This is a shorter Marvel movie, although it could have been longer, as some aspects feel very rushed and underdeveloped, like Zawe Ashton's villain, "Dar-Benn;" a shame, since she had a decent motivation although mired in plot lines from two other Marvel movies from years ago.
You also had better have seen at least the "Ms. Marvel" and "WandaVision" TV mini-series in order to know who these two new characters are; Kamala Khan and Monica Rambeau, respectively. But at least the plot keeps the multiverse mumbo jumbo to a minimum and also serves to answer some long-running questions regarding the whereabouts and off-screen adventures of Brie Larsen's Captain Marvel, but Larsen is only a little less wooden than in other installments; so it's good that she has Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris on board to lighten things up. The chemistry is largely there although the Kamala Khan character is the best of the three and the heart of the movie, along with her family, nonsensically brought along for the ride from her "Ms. Marvel" TV series.
And although it's an enjoyable ride with some legit surprises and fun asides, it also has enough nerdy, nitpicky problems that keep it from being one of the great Marvel movies, continuing Marvel's inconsistent performance in this latest phase of their cinematic universe.
But its mid-credits scene is worth the price of admission! My jaw was literally hanging open... and closed defiantly when I waited for an end-credits scene that never came.
Not a swing-and-a-miss for Marvel (and certainly not the strike-out the eternally bent-out-of-shape fanboys say), but not a home run, either. But even a single (or a bunt!) can get points on the board.
The Marvels (2023)
Release Date: November 8, 2023
MPAA: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hr 45 min
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
