Some people have mused that we are witnessing the demise of the Marvel Cinematic dynasty. While some of its projects haven't been as wildly successful as previous ones, the critics appear to have forgotten the box office smashing success of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and the critical acclaim of Marvel's television shows Ms Marvel, Moon Knight, and Loki. 

 

And with that The Marvels seem to have hit the silver screen with a little less fanfare than other instalments, but it shouldn’t really be the case. Improving on the original Captain Marvel, The Marvels is at its best when it's taking creative risks and when Kamala Kahn aka Ms. Marvel is at the centre of the action. 

 

In Marvel Studios’ The Marvels, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilised universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe as “The Marvels.” 

 

Narratively, The Marvels broadly plays like many superhero films before it - big threat to the world (and other galaxies) and the superheroes must respond. But what makes The Marvels different in many respects is that with the shortest runtime in Marvel Cinematic history, it is stripped back, and clicks along at a great pace.

 

This shorter runtime allows director Nia DaCosta to pack more into her punch, allowing the narrative to be simple but engaging, the action sequences to be a quick, sharp shock and for the film to be filled with emotion but not in a nauseating, hand wringing kinda way. 

 

Captain Marvel is a complicated character and remains so here in The Marvels. Try as they might, you can’t really, as an audience, connect with her even though Larson tries her darndest. Perhaps it’s the Superman phenomenon - a character with all that power doesn’t really have a vulnerability we can connect to. 

 

On the other hand, Kamala Kahn is the beating, joyous heart of this film. She brings not only a fresh, breeziness to proceedings but an emotional core along with her family. We need more Ms. Marvel!

 

Improving on the original Captain Marvel, The Marvels is at its best when it's taking creative risks and when Kamala Kahn aka Ms. Marvel is at the centre of the action.