I’ve been watching and closely following Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe films since they began at the end of 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk” where Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark pops up in a post-credit scene. Little did I know then what a massive universe would follow afterward. That interchange between Tony Stark and William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross lasted about a minute, but it was the “Big Bang” that ignited the MCU.
Now here we are 15 years later and Marvel, like an aging fighter in a saga, has had triumphs (the colossal one-two punch of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame”) and slumps (“Eternals” and “Thor: Love and Thunder”). Some people these days are saying the MCU has run out of steam, but “The Marvels” proves that this superhero universe hasn’t been KO’ed yet.
Even though the film is one of the shortest MCU films, it packs a lot in its 1 hour 45-minute run-time. Director Nia DaCosta keeps the action and the emotions high throughout, letting her actors cut loose with wonderful results. Brie Larson, a formidable actor who unfortunately was hamstrung by a poor script in the first “Captain Marvel” film, gets to shine here with a much better script by Nia Dacosta, Megan McDonnell, and Elissa Karasik, imbuing Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers with warmth and humor. Ms. Larson’s performance reminded me of a combination of Katharine Hepburn and Carol Lombard, with the confidence and poise of Hepburn mixed with a dash of Lombard’s sly humor.
Seeing More of Ms. Marvel and Family
Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau has a complex history with Brie’s Captain Marvel character, something that may be lost on people who haven’t followed the avalanche of MCU TV series and films that have come out over the years. Still, she’s a fascinating character who lost out on a lot in life and is trying to establish a new life for herself in space.
Iman Vellani is so adorable and fun as the teenage hero Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan. Most of us who saw her debut in the “Ms. Marvel” series on Disney+ instantly wanted to see more of her and her family, who are as fun to watch as she is, especially her mother Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff) who’s loving, tough and has no time for foolishness. When her daughter goes missing, she sternly asks tough guy Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) what’s going on, looking any moment like she’s going to knock Fury upside his head with a cast iron pan and not think twice about it.
Samuel L. Jackson in a scene from “The Marvels.” (Photo: Marvel Studios).
The great thing about Kamala is that she’s experiencing this adventure along with us. In one scene, when Kamala shoots through a “jump gate” in space, hurtling light years across the galaxy, Iman’s eyes are wide open and her smile is equally wide, and you can’t help but feel the same joy Kamala’s feeling as the stars fly by. The actresses play beautifully off each other, setting up moments with a lot of heart.
More Heart that Previous Efforts
One of my big problems with some other recent Marvel films was that they seemed almost computer-generated, ice-cold films that were all action but void of feeling. Not this film, that has many touching moments between the main characters. Most fun is Iman and Brie’s scenes together, as Kamala hero worships Carol and Carol has to deal with her fawning attention.
Director DaCosta keeps the action rolling from beginning to end, starting the film with a hilarious and super cute sequence with Kamala that’s like an A-ha music video mixed with “Run Lola Run.”
There’s also an inspired and rollicking action scene early in the film as Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala keep switching places when using their powers. With the three women in different places (one in space, one on Earth and one on an alien planet), they each get attacked and as they fight back, they keep switching places with each other. Disoriented after each switch, they have to recover quickly and fight back. It’s exciting, hilarious and moves impossibly smooth and fast. It was reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s fight scenes from his best Hong Kong films in the 1980s, where he’d stumble, fight, and transform any nearby object into a weapon, all at lightning speed against multiple foes.
Lacking Villain Motivations
Brie Larson and Iman Vellani “The Marvels.” (Photo: by Laura Radford. © 2023 Marvel).
The only weak part of the film is the villain Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). The film’s short run time hurts her the most; it gives reasons for her villainy, but we don’t get to learn any more about her than what her powers and motivations are. I liked that the little background that was revealed about her made her a bit sympathetic. She wasn’t a stereotypical villain. There were genuinely good reasons for what she was doing, even though her method of attaining her goals was causing a lot of death and destruction.
Given two MAJOR things that happen in the film, one at the end and one in the obligatory mid-credits sequence, there’s still a lot of excitement to come for Marvel films. “The Marvels” breathes new life into the MCU and I hope Disney can keep this quality going in the many projects to come.
Currently, “The Marvels” is only available to watch in theaters.
