THE MARVELS DOES NOT HIT THE SUPERHERO MARK WE HOPED IT WOULD

I am a fan of superhero movies and I really enjoy seeing them in the theater. Big screen, big sound, big impact. If I can catch them in IMAX and/or 3D that makes it even better in some cases. One problem there has been is that a glut of superhero movies have been coming out at record pace. Not all of them are good is a bad part about it. Warner Brothers, who holds the DC Comics license has put out a bunch of movies trying to catch the Marvel magic, but are missing the mark with almost every release. Marvel has been trying to live up to its own success with the Avengers movies and hasn’t caught the same fire as before. They have supplemented the movies with series streaming on Disney+ that are in some cases integral to watching before you see the next movie because you might be lost as to what the action on the screen is about or how we all got there. The most recent release for Disney/Marvel is “The Marvels” with the main character being Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel played by Brie Larson. She has her own film a few years ago that bridged the gap between the last 2 Avengers films and seemed to be setup as the next big character for fans to follow. Whether they would join the ride was the big question.

In “The Marvels” the Captain teams up with two other super heroines named Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan whose alter ego is Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) because she absolutely idolizes Captain Marvel. They all have powers based on the same the source and when that power because entangled and unstable they find themselves switching places every time they use them. Zawe Ashton plays Dar-Ben of the Kree Empire, an alien bent on wiping out a rival species called the Skrull and revitalizing her home world at all costs. To do this she needs a set of bracelets that have powers beyond belief. She finds one, but the other is attached to the arm of Kamala and she needs it to carry out her plot. Through the power entanglement the women are brought together to stop the threat of Dar-Ben and her followers.

I have to say I was excited to see what they were going to do to get this story going after the Avengers movies ended an extremely strong note. Here are some of the problems though. If you don’t have Disney+ then you might be VERY lost as to who these characters are or at least how they got to this point. Now, Carol and Monica knew each other and that was laid out in the first movie, but they haven’t seen each other in several years and there is some tension there. But how Monica got her powers can only be revealed if you watch the Disney+ show “Wandavision”. Ms Marvel is another story as she is unknown to the other ladies altogether and maybe to the viewer too. Again, you need to see her show on the streaming service to get the whole story. Both those shows are very good and worth the watch. Other than some quick introduction you might be lost without seeing those shows. The movie doesn’t dwell on it too much and gets things moving along. While they try to beat the villain they must also work through their power issues and some personal barriers in order to come out on top. While this movie could have been a great way to get a female hero pushed to the forefront it slightly misses its mark. There is plenty of action and the story is basically fleshed out, but feels a bit rehashed. The reunion of the Carol and Monica really lacked depth. They glossed over it a bit even though it should have been a bigger moment and I don’t feel like it would have slowed down the story at all. It felt hollow and later events felt less impactful. Also, Carol has other demons from her actions as a hero that she is having trouble reconciling. Larson is a great actress and they didn’t seem to tap into her potential to show emotions past being a badass that would have given the character more depth. Past movies felt better produced and sleek. Where this movie was tapping into humor a bit more similar to the Guardians of The Galaxy movies the jokes came up a little flat at times. There are plenty of Easter Eggs for fans to see and some moments where you are rooting for the heroes of course, but they don’t seem to hang around long enough to feel very impactful. Nothing that gives them a powerful image to remember every time you see the film. While the movie isn’t terrible I just wish it had been a bit more geared for the casual fan to enjoy. That’s how Marvel got where they are by not solely bowing to “fanboys” needs, but by embracing every person that walks into the theater. This movie is best viewed in a theater, but it might not be there long as it has quickly dropped down the box office charts after it’s first weekend out. Stream Wandavision and Ms. Marvel and then stream this when it hits Disney+ and have yourself a good marathon that to make the story more fulfilling.