In Review: The Marvels

By Tim Robins on November 14, 2023

Review by Tim Robins

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

I am annoyed with myself for allowing the headlines of various YouTube channels to convince me that The Marvels, the latest Disney entry into the MCU, had been released weeks ago and had received critical dubbing. Neither of those things were true. Haters have to hate as the saying goes and the hate comes first and the content very much second. In fact, the film has split critics, although it does appear to have disappointing box office returns which, as the critic will tell you, is on track to make The Marvels the worst performing MCU movie except for others (Hulk, for instance), for whom lots of excuses have been offered.

Brie Larsen, reprising her role as Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, has reportedly quit the role. I don’t blame her. It must be bad enough going through life named after a soft cheese without having internet trolls biting at your ankles. It’s a pity, though. Larsen is fine in the film and her square jawed stoicism is a welcome contrast to her antsy companion, Captain Rambeau (Teyonha Pariss), and the ebullient Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani).

The Marvels is very much a story where stuff happens, although at times I found it hard to work out what was happening and more importantly why it was happening. There is a lot of ‘lore’ going on. The film sheds it like Shiba Inu or coughing up great furballs of fact like some lovecraftian kitten. Yes, the Firkin that clawed out of Nick Fury’s eye is back, and this time there are lots more of it. Their scenes were a cause of much chuckling among the ten of us watching the film in the Brighton Odeon’s biggest screen.

Odeon seems to have booked out their screens as if The Marvels were going to be the next Barbie. It isn’t. There are lots of possibilities as to why it isn’t, including decreased cinema attendance due to the price of tickets, a lack of publicity for the movie and superhero burn out. That’s a shame, because The Marvels is good fun.

Vellani bounces onto the cinema screen from her Ms Marvel TV series, one of the best Marvel Studios has had to offer. Young Kamila Khan brings a lot of energy to the film, as well as her family, who are used for comic relief in this movie. Watchers of the TV show will recall that Khan has inherited an energy bracelet that allows her to travel in space and time and create purple energy forms such as platforms to run on and big energy hands to save or punch people.

Parris reprises the role of Rambeau, a character last seen as a child who has been anxiously awaiting Captain Marvel’s return. In the comics, Rambeau was actually the second Captain Marvel, taking the mantle from the Kree warrior Mar-Vell because Danvers had settled on the lifestyle feminism of Ms. Marvel had adopted a jaunty fashion statement scarf. Rambeau has gone through a number of names – Photon, Pulsar and Spectrum – and the joke in the movie is that she refuses to accept one.

The film is supposed to be built around ‘heart’,’friendship’ and ‘family’ but it is actually built from a whole mess of continuity. The plot sees a breach in in a network of space gates allowing some Kree warriors led by Dar-Benn to find the missing half of Kahn’s bracelet and use it to try and restore the Kree homeworld Hala which has been left sans air, sun and water after Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence – an AI that controlled the Kree Empire.

At the same time, the trio of marvels find themselves ‘entangled’, quantumly speaking, and fated to swap bodies whenever they use their powers. This leads to amusing scenes as they try to manage the situation. Nick Fury looks on with an air of barely concealed frustration, made worse when a whole load of raspberry-pinkish things start materialising on his SWORD-related SABER space platform (taking a notebook into the cinema might prove helpful at this point).

The trio of ‘Marvels’ must defeat the evil Kree, save various homeworlds, unite Ms Marvel’s power bracelets, mend broken familiar relations and reunite Captain Marvel with her husband (!?). All this left a man seated in front of me scratching his head (although that might have been eczema). There are some truly bonkers moments, while the planets’ cities have the ring of Star Trek about them. One, is on the refuge planet of the Skrulls whose make-up effects are excellent and they are a presence than in the Secret Invasion TV series.

And, yes, there are a number of endings – one suggesting a Young Avengers spin-off might be in the making. The mid-end-credit section had the remaining five members of the audience gasping with excitement and so, no, I’m not telling you anything other than that. If the sound of a slurping cat creature is a necessity in your life, you can wait until the very end of the credits.

The Marvels space opera shennanigans are a welcome, Kang free, change of pace. The film may be less than totally marvelous, but I hope that it finds a wider audience out there among the stars.

Tim Robins

• The Marvels is in cinemas across the UK now | Official UK site

• The Marvels – Wikipedia Page

Captain Marvel: The Saga of Carol Danvers (Marvel, 2023)

Captain Marvel: The Saga of Carol Danvers
by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Dexter Soy et al

An essential collection that chronicles the rise of pilot Carol Danvers into the upper echelon of Marvel Heroes as Captain Marvel! Learn how Carol Danvers made the step up from Avenger to Earth’s Mightiest Hero!

At last, the ace pilot turned costumed powerhouse takes on the legendary mantle of Captain Marvel – and forges a new legacy! But although Carol has a bright future, she can’t walk away from a challenge from her past. It’s a firefight in the sky as the Banshee Squadron debut! Then, what will Monica Rambeau, the former Captain Marvel, make of Carol’s new moniker? And who exactly are the Carol Corps?

Plus: Shocking secrets abound in Captain Marvel’s definitive origin, as she faces a painful family reunion – and her full connection to the alien Kree stands revealed! A deadly weapon has been unleashed, and Carol’s sleepy coastal town won’t know what hit it!

Collecting: Captain Marvel (2012) 1-8, 17; The Life of Captain Marvel (2018) 1-5

Captain Marvel: Game On
by Sam Maggs, Sweeney Boo and Mario del Pennino

All-action adventures of Captain Marvel and friends! Carol Danvers’ quiet night with BFF Jessica Drew (a.k.a. Spider-Woman) takes a cat-astrophic turn when Manhattan’s bodegas are suddenly overrun by a host of angry felines! And not just any felines – Flerkens, the most terrifying kitty-lookalikes in the entire universe!

Then, Carol has been a fighter pilot, a cosmic hero and an Avenger, but now she faces her most difficult job yet: driving instructor to Nadia Van Dyne, the unstoppable Wasp! And it becomes an even bigger task when A.I.M. uses Pym Particles to shrink Captain Marvel down to tiny size!

Plus, Carol joins Ghost-Spider in battle with the Mad Thinker and the Awesome Android – and needs some help from the unbeatable Squirrel Girl to handle a digital doppelganger!

Collecting: Marvel Action Captain Marvel (2019) 1-6, Marvel Action Captain Marvel (2021) 1-5

Captain Marvel: The Saga of Monica Rambeau
by Roger Stern, John Romita Jr et al

Monica Rambeau once held the name of Captain Marvel – and these are some of most iconic adventures! Before Carol Danvers took the name Captain Marvel, the mantle was held by Monica Rambeau!

A police lieutenant with the remarkable power to transform into energy, Monica began as a reluctant super hero – but soon rose through the ranks to become field leader of the mighty Avengers! Now, witness Monica’s debut, her earliest encounters with Spider-Man and the Avengers, and an interdimensional team-up with Thanos’ brother Starfox! Monica clashes with Powderkeg and the Sons of the Serpent in little-seen solo tales… but what prompts her to give up the name of Captain Marvel, and evolve into the next phase of her heroic career?

Collecting: Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964) 16; Avengers (1963) 227, 279; Marvel Team-Up (1972) 142-143; Captain Marvel (1989) 1; Captain Marvel (1994) 1; Avengers Unplugged (1995) 5; material from Solo Avengers (1987) 2; Marvel Fanfare (1982) 42, 57

Tim Robins

A freelance journalist and Doctor Who fanzine editor since 1978, Tim Robins has written on comics, films, books and TV programmes for a wide range of publications including Starburst, Interzone, Primetime and TV Guide.

His brief flirtation with comics includes ghost inking a 2000AD strip and co-writing a Doctor Who strip with Mike Collins. Since 1990 he worked at the University of Glamorgan where he was a Senior Lecturer in Cultural and Media Studies and the social sciences. Academically, he has published on the animation industry in Wales and approaches to social memory. He claims to be a card carrying member of the Politically Correct, a secret cadre bent on ruling the entire world and all human thought.