Ryan Shoots First: The Marvels
Hi! Welcome to the only review of The Marvels on the internet written by a straight white male that will not feature a certain 4-letter “W” word!
The Marvels serves as not only a sequel to Captain Marvel from years back but also the continuation of multiple Disney+ series including Wandavision and Ms. Marvel. If you haven’t seen them they are both really good and worth your time but there is some required watching to get what’s going on. Still, the actual plot and story of the film are pretty standalone and a good time. When I say stand alone I mean that in the sense of the greater MCU Kang stuff as well. And that’s okay, people want to criticize Marvel (the cool thing to do now) for not doing enough but they forget that is not how those Infinity Saga movies were. Beyond maybe the post credit bit that tied to the next thing the actual plots of those movies were pretty standalone. I could write a whole second article on what is “wrong” with the MCU but to sum it up… the golden age is the golden age for a reason. No single thing can keep that peak forever. Look at wrestling as well. People constantly want to compare everything to the Attitude Era, the ratings, and overall buy in but that was maybe the products peak. Before that the 80’s. You can’t stay at that peak forever, hills and valleys, and yes the MCU may be in a valley now but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some quality to the stuff they put out. Sure maybe at some point they will capture the zeitgeist again and be the “It” thing where even my dad who doesn’t care about comics at all goes to the movies but that can’t be the norm.
Anyway, what about this movie? Well, it is a good time and plays well off the tone set in Ms. Marvel and Captain Marvel. It feels like the tone of those two products merged and Kamala Khan is perfect for injecting some life and comedy into the Captain Marvel tough exterior. Iman Vellani is perfect in the role and as an MCU fan, we’ve come full circle now. The joke on set was she was the unofficial “loremaster” when it came to the continuity and the comics. Before being cast in the role she routinely cosplayed at comic cons. This almost allows her to be a 4th wall-breaking audience member in the movie. She even wears a Captian Marvel t-shirt in the film and the way she fangirls but then still maintains that joy as she meets her hero is the heart of the film. It even rubs off on Brie Larson who seems to be more comfortable here as Carol Danvers than she has in other MCU films. We’ve seen Carol quite a bit but really in moments where she flies in saves the day and bounces. In reality, its because filmmakers were not sure how to balance her amazing power level with their stories so she got written off doing other things but this film takes that criticism head on and tackles why she is so distant and I applaud them for humanizing and answering those questions. Carol is set up much better to be an actual character going forward and not a cheat code.
To round out our trio of Marvels is Teyonah Parris, she brings a fun style to Monica Rambeau who reflects Kamala’s desire to be everything about the superhero life in that she wants really nothing to do with it. This brings some funny dynamics as Kamala workshops hero names with her. As you may have seen in the trailers the gimmick here is since all their powers are related the great mystery of the film has caused their powers to become tangled. This causes them to switch places anywhere in the galaxy. This is a fun dynamic the film plays with almost throughout the whole run time. It isn’t just a gag used for a scene and then forgotten. It is the reason the three are together and the reason they must work together both tactically and emotionally to solve the puzzle. It was a fun element to the story and justified the plot in ways some MCU movies don’t. It can just be “because there is a bad guy” and nothing else.
The Marvels reminds me a bit of a simpler time in the MCU. Whereas films could just be fun stories sprinkled with some laughs and then a tag at the end to keep you coming back. It wasn’t settled with any lore keeping or setting up it was just allowed to be. It explores the characters in new ways, forces them into facing things they may not want to, and moves everyone forward in the story. It checks all the boxes. Also, props to the Khan family who were as great as they were in Ms. Marvel, their scene with “Nicholas” Fury was a good time and they bring a lot to the successful tone.
I undoubtedly know I’m going to see some wild YouTube thumbnails this week, I have already seen them as the man-o-sphere grifters have been circling this date on the calendar for months but despite what they’ll say The Marvels is a well-crafted fun trip in the MCU and Kamala will be one of the better things about the MCU going forward.
And yes the post-credit scene is quite a banger.
