilogy.
“The Marvels” isn’t perfect, but it’s a damn good time, packed with some great universe developments, interesting twists, and a memorable performance from rising star Iman Vellani. I hope Marvel allows us the privilege of a final outing for The Marvels, eventually.