'The Marvels' Is the MCU's Best Movie In Years

The Marvels review

It's no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in its flop era. While five of the last six movies released in the MCU's Phase 3 heyday grossed more than a billion dollars, only one film since (Spider-Man: No Way Home) has crossed the billion dollar mark. During Phase 3, only one MCU film failed to reach 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, while only two movies total have hit that benchmark with critics since. Moreover, with 10 Disney+ series dropped in Phases 4 and 5, there's just too much for fans to keep track of. Marvel fatigue is real. It's showing at the box office, with critics and with fans.

Unfortunately, The Marvels really couldn't have come at a worse time. After a string of MCU disappointments, interest seems to be waning, and The Marvels' trio of leads boast not one, but two characters from TV show tie ins. While Captain Marvel did well in theaters, due in part to the historic nature of the movie (it featured the first female lead of an MCU film), The Marvels seems destined to flop, which is a shame because it's actually the best MCU project since No Way Home.

While The Marvels and its combination of three separate MCU storylines on paper seems like a convoluted recipe for disaster, in execution, the script, by Nia DaCosta, who also directs the film (and previously directed the Candyman sequel), slices through the cluttered lore quickly.

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Marvel #1 is Captain Marvel aka Carol Danvers with Brie Larson reprising her role. In a series of flashbacks, viewers are quickly reminded of her backstory from the original film. Captain Marvel is a Kree alien. Krees are at war with shapeshifting Skrulls, because their leader tells them to be. Marvel realizes actually the Skrulls are nice, sides with them and takes down Annette Bening, Kree A.I. overlord. Easy enough.

Marvel #2 is Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), a Jersey City teen with a magic bangle from her grandmother. The rest of Ms. Marvel can largely be forgotten aside from the fact she's a Captain Marvel superfan. Easy enough.

Marvel #3 is Monica Rambeau aka no other name at this time (Teyonah Parris). She's the daughter of Captain Marvel's old bestie Maria, and was in Wandavision, but ultimately that's also irrelevant. Easy enough.

Really, all you need to know is that they're superheroes and due to an event at the beginning of the film, anytime two of them are using their powers at the same time, they switch places. This obviously leads to plenty of hijinks and a couple of comedic fight scenes that breathe freshness and levity into the movie's first half.

The Marvels's big bad is Dar-Benn (British actor Zawe Ashton), a disgruntled Kree trying to rejuvenate her home planet (after Captain Marvel damaged it during the Annette Bening kill) by syphoning resources from other planets. The straightforward three-act plot, therefore, follows the standard Star Wars device of traveling to three planets, losing fights to the big bad at the first two before finally winning in round three. Easy enough.

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The beauty of The Marvels is its simplicity. Out of the now 33 MCU movies, The Marvels is the shortest at just 105 minutes. It's a quick, jaunty space adventure with a pacing that never feels belabored. There's no meandering side plots. There's no this-is-going-on-too-long fight sequences. And everything is punched up with witty banter. The edit on this script and this film is the tightest and most efficient the MCU has ever been.

It's also mercifully free of the never-ending winks, nods, cameos and Easter eggs MCU movies have come to be known for. Aside from Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie showing up for a hot second to ooze lesbian sexual chemistry with Captain Marvel and the obligatory mid-credit scene, this movie is doing it's own thing. Outside of the original Captain Marvel, you could watch The Marvels having never seen another piece of Marvel content and be completely fine.

The Marvels is also not afraid to be utterly ridiculous. The switching places is funny, Kamala's consistent Swiftie-equivalent fawning over Captain Marvel is a goldmine of jokes and saddling Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury with her doofy family is scripting genius. The second act locale, Aladna, which is basically Mamma Mia!: The Planet, is a Santorini-esque place where the language is song, meaning that in the middle of this sci-fi action-adventure, the cast find themselves in a bonkers musical. Later, in what I will unapologetically claim as one of the top 10 scenes of the year, and which I will not spoil for you, a Barbra Streisand rendition of "Memory" from Cats is used to glorious effect.

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And yet for how silly it all is, The Marvels still has gravitas where it needs to. The relationship between Captain Marvel and Monica, whom she left behind on earth, is poignant, Kamala's relationship with her heroes is sweet, and the Dar-Benn backstory is heartbreaking and among the more compelling when it comes to Marvel villains. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the acting caliber on display is also top notch. Larson is an Oscar-winner, Parris has delivered nothing but captivating performances since Mad Men and Vellani is charisma personified.

I'm sure that plenty of critics and fans, especially those more entrenched in the Marvel lore, will find Ms. Marvel too slight, too goofy and (dare I say) not manly enough, but its zigging where the MCU often zags is the special sauce. It's unclear whether this delightful oddity will be able to pull the MCU out of its slump, but I don't think it really cares and it's all the better for it.

Grade: A-

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