The Marvels

Image credit: letterboxd.com

It’s really nice to have those moments in one’s life of cinematic appreciation where one’s enjoyment of a franchise is pulled back from the precipice and put back on the safe path of enjoyment. Having both started to suffer from MCU fatigue with the last couple of films, partner and I treated ourselves to a little date night on Friday night and watched Marvel’s latest cinematic instalment: The Marvels. And we absolutely loved it!

Whilst investigating a strange cosmic interference, Carol Danvers’ powers become entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, forcing the three of them to work together in order to save various worlds from having their resources stolen to rebuild the Kree home world of Hala.

The Marvels recaptures that fun and quirky vibe of some the more supporting Avenger movies in the later part of that saga. You know, before that vibe became so micromanaged that it no longer felt authentic. I think this comes from the great cast, the reduced runtime, and the succinct way that everything is timed to satisfaction. The film has this wonderfully nonchalant sense of humour, nothing in the script comes across as forced or trying too hard to get the laughs, and that’s what makes it so enjoyable to watch. Indeed some of the film’s more hilarious sequences are done so simply and the punchline is so obvious that you can’t help but feel warmed and happy watching it play out.

The central cast are great together, bouncing off each other’s emotional journeys and personalities really well. Brie Larson as a Carol Danvers that is trying to be a leader and role model, while simultaneously taking most confrontations head-on to avoid the emotional backlash of plans going potentially sour is really wonderful to watch, as you can tell that there is so much stuff happening internally, yet she keeps this nonchalant veneer up all the time. To then see her come around is beautiful. Iman Vellani plays the excited fangirl perfectly, providing much of the film’s comedy, but also most of its more heartwarming moments. And then Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeu is level-headed, calculating, and the voice of reason trying to find the balance and cohesion between Danvers’ emotional blocking and Khan’s emotional sharing. The three of them together are fantastic.

Image credit: kincir.com

Then there are the ever-awesome achievements of the costume designers, artists, set designers, and computer wizards. We get to see some very cool and exciting fight scenes as well as vibrant and fairytale-esque cultures on other planets, and some tantalising stingers that confirm the imminent arrival of another group of beloved Marvel characters as well as the bud of a new ‘team’ tying in with the TV series on Disney+.

The Marvels is a really fun film that managed to pull me out of the Marvel slump and remind me why I grew to love all these films in the first place.

Director: Nia DaCosta, 2023

Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, Mohan Kapur, Zenobia Shroff, Saagar Shaikh, Leila Farzad, Abraham Papoola, Gary Lewis & Samuel L. Jackson