The Marvels - Review Thread

The Marvels

• Rotten Tomatoes - 54% (70 Reviews)
• Metacritic - 51 (34 Reviews)

Reviews:

Deadline:

“The Marvels” stands as a testament to the possibility of character-driven stories within the grand tapestry of the MCU. DaCosta’s vision, fortified by compelling performances and thoughtful storytelling, delivers a superhero film that pulsates with life, energy, and most importantly, a sense of purpose. It’s a reminder that in the right hands, even the most expansive universes can be distilled into stories that resonate on the most human of levels.

The Hollywood Reporter (70/100):

But it’s Vellani who really splashes. Her character’s bubbly personality adds levity and humor to The Marvels, making it lighter fare than its predecessor. The actress indeed does a lot with a role that could easily be one-note, stealing nearly every scene in the process. Her Kamala is a fangirl who can hold her own; she adores Captain Marvel, but recognizes that she’s not working with the most emotionally adept adults. She’s into saying the quiet part out loud and she’s not afraid to initiate a group hug. Vellani calibrates her performance deftly, committing to comic relief without becoming over-reliant on any kind of shtick.

Variety (50/100):

The movie is short enough not to overstay its welcome, though it’s still padded with too many of those fight scenes that make you think, “If these characters have such singular and extraordinary powers, why does it always come down to two of them bashing each other?” (“My light force can beat up your bracelet!”) By the end, evil has been vanquished, however temporarily, and the enduring bond of our trio has been solidified, though the post-credits teaser sequence redirects you, as always, to the larger story of how this movie fits into the MCU. Only now, there is so much more to consume (all those series!) to know the answer to that question. I can hardly wait to start doing my homework.

IndieWire (C-)

This film actually attempts to be new and fresh — Vellani and Parris have enough charm to power 10 more films, and the “wacky” moments that pepper this one are welcome respite that show real originality from DaCosta — but it’s all ripped away for more of the same. That “same”? It’s not working anymore, and if “The Marvels” shows us anything, it’s a fleeting glimpse of what the MCU could look like, if only it was superheroic enough to try.

Bleeding Cool (8.5/10):

The Marvels is a callback to when the Marvel Cinematic Universe was putting out some pretty good movies where not every aspect of them worked, but it's still a very enjoyable experience. Like those other imperfect films, there are plenty of things to nitpick; however, by the time the credits roll, the good far outweighs the bad. There is no need for these films to become trailers for more movies down the line; they can stand more or less on their own, and we can hope that more of phase five will follow that example set by The Marvels if nothing else.

IGN (8/10):

The Marvels is a triumph. Its depth can be seen not just through its characters, but through its story as it explores war's complicated fallout; the difficulty of being a human when you are perceived as a monolith; and the hilarious and complicated virtues of family. Both funny and heartfelt, Nia DaCosta’s MCU debut will have you asking when she and her leading ladies are coming back immediately after the credits roll. It’s a pity that the villain isn’t given much to do, though.

Screenrant (90/100)

While The Marvels is ultimately Larson, Parris and Vellani's movie, and they're each strong performers in their own right, they're bolstered by a fantastic supporting cast. Jackson is especially fun as a more light-hearted Nick Fury, while Ashton is serviceable as Dar-Benn. The villain isn't one of Marvel's most well-developed characters, so Ashton doesn't have much to work with, but she's fine as an antagonist to the trio of heroes. Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur and Saagar Shaikh are absolute scene-stealers as Kamala's mother Muneeba, father Yusuf and brother Aamir, while Park Seo-joon is similarly a standout as Prince Yan. All in all, the cast of The Marvels delivers excellent performances, raising the bar of the Marvel movie.

Inverse:

The Marvels, for better or worse, embodies Marvel’s current identity crisis. There’s a nugget of the truly innovative movie within it, which plays out mostly uninterrupted for the first half. But it’s when The Marvels becomes beholden to the overall MCU that its ramshackle script starts to fall apart. DaCosta and her lead actors tackle the film with a wacky spirit that we haven’t seen in years. But a handful of genuinely inspired choices and spirit can only take you so far.

SlashFilm (5/10):

Ultimately, it's a shame that every Marvel installment at this point takes on the feel of a referendum of the entire franchise — if not the superhero "genre" as a whole. Taken on its own merits, "The Marvels" is little more than another mediocre, easily-forgotten effort in a never-ending stream of products. In the context of a shared universe that's been publicly foundering in recent weeks and months, the sequel will likely be in for an undeserved amount of negative attention. That's due to no fault of its own, as it's easy to see what DaCosta and her team originally intended with this movie. It's just too bad that very little of that remains on the screen.

Consequence (B)

As successful as its biggest, wildest swings are, it’d really be nice if the plotting of The Marvels lived up to those elements. That said, those other elements are hard to oversell. It might not be the most coherent MCU entry of 2023. But it’s perhaps the most purely enjoyable.

Collider (75/100):

The Marvels is the shortest film in the MCU so far, and it’s great that DaCosta has made a movie that is short, sweet, and yet, ends up being more impactful and playful than most Marvel films. In a universe that often feels suffocated by the amount of history, dense storytelling, and character awareness needed to enjoy these films, DaCosta figures out how to handle all of that in one of the most fun Marvel films in years. It’s kind of a marvel.

Empire (4/5)

It might not have the overwhelming impact of an Endgame or even a Guardians 3, but this is the MCU back on fast, funny form.

Total Film (2/5)

Marvel’s woes won’t be solved by a disjointed mini-Avengers that doesn't make a great deal of sense. But the cats are Flerken great.

Telegraph (1/5):

The shortest of the films is also the most interminable, a knot of nightmares that groans with the series' now-trademark VFX sloppiness

New York Post (0/100):

In order: bland, annoying and misused.

Is there anything good about “The Marvels”? Yes, there is. At one hour and 45 minutes, it is the shortest MCU movie ever made. 

Slant (50/100):

Only in the film’s climax, when the heroes are in the same confined area and can thus better calibrate their constant shifts in position, does the action attain a logical sense of movement and timing.

Associated Press (50/100):

This seems designed to be a minor Marvel – a fun enough, inoffensive, largely forgettable steppingstone — a get-to-know-them brick on a path only Kevin Feige has the blueprints for.

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Submitted November 09, 2023 at 12:03AM by MarvelsGrantMan136 https://ift.tt/xXF9rdZ