“The Marvels” and the limbo of the MCU

The new MCU installment of Phase Five, “The Marvels,” had gotten a mixed reception in terms of quality and tone, leaving the cinematic universe in the continuous state of limbo that it has been in since the fallout of “Quantumania.” 

The Marvels not only serves as a sequel to the film “Captain Marvel,” but also the Disney Plus shows, “Ms. Marvel,” and “Wandavision,” given that it includes the characters Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel, played by Iman Vellani, and Monica Rambeau, played by Teyonah Parris. 

This film has them team up with the titular Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, portrayed by Brie Larson, to fight an alien threat, while trying to figure out how to control their respective powers now that they’re interconnected through unknown means. 

The film picks up where Ms. Marvel ended, in Kamala’s room when she suddenly switched with Carol. Recurring characters include Kamala’s family and Nick Fury, portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson, as they aid them in figuring out how to solve their situation. 

The overall tone of the film sets it as a superheroine team up, and it nails it perfectly. The chemistry between Larson, Vellani, and Parris works well with their character development and growth. While at moments rushed, it never feels forced or out of the blue, given that they must learn to team up and work together to stop the alien threat. 

Up to this point, Danvers has always flown solo, a personality that we as an audience have seen in her solo film and in “Endgame.” 

Kamala is a total fangirl who always wanted to be up to the status of her idol, and Monica just doesn’t seem to accept her superhero status given her powers. These three heroines manage to grow and develop beyond that here. 

The antagonist of the film is the Kree, the alien species that first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy and who are responsible for creating Captain Marvel. The last time we heard of them, their empire was ruined, and it heavily implied that Danvers was responsible for its downfall. They’re led by the warlord Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton. 

They’re out for revenge against Captain Marvel, and she’s hellbent on reviving the glory days of the Kree’s conquests. 

The tone and pacing of the film are cliché in terms of a Marvel movie, almost like “Guardians of the Galaxy” given its outer space setting. 

As entertaining as it was, the movie dragged through some of its runtime on filler moments, such as the scene where the Marvels travel to the musical water planet of Aladna, where K-Drama actor Park Seo Joon’s character Prince Yan makes his appearance. 

It felt comedic, but awkward in the sense that it threw off the film’s tone and filled up its plot for no reason. The characters themselves don’t even return or become relevant to the story later.

In addition to that, the pacing of the film felt fast. This is the first MCU film with the shortest time duration. Most films last two hours and 30 minutes. This film lasted one hour and 45. As much as I enjoyed their chemistry, the plot could have used more build-up in terms of setting and character development, especially with the antagonist. 

The Marvels became a box office bomb and the lowest-grossing MCU film to date. 

Is it bad? Not as much as “Quantumania.” Is it good? Well, it’s entertaining, and it does offer hints at what is to come of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Overall, it’s an addition worth watching, but it’s no Endgame or Winter Soldier. Great acting, but it lacks a plot and possesses a rushed pacing.