Don’t pull the plug on the MCU just yet. The Marvel Cinematic Universe remains on life support with The Marvels, thanks largely to the chemistry of its three winning leads. Something of a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, the movie features the return of Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), teaming her up with Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), last seen in the MCU streaming series WandaVision, and teenager Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), star of her own, self-titled series. I could get into their individual backstories, but all you really need to know here is that their various “light-based” powers get tangled up, thanks to the devious machinations of a Kree warrior named Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton, embodying just the right amount of villainous relish). Director Nia DaCosta (2021’s Candyman, Little Woods)—who also contributed to the script alongside Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik—handles the fight scenes with aplomb, even if there does seem to be some cheating regarding the rules of the film’s central conceit: that every time one of the heroes uses their powers, they switch places. There’s a lightness to those sequences that carries over to an amusing visit to a planet where everyone sings rather than speaks, as well to the repartee among our heroes. Larson has the stern, dryly funny Carol down pat, so it’s nice to have her prodded by Parris’ warmth and no-nonsense smarts as Monica. Vellani, meanwhile, is a scene-stealing delight as Kamala, a wide-eyed fangirl who’s giddy at the chance to be part of the superhero ranks. Having an Avengers superfan embedded within the story is a clever way to generate holistic enthusiasm for the film itself, not to mention the MCU as a whole. It’s been a tepid run of late, at best, suggesting a franchise taking its last gasps. Thanks to Larson, Parris, and Vellani, The Marvels feels like a breath of fresh air.
(11/12/2023)
