The Marvels is a good film elevated by its humour and energetic cast. However its various plot lines lack a compelling driving force.
I really enjoyed the trio of performances by Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris. Their chemistry together is electric and extraordinarily fun to watch. They especially managed to balance funny moments with more sincere moments quiet well.
A personal highlight of the film was anytime Ms Marvel’s family appeared. They play a key supporting role, often providing comic relief but also representing the audience in a sense that they react to all the absurd sci-fi and space travel as a regular person would.
The musical choices are also stellar. There are a few scenes set to pop-punk songs that use kinetic editing where cuts are set to the beat of the music (an editing style that Max Joseph set the standard for). These scenes also cleverly utilise into the power-switching phenomenon of the narrative, where the trio switches places physically anytime they use their powers. The music and editing plays into that very cleverly. These are a joy to watch on the big screen with booming sound.
The film offers around 30 minutes of scenes in an expanded 1.90:1 IMAX Ratio. These fill the screen for an immersive experience where Nia DaCosta takes the opportunity to offer some very cool space flare, paired with hilarious upbeat action set to fun music.
The Marvels is a fun watch if not for its story often losing focus and not really knowing where it wants to end up. It feels like five different storylines are being set up throughout, with few of them reaching any satisfying conclusion. Most of all, it lacks a compelling driving force and feels more like a middle-of-the-season episode of TV show without a distinctly satisfying thematic through line.
Nonetheless The Marvels is worth checking out for its performances, vibrant style, and humour alone, being among my favourite of the past few years of Marvel offerings.
