The Marvels (2023)

I'm going to be up front and say that I saw this movie late in its release because I was not a fan Captain Marvel or Brie Larson. Mommy Geek really had to work to get me to go to this film, and the only reason why I did was most to see what they were going to do with Ms. Marvel. I will also say that I was wrong about my hesitation in seeing this film, it actually turned out to be pretty good.

For the most part the cast did well with this film. In this film it looked like Brie Larson has finally learned to start using her facial muscles to emote emotions and her acting is improving. Zawe Ashton's portrayal of the villain Dar-Benn was actually complex while remaining very static. I'm not sure how she did that, but it made for a more complex villain. The surprise newbie to the Marvel universe was Park Seo-Joon who plays a prince. I will try to not give any spoilers away, but I hope we see him again in the Marvel universe, because this film doesn't really tell us if he lives or dies when bad things happen..... we can only hope that since they didn't show anything on screen or address what happened to him, that he could pop up again in Captain Marvel's life. 

The costuming for this film was also beautifully done. At one point we see Captain Marvel in a dress that has been influenced by her normal battle costume, but it is amazingly done. The colors and textures of the costumes are going to drive cosplayers, that take o the challenge, crazy for years.

One of the movie highlights is how The Marvels train together to be able to handle when their linked abilities make them switch places. Not only did the film makers show this development, but they also managed to use special effects in a convincing way for the swap.  

The special effects were also great. I will admit that I had already seen the main flerken scene on TikTok (which that scene also helped me want to see the film) and it was even better on the big screen. This was the combined seriousness and humor that was missing in the first Captain Marvel film that set it aside from the larger Marvel film universe and how they incorporated humor into the other movies. It was actually interesting that at a recent con I ran into a panelist that was talking about her experience watching the skies and she claims that she had seen a space portal like what they used in this film open in the sky complete to the geometric shapes....so film does influence people's perceptions.... anyway, that was very random to include here but you never know what/who you will run into at cons. The portals were kind of interesting, but I didn't feel like they were as well done as say the portals that Dr. Strange can open. 

Overall I would have to say that this was actually a good movie. I wouldn't pay to see it in theaters again, but I would watch it on TV and I'll pick up a copy of the DVD for my Marvel collection. A- or 4.5 starts out of 5.

Picture 1 From: https://www.reddit.com/r/MCUTheories/comments/166moqy/predictions_for_the_marvels_post_release_dialogue/

Picture 2 From: https://disneyplusbrasil.com.br/quem-e-dar-benn-vilao-vila-de-zawe-ashton-em-as-marvels/

Picture 3 From: https://lehren.com/entertainment/hollywood/park-seo-joon-stars-as-prince-yan-in-the-marvel-fans-lose-cool/181334/

Picture 4 From: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/the-marvels-coming-under-fire-for-being-too-cheap-and-then-too-expensive-is-a-damning-indictment-of-a-vocal-minoritys-mentality/

Picture 5 From: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/the-marvels-coming-under-fire-for-being-too-cheap-and-then-too-expensive-is-a-damning-indictment-of-a-vocal-minoritys-mentality/

Picture 6 From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErX0XISbFaM

Picture 7 From: https://comicbook.com/movies/news/the-marvels-mcu-jump-point-captain-marvel-villain-explained/