Highlights
- The Marvels is a disappointing film that showcases the worst tendencies of Marvel Studios and lacks meaningful personal and external stakes.
- The movie struggles with a cluttered storyline and chaotic pacing that prevents viewers from fully understanding what is happening.
- The character development is lacking, particularly with Captain Marvel, as her arc feels undefined.
It's no secret that in the year 2023, Marvel Studios is struggling. The movies are no longer surefire box office and critical hits, and a slew of new characters hasn't yet found its footing among audiences. There are multiple options for who or what's to blame, but the fact of the matter is that, with a few exceptions, the creative output of Marvel Studios has been flagging, and The Marvels is just more evidence of that.
The long-awaited sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel has a lot to carry on its back, serving also as a companion piece to two Disney Plus series, one of which (WandaVision) premiered all the way back in 2021, and whose character featuring in this movie has not appeared in any other Marvel project since then. Throw in the fact that the story, character development, and action all feel perfunctory rather than passionate, and it makes for a severely underwhelming viewing experience.
What Do I Need To Watch Before The Marvels?
The Marvels will bring together three female heroes from the MCU, but do you need to watch anything before heading to the theater?
The first act of The Marvels throws a lot at the audience in a very short period of time, having to catch up with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and re-introduce (or for many viewers, just introduce) Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani). This is also where the movie sets up its flavor-of-the-week villain Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton, doing the best she can with a very empty role) and its main conflict: some sort of quantum disturbance has caused the three main heroes' powers to become entangled, meaning they switch places every time they use them. All of this is presented in fairly chaotic fashion, as the movie jumps from one location to another, never letting the audience settle in or get a grasp on what exactly is happening. There's no room for any character introduction to breathe or really make an impact (aside from Kamala's, which involves an animated segment).
The hectic energy of these first few minutes is a good indicator of what people are in for with The Marvels, as this 100-minute movie moves along at a fast clip in order to get to its conclusion. Even with the short runtime and the speedy story, the pacing feels off. Some sections drag on much longer than they need to, while others feel strangely truncated, such as the emotional conflict between Carol and Monica, which is resolved so quickly that there's barely a moment to register it at all.
The character development overall is where The Marvels falls shortest. Larson's Captain Marvel has always been a bit undefined, but the issue is far more glaring here. Her arc involves actions that are hard to remember or contextualize, yet they are what define her guilt heading into the story. It's hard to feel any emotional weight behind Carol's past and what she is trying to do. The movie can't quite decide on the lesson she is learning over the course of the story. Is it that she should work with other people? That she should let the past go? The Marvels never really picks a lane, and the fact that the character is hard to pin down appears to be affecting Larson's performance, as she never seems sure of how to play Carol. One moment she is business-like and intense, and the next she's quipping like every other Marvel character.
Kamala and Monica don't fare much better. Vellani's take on Ms. Marvel was one of the highlights of Marvel's 2022 output, and her enthusiasm carries over here. However, the movie misses a big opportunity to develop her further through a "never meet your heroes" moment that doesn't ever pay off. Instead, The Marvels is content to keep Kamala as a Captain Marvel superfan who never questions her devotion to the hero, robbing her of some much-needed growth and introspection. Monica, on the other hand, has slightly more to work with in terms of emotional stakes. Her anger at Carol, which was briefly hinted at in WandaVision, means the two have their own conflict to clear up. Parris gives probably the strongest performance of the three by utilizing the emotional core of Monica's arc, especially as the character is also still grieving the death of her mother.
On top of all of this is the inclusion of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Kamala's family, who are holed up on a SABER space station. Fury being here doesn't feel entirely necessary, as nothing he does in the movie really drives any part of the story or lends any significant support to the main characters. Kamala's family members (played by Zenobia Shross, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh, all reprising their Ms. Marvel roles) make for some good comic relief, but don't have much to do on their own either).
A solid plot wouldn't have entirely made up for the shortcomings in the characters' stories, but the bog-standard Marvel world-ending high-but-feel-low stakes are back and just as dull as ever. Dar-Benn is painted as a villain from Carol's past, and yet her entire backstory is relegated to a 30-second flashback where she and Carol don't even speak to each other. The germ of a compelling ethical dilemma is there, with Dar-Benn stealing resources from other planets to save her own, but the character is painted with such broad strokes that there's no reason to feel for her plight.
Nia Dacosta does about as well as any director given the same material, but any sort of creative directorial flair she showed in movies like her Candyman requel has been stripped away. The Marvels ends up being the perfect argument for Marvel needing to change its ways, to move away from the assembly-line process of movie-making and let directors do their own thing. Of course, making a Marvel movie has never meant a hands-off approach from the studio brass, and while there are a couple of funny setpieces (particularly one involving a bunch cats), it just feels like The Marvels exemplifies the worst of what Marvel Studios has to offer.
Currently, The Marvels is tracking for one of the worst box office openings of any Marvel project, and even a last-ditch effort from the studio to evoke memories of its biggest successes in a final trailer doesn't seem to be moving the needle much. If this is the kind of movie that Marvel is promising people at this point, then it's clear that the studio isn't all that interested in growing or changing in any significant way. The Marvels isn't a disappointment, but only because disappointment comes from expecting something good and not getting it.
The Marvels opens in theaters on November 10th.
The Marvels
The Marvels exemplifies some of the worst tendencies of Marvel Studios while delivering an empty story that is lacking in both meaningful personal and external stakes.
- Release Date
- November 10, 2023
- Director
- Nia DaCosta
- Cast
- Brie Larson , Teyonah Parris , Iman Vellani , Zawe Ashton , Samuel L. Jackson
