The Marvels Review: Good-Enough Theme Park Cinema

When Martin Scorsese described the Marvel Cinematic Universe as being more like theme park rides than cinema, he meant that these movies are focused entirely on entertainment value rather than on any deeper meaning or personal expression. As a critic who generally likes the Marvel movies, I consider this assessment somewhat accurate and somewhat reductive. Entertainment is the primary focus of these movies, certainly, and the studio's assembly line production methods have a way of reducing directors' individual stamps, but many of them are still trying to say something amidst all the thrills and quips. Occasionally there's a "Black Panther" or a "Thor: Ragnarok" that accomplishes this balance unusually artfully.

All this is to say that "The Marvels" is neither the best nor the worst MCU film, but it may very well be the most theme park-like. Directed by Nia DaCosta, this sequel to "Captain Marvel" (and also the Disney+ shows "Ms. Marvel" and "WandaVision," though neither is required viewing to understand what's happening) is fast-paced and often very fun. As it teleports back and forth between interplanetary set-pieces, it's entertaining enough that you can't be too bothered that it's barely about anything and that it can't find the focus to really commit to the things it's almost about. Neither the disaster that bad buzz had people fearing it would be nor the home-run blockbuster that Marvel Studios hoped it would be, "The Marvels" is worth watching for MCU fans even if it won't do much to change the minds of the studio's naysayers.

Most of my excitement for "The Marvels" was due to absolutely loving "Ms. Marvel" – the best part of the MCU's Phase 4, in my opinion. Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan has to be one of the franchise's most perfect casting discoveries, and she's just as funny, authentic, and lovable in her big-screen debut. If you didn't watch "Ms. Marvel" (and Nielsen ratings tell me not enough of you did), you'll still get a great introduction to the character here — first with her animated fan fiction imagining what it would be like to meet Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and then in the glorious opening action scene wherein she, Carol, and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) start switching places.

Nia DaCosta excels at directing these body-swapping battles. There's a lot of expositional set-up for why the three light-based superheroes are entangled with one another as the result of a universal anomaly, but the specifics don't particularly matter except as a reason to bring our three heroes together. The fights start off chaotic and grow more coordinated as the film progresses, but they're always rooted in the characters. The stakes of this adventure might be as grandiose as any Marvel movie (someone's threatening the safety of the multiverse ... again), but the action plays out from a more human perspective, even when it's going full-anime with the over-the-top energy powers.

At its best, "The Marvels" matches Kamala's giddy fangirl energy. It might be the Marvel movie most directly targeted at theater kids — one memorable sequence literally turns the film into a Disney princess movie. And then there's the usage of the flerkins — the feline aliens that eat people with tentacle mouths. They're still not the most convincing special effects but are adorable nonetheless and responsible for what easily ranks among the funniest scenes in the entire MCU. You'll know it when you see it (and when you hear it, there's an amazing music cue).

While "The Marvels" is a step up from "Captain Marvel" in terms of action and comedy, it's unfortunately a step down when it comes to telling a meaningful story. The original "Captain Marvel" actually had something interesting to say, with its unexpected twist of the Skrulls being persecuted refugees and Carol having to unlearn her imperialist brainwashing. That this anti-imperialist allegory also glorified the United States Air Force made for kind of a mixed message, but it owned its weird conflicting worldview.

"The Marvels" is still in part dealing with the fallout of the Kree-Skrull War, but there are so many other flashy moving parts that this conflict, extra relevant now in its allegorical implications, is barely in focus. It doesn't help that the main villain this time around, Kree Accuser Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), might be the most boring MCU villain since Christopher Eccleston's Malekith the Accursed in "Thor: The Dark World." There's a big reveal that is theoretically making a point about how well-intentioned actions can have negative consequences, but it feels off in both the delivery and in the details. It sure feels awkward during an actor's strike over AI to see Disney releasing a movie that asks the question "What if destroying an evil identity-stealing AI ... was wrong?"

The strongest actual character arc belongs to Monica, as she faces her feelings of abandonment by Carol while also coming to understand the sacrifices her "auntie" had to make. Teyonah Parris and Brie Larson's acting makes this material work solidly, but adding even five extra minutes to this briskly paced 105-minute movie to delve into this drama more could have made it all the more deeply felt. And in typical Marvel fashion, the resolution to this story inevitably gets sucked up into an end credits scene teasing the next big thing. That's the Marvel theme park experience for you: an endless ride that hopes you'll never get off. Fortunately, this part of the ride is still fun — and those teases of what's next look like fun, too.

"The Marvels" opens in theaters on November 10.