The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023) - Film review by Kadmon

The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023) - Watch the trailer on YouTube
video © Marvel (Disney)

The The Marvels (2023) is a futuristic fantasy adventure / comedy film. The movie was reviewed by Kadmon.

Product: The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)

Original title: The Marvels

Series: Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain Marvel

Previous entries in the series with a connection to this story: Captain Marvel (2019), WandaVision (2021), Ms. Marvel (2022)

Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth and other planets (Marvel Universe - Marvel Cinematic Universe)

Product type: Film, ca. 1,75 hours, Genre: futuristic fantasy adventure / comedy, Features: action, adventure, comedy, fantasy - futuristic fantasy, horror, mystery, science fiction - futuristic science fiction, space travel - spaceship, super-human abilities

Release: Premiere: 2023.11.07 (Las Vegas), Release: 2023.11.08

Watched: very recent (2023.11), first time

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)

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This is my review of The Marvels, a futuristic fantasy adventure / comedy movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe from 2023. It's about a group of super-powered people trying to prevent the destruction of planets. The The Marvels film is watchable, I recommend it to fans of the genre.

The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

"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 destabilized 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."

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Review (spoiler-free) - The Marvels, movie (2023)

I've heard about the making of this movie for a long time, even though I was not interested. I didn't like the Captain Marvel movie at all, and I haven't seen WandaVision or Ms. Marvel, that served as a prequel to this movie. I didn't watch the trailer, because I was afraid of potential spoilers. While I wasn't eager to run to see this movie, I was also afraid that movie news will start to spoil the story, so in the end I went to watch this on the premiere week.

I have to admit that even though I've seen the Captain Marvel movie, I do't remember much of that, beyond the fact the she is an anti-social, almost omnipotent superbeing.

The The Marvels movie is about a group of super-powered people trying to prevent the destruction of planets.

The story is mostly okay. It has some explanation of why are things happening, and they do some flashbacks to the first Captain Marvel movie to show us past events. It's not the most elegant way, but it's acceptable. There are no character arcs. There were some logical problems.

The visuals are great. The sets are distinct and visually interesting. I really liked the variety of costumes on the water planet.

The action is sometimes a little chaotic, it's hard to follow what is happening, but in this case, as the characters often also can't follow this, I think it's okay. The only problem is the lack of tension.

Most of the characters are not introduced, and they are not very well developed. Their portrayal by the actors is acceptable, but not stellar.

The music (by Laura Karpman) is fine, it fits the story. The use of pop hits also fits the comedic nature of the movie.

The Marvels is a watchable futuristic fantasy adventure / comedy, that I think fans of the genre might enjoy.

My experience

I was mostly satisfied with The Marvels (2023). Although I prefer stories with well-thought, logical plots, and the The Marvels couldn't deliver that, it was entertaining enough that I could enjoy its runtime.

Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points). The Marvels is a watchable space fantasy film. As part of the MCU, it's not a very good addition. As a sequel to Captain Marvel (2019), I consider it weak (2- out of 3 points).

Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points). The Marvels was entertaining, I liked it.

Rewatchability: I'm not sure. I think it's mostly the surprise of the story that makes you feel interested, but there are some nice visuals that might catch your interest.

Chance of watching it again: There's a chance. Although now that I know the story, there's probably no need to watch it again.

Chance of watching a sequel: As I tend to watch MCU movies, I'll more than likely watch it sooner or later.

The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Will you enjoy this?

If you cannot miss any release related to the Marvel Universe, you'll watch this anyway.

If you are interested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you'll probably watch Black Widow, no matter what.

If you like adventure or action movies, you might like The Marvels.

If you like action comedy movies (Spider-Man, Ant-Man), you might like The Marvels, although the comedy is not that great.

If you like space fantasy movies, you might like The Marvels.

If you'd like to get comedic moments in your movies, The Marvels has plenty of those.

If you expect an epic space adventure (Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers Endgame), this movie might be disappointing.

If you can get through the first half hour of the movie still interested, the rest of the movie will be something similar.

If you enjoyed the Captain Marvel (2019) or Ms. Marvel (2022), you might be interested in this story.

If you prefer visuals over story, The Marvels looks good.

If you hate comedy, this movie is probably not for you.

If you have depiction of violence, although there's plenty of that in The Marvels, but most of it is not really gory, and many are comedic scenes.

Do you need to see the first film to enjoy this?

I think this movie works as a self contained story. Even though it contains references to the first movie, we also get some exposition about that, so we'll understand what's that about.

Watching for plot points

If you are interested in space fantasy stories, I think it's worth watching the The Marvels movie for the plot points.

Should you watch this on your own screen at home, or is it worth going to the cinema?

The visuals definitely look better if you watch it in cinema.

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The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

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Review with spoilers - The Marvels, movie (2023)

I mostly enjoyed the The Marvels movie. I don't think this is an essential part of the MCU series, or even a worthy sequel to the first Captain Marvel movie. This film is probably best enjoyed as a stand alone story. I have a similar feeling towards Alien Resurrection - I don't like it as a sequel to Alien, I feel that it goes against the themes laid down in the previous movies, but I consider it an entertaining futuristic adventure. The Marvels also has multiple interesting scenes, you just have to distance yourself from any previous expectations based on MCU movies. (Unless you base your expectations Thor: Ragnarök (2017), or Ant-Man 3: Quantumania (2023), that were similarly pointless, but entertaining movies in the great scheme of things.)

The lack of interesting story was balanced for me with interesting visuals.

The acting of Brie Larson is wooden, but it fits the emotionless character.

The character of Monica didn't do anything interesting, and compared to the other two characters, her personality was also uninteresting. She was probably there so there would be a third protagonist.

The lack of tension would have been a problem, but I just couldn't take the story seriously, so it didn't really bother me. I know that none of the three main characters will be harmed, and none of the threats will cause any damage to anything we can relate to (specifically, the Earth). The creators can destroy any number of alien planets, that won't have any kind of effect on me, as I don't have a connection to them. But even if something would have happened to the main characters, they are not people I know or care about. They are just dropped into this story, without any kind of buildup.

Cover

The cover of the movie is okay, it doesn't say much, but it doesn't spoil the movie.

The trailer

The trailer is basically a substitute for watching the first half of the movie.

If you prefer spoilers, it's a great trailer for the The Marvels film. If you prefer to avoid spoilers, it will make the movie less fun for you.

Promise of the first scene

Aliens approach an ancient site. They want to take two of the artifacts, that are supposedly there, but they only find one of them. I assume we'll find it out why do they need these artifacts, and I'm sure they are going on a search to find the missing one.

Execution: Well, we've got to learn why they wanted the artifact. However, the search for the artifact was mostly missing. It looked liked they can do their job fine even with one of the artifacts, that was kind of a letdown for me.

The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Plot summary / Synopsis

On an alien planet: Aliens approach an ancient site. The Kree leader (Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn) wants to take two of the artifacts, that are supposedly there, but they only find one of them.

Earth, now: We see that the other artifact (an armband) is worn by a girl (Kamala Khan), and it begins to glow.

Somewhere in space, earlier: We see Captain Marvel (Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel), dreaming about the plot summary of the first movie. She gets a call from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury), to check on an anomaly on a nearby planet.

On a space station, we see Monica (Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau), working on an erratic jump gate. She touches the gate.

Captain Marvel goes to the alien planet, where she finds an unusual jump gate, that's leaking energy. She also touches the gate.

The three of them switch places - Kamala goes to the space station, Monica goes to the alien planet, while Captain Marvel goes to Kamala's home.

When Captain Marvel tries to fly away, she switches with Monica, and goes back to the alien planet, where she immedietely gets attacked by the alien Krees, so she gets into her spaceship to Tarnax to settle the problem.

Monica and Kamala switches back places, so everybody goes home.

Tarnax, Skrull refugee colony: The Kree are negotiating with the Skrulls, they want to offer an alliance. Captain Marvel and her cat sneaks in, but she is found out by the guards.

Captain Marvel starts fighting with a guard, but she switches place with Kamala. To protect Kamala, the cat swallows two guards. When Kamala uses her power to defend herself, she switches place with Monica. Kamala brings back the cat to her home, where the cat regurgitates the two guards, who start attacking her family.

Even though they slowly come to the realisation that using their powers make them switch, they sometimes instinctively use them during fighting the guards. As the fight goes on, they switch places multiple times. They bring some of the Kree guards with them to the Space Station, and Kamala's home, but they get defeated.

During the fight, Captain Marvel explains to Nick Fury that the strange jumpgate is syphoning off the atmosphere of the alien planet. 

After the fight, Fury and Monica visit Kamala's home, and they take the captive guards into custody. They explain their theory about power entanglement, that causes these switches. After some further use of powers, Monica and Kamala gets captured on Tarnax, but Captain Marvel arrives in time to save them. The Kree leader opens a jumpgate to suck the air and destroy the planet in retaliation. They manage to save some of the Skrull population. Then some woman (Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie) comes to bring the Skrulls into safety.

On planet Hala, Kree homeworld: The Kree are gathering. Now, due to the syphoned atmosphere, they can breathe again. It turns out, after Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence, things got worse on the planet. There's now a lack of air, water, and every kind of natural resources. That's why they are desperate to get their power back.

On Captain Marvel's spaceship: The three of them introduce themselves. Captain Marvel realises that the armband that Kamala wears is a Quantum Band. Captain Marvel uses a Skrull device on them to access their memories, and find out every information available. They can some glimpse into the Kree's plan. They start to practice switching places, to use that with coordination.

Space Station: The parents of Kamala are brough on the Space Station. Some kind of alien infestation is found on the station. The Kree cause malfunctions on the Space Station, and they don't have enough escape pods. It turns out the infestation are the kitten of the cat of Captain Marvel. They get the crew swallowed by the kitten to make it easier to transport them.

Aladna, Magellan Galaxy: They go here, hoping to prevent the destruction of the planet, as it contains a lot of water the Kree are after. When they arrive, they are greeted with a Bollywood musical scene, according to the local customs. It turns out that Captain Marvel is the wife of the local leader (Park Seo-joon as Prince Yan). Despite their efforts, the Kree army arrives, and they manage to open a portal, sucking the water off the planet. During the fight, the Kree leader finds it out that Kamala has a Quantum Band.

Space Station: The three supers arrive on the station to help the evacuation. They reveal that the Kree want to steal the Sun of from our solar system.

The three supers go to fight the Kree leader. During the fight, but promise her that they'll try to repair the condition on Hala. The Kree leader gets hold of both Quantum Bands, that causes her to disintegrate. Her destruction creates a hole into another universe. The three supers are not entangled any more. They power up Monica, so she'd be able to close the hole. She does so, but she gets stuck on the other side.

Captain Marvel goes to Hala to restart their dying sun.

Kamala goes to convince Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop) to join her in a team.

Monica wakes up in the other universe, where Beast (Kelsey Grammer as Dr. Hank McCoy / Beast) of the X-Men is her doctor. Monica's mother (Lashana Lynch as Maria Rambeau / Binary) is also there, but she doesn't recognise Monica, and she also seems to be a super-hero.

The setting

Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in 2026. It takes place on a contemporary / futuristic fantasy Earth, and on some other planets (Aladna, Hala, Tarnax IV).

In this universe, there are people with super-human powers, and alien creatures.

Plot points of interests

The were a couple of changes to the setting and characters.

Forces

Kree: They are occupied with their civil war, as their planet, and even their sun is dying.

Planets

Aladna: A planet in the Magellan Galaxy. 99% of the surface of the planet is covered by water. It is inhabited by human-like aliens, who speak in rhymes. The Kree stole water with the use of a jump gate, it's unclear what happened to the planet after that.

Hala: The homeworld of the Kree. After Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence, things got worse on the planet. A civil war started between Kree factions, that lead to the destruction of the planet. There's now a lack of air, water, and every kind of natural resources.

Tarnax: There's a Skrull colony here. The Kree created a jump gate to syphon the atmosphere, creating much destruction, but it's unclear what exactly happened to the planet after that.

Creatures

Flerken: An adult (cat sized) specimen can swallow at least two human-sized creature. A newborn (kitten sized) specimen can swallow at least one human-sized creature. An adult flerken reproduces by creating reddish coloured eggs. In the movie it's unclear how are those eggs created.

New characters

Dar-Benn: One of the leaders of the Kree. She acquired one of the Quantum Bands and Ronan's Hammer. [Edit: According to the MCU Wiki, it's not Ronan's actual hammer, just another, identical hammer.] When she put on both Quantum Bands, it killed her.

Monica: She seems to be able to handle Kree fighters quite well. With her powers, she could go toe to toe with the Kree leader, who had a Quantum Band, and Ronan's Hammer.

Powers:

• Flying while intangible: She can fly or levitate.
• Intangibility: She can walk through walls.
• Shooting photon blasts: She can use this with destructive power.

Changes to characters

Carol Denvers: She is able to restart a dying sun.

Characters killed

Technology

Quantum Bands: They were used in a pair to create every jump pont in the universe. They seems to be able to syphon the kind of photon based energy Captain Marvel and Monica projects, and it can shoot that energy offensively. With the use of Ronan's hammer, a single Quantum Band is able to create jump gates. Wearing both Quantum Bands require some special abilities. When Dar-Benn put them on, she was killed. When Kamala took them, she was able to use them without harmful effects.

Skrull memory device: It allows to access and visualise the memories of someone, who puts on the device.

Powers

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The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Analysis of the story - The Marvels, movie (2023)

I mostly liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying The Marvels.

The message of the story

I have no clue. "Don't touch strange things"? Or "contemplate on your actions before you make something decisive"?

The structure of the story

The scenes of the The Marvels film are mostly played in sequence, following the same storyline. There's a time jump in the beginning, and there are a couple of flashbacks.

There's no single viewpoint character.

It has the usual arc of the dramatic structure - a very short introduction, action, resolution.

Parallels with other stories

Stories where the actions of the protagonists only aggravated the situation

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Even though the protagonist (Indiana Jones) tries to hinder the antagonists (Belloq and the Nazis), it's actually the antagonists own deeds that defeat them, when they use the obtained device (killing them all). If the protagonist would have just waited, we would have reached the same conclusion.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Even though the protagonist (Indiana Jones) tries to hinder the antagonists (Donovan and the Nazis), it's actually the antagonists own deeds that defeat them (moving the device destroys the temple, burying the device). If the protagonist would have just waited, we would have reached the same conclusion.

Fan-service

Scenes and elements from previous works:

Captain Marvel Vol 1 #17, graphic novel (1969)

• When a young human from Earth (Rick Jones) puts on a pair of armbands (Nega-Bands) that are Kree artifacts, he switches place with Captain Marvel.

Kree-Skrull War, graphic novel series (1971)

• There are some references that the Kree and Skulls were at war. Although in the MCU the war is one sided, it's only the Kree who try to exterminate the Skrulls.

Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 164, graphic novel  (1982)

• Binary appears. She is Captain Marvel's new identity, after being experimented on by the alien Brood.
• Binary often helps the X-Men during cosmic adventures.

 Iron Man, movie (2008)

• The scene with Kamala and Kate Bishop is reminiscent to the scene between Fury and Stark at the end of Iron Man.

Captain Marvel Vol 8 #7, graphic novel (2014)

• Captain Marvel's cat laying several dozens of eggs that hatch into little kittens.

Captain Marvel Vol 8 #9, graphic novel (2014)

• The planet Aladna appears.
• Prince Yan of Aladna appears
• Prince Yan was married to a human super-hero (Lila Cheney) due to local customs
• On Aladna, everyone has to speak in rhymes.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

• Kelsey Grammer plays Dr. Hank McCoy, the Beast

Captain Marvel, movie (2019)

• Includes flashback shots from the movie.
• References how Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence.

Hawkeye, TV series (2021)

• Kate Bishop appears.

WandaVision, TV series (2021)

• Includes flashback shots from the series.
• References how Monica's mother died in her absence.
• References how Monica got her powers due to Wanda's magical powers.

 Ms. Marvel, TV series (2022)

• Includes flashback shots from the series.
• One of the first scenes of the movie is the last scene from the Ms. Marvel series.

Things I liked

• The animated introduction to Kamala Khan (although it was slightly reminiscent of the Spider-Verse movies).
• The look of Captain Marvel's ship.
• The musical number on the water planet.
• The costumes on the water planet.
• The prince seems to be a nice character, I hope we'll see more of him in the future.
• The end credits animation. It engaged my attention while I wait for the post credit scene.

Problematic elements

Lack of introductions: Many of the character were just thrown on us.

• Kamala: At least she had some kind of introduction at the beginning of the movie. I welcome that.
• Dar-Benn: She is the antegonist of the movie, yet we get to learn very little about her. In the beginning, it's not even revealed that she is a Kree, and that's especially confusing as she doesn't look like a proper Kree. By the end of the movie, we get glimpses into her personality, but by that time, she's dead anyway.
• Monica: We got some references to her when introduced, then we got some glimpses into her past in the middle of the movie, but by that time I think it was late. It would have been preferable to show us her personality before she jumped into the plot. I know she has been in a TV series I haven't seen, but I wouldn't watch that for her introduction.
• Valkyre: I had no clue who she was, even though I've seen the previous movies. What she reminded me was her role in Men in Black, but I was pretty sure it wasn't that. I've read it later that she was Valkyre, but some more introduction to her would have been good. Maybe if she wore some more traditional Asgardian suit, or had she been accompanied by other Asgardians, it would gave me some clue.

Hunt for the artifact: In the beginning, it looked like the Kree will need both artifacts to be able to fulfill their goals. That promised some kind of search for the other Quantum Band. This plotline was totally missing from the story, and also, the Kree were able to do their bidding with a single Quantum Band, so this made the first scene with the "surprise" unneccessary.

Monica is a very quick learner: We see her first steps into flying, showing how uncertain is she in the usage of her ability. Yet, just a few hours later, she is able to fly effortlessly, without further training.

Unnecessary characters:

• Kamala and Monica: Basically the same events would have happened without introducing Kamala and Monica. (That's one of the problems with omnipotent characters, like Captain Marvel.) Captain Marvel would have just got to the Kree-Skrull meeting, but she probably couldn't have stopped the destruction of the planet. Later, it was she, who came up with the idea of going to the water planet, so she would have gone there. She probably couldn't prevent the completion of the jump gate again. When she finally caught up with the antagonist, she probably would have defeated her, like she did in this movie. As there would have been no additional Quantum Band, the antagonist would have probably gave up, letting Captain Marvel restore their sun.
• Nick Fury: He doesn't add to the story. He doesn't solve anything. He doesn't enforce anything. He is just there in the background. What's worse, the fact that he is there, makes him less competent, despite his previously accomplishments.

The message lost in laughter:

Conflicting themes: The message and the actual happenings are clashing in the story.

• There's a serious storyline about the responsible action - Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence, that controlled the Kree Empire, then left them, leading to civil war and the destruction of their civilisation. In the end, she realises her responsibility, and tries to help them survive. However, the whole idea gets drowned in comedic moments. It would be easy to draw parallels to the historical situation, where more advanced powers liberated countries (ie. Afghanistan), then left them to their own devices, that lead to a worse situation. I don't think this message is a good fit for this kind of light, comedy movie, and the parallels are probably lost on young teenagers,
• There's also a fun storyline about people magically switching places, leading to comedic action scenes. This, in itself could be a fine movie, if it were distanced from the serious storyline - and, especially from Captain Marvel - mentioned above. Involving the brooding protagonist in these comedic parts take away from the character. The same is true for Nick Fury, his ineptitude, used for comedic effect basically destroys the character, making us question his abilities. After this movie, I won't be able to take Fury seriously any more (unless it's revealed that it was a Skrull impostor all the time, but that twist was already used).

Unreasonable events: While the constant action might divert my attention, the logic is not always right in the story.

• Switching of Kamala with the others: She switches when the others use their powers, due to her wearing the armband. While Captain Marvel and Monica touched the same space phenomenon, Kamala didn't, so it would be more likely for her to switch places with the person that wears the other armband.
• The Kree targeting Aladna: Although it might be decyphered from their plans that the Kree want to get water, Captain Marvel just guesses that they'll try to get it on Aladna. There are plenty of planets with water in this galaxy, I'm pretty sure the Kree need not go to another galaxy just to find one.

Offscreen sequel: The Captain Marvel movie ends with Captain Marvel declaring war on the Supreme Intelligence. In this movie, we find it out that some time between 1995 and 2026, she already finished this war, destroying the Supreme Intelligence. This teaser was included in that movie to set-up something bigger. Probably a new version of the Captain Marvel movie could just add the sequence they've filmed for The Marvels, showing how Captain Marvel destroyed the Supreme Intelligence.

• Timeline: That's a good question, when did this happen, as the Kree Empire was one of the major forces in 2014, in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie, but by then, they were ruled by an Emperor instead of the Supreme Intelligence.

Clip-show flashbacks: It's a personal preference of mine, but I dislike when they show footage from previous movies as flashbacks, especially when they show memories of the characters. During these flashbacks, they show the viewpoint character from an outside perspective, and I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't imagine themselves like that.

Unanswered questions

• What exactly was the plan of Dar-Benn? She wanted to acquire the Quantum Bands, but when she did so, she just exploded. I assume she had some other intentions beyond that, as she seemingly wanted to restore Hala to its former glory.
• It seems like there's a jump gate near the Earth. Does this mean that humanity is now capable of interstellar travel? How does this change our civilisation?
• Why did Valkyre come to help the Skrull refugees of Tarnax? What is her relation to Captain Marvel, or the Skrulls?
  • Also, why would she bring the alien refugees to the Earth, where (in Secret Invasion) they currently declared war against all aliens, including the Asgardians, and especially the Skrulls?
• What have happened to planet Aladna? Was the planet destroyed, like Tarnax?
• What happened to planet Hala after it was flooded with water from Aladna? It looked like there's plenty of water on Aladna, and there didn't seem to be any kind of control mechanism on the amount that would get through the jump gate.
• What will happen to planet Hala after the restoration of their sun? Will the restarting of their sun improve anything, or will it just cause a different kind of problem?
• What will happen to Monica in that other universe? Although this will be probably answered in a sequel.

Questions after watching Secret Invasion, TV series (2023):

• Where is Varra, the wife of Fury during the movie? We've last seen her entering the SABRE space station.

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Possibilities of improvement

Concentrate on the destruction of Hala: Create a cut (that would be about half an hour long), that only features the Kree acts of terror, and the reaction of Captain Marvel, that ends in her restoring their sun. Cut the jokes and funny interactions. This could be a worthy sequel to the events of the first movie, and it could be more in tone with it.

How it could have been better?

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How does it compare to the other works of the creators?

I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Nia DaCosta).

I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Megan McDonnell).

I haven't seen any other works of the writer (Elissa Karasik).

I haven't seen any other movies from the director (Nia DaCosta).

How does it compare to the previous Captain Marvel film?

As far as I remember, I've enjoyed this a lot more than the first Captain Marvel movie. The Marvels have a very different tone from that. If you expect something along the line of that story, you might be disappointed.

How does it compare to the other films in the MCU universe?

The Marvels fits into the Phase 4 / Phase 5 movies of the MCU. Most of those are meaningless in the grand scheme of things, and the events don't change the status quo even a little bit.

The Marvels is an enjoyable as a stand-alone space fantasy movie, but as a part of an epic story, it's a weak addition.

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Behind the scenes

Thoughts about the reviews of others

Many reviewers strongly disliked The Marvels. Although I totally understand where they are coming from, I might have been desensitivised to the weak Phase 4 and Phase 5 stories, and probably that's why I gave this film a better rating.

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The Marvels, movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2023)
image © Marvel (Disney)

Uses for the film - The Marvels, movie (2023)

Plot

• Set in a contemporary fantasy / futuristic fantasy setting.
• The protagonist (Captain Marvel) killed the leader (the Supreme Intelligence) of a major nation (the Kree of planet Hala).
  • This lead to a civil war, the demise of the people, and the destruction of their home.
• The antagonist wants to steal resources in hope of saving their people.
• The protagonists are a group of super-powered people (The Marvels).
• The protagonists are a space-faring group, travelling around in a spaceship.
• The antagonist wants to get a device (an ancient artifact - a Quantum Band), that would grant them power to create great destruction.
  • The protagonists want to stop the antagonist from getting the device.
• The protagonists share their power to attack the antagonist.
  • The antagonist however, brings their own destruction, by using the obtained device.

Scenes

• The musical scene on Aladna might be used to depict a planet where people ritually welcome visitors.
• The scene where Captain Marvel destroys the Supreme Intelligence could be used to depict someone destroying an important alien leader.

Designs

Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas

• There are multiple mystical artifacts that grant some kind of power. When more then one of them is being used by people, they switch places.
• There's a special magical power, only used by a select few. Every time the power is used by someone, it switches place with one of the other magic users, who have the same power.
• One of the characters did something with good intentions, but it caused serious problems later. The team has to deal with the consequences.

Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas

Setting up the device: The builder want to set up a device. They are the defender. An assault team is alerted of their presence, and arrive to halt them. They are the attackers. The builder sets up the playing area, with a target zone in the middle. The builder places their force anywhere on the playing area. They have to spend several actions to build and activate a device they need. The asssault team units arrive on any of the edges of the playing area. The builder wins if they are able to set up and use the device in N turns. The assault team wins if they manage to defeat the defender, destroy the device, or prevent the use of it for N turns. The assault team gets a reduction of their victory points the longer it takes for them to win. For example, after 6 turns, every turn gives -5% from their overall score.

Raid to set up the device (harder for the builder): The denizens are attacked by the builders that wants to set up a device on their land. The denizen sets up the playing area, with a target zone in the middle, and place their force anywhere on the playing area, The builder enters from any of the edges, and tries to take the target zone. After that, they have to spend several actions to build and activate a device they need. The builder wins if they are able to set up and use the device in N turns. The denizens win if they manage to defeat the builder, destroy the device, or prevent the use of it for N turns.

Saving the settlement (harder for the denizens): The denizen player has to mark some scenery pieces are important features. Any time there's melee combat near those pieces, or they get in an area attack, they get damaged. The denizen gets mnus points for every damaged feature. The priority of the denizen is to keep their settlement safe while defeating their enemy.

Assault team arrives to help the denizens (harder for the builder): Like the previous scenario, but a third player plays an assault team, that arrives to help prevent the setting up of the device. They can't join the denizens, they are part of a separate force, but they share the same objectives. They are not prevented from harming both denizen or builder units. The assault team gets a reduction of their victory points the longer it takes for them to win. For example, after 6 turns, every turn gives -5% from their overall score. The priority of the assault team is to finish their job as fast as they can, ignoring collateral damage.

Battle around the portals: There are three playing areas. One of them is the combat zone, the other two are neutral areas. A battle starts in the combat zone, both force trying to defeat the other one. The portal user force has commanders who are able to teleport themselves and everything in a 10 cm radius to one of the neutral areas, while they are in the combat zone.

Some ideas to make the situation more interesting:

• They can only teleport back to the combat zone, if there are no enemy models in 10 cm radius.
• One of the commanders need to activate a special device to teleport back a commander from a neutral place. For example, there might be special consoles installed at the combat zone, or need to be carried around by a small crew.
• Any commander can switch places with another commander in another playing area.

Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)

Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian.

Flerkens: Small (S1) wild cats. Possibly with additional tentacles coming out of their mouth.

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Similar stories - The Marvels, movie (2023)

Short stories like The Marvels

Novels like The Marvels

Graphic novels like The Marvels

Movies like The Marvels

Guardians of the Galaxy 1 (2014): Set in a futuristic fantasy setting (the Marvel Cinematic Universe), a space-faring group of super-powered protagonists (the Guardians of the Galaxy) try to stop an antagonist (Ronan the Accuser) from obtaining a device (an ancient artifact, an Infinity Stone), that would grant the antagonists power for great destruction. The protagonists share their power to defeat the antagonist. The Guardians of the Galaxy is a better movie in every aspect.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Set in a historical fantasy Earth, a group of protagonists (lead by Indiana Jones) try to stop the antagonists (Belloq and the Nazis) from obtaining a device (an ancient artifact, an Infinity Stone), that would grant the antagonists power for great destruction. The antagonists are defeated by their own deeds, when they use the obtained device (killing them all). If the protagonist would have just waited, we would have reached the same conclusion. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a better movie in every aspect.

TV series & episodes like The Marvels

Computer games like The Marvels

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Frequently asked questions - The Marvels, movie (2023)

Is the The Marvels film based on a book or comics?

Partially. While the specific plot of The Marvels movie is not based on either books or comics, but several elements were based on previous stories.

Is the The Marvels film a remake or reboot?

No, the The Marvels film is neither a remake nor a reboot.

Is there a post credit scene in The Marvels? Does The Marvels have end credit scenes? Does The Marvels have a post credit scene?

Yes, there's a post credit scene in The Marvels.

Where can I see The Marvels? What is The Marvels playing on? What streaming service is The Marvels on? Where can I watch The Marvels online? Is The Marvels available on Netflix? Is The Marvels on Amazon?

As of 2024.01.31, The Marvels is available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Microsoft Movies, Vudu, YouTube.

It will be available Disney+ at 2024.02.07.

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Resources - The Marvels, movie (2023)

Official

Marvel: The Marvels: Official article.

Information

IMDB: The Marvels (2023): Database article.

WikiPedia: The Marvels (2023 film): Database article.

Letterboxd: The Marvels 2023: Database article.

Rotten Tomatoes: The Marvels 2023: Database article.

TVTropes: Film / The Marvels: Database article.

MCU Wiki: The Marvels: Database article.

Creation

: Concept art article / video.¤

Reviews with no spoilers - The Marvels film (2023)

: Review article / video about the The Marvels film with no spoilers.¤

Reviews with spoilers - The Marvels film (2023)

: Review article / video of the The Marvels movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤

Analysis - The Marvels movie (2023)

: Analysis article / video, explaining the finale of The Marvels.¤

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Buying the product - The Marvels, movie (2023)

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Have you seen the The Marvels film for the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How do you like the movie? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!