As we soar higher, further, faster into the latest MCU venture, it’s become a rather unfortunate habit to take stock of the various, outside, issues that seem to now seem to dog even single release that’s emerged since Avengers: Endgame. However, while such issues as superhero fatigue, the SAG-AFTRA strikes, damning articles in Variety and the fact that a certain subsection of the internet seems to despise Brie Larson, refuse to subside, it’s probably prudent to bring up the fact that the first Captain Marvel movie made over a cool billion and that doesn’t tend to happen by accident.
However, joining Carol Danvers as she embarks on her second cinematic outing, she’s joined by a couple fresh faces in the form of Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Iman Vellani’s Kamala Kahn, who both recently got power ups thanks to various Disney+ shows. Can this trio of light manipulating warrior women not only save the universe from a cosmicfoe, but also reverse some of that disgruntled public perception that’s been mounting up?
In the years since everyone returned from the Thanos’ Blip, Carol Davers (aka. intergalactic do-gooder Captain Marvel) has been living something of a nomad lifestyle, righting wrongs across the galaxy with only the cat-shaped, alien Flerken, Goose for company while keeping radio contact with old buddy, Nick Fury as he casts a protective eye from his orbiting space station. Meanwhile, Captain Monica Rambeau, the daughter of Carol’s late best friend, works for Fury after gaining light manipulating abilities after multiple zaps from Scarlet Witch’s funky hex powers, but has never forgiven Carol for leaving earth and not returning. Elsewhere, excitable superhero in training, Kamala Kahn continues to precariously balance her normal teen life with superheroics until a spot of cosmic fuckery causes all three of their light powers to become entangled. What does this mean exactly? Well, for a start, everytime any two of the trio uses their powers at the same time, they violently teleport into each other’s positions leading to some unfortunate scenarios. As a result, Carol is annoyed, Monica is pissed and Kamala, bless her, is dangerously excited to be literally dropped into a space faring adventure, however, this impromptu team up couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Enter bitter Kree zealot Dar-Benn, who blames Danvers for the societal collape of her home planet and, with the help of a cosmic trinket, vows to return Hala back to its former glory at any cost.
Can this new team, dubbed “The Marvels” by a constantly giddy Kahn, successfully do the superhero thing and save everything from yet another space-nut with a genocidal plot and WMD jewelry?
Bright, brash and embracing goofy like it’s a flotation device in a storm, The Marvels is something of a mess that mercilessly bounces you all over the place like those hexagonal jump points that zip space farers across the galaxy in the further reaches of the MCU. However, while there’s aspects of the latest entry in Marvel’s phase 5 that obviously could have used a few more rounds in the editing suite, the superhero powered studio has been in the game for far too long for even their ropiest entries to be a complete loss.
As a result, we have a mid-level slice of Marvel that’s perfectly acceptable entertainment that’s exciting when it needs to be, is consistently amusing and is littered with big conceptual swings that’s all in the name of good, silly fun. Forca start, the central plot device of having the individual Marvels’ powers being interlinked due to being on on the fritz is an inspired one which brings the leads together lickety split and instantly dumps them into the midst of the action while not sparing the horses. As a result, the frequent action sequences are more fused to the plot than usual and are visually stimulating as each member is reluctantly zapped to the arse-end of space and back, usually mid-punch. Also keeping things tremendously involving is the skittish ball of geek-out energy known as Iman Vellani who puts out serious Tom Holland/Spider-Man vibes as she can barely contain herself at being surrounded by other super beings and her permanently upbeat nature is an important counter to the more business orientated adults. Similarly, Kamala’s family unit, first introduced in Ms. Marvel, is also an unending source of nice, warm chuckles and the returning Flurkens provide one of the movie’s more out-there moments – behold the genius usage of Memory from Cats for one of the best moments. In fact, big wacky moments seem to be the order of the day for director Nia (Candyman) DaCosta who also provides a planet where everyone communicates through song and even puts its lead in a Disney princess gown version of her superhero costume, and while some grumblers will no doubt mutter about cringiness, it’s these very bouts of weirdness that give the movie its personality.
However, while the action and laughs keep this nice and light, way less successful is some of the basic storytelling involved in moving the actual plot around. If you haven’t seen WandaVision or Ms. Marvel, you’re pretty much fucked, especially concerning the relationship between Carol and Monica. Also, compared to the bubbly nexus point that is Vellani, both Larson and Parris seem a little stilted and I’m now completely lost when it comes to the timeline of Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury – is this set before or after the perpetually gloomy Secret Invasion which saw the super spy emotionally crippled?
Worse than even all the slapdash exposition is Zawe Ashton’s completely throwaway Dar-Benn whose utterly forgettable nature recalls the very worst of Marvels weak villain issue. It’s not that she gives a particularly bad performance as the hammer wielding Ronan-a-like, it’s just that her motivations make her possibly one of the most run-of-the-mill baddies we’ve seen in a while.
However, while the good points and bad constantly usurp each other to provide an experience so middle of the road that school kids could use it as a crossing, a couple of typically juicy, end-of-movie stings score extraordinarily high in the excitement stakes with shock cameos that actually promise something rather than just shoving a future character into the spotlight.
Light years divorced from the unwatchable disaster some internet wags would have you believe and way less obnoxious than Thor: Love And Thunder, this is still hardly vital, MCU viewing and without Vellani, the endearing weirdness and the ever present lure of FOMO, this movie wouldn’t have much to marvel at at all.
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