Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) are brought together under mysterious circumstances in The Marvels just when a new intergalactic threat appears. The whole universe could be at stake — how will the heroes navigate their unusual situation?
The Marvels
Nia DaCosta (director and writer), Megan McDonnell (writer), Elissa Karasik (writer), Zeb Wells (writer), Sean Bobbitt (cinematography), Catrin Hedström (editor), Evan Schiff (editor)
Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-joon, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson (cast)
November 10, 2023
In The Marvels, a Kree leader, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), activates a new kind of wormhole in the hopes of saving her people. But there are unexpected consequences—Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau’s powers become entangled, making it nigh impossible for them to stay in one place or finish a fight. Not great when Dar-Benn intends on destroying bits of the universe. The film’s premise is simple: with their powers and lives suddenly intertwined, can these three superheroes save the day and stop Dar-Benn?
Let’s be honest, 2023 has been a less than stellar year for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, on the big and small screen. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania left audiences divided. I personally disliked Guardians of the Galaxy 3’s story choices. Secret Invasion made little sense. But the end of the year has been much more promising. Loki Season 2 has been thoroughly engaging. And now The Marvels has saved 2023 for the MCU.
I was super excited for The Marvels. Like many South Asians, I adore Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) in the comics and her show. Monica Rambeau was a breath of fresh air in the heavily emotional WandaVision. I enjoyed Captain Marvel, even though it did suffer from the pressures of being the MCU’s first female-led film. The Marvels has shed the burdens of its predecessor and goes all in on being female-led. There. Are. So. Many. Ladies! Even Kamala’s mum, Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff), gets in on the action. Villain Dar-Benn is a charismatic woman with a righteous mission. The ladies own the screen without any of the nonsense that comes with being a woman on this planet. And I am here for it!
The Marvels is undoubtedly one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year. The humour is so well-timed and just as well-executed. If there’s an opportunity to make the audience laugh, the film finds it and nails it. Much of the humour relies on the incredible chemistry among the three protagonists, Carol, Monica and Kamala. We all know what a mega fan of Captain Marvel Kamala is, and the film wholeheartedly leans into the insanity that is a teenager meeting her hero. It is bonkers! Kamala has zero filter when meeting her all-time-favourite hero, and Carol’s patience is seriously stretched. But that’s exactly what makes their scenes so hilarious. Throw in Monica who’s still dealing with the impact of returning from the Blip to find her mother, Maria, has died and that Carol isn’t around, and you have a trio of characters with contrasting personalities and complicated dynamics who still want the best for each other. Hugs for everyone, please.
All I really wanted from The Marvels was to see these three characters interact and be themselves, but I ended up getting more than that. I got incredible action scenes. A superhero film is expected to have lots of action but sometimes the MCU relies too heavily on punching its way to the end of every story. The action scenes in this film are excitingly unpredictable! The entanglement among the three characters adds a different dimension to the fights and not only kept me glued to the screen but had me at the edge of my seat.
It’s easy to focus on the humour and action in The Marvels because these aspects are ever-present and entertaining. But the film also knows when to pause for dramatic beats. As excitable and positive as Kamala is, when she’s thrown into a battle with dire consequences, she does become that idealistic teenager who believes superheroes save everyone. Carol Danvers, for all her galaxy-trotting adventures, and Monica, despite embracing her powers by working at S.A.B.E.R, are still dealing with their grief about losing Maria and each other. These emotional moments are surprisingly well-handled considering the recent MCU fare.
This is going to sound incredibly nerdy and niche, but I have to draw attention to the fact that the editing of The Marvels is spectacular. Editing is one of the things that seems to have diminished in quality over the past few years. But editors Catrin Hedström and Evan Schiff and director DaCosta manage to maintain the fast pace of the action scenes while also slowing down when the actors are bringing the comedy. It’s been a long time since I saw a film that got the editing just right and I marveled (ha) at what a difference it made to the viewing experience.
My only real criticism is that the ending felt rushed to me. The Marvels is the shortest MCU film ever at just 105 minutes (The Incredible Hulk and Thor: The Dark World were 108 minutes), and I’m all for short runtimes, but the final scenes would have been more emotionally resonant if the peril had been prolonged. Or maybe I wanted to spend more time with these characters? It’s probably the latter, isn’t it?
Unsurprisingly, the performances in The Marvels are excellent. Larson brings so many layers to Captain Marvel—she’s not just a superhero, she’s also a person with the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders who is very alone in her fight. Parris brings the energy and humanity I loved in WandaVision and turns it up a few notches in this film. There’s a scene where Monica breaks down and the emotion Parris portrays is so raw, I choked up. I don’t expect that in the MCU! And of course, Vellani is an absolute joy to watch. Whether she’s playing Kamala as brave, terrified, an obsessed and over-the-top fan, or just plain sad, Vellani captures the emotions of a teenager and had me grinning throughout. I’m hoping for a long and wonderful career for her.
I know that there’s been a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes, but it doesn’t come through while watching The Marvels. Whether or not we’ve got director Nia DaCosta’s complete vision of the film, I’m not sure, but the final product is a joy to watch. I left this film feeling very, very happy. The story is simple to follow and knows where to focus—the three protagonists with amazing chemistry who get to grow, learn from each other, resolve personal issues, and have a ton of fun during the ride. And we, the laughing audience, enjoy every moment.
