MARCUS CHEONG watches ‘The Marvels’…
The Marvels (AU – M/UK – 12A/US – PG-13)
In A Word: Chaotic
Brie Latson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers in Marvel Studios’ ‘The Marvels’. PICTURE: Courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 Marvel
The 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues the story of Captain Marvel (the 2019 film), Ms Marvel (the 2022 TV miniseries), and Monica Rambeau (from WandaVision, the 2021 TV miniseries). This exhaustive backstory culminates in the team up of this almost fully female cast as they cross the galaxy in a chaotic adventure that is part science fiction epic, part musical comedy, and part family drama.
“The Marvels is the epitome of a mixed bag. It crams a bit of everything into 105 minutes. It doesn’t all fit together seamlessly, but it is a chaotic fun filled ride while it lasts.”
Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), begins alone in space, seeking to atone for accidentally dooming the Kree homeward after the events in the first Captain Marvel movie. The new Kree leader, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ahston) begins to drain the natural resources from other planets using unstable jump points in space. The unintended side effect of unleashing such cosmic powers is that Captain Marvel, teenage superhero Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) and astronaut Monica Rameau (Teyonah Parris) become quantum entangled, so whenever they use their powers the characters swap places with each other no matter where in the universe they are. The sudden character swapping leads to a series of fast and frenetic battles that force the heroes together in a quest to save the galaxy.
The Marvels fuses hard hitting action sequences with the bizarre and comical. Notably a visit to water planet Aladna features musical song and dance from the characters as the locals only speak in song. Then there is a nod to the musical Cats as the crew of Nick Fury’s space station gets consumed by terrifying kittens while Memories plays in the background. The tonal shifts from crazy comedy, remorseful genocide, tragic family loss and ballistic space combat can be a bit jarring, however it is this chaotic blend of characters and concepts that The Marvels embraces.
The unexpected depth, comes from Carol’s realization that by destroying the evil Supreme Intelligence (in 2019’s Captain Marvel), she only unleashed more suffering and death. The concept that defeating the “bad guy” can actually cause more problems is eerily relevant in this day and age. While this theme is worthy, The Marvels opts for a Hollywood ending and gives this complex problem a rather simple solution.
The Marvels is the epitome of a mixed bag. It crams a bit of everything into 105 minutes. It doesn’t all fit together seamlessly, but it is a chaotic fun filled ride while it lasts.
