The Marvels is fun with a trio of female super heroes that are the perfect balance, just the right amount of character, humor, and action! The MCU was tangled with unresolved sub-plots, characters, and lacking the entertainment of its earlier films, but the joy from Phase One has returned with The Marvels! The film is directed and co-written by Nia DaCosta who also did the same with horror sequel, Candyman (2021). The screenplay is also by Megan McDonnell, who also wrote WandaVision, and Elissa Karasik, writer for the first season of Loki.
It begins with a burning planet, ships, Accuser warships, leave the planet following a capital ship that looks like a spike. They warp to a barren planet. This is the introduction of Dar-Benn played by Zawe Ashton. The actress played Oona in 2021 episodes of The Handmaid’s Tale. The character of Dar-Benn was male in his first appearance in Silver Surfer #53 (1991). She is a Kree superior, an alien race introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). They resembles humans and also bluish skin members that are also part of the Kree.
She shatters a stone object with the long warhammer, the Universal Weapon, that was used by Ronan the Accuser. He was the villain from Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Dar-Benn is a formidable villain, but her motivation and arc make her an interesting Marvel villain. Dar-Benn clears it to uncover a bracelet-like object like the bangle from the Ms. Marvel series. She attaches it to her left wrist and sends out a purple beam into the sky. This sets off her plan, which may risk her life, and draws in The Marvels. Dar-Benn asks her advisor, Ty-Rone (Daniel Ings) about the other band since they were known to be a pair of weapons.
This shifts to Jersey City, New Jersey where we find Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) in her room. Vellani of course was the star of the Ms. Marvel series. Kamala narrating her adventures notes her hard light powers. This creates pink-ish/purple crystal disks, shields, or domes. She is draws her animated adventures, a style like her show, teaming up with her idol, Captain Marvel. The call of her mother to do her school work snaps Kamala back. She is of course the young hero that has to find her place next to Captain Marvel. Kamala brings the energy of a teen with the geekiness of a comic book fan.
In her ship, Hoopty (some of the names are unclear like the villain), Carol Danvers played by Brie Larson, is reviewing her memories through a Kree device. This year, Larson stars in the mini-series, Lessons in Chemistry, and made a cameo in the finale, “No Normal” (2022) of Ms. Marvel. This basically recaps the events of Captain Marvel (2019) just to refresh your memory or in case you missed it. I suspect that audiences can go cold into this movie without seeing the rest of the MCU. She sees an explosion of a building that wakes her from the device. She takes a call from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). The role of Fury was also reprised by Jackson in Secret Invasion.
Carol is also taking care of Goose, the Flerken looks like a cat, but can send out tentacles to take in people and objects! He is based in the S.A.B.E.R. space station orbiting the Earth. S.A.B.E.R. (Strategic Aerospace Biophysics and Exolinguistic Response) was introduced in WandaVision. They have a light rapport and Fury next says that there is a surge in jump points. He wants her to check out a planet, MB-418. Outside the space station is Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) who pierced the Hex barier in WandaVision and gained her powers. This was in the episode, “We Interrupt This Program” (2021). Parris also played Brianna Cartwright in Candyman.
She is checking the station along with S.A.B.E.R. agents, Talia (Leila Farzad) and Dag (Abraham Popoola) making repairs with her powers. On the ringed planet, Tarnax IV, Dar-Benn meets with Emperor Dro'ge (Gary Lewis), the leader of the remaining Skrull colony. The Skrulls are green, shapeshifting aliens that debuted in Fantastic Four #2 (1967). Dar-Benn is there to make a treaty to move the Skrulls before the air from Tarnax IV is taken! Captain Marvel has reached MB-418, the same planet that we saw with Dar-Benn finding the band. Monica’s transmission with Fury is cut off and Captain Marvel hears her mention Aunt Carol.
Monica has to deal with Carol whom she hasn’t seen since she was eight and left on her own with the death of her mother, Maria (Lashana Lynch). Carol sees the hexagon of the jump point that hasn't closed. She sees the shattered column at Dar-Benn’s dig site and uncovers the gold image of the bangle. Monica reaches out to the energy of the jump point. We see the screen split between Carol, Monica, and Kamala in the Captain Marvel symbol shape, clever. The split screen is a comic book device, but I like the use of it in this movie. Fury tries to get in contact with Monica, but instead Kamala is drifting outside of the station window in Monica’s spacesuit!
Captain Marvel find herself in Kamala’s closet; the last scene we saw in Ms. Marvel. She runs down the stairs and sees Kamala’s family; mother, Muneeba (Zenobia Shroff), father, Yusuf (Mohan Kapur), and older brother, Aamir (Saagar Shaikh). The actors rprise their roles from Ms. Marvel, but the film keeps the show’s characters to this trio. Kree soldiers, allied to Dar-Benn, start attacking with staves, Muneeba slams a lamp into one! Then, Yusuf falls so Muneeba protects him from the point of a Kree spear! It is stopped by Captain Marvel who throws the soldier through the roof! The fight continues, but Kamala is suddenly shifted into her house!
Kamala is able to flip around a soldier and use her powers. I wonder if Kamala had combat training, but actually Captain Marvel uses the same sliding move so she may have picked up fighting ability from her entanglement with the others. The intercutting of characters in the middle of the action is brilliant. Monica battles Kree soldiers on MB-418 who are hunting the Annihilator.
Captain Marvel swaps with Ms Marvel fighting Kree warriors at Kamala’s house and also the S.A.B.E.R. station. The Kree are hunting the Annihilator, a term for Captain Marvel, for Dar-Benn. The mystery of Captain Marvel as the Annihilator ties into her arc.
Also the motivation of Dar-Benn who is on a mission for her people. This connects with the shape-shifting Skrulls (who don't shape shift here) that were introduced in Captain Marvel and also featured in Secret Invasion. There is a later character played by Park Seo-Joon from Parasite (2019). There is an important mid-credit scene, but no end credit scene. Carol, Monica, and Kamala are perfect as a trio of heroes that have to team up! The Marvels brings the fun of Phase One MCU, a theme of family and redemption, and Flerken!
Five Quantum Bands out of Five!
#TheMarvels, #NiaDaCosta, #MeganMcDonnell, #ElissaKarasik, #BrieLarson, #TeynoahParris, #ImanVellani, #SamuelLJackson, #ZenobiaShroff, #MohanKapur, #SaagarShaikh, #ZaweAshton, #GaryLewis, #ParkSeoJoon, #LashanaLynch
No comments:
Post a Comment