People… ‘The Marvels’ Was Actually Good
Whoever said theme park rides aren’t fun?
Director Martin Scorsese made headlines in 2019 when he argued that Marvel movies were “not cinema” and were more comparable to “theme park rides.” And he’s right; it’s for that reason, though, that I can’t in good faith review Marvel movies as anything other than raucous rollercoasters. With over 40 movies and TV shows in the sprawling Marvel universe, there’s no use denying that the franchise has grown a little bloated.
Even in a standalone superhero movie, establishing consistent in-universe rules can present a major challenge. Where superpowers are involved, logic falls by the wayside. Trying to establish a hierarchy of who’s more powerful than who — with what abilities and what items — it’s difficult to remain consistent. If Superman is more powerful than Wonder Woman, why doesn’t he just fight all her battles? If Captain Marvel is more powerful than just about all of the Avengers put together, do we really need Hawkeye?
If Avengers: Endgame establishes that altering past events spawns distinct, parallel timelines, then how does Captain America’s act of living out his life in the past and subsequently appearing as an elderly man in the primary timeline not present a paradoxical divergence from these very established rules of time travel?! The answer to all of these questions, if you ask me, is a resounding “it really doesn’t matter.” They’re superhero movies. They’re fun. I couldn’t care less about a plothole here and there in this universe that transcends time and dimensions with wanton regularity.
If you’re hoping for a plain and close-knit cohesion in this brimming and action-packed world — this comically bombastic multiverse of superheroes and supervillains — I hate to break it to you, but you won’t find it. If you approach a Marvel movie like you do Killers of the Flower Moon or Oppenheimer, you’re likely to be disappointed. But if you heed Scorsese’s wisdom, and remember that these movies are more akin to rides than anything else, then what’s wrong with a couple of hours spent at an amusement park? If you want critical perfection, it’s a safe bet it won’t be found in the 33rd cinematic release of any franchise ever. Had Star Wars made it to Episode XXXIII, I doubt we’d have very positive things to say about it.
At this stage in the game, I think the greatest mistake that a new Marvel film can make is to take itself too seriously. The self-awareness that’s slowly seeped into the franchise has been its soul stone for years now. It’s fully aware of how congested it’s become; laughing at its own convolution is so much of what breathes life into these movies.
This movie’s new villain is undeniably formulaic. Dar-Benn is a cookie-cut, copy-and-paste caricature of yet another cosmic criminal. And if the movie were nothing more than the self-serious tale of her downfall, it would be a drab story indeed. But the path to that inevitable conclusion is imbued with enough wit, verve, and charm that a few flagrant cliches are entirely forgivable. Expectations can only be subverted so many times. No one faults sitcoms for being cyclical. I don’t know why people seem to expect more narrative depth of muscular men in tights.
The Marvel’s emotional blows fall admittedly flat. But it’s only been the rarest of Marvel movies that have elicited any real emotion from me at all. The tension between Monica Rambeau and Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris respectively, doesn’t deliver its intended weight and teeters over top heavy from some of the plot’s more cumbersome components. I don’t blame the actors, though, for failing to fully humanize each pawn in this decades-long game of laser beam-shooting, time-traveling 3D chess.
To understand each thread of this intricate web of narratives within the Marvel Cinematic Universe would take more homework than most are willing to give their senior theses. If you’re attempting to juggle 20 balls at once, you’re going to fall on your face, but if you keep your eyes focused on the ones that say “good guys,” “bad guys,” and “powerful objects” you’ve got a darn good shot at enjoyment.
There’s something to be said for this mindless sort of watching. Rather than trying to grapple with the nuance of this muddled and mish-mashed multiverse, I’m happy just enjoying the whirring colors and self-aware superheroes in spandex exchanging explosive blows and proffering witty one-liners.
Though some would argue that too much humor has found its way into this graphic, epic world, the controversial singing goats of Thor: Love and Thunder weren’t enough to bother this viewer in the least. The Marvels, too, has been heavily criticized for trying too hard to be funny. For me, though, it’s hard to imagine jibing with two more superheroes I’d barely ever heard of in this new movie without a little levity. And Kamala Khan, played by Iman Vellani, is levity incarnate. Her family, too, played by Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, and Zenobia Shroff each exude a lighthearted pragmatism that complements her wonderfully.
One of the scenes that early reviewers seem to have almost universally reviled is one in which the protagonists arrive at a planet that speaks only in song. It might just be the eccentric musician in me, but personally, I love nearly everything about the sequence. From the colorful costumes, dances, and architecture, to the cursorily explored culture, I could hardly help but grin.
The super-powered, tentacle-equipped felines in the movie are another undeniable highlight. In their best moments, they drive home some of the funniest scenes in all of the MCU.
Another issue on which Marvel has gotten a lot of flack in recent years is for its “bad CGI.” Of all the complaints leveled against the superhero thrillers, though, I can hardly think of one so completely baseless. Few films in history have ever depended so heavily on CGI as modern superhero movies. For people to nitpick at what rarely amounts to more than an odd-looking still frame here or there in these 90+ minute long action-packed spectaculars just seems silly. It shocks me that there are people who can still remember what CGI looked like 20 years ago and charge that “Marvel needs to do better.” Seriously, do it yourself.
Hearing that criticism yet again, I spent the entire movie searching for a lone visual shortcoming and struggled still to find it. At worst, it can be accused of being overly colorful or exaggerated. But bad CGI? This argument holds no weight for me.
Marvel movies more than any others often seem relegated to the opinions of the masses. The reviews that come in during their first few days can be enough to decide a movie’s fate.
Marvel’s greater box office and critical hits of these past few years were never anything that could be called cohesive. The long-anticipated return of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, reprising both of their respective Spiderman roles in Spiderman: No Way Home, was one of the most exciting superhero movies of the past decade, but it introduced more plotholes than people would excuse in almost any other movie. Even while it was one of my personal favorites, I still couldn’t help but notice a few of Marvel’s increasingly staple shortcomings. But they were tenable for me then and they’re still entirely tolerable in The Marvels.
Yet as more and more characters are introduced with more and more loosely dangling threads of plot, I’ve simply grown to accept that the MCU is a murky, muddied place. Alas, a trip to the amusement park is never serene. It’s hectic, fast-paced, and frenetic. It’s best experienced with crowds of yelling bystanders and it has no clear takeaway other than the fun of the rides. And if a movie’s a fun use of an afternoon, then it hasn’t failed.
I feel that Deadpool addressed the "bloated" nature of the Marvel universe very well. The multiverse is a pretty lazy storytelling device, but it becomes new and exciting when you have a sarcastic character who is constantly gaslighting everyone around him. With regard to Spider Man, I'll go to any movie with Willem Dafoe. It's interesting to watch how the franchise has to reinvent itself to stay relevant. James Bond is a good example of that. I'm not super excited to watch more superhero films, but they're a nice way to enjoy some air conditioning and keep the kids entertained on a hot summer day.
I have long been a fan of Marvel. I attribute this to my fertile imagination, which is a must to enjoy Marvel movies I believe. This is another remarkable review, Ben.