The first Black Woman director for Marvel, Nia DaCosta, put her all into this movie and did not disappoint for one second. As a person who is a space geek, this served my appetite very well. It even made me want to purchase a Captain Marvel suit and consider buying a spaceship. Below is my review of The Marvels.
The Marvels is a wonderfully executed movie that has just boosted my excitement for the future of the MCU. Led by three women who are connected by energy that must come together to defeat a female villain willing to do anything for her home planet. Nia gives us clear direction, backed by a great script, impressive acting, and amazing fight scenes. She deserves a pat on the back for giving us something fun, warm-hearted, wacky, and thrilling. Her vision is amazing and fresh. The haters were waiting for this film to fail, and now they will have to accept defeat.
From left to right: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani as The Marvels. Image: Courtesy of Marvel.
Kamala Khan a.k.a Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) is ready for the big screen. She is so fun and is easy to root for. She deserves to be in the MCU, and I hope Feige plans to use her character more. Each member of her family (Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, and Saagar Shaikh) played their part very well as the supporting cast. Even Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) gives us some laughs. They were the fun and wacky comedic relief that was great to experience without ever forcing the funny.
Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris, was sensational. She was the real scene stealer throughout the movie, and her super level of intellect made me a big fan. There’s talent in that actress. My lord. That woman is on her way to securing her stardom. She will surely be a contender for an Academy Award in her career.
I love Brie Larson. She does no wrong when she’s Captain Marvel. She is another incredible act that I respect and find massively talented. I was excited to see her bring more depth to Captain Marvel’s hero arc and it makes her character more likable. These characters together on screen are definitely making it an easy case for Fiege to make this a trilogy.
The story moved quickly and the pacing was majestic. I need that more from all filmmakers. Nia DaCosta and the editors, Catrin Hedström and Evan Schiffthe, must’ve put in some serious long hours together. Telling a story under 2 hours? Give her an award just for that. I wish the rift between Carol and Monica was more dramatic. It had its Disney cheesy moments, but I didn’t mind it. I mean cmon, it’s rated PG-13. And it’s Disney for crying out loud.
The writing in The Marvels is packed with super funny jokes, followed by emotional moments and mixed in with some exciting action. When the jokes came, it had the theater laughing. When the action came, it had all in the theater wide-eyed with excitement. I was very impressed by the dialogue and the action scenes from the opening scene to the credits. The way they wrote the villain, Dar-Been, (Zawe Ashton) in this movie was great too. The writers made it clear what her motivation was. No loose nuts or bolts in this one.
Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Image: Courtesy of Marvel.
I am happy about the great sound design, and the amazing costume design, but not too stunned by the CGI. The cinematography was beautiful. Even more magnificent if seen in IMAX. The lighting was balanced. Not too dark and not too bright. There was clearly a switch of tones throughout the different worlds. I appreciated that.
Those post-credit scenes. Oh. My. Goodness. I can’t spoil it, but the MCU is about to run the game for another 10 summers.
In conclusion, The Marvels thumps the haters. Nia DaCosta adds a fun and action-packed piece of work to her resume, the MCU grows stronger, and we gain two stars to follow that could be a part of a bigger puzzle to the upcoming Marvel phases.
The Marvels hits U.S. theaters on November 10.
