By Lucas Castillo ’26
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The Iron Screen Review Film Vote: December 2023
Background:
In March of 2019, sandwiched between two of the biggest cinematic events of all time, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios released Captain Marvel, telling the story of lost pilot turned Kree super-soldier Carol Danvers, along with young shield agent Nick Fury. The film shows Carol’s pursuit to learn more about her faded past, to reconnect with her old friend Maria Rambeau and her daughter Monica, and to stop the Kree Empire from killing the last few remaining Skrull refugees on earth. Directed by Nia DaCosta and co-written by Megan McDonnell, Nia DaCosta, and Elissa Karasik, THE MARVELS sees
Carol Danvers and Nick Fury, thirty years later, sharing the spotlight with an adult Monica Rambeau, with new powers gained from the Disney+ series WandaVision, and teenage newcomer Kamala Kahn, aka Ms. Marvel, coming off the heels of her own Disney+ series, Ms. Marvel. This film was expected to be the worst financial failure among Marvel’s long list of recent projects, with the recent stories of failed test screenings, extensive reshoots, release date delays, and the new Variety reports exposing the mad scramble happening behind the scenes at Marvel Studios compounding these predictions.
Synopsis:
Dar-Benn, the new leader of the Kree Empire, has just found the second of the cosmic bands, and uses it to break multiple rifts though space-time. Nick Fury, aboard the S.A.B.E.R space station above Earth, sends Captain Marvel to investigate one of the rifts out in space. At the same time, as Captain Marvel and S.A.B.E.R agent Captain Monica Rambeau touch two of the rifts and as Kamala Kahn’s own cosmic band reacts to the other’s awakening, the three of them start to swap places with each other. Discovering that Dar-Benn is behind the
disturbance, and amidst the switching and other hijinks, Carol, Monica, and Kamala confront Dar-Benn at the Skrull refuge planet, and try to stop her and save the hundreds of Skrull refugees. After saving as many as they could, the three of them pinpoint Dar-Benn’s next target and, on the way, practice working as a team to coordinate their swapping to their advantage. After failing to stop Dar-Benn at her next location and failing to conceal Kamala’s band, the Marvels have to stop Dar-Benn before she destroys earth and the entire universe.
Review:
The film was very well shot and directed, and the CGI was pretty solid, with most of the film being visually engaging. The plot and story of the film was fast-paced, from the very first scene to the last. There was never a boring moment, which was a problem its predecessor suffered from. The premise of the film, with the three Marvels swapping places when they use their powers, was quite interesting, unique, and made for some funny and dynamic interactions and fight scenes throughout the film. One story problem that Marvel seemed to have fixed with this film, that they’ve had trouble with in the past, (cough, cough, Quantimania, cough, cough), was that this film and its events actually had consequences for the characters involved and for the larger story as a whole.
If you are a casual fan, I will preface this by saying you do not need to have seen the other projects that this film builds off to have this film make sense or to enjoy it. Most, if not all, of the relevant information from the other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects is explained quite well. This film also has a few cringy and silly elements that more serious viewers may find annoying or irritating, when they visit the planet where the people can only communicate through song, for example. However, most of these plot points and scenes don’t go on for too long, and can be ignored if necessary. If you are an avid MCU fan, then I would highly recommend this film, as a few moments at the end of the film will, hopefully, have major implications for the future of the MCU. I would also recommend this film to veterans of the franchise, as it feels like a major return to form for Marvel, after a few disastrous projects like Secret Invasion and Thor: Love and Thunder.
The character work with Carol was done well, having to come to terms with her imperfections and the mistakes that she’s made while trying to be responsible for the entire universe. Monica’s character work was also done well, with her journey to forgive Carol for not being there when she needed her most. Kamala’s character was entertaining and charismatic throughout, with her and her family having some of the funniest moments and lines. The chemistry between the three Marvels was natural and fun, with the interaction between them going about as you would expect. The villain, while not groundbreaking, was interesting to say the least, with her motivations being clear and sensible, and her presence and influence on the plot only increasing as the film moved along. Overall, THE MARVELS is a fun and exciting film, and I would highly recommend it to most casual movie-goers and Marvel fans alike, and, in my personal, and all but factual opinion, as both an avid film enjoyer and a hardcore MCU fan, I would rate this film as a solid 8/10.