Nia DaCosta’s “The Marvels” introduces the beginning of a new generation for Marvel Studios. Actresses Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris kick off the latest era of the MCU with a cosmic adventure.
The movie hit theaters on November 10, 2023, and introduced three strong female leads fighting to save the universe from destruction. Dar-Benn is the antagonist who cares more about their race than anything and fights to bring back her world. She creates wormholes across space to take other planet’s resources. During this scene, I thought that the graphics and CGI captured the moment wonderfully; it felt as if the audience was transported into the movie. The protagonists – Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau – accidentally come together when their powers get intertwined to stop Dar-Benn from wreaking havoc across the universe.
Captain Marvel, also known as Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson, returns to the screen four years after her hit movie “Captain Marvel” in 2019. This film grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide making it the first female-led superhero movie to pass the billion-dollar rank. Larson wasn’t the only important character in the new film, Iman Vellani had a major role also.
Ms. Marvel, or Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, comes to the big screen after her small show “Ms. Marvel” on Disney Plus. With only six episodes the show was able to get a 97% positive rating. This was the start of Vellani’s rise to fame before her role in “The Marvels.” Also returning to the screen after a role in the hit TV show “Wanda Vision” is Teyonah Parris.
Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris, was the last leading character in the movie. After the events in the previous movie, “Captain Marvel,” Monica wasn’t ready to forgive Danvers for disappearing from her life. Danvers was a best friend to Monica’s mother, so she was like an aunt to Monica. We later see an awkward reunion between the two as they are forced to work together. Although they have a history together, DaCosta set out to make the heart of the film about the dichotomy between Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel.
Larson, Vellani and Parris put on an exceptional performance together with ‘marvelous’ on-screen chemistry. I felt this was apparent during the chaotic scene with the flerkens: cat-like creatures that seem normal but have octopus-like tentacles that come out of their mouth. These mutant cats were terrorizing the working civilians and our favorite heroines were struggling to disarm them in the mayhem. During the chaos of flerkens running around, the actresses were able to stay comical and keep the audience engaged. However, this momentum did not completely carry throughout the movie.
Danvers had been tirelessly doing the work as Captain Marvel in space on her own without a team. She is what DaCosta described as a workaholic. Unlike her, Khan’s foundation was her family, which she depended on for confidence and inspiration. As the narrative unfolds, the film explores their friendship.
The director herself is a marvel because she is the youngest filmmaker to release a Marvel movie at the age of 33. Not only is she the youngest, but she also is the first black woman to direct a Marvel movie.
“Day to day I think about it,” DaCosta says. “But it is nice to finally have a black woman directing one, it just happens to be me.”
SPOILER ALERT: The movie ends with Captain Marvel trying to save Rambeau but they end up getting separated. In the bonus scene during the credits, we see Rambeau wake up in a hospital next to her mother who was believed to be dead. This leaves the audience confused about how she got there in the first place. The cliffhanger gave the spectators a new perspective on interactions that previously happened and created curiosity about what would happen next.
Overall, I give this movie 4.1 stars for its exceptional special effects and marvelous balance between the movie’s action and emotional foundation.
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