The Marvels
The Marvels is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 10.
STORY: C-
Occasional lapses in logic do the ordinary story no favors.
Movies don’t always need to make sense. If a movie dazzles us enough, it won’t matter if everything adds up neatly or not. We either won’t notice it, or we won’t care.
But when a movie doesn’t bowl us over, or when it fails to sweep us off our feet, then those lapses stand out like a sore thumb. The story isn’t a dud, but it’s definitely lacking some dazzle. Its lapses don’t ruin the film, but they do remind us that we’re not watching a masterpiece.
PEOPLE: B-
This talented trio of actors make a formidable team.
The film is expected to do poorly at the box office, but Brie Larson, Teyonah Price, and Iman Vellani are wonderful. I hope Marvel lets them take the lead in another film. Their chemistry is fantastic.
Having an all-female squad lead an MCU flick is important. Representation matters. And watching these three cook together is just a lot of fun.
FILM NERD STUFF: C
An old Barabara Streisand song might be the needle drop of the year.
Playing a soft ballad over a scene swimming (drowning?) in chaos is an incredibly inspired move. It doesn’t come off as weird for the sake of being weird. It’s weird for the sake of grabbing us up out of our seats and delighting us to no end.
There shouldn’t be a downside to this magical moment. But there is. Its utterly dizzying levels of amazing-ness remind us how uninspired most of the movie is. It spotlights what the film might have been had the filmmakers tried to make each moment as magical as this one.
HAVE YOU DONE YOUR HOMEWORK? (Elective Class): D+
MCU movies now feel like homework.
Dropping lines or events into their films that only make sense if you’ve seen one of the previous films has long been the MCU’s power move. In the early years, these moments felt transcendent. You strutted around like the coolest person in the world because it felt like a multi-billion dollar entertainment company had written something just for you and your friends. The “real” fans.
But now, recognizing allusions to other films have become not just commonplace but required. That incredible feeling of “Dude, you had to see that OTHER MOVIE to understand what just happened!” has morphed into, “Dude, you HAVE to watch that other movie to understand what just happened.”
If you want to be totally prepared when you walk into The Marvels, you’ll need to watch, at a minimum: Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, Wandavision, Avengers: Endgame, and Secret Invasion. That’s 22 hours of Marvel content.
Don’t get me wrong. I would have had a completely different attitude toward homework if it included watching Marvel movies and shows. But enjoying Marvel movies is beginning to feel like homework. It shouldn’t have to.
FINAL COMMENTS:
At times the film feels like it’s just going through the Marvel motions. Some of those moves work. Many don’t.
I can’t help but think that there are more stories worth telling in this corner of the MCU. I’m hoping The Marvels get another chance.