The Marvels is ridiculous, and I say that in the most positive way possible. It’s ridiculous the amount of action the movie manages to pack into just over 100 minutes. It’s ridiculously funny and a fun movie to watch. It most likely won’t be everyone’s favorite MCU movie, but for an early Phase Five movie – it’s coming in strong. It’s quirky and fun, and not like any of the other movies we’ve seen so far.
What the Flerken?
With the return of Captain Marvel on the screen, we of course get to see a lot more of Goose. But something happened to the character along the way – at least the design of him. It seems as a side character he was recast with a similar (but definitely) different orange cat variety. Much like fans noticed the recasting of Rhodey in the Iron Man movies, this isn’t going to go unnoticed. He’s still portrayed as a silly house cat-acting creature who has an octopus mouth inside that can consume anything it wants. Plus it seems like Fury has forgiven him over the years.
But the movie does seem to make up for the change by adding in more Flerkens. Yes, the poster alludes to there being more – but there is no preparing you for the amount of cuteness and hilarity that they add to the movie.
This One’s for The Girls
The Marvels is a movie that is packed with girl power. Not only do we have three women (well one teenager) full of amazing abilities, but even the “bad guy” is a female character. There are no bad men at the helm trying to oppress the women or tearing them down for doing things their way. Instead, the heroes learn to work together, despite their differences in order to achieve a single goal – saving their planet and others along the way.
From Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Miss Marvel/Kamala Kahn (Iman Vellani) – each character has their own powers and a strong personality as well. And while Kamala is still very much a teenager, her fangirl obsession with Captain Marvel takes precedence and you can relate to her character’s enthusiasm. Having three strong female leads usually doesn’t go well – one often is portrayed as the dominant or meaner character, and others as weaker and followers. But that isn’t happening in The Marvels. Even when the characters don’t agree or get along – there’s no screaming, no in-fighting, none of that. Instead, they validate each other’s emotions, and actions and continue to work together as a team.
That – that right there is a breath of fresh air. The women are actually written as complete, fully-formed characters. Not just side characters that help direct someone else’s story. They lead, they take charge and they have their own opinions and personalities. The movie not only passes the Bechdel test but lets the characters live their lives and save the world without even considering what a guy has to say about it. Instead, they just want to save lives and live their own.
Part of this nuance comes from the screenplay also being written by women: Nia DaCosta, Elissa Karasik, and Megan McDonnell, as well as the direction of Nia DaCosta (Candyman). It’s a different look at the MCU, and one through the eyes of women completely.
Will The Marvels Do Well at the Box Office?
For certain fans, The Marvels will quickly be one of their favorite movies in the MCU to date. It’s absolutely just about having fun and a ridiculous movie from start to end. There’s a huge girl power messaging and very little focus on the male characters. Historically, those movies and stories don’t do well with the more vocal comic movie fan base. Just look at Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, and the original Captain Marvel movies as examples. Does that mean it’s not a good movie? No. Actually, it means that the MCU may have a lot of stories that may fit a larger audience base than what the mass media will lead you to expect.
But let’s face it, the Avengers storyline is done – and there are hundreds if not thousands of other stories and comic books to pick from. Why not have a little fun here? We’ve seen some of the more recent releases like The Eternals not do as well because it didn’t have direction. But The Marvels, it has a clear direction that hits you with action almost immediately and doesn’t let you sit back and get stuck in the unneeded back story. It takes the quirky characters whose personalities are allowed to shine and not be dulled by the others. All while being the shortest MCU to date (a much-needed reprieve from the onslaught of movies well exceeding three hours).
The Marvels shines, it’s just going to be a matter of if the fans can sit back and enjoy it. It’s really time for these stories to be shared so that everyone can see themselves up on that screen. Honestly, I went into the theater not exactly sold or excited about seeing The Marvels. But came out loving every ridiculous moment of the movie. It will take you from action to laughter so quickly and back again – you may not even notice what it’s doing. That may just be what DaCosta was hoping to do, but her directing skills really brought this fun film to life.
The Marvels is in theaters everywhere on November 10th. Be sure to stay after the film, there are bonus scenes and an extra bonus to add to the whole feel of the movie.
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About The Marvels
Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan, Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team-up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Seo-Jun Park, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Samuel L. Jackson. Nia DaCosta directs with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos Jonathan Schwartz and Matthew Jenkins serve as executive producers. The screenplay is by Nia DaCosta and Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik. Marvel Studios’ “The Marvels” opens in U.S. theaters on November 10.