Director: Nia DaCosta
Writers: Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, Elissa Karasik
Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Samuel L. Jackson, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Park Seo-Jun, Gary Lewis

It’s safe to say that since its inception in 2010 with the arrival of Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been dominated on-screen by men. Yes, we’ve had some top female characters, some leading their own movies, such as Black Widow and Captain Marvel, and some female-led TV shows such as WandaVision, She-Hulk and Miss Marvel, but we have not yet had a female-heavy film. Until now. Bringing together Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel), Kamala Khan (Miss Marvel) and Monica Rambeau (Professor Marvel? Doctor Marvel? Spectrum? Whatever Kamala wants to name her…), we have a group of women tackling some evil forces in the universe. Were they up to the task, or should they have remained separated and grounded?

***Warning: potential spoilers for other MCU movies/TV shows ahead, including Captain Marvel, WandaVision and Miss Marvel***

Shortly after Kamala Khan/Miss Marvel (Vellani) discovers she has powers of her own, she is suddenly dragged into a war between Kree leader, Dar-Benn (Ashton), and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Larson). Dar-Benn has the Quantum Band twin of Kamala’s own Quantum Band. When Monica Rambeau (Parris) investigates an anomaly in a jump-point near the S.A.B.E.R space station, she, Carol and Kamala end up in a quantum entanglement, causing them to switch places if they use their powers at the same time. To fix this, as well as Dar-Benn’s hellbent revenge plot, they must learn to work together as a team, something that doesn’t come easy to Danvers’ independent nature.

Something that the MCU/Disney/Kevin Feige does well with the Marvel movies, is the ability to cross the paths of particular characters, and rarely incidentally. Of course, they’re always planned way in advance, but it can still come as a pleasant surprised to some. So, bringing Miss Marvel into the MCU via her TV show, and then similarly with Monica, mainly via WandaVision (she did appear in Captain Marvel, but was given more background and a larger role in WandaVision), was a great idea in order to broaden Captain Marvel’s own position in the MCU. Carol Danvers is an excellent character, and her alter ego of Captain Marvel is equally badass, but to surround her with other more relatable characters that open up the universe to more diversity makes the whole thing even more substantial. There is palpable chemistry amongst the three leads of the movie, and they all convey their own attributes: Carol brings strength and vulnerability; Monica brings brains and loyalty; Kamala brings humour and valour. They’re like a trifecta of heroism. It is obvious too that the actors are very much present in their characters, likely bringing aspects of their own personalities. The movie isn’t perfect throughout, but it certainly has a strong foundation in these three characters.

The bones of the story itself present nothing particularly new, and some of the plot devices actually seem to end up more like MacGuffins, with the true meaning of the story being what the women discover about themselves and each other. It somewhat seems that way with Dar-Benn in particular; she has some real bones to pick with Captain Marvel (or, as she’s been dubbed by Dar-Benn, “the Annihilator”), but ultimately what was broken could have easily been fixed without the entire plot of the movie happening. There are some fun moments, and some intense yet satisfying action sequences, but also some strange moments that seem out of place (an entire race of people who communicate through song only? A rendition of “Memories” from Cats [because… well, that’s for you to find out]?). Weird.

The MCU tends to get it spot-on with their casting, and they already did a great job with Larson, Khan and Paris in previous outings, but this movie proves even more so why these women are perfect in their roles. Larson continues to keep Carol well-rounded and always striving to be better and learn from her mistakes. Venalli’s comic timing and general relatability as Kamala, especially her teen fan-girling when it comes to Captain Marvel, as well as figuring out her own place in the Marvel scheme of things, fits in wonderfully to this movie. Parris keeps things level-headed with Monica but also shows a depth to the character that is necessary, considering her past and relationship with Carol. Despite Dar-Benn not being the strongest villain the MCU has had, Ashton does a very convincing job and plays the character as well as she can. Jackson can do no wrong as Nick Fury (although Fury’s dialogue could do with a little spruce in his next MCU appearance, maybe less dad-jokes), and Shroff, Kapur and Shaikh’s return as Kamala’s loving yet boisterous family add another fun and relatable layer to the film.

The Marvels is a fairly solid addition to the MCU. It has a strong foundation, thanks to the female leads and the direction of DaCosta, but the plot does leave a little to be desired. If you watch it, watch it as a fan of Captain Marvel, Miss Marvel and/or Monica Rambeau, otherwise you may come away feeling a little disappointed. This movie marks the centre point of Phase 5 of the MCU, and we can only hope its uphill from here (considering the next movie is slated to be Deadpool 3, now that he’s been welcomed into Marvel Studios, it’s likely to be a good step up). If you haven’t already, I do suggest watching Miss Marvel before The Marvels, as Kamala is a character worth getting to know more about (she’s also one to watch for the future, as she dares to form her own ragtag team of fighters).

***MID-CREDIT SCENE SPOILERS AHEAD***

At the end of The Marvels, Monica finds herself in an alternate dimension (go figure). She wakes up to an alternate version of her mother, Maria Rambeau (also Carol’s best friend, who died of cancer while Monica was gone during the Blip), and Hank McCoy, aka Beast of the X-Men. Clearly this is a set up for the introduction of the X-Men to the MCU, and it’s an exciting prospect to know that they are on their way! Not to mention the upcoming appearance of Wolverine in Deadpool 3!