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.

The MCU has absolutely overstayed its welcome. Post Avengers Endgame, these projects have been feeling more and more like content than cinema (except the rare surprises like GOTG 3). Superhero fatigue, they call it and this movie does practically nothing but to amp it up to 11.

You watch the trailer, you know what happens. You bet on originality, you end up homeless. There's nothing new for me to say that I haven't already said about any of the other MCU content as of late. It's so generic that I'm confident a year from now, no one would remember this movie even existed. With every new MCU project, the jokes-per-minute ratio keeps getting worse, the villains are a writer's version of a stock photograph (I can't even remember the villain's name in this movie and it hasn't even been a day since I watched it), the CGI is so out there you can almost see the CGI artists' tears on screen, and it's getting more and more difficult to tell each MCU project apart cos they're all just the same.

The only few positives I can identify here are actresses Iman Vellani and Brie Larson (Larson, who seems much more relaxed and settled into her superhero boots), and maybe the flashy action sequences. Otherwise, there's nothing here to watch, nothing here to experience and nothing here to enjoy. What a shame.

By far the worst Marvel movie so far, I am extremely disappointed. After the mess that Thor 4 was, I was hoping that Marvel learned its lesson, but it seems not. I am honestly happy this movie did bad at the box office, that's what you get for ruining such a great character (I loved Cpt. Marvel from the comics).

What makes it bad:

• Action moves way too fast from one scene to another
• No character improvement or growth by the end of the movie
• Things just happen with no storytelling
• Not serious enough, too childish for my taste
• Too many goofy moments (singing, really? We've come this low, Marvel?)
• End scenes that try to set the context for next movies seem forced and unnecessary

I also found two good things eventually:

• I liked the villain and her story, sympathized with her a bit
• At least the movie was not long.

These writers should never be hired again.

Carol Danvers is attempting to save the universe, but her incredible powers become entangled with those of Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, they must unite to save the world.

Ouch, what can you say, this is surely one of Marvel's lowest points, I honestly don't know who the target audience is, or who this is going to appeal to, young teens only maybe? Anyhow, this was an absolute mess.

The writing was clearly problematic, it doesn't gel, it is genuinely all over the place. I do very much wonder if huge sections of this film cut? It can be the only answer, it just doesn't flow at all, and that short run time...

Special effects, some were pretty good, some were poor, I just wish there was a greater focus on plot, it just seemed like 100 minutes of CGI, noise and random events.

Brie Larson, I'm not sure about you, but to me she looked totally disinterested and bored by the whole thing, what I didn't see, was someone committed to the role. I thought Samuel Jackson was rather good, but again poorly served by the script.

It didn't look great from the trailers, and in reality, it's another clunker from Marvel Studios.

4/10.

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.