We have all heard the term by now “Superhero Fatigue”. The notion that there are so many superhero movies coming out that people are tired of seeing them. This theory is backed by poor ticket sales for certain movies, but we personally do not feel that way. As a kid who grew up on superhero comics, I know that not all issues will be great. I know that there might be some issues that do not make sense but that doesn’t mean I am going to hate the entire series due to one issue.
The same can be said about the recent superhero movies that have come out. They all have not been the best but some of them have helped move the story along or at least give us some updates on our favorite heroes. With The Marvels coming out this Friday, the tension is high on whether this movie will succeed or be a bust. Ticket sales are already being tracked and the movie has not even been released yet. Well, to all the naysayers who are not going to see this movie due to their feelings about the lead or that they have no interest in the movie, I say “You are going to miss out one hell of a fun ride!”
The thing with any Marvel movie is how much the audience knows about the characters in the movie. While Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau were introduced in the Disney Plus shows, you really don’t need to know their entire backstory to enjoy them in this movie. From the beginning alone we see how Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel, stans over Captain Marvel. We see her drawing pictures of them as BFFs and saving the world together. Iman Vellani steals this movie in all the scenes that she is in. The great thing is that Captain Marvel and Monica could have looked upon her as a nuisance but they embrace her and know that she is an important part of the team. How Kamala got her powers is explained in a few sentences and that helps move the story along.
The same can be said about Monica Rambeau. When Captain Marvel states to Monica “Wait! You got powers now?” Monica’s answer is so flippant that you just have to laugh and be thankful she doesn’t go into a 15-minute recap of how she got them. Writing like this makes The Marvel a fun movie that we need right now. The film feels like something out of Phase 1 where we just get to enjoy their adventure and are surprised at what happens after the credits. Yes, there is a scene at the end of the movie and a mid-credit scene that opens the door to new possibilities for the Marvel Universe. I will say there was no end credit scene, but there was something there, just not shown.
Now the story of The Marvels could have been a little tighter but it does help with the arch of Carol and crew. When we last saw Carol in Captain Marvel she vowed to take down the Supreme Intelligence and by doing that has caused a ripple effect on the Kree. This event and the death of Ronan the Accuser have brought a power struggle on their planet, Hala. This leads to Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton, looking for two armbands that can help them bring life back to their planet and destroy those that Carol Danvers cares about. Yes, this is another baddie looking for an ancient artifact movie, but at this point, it seems that all superhero movies have a similar plot.
What separates The Marvels from the other movies is the trio at the helm here. The chemistry between, Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica is a lot of fun. They all compliment each other so well and there is never any moment where they feel they are better than the other. The training montage, yes, there is a training montage, is set to Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys and it is fantastic. We see how they can use their body switching to fight and when it comes time for the final fight with Dar-Benn it is pretty cool to see them in action!
I will say that there are a couple of scenes involving singing and cats that I know that haters will hate. This will probably lead them to post a 30-minute YouTube video of why they hate it but the movie is so much fun and it is due to these scenes. The first 25-30 minutes of the movie are fantastic as we are introduced to the characters and see them meet each other for the first time. The energy from the start is at a 10 and doesn’t really come down from that. From the sets to the action, and down to the funny dialogue in some scenes (“He’s bilingual!”), The Marvels feels like a resurgence in Marvel movies. Yes, there are a few flaws in some of the scenes and VFX but don’t let that hinder you from seeing a good movie!
Final Thoughts: The Marvels is a great palette cleanser from some of the recent Marvel Studio movies released. While knowing a little about the characters might help the audience, we do get funny one-liners that fill in the gaps. The story does not rely heavily on previous movies and could be a stand-alone adventure movie with superheroes. The villain, Dar-Benn, was great but felt a little flat at times. The Marvels is a fun ride for the family and opens the doors to new horizons for the Marvel Universe.
Kid-Friendly: The Marvels is very kid-friendly. Kamala Kahn is fantastic and every kid can relate to her being excited about meeting Captain Marvel. There are a few s-bombs dropped in the movie and nothing stronger than that. The theme of family is very strong in the movie, not only with Kamala and her family but also in Carol and Monica’s story.
Violence: The amount of violence in The Marvel is equivalent to the violence we have seen in the other Marvel movies. There is nothing in this that really stood out as extremely violent.
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol 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 in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.”