There have been lots of talks about whether the Marvel Cinematic Universe has lost its mojo.
To be honest with you after the whole thing called “Secret Invasion” I was less enthused about new stuff coming out from the MCU.
I did not dislike “Qantumaniac” like most people, but then I was not in a rush to watch it all over again. Same for “Love and Thunder”. I felt both had potential, but they eventually became lost opportunities. Sometimes I thought, ‘is MCU now trying to please everyone that it ended up pleasing no one at all?’ The Multiverse Saga has opened up a lot of opportunities but then it felt like it was going nowhere at the same time. Some of the Disney+ series felt like fillers that did not add value to any characters or story telling. That doesn’t mean that they are bad, but when you tried to emphasize the inter-connectivity, how connected are they and if they are, do I really need to put up with something like “Secret Invasion” just to keep myself up to date with the universe?
Along came “The Marvels”.
The project has been a topic of discussion with so many fanboys hating Brie Larson’s portrayal of Carol Danvers. I personally did not feel that way, as I think she did very well with the quality of material they gave her in the first movie. However, what I always found funny at that time was that some criticised her for not smiling enough, but nobody did that with a male superhero like Batman, Superman or even with Captain America in his first outing. What I felt was lacking with the first Captain Marvel movie was a focus on the character’s development in terms of character building. The background story was important for us to know who Captain Marvel was, but it was as important to understand the past and the present, and how they affect each other, which ironically, was what the movie was originally trying to do. Carol Danvers' subsequent outings were not significant either, despite showing she was a force to be reckoned with.
I personally did look forward to “The Marvels”, as it will give Carol Danvers the screen time she deserves, while addressing her unresolved stories with Monica Rambeau (Teyonna Parris) since it was flagged in “WandaVision”. In addition, I got to see Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan again. Ms Marvel is one of my favorite Disney+ series, and I have watched it twice. I think Vellani brought the right energy to the character without getting annoying. With Tom Holland’s Spiderman being forced to grow up alone in this darker world, Vellani’s Ms Marvel is just the right person to fill that young energy void.
Many were alarmed that “The Marvels” is just over 90 minutes long, becoming the shortest movie in the MCU. Maybe we are spoiled or used to long movie form of storytelling, but in my opinion, as long as a story was told right, it does not matter whether it is long or short.
And “The Marvels” proved me right on this.
What I was impressed with “The Marvels” was that, yeah it had its slow moments, but it managed to push forward a plot that reminded us who these characters are, where they came from in terms of the MCU’s continuity timeline, while resolving unresolved issues in previous outing and at the same time moving the plot forward. From my point of view, this was not an easy job, and “The Marvels” delivered solidly on this. Important storylines such as the one we were wondering since “WandaVision” and “Ms Marvel” were dealt with properly in a legitimate and meaningful way, as a new threat was being unfolded. I particularly like the cause, consequence and perception aspect of the whole movie. Are we who others perceive us who we are, or do you want to become who we want to be? Is running a good way to deal with our mistakes that we did not intend to make? What is letting go? These are all subplots that “The Marvels” dealt with masterfully without looking or sounding tokenistic.
Yes, “The Marvels” still have that ‘don’t know how to deal with new villains’ issue, but for me “The Marvels” is not really just about the villain, but the enemy we created, the promise we tried to keep while failing, and the facing of the reality without losing who we are. Zawe Ashton is great as Dar Benn, it’s just unfortunate that it was not her time.
There are lots of comic relief moments in the movie that I personally did not think it take any attention away from the main plot. For me it was a great and clever use of the song “Memories”. Who would have thought that a song from a famous musical with a disastrous movie could be revived by a superhero movie lead by three actresses?
Is “The Marvels” perfect? Probably not, but I think for me, it does look like the MCU is slowly getting back into form. If “The Marvels” and “Loki” Season 2 are what we expected to see coming from MCU in the future, I am really looking forward to seeing what’s coming.
And for those post credit scene enthusiasts, there is only one mid-credit scene, so if you need to go to the bathroom after that, you can. :)
