The Marvels Review: Delightfully Fun MCU Entry Is A Much-Needed Return To Form

The third cinematic entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 5, The Marvels serves as a sequel to Marvel Studios’ 2019 success, Captain Marvel, while also introducing characters from the Disney+ shows WandaVision and Ms. Marvel to the big screen. Despite highlights like Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, MCU Phases 4 and 5 have struggled to connect with audiences, especially after the massive success of Avengers: Endgame. However, The Marvels is a return to form for the MCU, with all the goofy fun and superhero hijinks of Marvel’s best fare. The Marvels is an uproariously fun and action-packed comic book movie that’s made all the more delightful by the heartwarming dynamic of the leads.

In The Marvels, returning avenger Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is investigating a surge in the universe’s jump points system when she suddenly finds her powers entangled with her niece Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Jersey City teen/Captain Marvel superfan Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani). The power entanglement causes Carol, Monica and Kamala to switch places when they use their powers, which leads to complications when Carol is trying to confront Kree revolutionary Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton). With support from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and SABER, the three heroes set off into the galaxy to disentangle their powers and stop Dar-Benn’s plans of destroying whole worlds for her cause.

Directed by Nia DaCosta (Candyman) from a script she co-wrote with Megan McDonnell (WandaVision) and Elissa Karasik (Loki), The Marvels hits the ground running, plunging audiences into the world of the MCU while making sure not to leave any viewer behind, even those who may be new to the universe. The first act — which reminds viewers of Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and Monica’s stories thus far — deftly manages to strike a balance between recap and establishing the movie’s story so it doesn’t drag. Overall, it’s a well constructed superhero movie, with action set pieces that make excellent use of the characters’ place-swapping abilities while still leaving moments for the characters to breathe. In fact, it’s the dynamic between the three main characters in The Marvels that raises it above simply good Marvel fare to utterly enjoyable.

In 2019’s Captain Marvel, Larson’s Carol was more of a stoic warrior, but The Marvels is set 30 years later, and the character has evolved into a solitary and sometimes awkward hero. Carol’s relationship with Monica is fraught by her 30-year absence and the death of Monica’s mother/Carol’s best friend Maria (Lashana Lynch), while Kamala is a breath of fresh air who’s simply excited to be included. The dynamic between Larson, Parris and Vellani is genuinely delightful; every moment they share on screen is a joy to watch. Vellani, especially, is entertaining as Kamala, bringing plenty of humor and heart to the movie.

While The Marvels is ultimately Larson, Parris and Vellani’s movie, and they’re each strong performers in their own right, they’re bolstered by a fantastic supporting cast. Jackson is especially fun as a more light-hearted Nick Fury, while Ashton is serviceable as Dar-Benn. The villain isn’t one of Marvel’s most well-developed characters, so Ashton doesn’t have much to work with, but she’s fine as an antagonist to the trio of heroes. Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur and Saagar Shaikh are absolute scene-stealers as Kamala’s mother Muneeba, father Yusuf and brother Aamir, while Park Seo-joon is similarly a standout as Prince Yan. All in all, the cast of The Marvels delivers excellent performances, raising the bar of the Marvel movie.

Ultimately, The Marvels is exactly what Marvel Studios does best — a fun superhero movie that mixes the silliness of the comics with exciting action scenes and grounded, relatable stories for its characters. Of course, that means it still labors under some of the issues that have plagued Marvel movies for the last two decades, primarily a largely uninteresting villain. There’s also quite a bit of Marvel-specific science/world-building thrown in throughout The Marvels that can be difficult to follow even for MCU scholars, but it doesn’t take away from the overall experience. On the whole, DaCosta has created something special with The Marvels, delivering a movie that’s an absolute blast to watch on the big screen.

As such, The Marvels is a must-watch for any casual or diehard Marvel fan, even those who may not have been impressed with the majority of Marvel Studios’s recent releases. It feels like a combination of everything that worked well in MCU Phases 1-3, with the best of Phases 4 and 5, which is why it’s a return to form for the studio while also being a sign of what’s to come. If Marvel delivers more movies like The Marvels, there’s no reason to believe the future of the MCU is anything but bright.

The Marvels starts playing in U.S. theaters Thursday afternoon, November 9. It is 105 minutes long and rated PG-13 for action/violence and brief language.