The Marvels

When I first heard the title of this movie, I thought it was about a 1960s girls' singing group. And, frankly, that would have probably made for a better movie. Writer-director Nia DaCosta's third feature outing and the latest in the Marvel Universe paradigm is a wildly inconsistent superhero movie that tries too hard to do too much and doesn't have a script to support it. Too many of its plot elements aren't adequately explained until well into the story, while others aren't explained at all, leaving viewers who aren't comic book laureates wondering what's going on (particularly at film's end). Meanwhile, other narrative aspects frequently appear gimmicky and grow old quickly, such as the introduction of the primary superpower that its three protagonists share, one that almost becomes slapstickish after an all-too-brief while. On top of that, the CGI effects vacillate from one end of the quality spectrum to the other, creating a mix of images that are either startling to look at or stunningly cheesy at best. Add to that a villain that isn't particularly menacing, along with attempts at humor that either succeed brilliantly (cat lovers take note) or fall flat and look incredibly lame (as aficionados of musical theater will undoubtedly attest), all of which further add to the picture's pervasive inconsistency. The inclusion of ample clues for advancing the overarching Marvel Universe storyline continues here, too, furthering a trend that's growing tiresome in the studio's releases, a development akin to the "Paul is dead" legacy come to life with every passing picture. Then there's the trio of heroes themselves, who often appear more like they've been plucked from a giddy slumber party flick or a Cyndi Lauper video than taking center stage as seriously empowered champions in an action-adventure offering. All of these failings combine to make this production more of a forgettable placeholder in the Marvel mythology than a standalone feature (not to mention a pale substitute for a sequel to the far-superior film that launched the Captain Marvel franchise in 2019). In short, "The Marvels" is as much of a mess as it is a movie, and that's troubling for several reasons. It lends credence to the growing criticism that films like this aren't to be taken seriously. It reinforces the notion that they're cookie-cutter in nature, easily interchangeable with one another. And it raises questions about the career choices of lead actress Brie Larson, who, though quite capable of playing roles like these, is running the risk of becoming type-cast, a troubling prospect for an Academy Award-winning actress who possesses a depth of talent and is handily adept at taking on better and more serious material than this. In the wake of this release, Marvel Studios should take a step back and seriously assess where its future is headed, especially if movies like this are any indication. As pictures like "Wakanda Forever" (2022) show, the studio is capable of better work - and it's time to show viewers that.

This film felt like a "Filler Movie" to just create some potential future storylines. I am the exact type of fan that Marvel studios loves, because I go to every single movie (often 2-3 times per film), subscribe to all platforms, and I spend money on ALL of it. As a fan I would typically rate any Marvel film higher on IMDB because I want to see Marvel and the films succeed, but this one I rated a 4... I probably should have rated it a 3. If you went to see this movie and haven't kept up with all of the movies and Disney plus series, you will be scratching your head wondering what is going on. The Marvels is cringey in every possible way... the only part I enjoyed was the post credit scene. Marvel, please do better! As a fan I look forward to the blockbuster films and they have progressively gotten worse over the past 2 years. I wanted to love this movie and I truly was let down.

Unfortunately if you haven't got Disney plus and you don't keep to speed with the tv series, then you this movie won't make much sense as it relies on you knowing what's going on in that universe so far, which I'm not up to date with and involves the Miss Marvels characters which haven't been introduced in the movies. Confusing.

I had hoped that following Guardians 3 it could've get much worse for the Marvel universe, at least Guardians has Rocket😂

It's hard to find any plot to this movie. Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel) does throw a lot of people through the roof but the plot is a quantum entanglement mess. The movie is blissfully short but feels longer as it's so bad and some people walked out of the theatre. I was so pleasantly when it ended.

I think it's about to retire the whole Marvel superhero franchise as this phase is going badly.

Anyone who heard the news about this project knows that the production was a nightmare, and it shows in the final product here. It's like they couldn't figure out what direction to go, so they made 4 versions, and blended them together. Which would explain the high budget, the 5 delays, and the reshoots. Kamala's character was probably the best part of the movie. I promise you, the script did her no favors, but she stood out. Her acting was in line with her character. This was probably an exciting opportunity for her, and she wasn't going to let a bad script, and production problems stop her from giving a great effort. However, the story, the dialogue, the musical gimmick, the weak villain. It just didn't work. I don't think the blame lies solely with the actors, or even the director, who did lack the experience for helming a movie with a budget this size. I think Disney interfered heavily with the production, which almost always yields bad results. I think it was doomed to fail. They put so much pressure on this being successful, they forgot to make it coherent, unique, or interesting.

Went to see this movie with my 17- and 11-year-old granddaughters. One is a Ms. Marvel fan and the other is now. For me I was hoping for something that children and adults could enjoy. But, no only kids will enjoy this silly mess.

I enjoyed the Captain Marvel movie and thought the criticism was not warranted. I also loved Wanda Vision and the introduction of Monica Rambeau and I was hoping for at least a good continuation of her story. I didn't watch Ms. Marvel because I'm not a teen and I knew it wasn't for me; and after watching her parts in this movie I'm glad I stuck to that.

All three actresses are good and of course Samuel L in always a pleasure to see, but none of the other characters including the so-called villain were the least bit interesting. Most of the scenes were just downright silly. I hope they continue Monica's story with better writing and I wish Marvel would stop being silly and go back to making movies for adults and kids.