The Marvels Review: Sets Up For An Incredible MCU Future

The Marvels is a whole lot of fun, delivering incredible chemistry between the three leading ladies. It also sets up for an incredible MCU future!

Captain Marvel and Brie Larson fans have been waiting far too long for the sequel to the first film, but The Marvels is finally here. With many date pushes and rumored reshoots, some might be a little nervous about what the end result is. Luckily it is a whole lot of fun.

Not only is it extremely exciting to see these three leading ladies go on a space adventure and kick butt together, Marvel sneaks in a bit of heart, and will leave fans with their jaws on the floor by the time the credits finish. Between the ending and the mid-credit scene, we are finally excited for the future of the MCU again.

In The Marvels, Kamala Khan, AKA Ms. Marvel, Carol Danvers, AKA Captain Marvel, and Monica Rambeau are forced to work together after their powers become inexplicably entangled. They must figure out what villain, Dar-Benn, is up to and find a way to stop them from switching places whenever they simultaneously use their powers.

For anyone who has watched Ms. Marvel, it should come as no surprise that Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan is the standout. Many Marvel fans can relate to her because she is one too. Always excited to meet heroes and dreaming of team-ups. She is unafraid to fangirl over Captain Marvel, which works extremely well for The Marvels. As things start to wrap up in the film, she even addresses this in a heartfelt moment when Carol decides to open up about her feelings.

Her family has quite a bit of screen time as well, offering up the majority of the laughs in the film. They are just getting used to Kamala having powers, and when the switching starts to happen, it makes for some truly hilarious moments, and a great way to kick off The Marvels. 

There has been a certain group of people out there complaining about how stoic Carol Danvers has been in the past — as if she hadn’t been brainwashed by the Kree and going through some serious stuff. Well, this time around we get to see her start to break out of her shell.

It isn’t a lot, and she clearly is still dealing with the trauma she endured, but it is absolutely lovely to see her laughing and joking around with Kamala and Monica. One of the best scenes in The Marvels occurs when they are trying to figure out timing for switching places, which becomes a fun montage of the three of them. 

The chemistry between these three actors is off the charts. It is them, working together but still having fun, that makes The Marvels as good as it is. Sometimes it feels as if the moments we see were unscripted, and it is Iman, Brie, and Teyonah that are the ones we are watching. It feels that genuine of a relationship. 

At the same time, the fight scenes are a blast as well. Having them switch places whenever they use their powers at the same times makes for some interesting battle moves. Things happen very quickly and at a fast pace as they flash and change from person to person, but boy does that make it a lot of fun to watch.

Speaking of the fun, the Flerken race has its time to shine! Taking what is a hilarious moment in Marvel comics and bringing it to life on screen isn’t just for laughs – although it is truly one of the most insanely bizarre but laugh out loud moments – it actually serves a purpose story wise. Brilliant move.

Another bizarre scene occurs on a planet where people sing to speak. While entertaining, it does go on a bit long and feels a little out of place. 

One of the biggest issues with The Marvels is the villain. We love a good villain here at Mama’s Geeky and this one, well, is on the forgettable side. While her intentions match that of a villain’s, she feels a bit generic at times. She is hard to relate to, even for those who love a bad guy.

Dar-Benn is selfish and Hell bent on getting revenge on Captain Marvel, but once again picking someone from the comics that is bland and not well known feels like it doesn’t serve a purpose. She is all but a Ronan the Accuser wannabe.

As we talked about earlier, the switching places takes the fight scenes to a whole new level. This is where the visuals shine in The Marvels. The portals in the sky also look great, but there are several times that the CGI misses. All too often this is where things become hit or miss and there are certainly times where viewers will wince, thinking, “Oof, I can’t believe they didn’t touch that up.”

But at the same time, the cap of the budget is going to be met at some point. None of it is horrific to the point of being taken out of the film, but some key moments are dulled down a bit by the meh visuals that go along with it. For fear of spoilers we won’t get into it, but one occurs at the end of act three. 

Speaking of act three, it does feel a little bit on the rushed side, as problems are conveniently resolved rather quickly. However, we are sure this was done to keep it at a reasonable runtime of under two hours, which is greatly appreciated.

Probably our biggest complaint is the fact that the Secret Invasion series means absolutely nothing. When does The Marvels occur in comparison to Secret Invasion? Who knows and who cares. Whether you place it before or after the Disney+ series, there is no continuity. And that is infuriating. 

We won’t dive too deep into it, but there are Skrulls in The Marvels and it doesn’t line up at all with what we were told in Secret Invasion. So if you haven’t watched that yet, it seems as if there will be no greater implications in the MCU, as set up. Feel free to skip it. 

That said, it is important to watch Ms. Marvel and WandaVision. Both are fantastic series on their own, but they will give you the background you need to truly understand Kamala and Monica, and their intentions, as well as the decisions they make. 

Overall, The Marvels is a lot of fun. It is funny and entertaining, while also delivering some fantastic fight sequences. Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris have great chemistry together that oozes through the screen. Watching them kick butt together is a blast, but it is their personal moments together that stand out the most. 

Thanks to an incredible ending and an even more incredible mid credit scene, the future of the MCU looks bright! Fans are going to be very excited to see things that they have been begging for starting to happen, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

NEXT: Loki Season 2 Catapults Fans Into Pure Chaos

About The Marvels

Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her 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 two other superheroes to form the Marvels.

The Marvels comes to theaters everywhere on November 10th.