As the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the tenth film released since 2021, you’d be forgiven if “The Marvels” simply passed you by. Given the state of the MCU and cinema in general in 2023, it says a lot that a sequel to a film that made over a billion dollars will possibly not even make a quarter of that. Which is a shame, because for as much doom and gloom is surrounding the MCU at large, “The Marvels” still manages to be a breezy and fun adventure, even if that might not be enough to get butts in seats anymore.
Set over two-decades after the events of “Captain Marvel,” as well as taking place shortly after the events of “WandaVision” and “Miss Marvel,” the film follows Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, played again by Brie Larson (“Scott Pilgrim vs. The World,” “Short Term 12”), as she teams up with the daughter of her best friend Maria, Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris (“If Beale Street Could Talk,” “Candyman (2021)”), and the young heroine Kamal Khan, played by Iman Vellani (“Ms. Marvel”), to stop a galaxy ending threat in the form of Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton (“Velvet Buzzsaw,” “Mr. Malcom’s List”), all while trying to balance their own entangled powers that cause the trio to swap places when they’re used.
Clocking in at just over an hour and forty minutes, this is the shortest film in the series in over a decade, and that length helps to contribute to the film’s best and worst aspects. When its going, with characters quipping and the pace breezy and light, it’s a fun carefree time. Larson, Parris, and Vellani’s chemistry and teamwork are the best part of the film, and the numerous scenes with the three of them, whether it’s fighting bad guys or just hanging out and learning about each other, are a joy.
It feels like a kind of throwback to the action/superhero movies we saw in the 90s: the bad guy is bad, the good guys are good, it’s silly but sincere, and we’re in and out in under two hours. Sure, it might leave those looking for the “next epic chapter” in this saga wanting, but not every film needs to inform on the next epic step in a 33+ part saga.
Which would be fine if the film also didn’t seem sliced to pieces by executives to shoehorn those kinds of revelations in. The film’s post-credits scene and numerous teases throughout reek of studio meddling, as does the editing. In the moment-to-moment action, it’s fine. But so many moments feel as though an entire scene was sliced out in favor of making it shorter. It leads to a breakneck pace that can get exhausting, even when it is working well most of the time.
Comedically is where the film shines, with Larson nailing a fine line between Danvers’s desire to be a leader and hero while also being a dork. Vellani is the absolute saving grace of the film, with the best comedic timing and energy. She has the kind of charisma and natural feeling for this character the franchise hasn’t seen since Robert Downey Jr. or Chris Evans. Parris is also great, playing the closest thing this trio has to a straight man, and when the three are working together, everything just works.
Samuel L. Jackson (“Django Unchained,” “Do the Right Thing”) reprises his role as the eponymous Nick Fury as well, and he steals the show, now playing the leader of SWORD as an exasperated man just waiting for retirement from all the weird shit going on. Kamala’s family, her mother Muneeba, her father Yusuf, and her brother Aamir, played by Zenobia Shroff (“When Harry Tries to Marry,” “The Big Sick”), Mohan Kapur (“Beqabu,” “Sadak 2”), and Saagar Shaikh, respectively, all bring a warmth and heart to the film as well, shining through Vellani’s energy and joy.
For as joyous and fun as the film can be, it all comes back to that pacing and the script. Written by Megan McDonnell (“WandaVision”), Elissa Karasik (“Loki,” “WeCrashed”), and co-written and directed by Nia DaCosta (“Candyman (2021),” “Little Woods”), it’s hard not to feel like the film is the product of fans getting to play with characters they love. The inner-scene dialogue is fun and flighty, but the overall plot has a routine feeling to it. It could be described as welcomely simple, but that also means there isn’t any nuance to it. It’s a “good versus evil” story, not much more to say than that.
There’s a very fun film at the center of “The Marvels,” and that’s because that center is made up of three actors with excellent chemistry and a lot of heart. The film surrounding them can be a lot of fun, when the pacing isn’t bizarrely mismatched, and the plot isn’t woefully undercooked. It might seem like damning with faint praise for a film 33 movies into a series, but if you’re looking for a fun movie that’ll make you smile, you could do a lot worse. 3.5/5
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