Welcome back to the blog readers. After a few off years, I feel that Marvel is firmly back in the conversation this year, with every project released so far being at least good. I enjoyed Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania more than most people did, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is my favorite superhero film since Avengers: Endgame (2019), Secret Invasion was brilliant until the finale, and the second season of Loki is absolutely killing it over on Disney+. I am a big fan of all the characters in this film. Ms. Marvel (2022) was a delight to watch, Monica Rambeau was the heart and soul of WandaVision (2021) in my opinion, and I like Captain Marvel. Would The Marvels continue Marvel's bounce-back year? Stick around to find out.
The Marvels is directed by Nia DaCosta from a screenplay by her, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik. The film stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-Joon and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan notice their powers begin to entangle with each other, and the trio team up to determine the reason for it, all while going up against a Kree loyalist out for revenge.
I am aware that I do not have to like every MCU project, and that this is solely my opinion. However, I do have some thoughts about this film. It most certainly has things that are good, but there are some things that are not so much. I do enjoy the performances and the chemistry of the leads, but I did take some issues with the story and the final scene, although I liked what it was setting up.
The first glowing positive I had with the film is the performances and the chemistry of the three leads. I have enjoyed Brie Larson's performance as Captain Marvel since her debut in the 2019 film of the same name, even when other people have not. Teyonah Parris was the heart and soul of WandaVision in my opinion. And I fell head over heels in love with Iman Vellani in Ms. Marvel. In this film though, the qualities that I loved about these three ladies are present. Iman Vellani was the absolute MVP of this film, with that boyish charm she brings to Ms. Marvel being an absolute delight. Teyonah Parris gets to show off some acting chops that I completely enjoyed from her. And Brie Larson looks like she is having more fun as Captain Marvel than she ever has. And when the three of them are together...what a fucking pairing.
I also have nothing but good things to say about the performances of Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh as Kamala's mother Muneeba, father Yusuf, and brother Aamir respectively. With Vellani, the three of them created the single greatest family dynamic I have ever seen in Ms. Marvel. In The Marvels, they are clearly having more fun. The chemistry between the three of them is fantastic as well. I love how Muneeba is still protective of Kamala, how aloof Aamir still is (and the subtle reference to an episode of Ms. Marvel), and how supportive Yusuf still is of his daughter.
The final positive I have with the film is with the action. With a premise and a story like this one, you knew the action had to be somewhat creative. And I am glad that it was, because it was awesome. Some of the best action of the year if I can be honest with you. When the three heroes master their power swapping, it gets very creative, especially in the finale. I can only hope we get more of this in the future.
Now there are some things that I did not like about the film. The first one of these, sadly to say, is the performance of Zawe Ashton as the villain Dar-Benn. If I am going to be honest here, I could care less about her. The motivation was there, but her character was written and portrayed very poorly. And her ending was lackluster as well. Sad that Dar-Benn is one of the worst villains in the MCU, six months after we had one of the best in the High Evolutionary.
Another issue I have with the film is some elements of the story. One particular story beat I have an issue with is the scene on the singing planet. I personally think it has nothing to do with the planet itself, because I can see the point of it in the story. My issue is with the idea that everyone can only sing, except for the prince? That made absolutely no sense to me. And another issue I have with the story is the ending of Dar-Benn's story. I had alluded to it in the last paragraph, but the way she was written off was laughable at best. Another thing is the end of the film and the mid-credits scene. The end of the film, although awesome, was not needed. And the mid-credits scene felt out of place at best with a character that was only there for the shock value. One element of the story I did appreciate, however, was how events in WandaVision and Ms. Marvel had weight. It would have been a shame if those events were ignored, because the MCU has been doing that as of late.
In conclusion, The Marvels is carried by the weight of its leads and performances, but a lackluster story and awkward tease of the future make for a disjointed but fun film. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next review.
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