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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider In a universe of diminishing returns: A review of The Marvels

In a universe of diminishing returns: A review of The Marvels

Published Nov 8, 2023 02:39 am

At A Glance

  • So, what else do we need to know? The Marvels is a step in the right direction. It over-relies on the cute and the whimsical unexpected. 
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A scene from 'The Marvels'

Hey, MCU, I am not seeing you! Or feeling you? Two years ago, the news that a 33rd MCU film was about to hit our screens would have meant a global audience eagerly waiting and anticipating the film's release. Today, it’s a far cry from that situation.

Is the MCU equity waning? Has Disney+, with its proliferation of Marvel TV shows, plus the recent spate of lackluster cinema releases, diluted the appeal of the Universe? Has interest waned in general, and does the formula need a drastic reboot? I can’t answer these questions in one sentence, but I do know that The Marvels isn’t going to turn things around and right the ‘ship’ by its’ lonesome.

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In a variation on the Metaverse concept, we have Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (Iman Vallani), all swapping bodies at the most inconvenient instances to bring purpose, mayhem, and fun into a superhero dramedy film. Sounds simple enough, and Nia daCosta (Little Woods, Candyman) directs.

A sequel to Captain Marvel (2019), and a continuation of the Ms. Marvel TV series would be an apt description of the film’s meandering narrative. The premise is Rambeau investigating a Kree wormhole for Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and jumping to a Kree plot to ‘steal’ precious assets from different worlds to right their own. And the film, thankfully, runs for 105 minutes - a far cry from the three hours plus ‘exercises in patience’ we’ve been getting off late.

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So, what else do we need to know? The Marvels is a step in the right direction. It over-relies on the cute and the whimsical unexpected. At some point, the Kamala idolizing Carol gets over-used. Knowing cats and kittens are the most reliable clickbait is taken to the extreme, and tell me if you found the world of singing and music endearing or just too tiring and silly after a while.

I felt we were in trouble when there was genuine and spontaneous applause for the end credits ‘Easter egg’ scene, but the end of the film proper did not elicit such a reaction. The Marvels may make money and appeal to the strength of its girl power theme - but I don’t believe it’s the ‘Savior’ film that the MCU badly needs. It is an improvement on the MCU releases of the last two years, and I loved watching this in 3-D, but honestly, it felt like a lengthy 105 minutes.

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