Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel had a baby. And the result is the delightful new entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Marvels.
Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Kahn (Iman Vellani) have found their powers are intertangled. They now have to work together to defeat Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), a Kree warrior attempting to restore her homeland at the expense of others.
The vibe of The Marvels shares the most in common with Ms. Marvel, the limited series from Disney+. It’s unapologetically silly, with a fair amount of time spent with the leads talking about their feelings. A contingent of fanboys are already destined to hate it. (But if we’re being honest, they would hate it regardless.)
There’s not a single moment of “rah, rah, girl power” in the film. It’s simply three women who happen to be superheroes. That won’t stop the criticism of those who consider comic book movies to be male-oriented fare. Ignore that. Valid points of critique are the sometimes ridiculous vibe, especially in the “Marvel meets Bollywood” musical number. The antagonist is also an obvious Ronan the Accuser ripoff.
I personally love it when Marvel leans into its comic sensibilities. The Marvels is a super fun romp, even with potential world-ending possibilities at the center of the action.
The Marvels is in theaters now.