Despite whatever negative press you may have seen about the Marvel franchise recently, its latest film, “The Marvels,” is no flop. While there are parts that are too thin and a few mystifying plot holes, the movie more than makes up for them with an irreverent and joyful story about found family that features truly wonderful chemistry between its three leading women.
On paper, this is ridiculous. But thankfully, you can still enjoy this movie even without a superhero flowchart.
Fifteen years and what feels like 100 movies after the birth of Marvel’s on-screen franchise in 2008, this soap opera “universe” of interconnected movies and shows has become so complicated, it’s easy to get lost. Over the course of a speedy 1 hour, 45 minutes, “The Marvels” folds in plotlines from no fewer than six feature films going back to 2018, and at least five Disney+ shows from the past three years, all culminating in a throwback scene echoing the original “Iron Man.” On paper, this is ridiculous. But thankfully, you can still enjoy this movie even without a superhero flowchart.
Here’s what you need to know: Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) is an all-powerful superhero, and the women who look up to her — estranged adopted niece Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and fangirl Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) — have a lot of feelings about her seeming invincibility. Everything else is window dressing.
Enter the evil ruler of the Kree (played by Zawe Ashton), who causes the trio to start switching places. This mechanism humanizes Captain Marvel and proves she is far from perfect. The swapping also forces Carol to realize that having a team that can check her when she goes too far is invaluable. Turns out outside perspective is a superpower she lacks.
The fact that this is a three-generation story is one big reason “The Marvels” works as well as it does. Despite the ageless appearance of Larson’s character, she adeptly conveys the extreme depth of her experiences through space and time (and a few marriages along the way). Parris was underused in her Marvel debut, the Disney+ TV show “WandaVision,” something this film rectifies. But Vellani, who was a breakout star in her own “Ms. Marvel” series in 2022, steals every scene she’s in here. Also, her “underage superhero” status means she requires chaperoning, turning “The Marvels” into a genuine family adventure, a true rarity in this genre. (Though this movie was filmed months ago, having a loving, positive portrayal of Muslim families take center stage in a mainstream box office hit right now is a tremendous bonus.)
The film’s conceit of having the three heroes continually switch places in the midst of battle scenes also greatly improves on Marvel’s increasingly bogged-down fight sequences. Because the characters keep flipping places, at first accidentally, and then as they work together more and more deliberately, the fights are kept visually clean and tight, so that audiences know exactly who is fighting whom, where and when. (And which one has Goose the Cat as a secret weapon.)
The fact that this is a three-generation story is one big reason “The Marvels” works as well as it does.
Did I mention Goose the Cat is in this film? And that, apparently, Captain Marvel has never watched “The Price Is Right” and learned the importance of spaying and neutering your pets? Please, people, always spay and neuter your pets, even if they are flerken. This has been a public service announcement.
Marvel’s recent struggles, especially in contrast to its golden first decade, have been mostly self-inflicted. Films like “Eternals” and “Ant-Man 3,” or shows like “Secret Invasion,” have tried to chase awards glory or add too much dramatic weight to flimsy stories. “The Marvels” is a reminder that when Marvel Studios does what it originally set out to do — make entertaining, lighthearted, fast-paced superhero films that appeal to fans and interconnect just enough — it makes great movies. And that, at the end of the day, is enough.
Ani Bundel
Ani Bundel is a cultural critic who has been writing regularly since 2010. Her work can also be found at Elite Daily and WETA's Telly Visions, where she also co-hosts "Telly Visions: The Podcast."