The Marvels is the MCU's shortest film since The Incredible Hulk, and the brevity is both its greatest virtue and its most significant problem. At 105 minutes, it moves with a pace and a lightness that the franchise's more bloated recent entries conspicuously lack, and the central conceit, in which Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan swap places every time they use their powers simultaneously, is deployed with a comic inventiveness that generates some of the franchise's most purely enjoyable recent set-pieces. But the film is also underprepared, dependent on Disney Plus viewing that a significant portion of its theatrical audience had not done, and burdened with a villain of almost no dramatic weight.
At a Glance
Director: Nia DaCosta
Runtime: 105 minutes
Starring: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L Jackson, Zawe Ashton
Release: 2023
Critics Rating: ★★ (2/5 stars, weak)
Audience Rating: ★★½ (2.5/5 stars, mixed)
Review Breakdown
Plot
Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan find themselves entangled in a power-swapping phenomenon caused by a Kree revolutionary named Dar-Benn, who is using a quantum band to steal resources from planets to restore her dying world. The plot is thin and moves quickly enough that its weaknesses are not always immediately apparent, but they accumulate. Dar-Benn's motivation is comprehensible but her characterisation is almost nonexistent, and the film's climax lands with less emotional force than it should because the film has not invested sufficient time in the relationships it is asking us to care about. The power-swapping mechanic is the film's most inspired element, and the sequence set on a planet where all communication is conducted through song is one of the most purely delightful things the MCU has produced in years.
Characters
Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan is the film's greatest asset, a character of infectious enthusiasm and warmth whose fan-girl relationship with Carol Danvers gives the film much of its best comedy. Vellani's performance is a reminder of what the MCU can achieve when it casts with imagination, and her dynamic with Larson and Parris has a warmth and a specificity that makes the team feel like a real ensemble. Teyonah Parris brings a quiet dignity and emotional depth to Monica Rambeau, and her arc, which requires her to process a complicated relationship with Carol, is the film's most dramatically interesting element. Brie Larson's Carol is warmer and more relaxed than in Captain Marvel, and the film benefits from allowing her to be funny in ways the original did not always permit. Zawe Ashton's Dar-Benn is the film's most significant weakness, a villain of almost no personality whose scenes are the only ones in the film that feel flat. Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury is used sparingly but effectively.
Tone
DaCosta pitches the film as a breezy, comedic team-up, and the approach works better than the film's critical reception suggested. The power-swapping sequences are handled with a comic precision and a spatial clarity that makes them consistently entertaining, and the film's willingness to be silly gives it a lightness that the franchise's more self-serious recent entries lack. The problem is that the film's more dramatic moments do not receive sufficient preparation, and the emotional beats that the climax requires feel rushed rather than earned.
Meaning / Themes
The film gestures towards themes of legacy, mentorship, and the complicated dynamics of admiration and disappointment, but does not develop them with sufficient depth to give the film thematic weight. The relationship between Carol and Monica, in which Monica's childhood admiration has curdled into something more complicated, is the film's most interesting dramatic thread. Kamala's role as the team's emotional centre, the person who sees the best in everyone and refuses to let the others give up on each other, is a character function that Vellani executes with considerable skill.
Direction
DaCosta's direction is confident and inventive in the film's action sequences, with a particularly strong command of the power-swapping mechanic and a clear sense of how to use it for maximum comic and dramatic effect. The film's visual style is brighter and more colourful than the franchise's recent norm, which suits its tonal ambitions. The pacing is brisk to the point of occasionally feeling rushed, and the film's 105-minute runtime, while refreshing in principle, means that several of its more interesting dramatic threads are truncated before they can fully develop.
Cultural Reception
The Marvels received mixed reviews on its release and was a significant commercial disappointment, grossing approximately $206 million worldwide to become the lowest-grossing MCU film since its earliest entries. Critics acknowledged Vellani's performance and the power-swapping mechanic while noting the thin villain and the film's dependence on Disney Plus viewing. Its box office failure generated considerable industry discussion about MCU fatigue and the challenges of streaming-dependent theatrical releases, and it is now regarded as a minor but not unpleasant entry whose reputation has improved somewhat as the initial disappointment has faded.
Who Should Watch
The Marvels is worth watching primarily for Iman Vellani's performance and for the singing planet sequence, which is one of the most purely joyful things the MCU has produced in years. Viewers who have seen Ms Marvel will get considerably more from it than those who have not.
Final Verdict: More fun than its reputation suggests but considerably less substantial than it needed to be. Iman Vellani is a star, the power-swapping mechanic is inventively deployed, and the film has a lightness and warmth that the franchise's more portentous recent entries lack. But the villain is a non-entity, the emotional beats are rushed, and the film's dependence on Disney Plus viewing is a real barrier. A minor but not unpleasant entry in the canon.
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