On a $160 million budget, Captain Marvel grossed over $1 billion worldwide, making it the 9th highest-grossing film of 2019. A few months after its release, Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige announced a sequel was in the works. In early 2020, Megan McDonnell was hired to write the sequel after working on the Disney+ series WandaVision. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who directed the first film, would not return, so Marvel sought a new director. After considering Olivia Wilde and Jamie Babbit, the studio hired Nia DaCosta, who previously helmed the Candyman remake. Brie Larson returned to the title role, with Teyonah Parris and newcomer Iman Vellani joining the cast. The movie was shot between July 2021 and May 2022 in Pinewood Studios, Longcross Studios, LA, and Tropea. After numerous delays, The Marvels premiered in Vegas on November 7, 2023, before its wide release three days later.
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Synopsis
In her quest to restore her homeworld, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) acquires a Quantum Band, allowing her to create space rifts. These anomalies catch the attention of S.W.O.R.D., an intelligence agency headed by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). He asks Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) to investigate, but something goes wrong. The anomaly causes Carol, Monica, and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) to switch places when they use their powers. They deduce that their light-based powers are caught in a quantum entanglement caused by Dar-Benn creating jump points. It turns out that Dar-Benn is using the jump points to siphon resources to revive the Kree homeworld, Hala. With Dar-Benn’s jump points threatening to rupture existence, Carol, Monica, and Kamala team up to stop her. Will The Marvels save the universe, or will it fall apart while Dar-Benn tries restoring the Kree empire?
Review
At this point, it feels like I’m watching all the MCU movies out of obligation rather than genuine interest. With a few exceptions, most of them have been decent at best and mediocre at worst. While not as bad as Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, The Marvels is another forgettable mediocre MCU movie. Part of it could be superhero fatigue, but that doesn’t change the fact that this movie is pretty dull. To start positively, I will say that some performances aren’t half bad, with Iman Vellani being a huge standout. Much like in Ms. Marvel, her energy and enthusiasm is infectious, and I look forward to what she does next. Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris are decent, though they come off slightly on the bland side. Samuel L. Jackson still has a commanding presence, even if he isn’t given much to do.
Unfortunately, that’s where most of the positives end, as this has all the elements of a weak MCU movie. Dar-Benn is right up there with Ronan the Conqueror and Malekith as one of the weakest villains in the series. While they try giving her a compelling motivation, she comes off as a stereotypical big bad wanting to destroy everything. It doesn’t help that Zawe Ashton’s performance mainly consists of wide-eyed expressions and delivering her lines in a whispering tone. Also, the whole “switching places when they use their powers” gimmick could’ve been fun, but it’s underutilized. Aside from a few action scenes and a decent training montage, the gimmick is hardly used and is mostly forgotten. There are also some out-of-place attempts at humor, like when the heroes visit a planet where people communicate through song. It’s on par with what Taika Waititi did on Thor: Love and Thunder.
The film’s best parts were the quieter, more character-driven scenes, like Kamala’s family or the main heroes bonding. It’s in the big, CGI-filled action sequences that the film feels generic and hollow, like most of the MCU recently. I’m glad Nia DaCosta got to direct a big-budget blockbuster, but I don’t know if she was the right choice. Not that the film is shot poorly or the editing is awful, but there’s no sense of style. Considering her last film had a $25 million budget, maybe she’s not ready for such a vast project. One thing I can credit this movie for is that it’s relatively short, at only an hour and 45 minutes. Still, Marvel Studios should take some time off, regroup, and commit to delivering better content than this. Overall, The Marvels has moments, but you can skip this one unless you’re a hardcore MCU fan.
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