When Captain Marvel gets her powers entangled with fellow superheroes Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, the trio are forced to work together to prevent the evil Kree General Dar-Benn causing mass destruction across the universe.
Nia DaCosta the woman behind 2021’s Candyman reboot, takes the reigns as writer / director (replacing Ana Boden and Ryan Fleck who helmed the original Captain Marvel film in 2019) and delivers a flawed but frothy film, that gets by on heart and the camaraderie between it’s leads.
Oscar winning actress Brie Larson returns to the role of Carol Danvers AKA Captain Marvel who is joined by her now grown-up niece Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) with whom she has a complicated history and super fan Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) both appearing in their first MCU movie since debuting in seperate Disney Plus series. Anybody who missed those shows needn’t worry though, as we’re given snappy introductions to the newbie’s to get everyone up to speed.
Zawe Aston stars as the evil Dar-Benn, who’s meddling is the catalyst for our trio’s entanglement (they physically swap places each time they use their powers). Although jarring at first, DaCosta uses this quirk inventively during an amusing training montage and some fast-paced action scenes.
Together with some shoddy CGI, the films weaknesses are a bizarre musical number and a particularly misjudged sequence involving Carol’s pet Cat Goose, which will do little to dissuade haters that the MCU is running out of ideas.
On the whole though, the Marvels is an enjoyable experience, with it’s core strength being the chemistry between its leads. Carol and Monica’s awkward reunion is wonderfully undercut by the wide-eyed excitement of Kamala, who’s overjoyed by her first superhero team up. Vellani is undoubtedly the star of the film, and probably the reason why the title was changed from Captain Marvel 2. The young actress is a breath of fresh air for the franchise and is likely be a key player in Marvel’s future. It’s impossible not to be swept along by her youthful exuberance and charming relationship with her family. Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur also reprise their roles as Kamala’s parents and are just as entertaining on the big screen. Seeing them bicker with Sam Jackson’s returning Nick Fury, as he gives them a guided tour of his starship, is one of the comedic highlights.
With the MCU in desperate need of a shot in the arm, The Marvels goes some way to delivering that. It’s by no means perfect, but DaCosta does well to juggle the various pieces of the Marvel jigsaw to produce an entertaining, if rather lightweight, slice of superhero action.
Those keen to stomp on the MCU’s grave may have to wait a little bit longer.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@grittster
12/11/23