The Marvels follows Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel), and Monica Rambeau (Photon) as they attempt to resolve…a rather interesting situation. Whenever they use their powers, they swap physical places with one another.
Primarily, I want to discuss the standout aspect of the movie, and that is the three main women at the forefront of everything. Above everyone else, Iman Vellani playing Ms. Marvel is the reason to watch this movie. She is incredible. She has a fun energy to her, and it is the same fun energy that is carried over from the Ms. Marvel show. Her optimistic, larger-than-life perspective keeps you on her side throughout the whole movie. Brie Larson as Captain Marvel is at her absolute best as the character here. As opposed to the first Captain Marvel movie, Carol Danvers feels more like a character than a convoluted plot device, and you really get to know her better than before. Finally, Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau expands off her great part in Wanda Vision and becomes an essential part of this trio that also manages to carry a lot of heart along with her.
Moving on from the good aspects, however, the rest of this movie really is not all that great. Starting with the villain. The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s track record of villains is quite the roller coaster, and unfortunately in this case, this is another negative addition to the roster. Dar-Benn is about as generic as they come. Feeling like a carbon copy of Guardians of the Galaxy’s first villain, Ronan, she is a member of the Kree race who wields a hammer-style weapon and is seeking revenge and conquest. The movie does extraordinarily little to develop her, or even attempt to get you to see her side. She is essentially here just to fight with the Marvels by the end of the movie.
The filmmaker also made some very odd choices in terms of tone, and dare I say plausibility. In an attempt not to spoil anything, I will say that this movie has a scene involving the Marvels on a planet, and the interactions that occur feel like something entirely out of a different style of movie entirely. This situation is brand new to any Marvel movie, and for me, it really did not work. If you see this movie, you will know the exact scene I am referring to when it happens, and for me, it just did not feel like an MCU situation.
All in all, this movie just did not do it for me. I loved seeing the three main actresses work together, but the situations they worked together in were just so wacky that I felt like I could not entirely invest in them. I am going to give the Marvels a 5 out of 10. I hope the next time we see these characters together; it is under more believable circumstances that feel worthy of the actresses playing these roles.
ALSO! Be sure to stick around after the credits if you decide to see this one. Two post-credit scenes set up future Marvel projects that you will not want to miss!