THE MARVELS - A Review by Jenn Rohm

THE MARVELS – A Review by Jenn Rohm

As a sibling, it is frustrating being compared to my sister, time and time again. While we have the same parents and share many life events, we are not the same person. The same could be said for the films of the MCU. Different directors, writers, editors, production design, art direction, etc. all have an impact on the result. Even reading the comics themselves, they have a different feel from one another, even when characters cross over. Comparing them to each other or expecting bigger than the last isn’t fair. I will step off my soap box now and get to my review.

The Marvels will be in theaters beginning November 11, 2023. This film is the story of how Jersey City teen Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, meets her idol Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers, and S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. The three will need to learn to work together to save the universe.

Brie Larson returns to her role as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers. She shows a little more of her human side and some of her self-imposed isolation barriers come down. Teyonah Parris is the now-adult Monica Rambeau showing us that you can be smart, fight hard, and look good while doing it. With the infectious joy of youth, Iman Vellani brings Kamala Khan to life. All three work together well and deliver their parts in believable ways. I also want to bring attention to Zawe Ashton’s performance as Dar-Benn. She brings us a villain that is more defined and developed than I am used to seeing. How she chose to portray the part helps to tell the tale.

There are moments where I did get a bit lost with the science in the script. I understand how they fit with the characters delivering those lines. Just above my knowledge base. Maybe the viewer is supposed to be as lost as some characters in those scenes. There was also an appearance by a female in a suit, who looked fantastic, I had to search after the film to figure out who she was. Her mode of transportation was a good clue that assisted with figuring it out. Basically, my only “issue” was items that were not clear to me. I appreciate them being in the film for deep MCU fans and they didn’t take away from my ability to enjoy the film.

I like what Director Nia DaCosta brought to this film. Choices on how to film when viewed in IMAX allowed me to feel what the characters were experiencing during some moments. Song choices had me giggling when I thought about the lyrics and what was on the screen. Making sure to include humor and great pacing all added to the enjoyment. Making sure it was a film that someone new to the MCU could enjoy was nice. Especially with one of the leads being a teenage female. Hopefully, a new source of fans will be created.

Shout out on the “Superhero” costume choices. They were appropriate for the cast wearing them. This allowed the audience to see these women were fit. They had the ability to move without the fear of a seam ripping. Last, but not least, it was appropriate footwear for the tasks at hand, there will not be broken ankles due to 6-inch heels and a hard landing.

There is one scene that has me laughing even more than 24 hours later. I wish I had the ability to rewind and watch it again now. Alas, I will have to wait until I can watch from home to do that. You will have to go and see it for yourself to figure out just which scene.

Director: Nia DaCosta

Written By: Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik

Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani

MPAA Rating: PG-13 for action/violence and brief language.

Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Selig Rating: 3.8 stars

Runtime: 1h 45m

Release Date: November 10, 2023

Movie Site: The Marvels website

Trailer: The Marvels trailer

The Selig Rating Scale:

5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.