Movie Number 37 of 2023
The Movie: The Marvels
The Cinema: Hoyts Victoria Gardens
Stars: 4 (On the proviso that you're MCU* literate)
Are you thinking of seeing The Marvels? I will ask you the following:
- Have you seen the show Ms Marvel on Disney?
- Did you see Captain Marvel?
- Do you know what is a flurken is?
If you don't, you've got a bit of homework to do. Going into this without a decent grounding in the MCU* would be difficult. I'm a bit of a Marvel junkie so I was alright, but I could see how others would struggle.
Not that this makes The Marvels a bad film. As Marvel films go, it's up there with for action, effects and kick ass girl power, but you do need to know who's who in the zoo. It also runs under two hours - a rarity for Marvel films - which is never a bad thing.
According to RottenTomatoes.com the films is about:
"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."
Does that make sense? If you're up on your MCU you'll get it. If not, well, yeah.
What I really liked about this was that it built on what we already know. Captain Marvel (the wonderful Bree Larson) has a conscience, but she also keeps her trademark wit and snark. Ms Marvel, Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) holds her own - an unknown character if you haven't watched Ms Marvel - but she's Marvel's first Muslim superhero. And Teyonah Parris is great as Monica Rambeau, Carol Danvers' (Captain Marvel's) god-daughter, now astronaut rounds out the three main characters, who are fighting the Kree, headed up by Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). As baddies go, she's bad, but not Thanos bad.
Oh, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is also trying to hold earth together, complete with Kamela/Ms Marvel's parents and Goose.
Ah, Goose. This is one of the best things about Marvel. Goose is a flurken. Don't know what a Flurken is? You're going to have to watch a few more Marvel films to get just how important Goose really is. For anybody who owns a cat, you'll love flurkens too. Some of the film's funniest moments come from the interactions with Goose and his throng. But Goose has always been a scene stealer. He's a flurken, of course he wins hearts.
Nia DaCosta's direction keeps things moving forward, and it's interesting to see that she's had a hand with a trio of female screenwriters to give this a more woman-centric feel - which is a bit unusual for Marvel films, but it does go some way to addressing the balance.
In all, this is okay. Critics haven't been that kind, but I found it an enjoyable, if not a bit silly diversion. If you're MCU literate, you'll probably enjoy it. If not, give it a miss.
* MCU = Marvel Cinematic Universe
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