Following multiple delays, The Marvels, the long awaited sequel to the 2019 film “Captain Marvel,” officially landed in theaters on November 10, as the final Marvel film of 2023. The film sees the return of Brie Larson’s character, Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), who is joined by Teyonah Parris (Monica Rambeau), Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), and Samuel L. Jackson reprising his role as Nick Fury.
The film follows Carol Danvers 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 that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work together to save the universe.
Everything that Marvel has released for phase five has definitely been hit or miss. While there were some great deliveries this year with “Guardians Of The Galaxy. Vol 3” and “Loki” Season 2, there were, however, other releases that were mostly mixed, including “AntMan and the Wasp: Quantumania” and the Disney Plus series “Secret Invasion.” While “The Marvels” is not flat out terrible, it’s gonna leave Marvel fans feeling mixed.
There are a few good gems within the film. A lot of the strength this film has comes from its incredible ensemble cast. Brie Larson makes her grand MCU return following her last appearance in “Avengers: Endgame,” along with a grown up Monica Rambeau played by Teyonah Parris, who was introduced in the Disney Plus series “WandaVision.” Both deliver such breathtaking performances, with a little bit of humor sprinkled in between. Also returning is Kamala Khan (Ms.Marvel) played by Iman Vellani. She delivers on most of the humor and wit as a character who idolizes Captain Marvel. The main three leads give such great chemistry. Most of their interactions come off as enjoyable with a little bit of heart and humor, which is a very common detail when it comes to Marvel.
Director Nia DaCosta (Little Woods, Candyman) delivers a film filled with tons of heart with a mixture of laughter in between. As this is the first MCU movie she directed, it really comes out strong and will definitely leave people desiring to see more of these characters in future projects.There has also been some criticism. The story, for the most part, can come off as a little confusing, with multiple tone shifts. The film would jump from scenes that take on a more serious tone to scenes that have a more humorous tone that was made for laughs. Just like other MCU films, “The Marvels” suffers from jumbled up plotlines, the introduction of a forgettable villain, and everything feeling rushed. This might have to do with the fact that the film ended up becoming the shortest Marvel film ever with a runtime of 1 hour and 45 minutes.
