Genre: Action, adventure, fantasy
The Marvels is the 33rd addition to the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and although it is visually well-executed and entertaining, it is primarily tailored for Marvel fans, with major plot points relying on audiences having watched previous MCU works.
The story is loaded with girl power and follows three heroes who work together to overcome their challenges. When they start swapping places every time they use their powers, Carol Danvers (played by Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (played by Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (played by Iman Vellani) team up as ‘The Marvels’ to figure out what’s going on before they fight a supervillain.
The movie is packed full of cleverly executed action scenes and plotlines that are well shot and edited, and each character’s narrative is fleshed out and their respective powers and personality amplified in the fight scenes.
With a diverse cast, it is refreshing to see superheroes and villains of colour in mainstream movies with a presence in the film that does not feel contrived.
A critique however is that major plot points are difficult to follow despite having watched previous films important to the story such as Captain Marvel (2019) the series WandaVision (2021) and Ms. Marvel (2022).
There is very little backstory in previous MCU works provided for the main villain and the absence of convincing context detracts from the enjoyment of the story.
It has become clear that MCU has sacrificed storytelling for lucrative financial returns on blockbuster films.
Gone are the days when we could watch a movie, enjoy it from start to finish, love it or hate it, and move on.
There are too many MCU movies and series that rely on each other and this presents a barrier to casual viewers.
At one hour and 45 minutes, it is one of the shortest Marvel movies and is clearly made to be enjoyed by die hard fans.
The Marvels is available for streaming on Disney+.
