Captain Marvel returns in Marvel Studios’ The Marvels which releases Friday, November 10. The film which is directed by Nia DaCosta teams Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers with Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) who audiences first met in the Disney+ TV series WandaVision and Ms. Marvel, respectively.
Going into that, as a longtime comic book reader I’ve long been a fan of the Monica Rambeau version of Captain Marvel that was most prominent in the 1980s as created by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Jr.. I’m so glad she’s become a part of Marvel’s “Captain Marvel Family” and she was one of many things I enjoyed seeing in WandaVision. It was one of those things that I didn’t think would ever happen, considering that Marvel seemed to set on the Carol Danvers version of CM. While I was disappointed we didn’t see Monica in Secret Invasion which I thought WandaVision was leading to for her, I was very glad when I heard she’d be a part of this team-up movie… and that Ms. Marvel would be coming along.
Ms. Marvel was #2 in my list of favorite Disney+ Marvel shows, and a big reason for that was Iman Vellani who brought such an enthusiasm and happiness to Kamala. So often these comic book inspired projects can be dour and dark, but Vellani brings it as a solid light. Sure, there were things I didn’t care too much for with her show — I still wish she “embiggened” in the same way as the comic books did, but especially considering this movie I understand why they went a different way. I also fully acknowledge the pacing of Ms. Marvel as a series was a bit off at times.
But this is a review of The Marvels, right? Not “Craig’s takes on Marvel TV and 1980s Comics.” So here goes:
I’m going to start with the positives. I like what director Nia DaCosta brought to the table. There’s an energy in a lot of scenes that really needs to be there to sell this story. Seeing the three Marvels swapping places and then finally meeting is a delight. I was happy to see Kamala’s family from the Ms. Marvel series, though in some situations it felt like we were just watching Ms. Marvel Episode 7 which is probably not what Marvel intended. There are some exciting sequences in the film with a pretty unique look, and yes, some surprise appearances that Twitter probably spoiled for you already… try to go into this unspoiled, please.
Iman Vellani as Kamala was by far the highlight of the film. Seeing her alongside her idols and the unbridled joy from it… if Robert Downey Jr. was the face of Marvel’s early phases, I’d have no problem at all identifying Vellani as the “face” of the newer phases. Kamala as a character represents the younger generation, and I really want to see what’s next for her, whether it’s among a team of Young Avengers, or Champions, or heck… even New Warriors if Marvel wants to revive that franchise title. Another thing I like about Ms. Marvel in this film is that it seems at least one question I had after her series is being answered, and I loved that very early on in the movie we had an animated sequence reminiscent of some of what we’d see in Ms. Marvel. It really shows that Kamala is a big geek just like most of us.
The makeovers given to the characters by Carol’s [REDACTED] are great looking, though I still prefer Kamala’s costume from the final episode of her own series. Costuming in general for this one, really, are top-notch. I’d really love a better look at the t-shirt Kamala has with “classic” Captain Marvel comic book covers that don’t actually exist. There’s a musical number… it’s fun, but I wish we could have had more of Brie Larson singing, since anyone who has at the very least seen Scott Pilgrim knows she has a great voice. There’s another moment in the film that evokes memories of a famous musical. I was amused by it, but the neckbeards on YouTube who have already set out to hate this movie will surely complain.
I liked that this movie featured female heroes, and diverse heroes, at that. I know that might make the aforementioned neckbeards complain about the movie being “woke” but I don’t totally understand why that is. When we see something like The A-Team do we even notice that they’re usually all men? Or closer to home – The Avengers, which featured only one female in their original roster? If anything, I’m surprised this didn’t lean into being more “woke” just to tick off the haters… but really, that’s just code for me being surprised and disappointed that Carol still is portrayed as heterosexual, at least textually. Subtext might be a different story!
Unfortunately, some of the issues from the first Captain Marvel movie still persist but seem to be lightening up a little with this film. Specifically, the Carol Danvers of it all. Brie Larson is a fantastic actress but I feel like the movies don’t really give Carol a lot of humanity to identify with. Sure, there are glimpses, such as her interactions with Monica and her mother Maria in the first film, but I want to see more. Having Monica and Kamala around does make her seem a bit more fun, and without spoiling too much, I feel like there’s a part of the film where we finally see Carol Danvers as Carol and not just Captain Marvel. It’s an odd opposite to what we know of Carol in the comics, where Carol Danvers is one of the most fleshed out personalities in her civilian identity.
The other thing that I feel is lacking from this movie – and this is by far not the first Marvel movie to do this – is the villain. Honestly, I could not even remember the character’s name after I left. I liked the character’s motivations and reason for being, and what this conflict ultimately makes Carol do (again, no spoilers), but I feel like we’ve seen the “alien out for revenge” thing way too many times before. Shame, because Zawe Ashton, the actress playing Dar-Benn (I had to look it up), was good.
Some of the science and plot contrivances were kind of out of nowhere. For examples, the Marvels will devise a plan, and my thought is “how or why do they think that would work?” And I know these are very intelligent women, and I don’t think it’s a spoiler that their plans often do what they intend for them to do, but I’m still a little perplexed by some of the choices. There’s also the matter of a certain plot device that brings the Marvels and Dar-Benn together; it’s related to artifacts that have been a part of the Marvel Comics universe since even before Fantastic Four #1 came out. By using those artifacts, it makes me wonder if another one of my comic book favorites will ever show up in the MCU, since that character was most tied to those things and at one point a “Marvel” himself. I guess since we’ve had Monica Rambeau, anything is possible.
Finally… and I don’t mean to rail on this movie too much, I swear!… It may be the nature of these films that sometimes it feels like the stakes are empty; for example, if anything bad befalls a character, you can go in pretty certain that he or she will be okay and back in another movie somewhere down the line. Again, not just an issue with The Marvels but something I’m feeling from the MCU and DC movies in recent years.
With all that babbling, what did I think?
The Marvels is definitely worth seeing once, for sure. It propels certain aspects of the MCU into its next course. The final scenes of the film including a post-credits scene really make me want more. In addition to the ladies, Samuel L. Jackson (as Nick Fury) and Goose (the Flarken that looks like a cat) are fun. At around one hour and 45 minutes, it’s breezy and never gets boring, and it stays interesting and exciting the whole way through. If asked to compare the movie to recent Marvel fare, I’d put it above the latest Doctor Strange, Thor, and Ant-Man installments but below Wakanda Forever. With that said, I’m giving The Marvels a 7 out of 10. I don’t know that I’ll be revisiting it, but it was still fun. And again, this movie left me with a strong desire to see what’s next for all of the characters… which could be good and could be bad. Good in that I’m invested, but bad in that it feels like every Marvel project these days seems to be a trailer for what may or may not come next.
The Marvels releases in theaters this week. For optimal enjoyment, of course, see it in IMAX!
