The Marvels lifts Marvel at their lowest ebb.

Believe it or not, the release of Captain Marvel was a mere four years ago, however, the way things have gone since, it may as well have been a lifetime. Whether it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe or our actual world, so much has occurred since 2019 that any film before this point feels like a relic from a bygone era.

With regards to Marvel specifically, the studio’s journey from then to now has been nothing short of extraordinary – but not always for the right reasons. In the four long years since our big screen introduction to Carol Danvers, Marvel Studios have been on the wildest of rides, with plenty of ups, and just as many downs, along the way.

From streaming success to box office blips to brand overexposure, the MCU has had an awful lot going on of late, and currently finds itself in the kind of precarious position few would’ve thought possible at the franchise’s peak. Although it’s far too early to talk about a crisis, with fading critical interest and dwindling box office returns, make no mistake, Marvel Studios are in a funk. But can The Marvels be the film to finally lift them out of it?

Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. However, unintended consequences see her 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 two other superheroes, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), to form the Marvels.

In many ways, you really do have to feel for The Marvels. While it’s difficult to hold too much sympathy for Marvel themselves, being the huge juggernaut that they are and the fact that so many of their current problems are self-inflicted, for this movie and those involved in its production, empathy is more than warranted.

Let’s be honest here, before a single scene was filmed, The Marvels was always going to struggle to live up to the billion-dollar success of Captain Marvel, but throw in actor and writers strikes, a box office continuing its post-COVID recovery, and a release date that coincides with the MCU at its lowest ebb critically, creatively, and financially, and the task was nigh on impossible.

So, all things considered, the very fact that The Marvels is not only far from a disaster but a genuine high point of the MCU’s post-Endgame era, is to be commended. Yes, it has its flaws, but considering the underwhelming run the MCU has had lately with the likes of Love & Thunder, Quantumania, and Secret Invasion, you’ve got to consider The Marvels a win that, despite its issues, steadies the franchise ship and sets it up nicely for whatever the future holds.

To this end, the one thing that truly makes The Marvels stand out from the current superhero crowd is just how delightfully bright and breezy it is. Clocking in at a relatively nifty 105 minutes, Nia DaCosta’s film is refreshingly short and remarkably sweet, acting as a welcome palette cleanser after the recent torrent of bloated, overblown, overlong blockbuster fare.

At a time when you’ll be lucky to find a superhero movie shorter than two hours long, any attempt to keep things well below this duration is to be celebrated. So, while it has plenty of issues, The Marvels’ length certainly isn’t one of them, with the frenetic energy it exudes throughout its rapid runtime making it an absolute blast.

As the narrative struggles throughout a shaky opening act, the film finally finds its groove as the action begins to heat up. With their various story threads converging and the trio of Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani hitting their stride, the film’s fuse is lit, and its kinetic energy is set free, making this one of Marvel’s more outright entertaining efforts in recent times.

In full flight, the film’s three stars, under the propulsive direction of Nia DaCosta, intertwine smoothly and effectively, allowing The Marvels to showcase itself and prove just what it can do given the chance. Despite having to deal with a choppy, muddled plot, DaCosta and her leads positively thrive in one another’s company, radiating camaraderie and a brand of genuine, organic fun-loving adventure that’s been thin on the ground in the MCU lately.

Making the most of the movie’s “switching” gimmick, Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau, and Kamala Khan zip in and around scenes effectively and imaginatively, with DaCosta deploying a unique style of action that elevates The Marvels’ well above your average superhero fare. Sure, it’s all very scattergun and more than a little baffling at times, yet that’s all part of the movie’s chaotic cosmic charm, as it gleefully offers up visual storytelling that’s at once wholesome, genuine, and utterly distinctive.

This hectic, freeform approach does often hinder the film’s narrative flow, sending it, like its characters, all over the galaxy as it tries desperately to give equal weight to all three of its stars. This, together with its condensed runtime, means The Marvels struggles to keep its rhythm on occasion; a factor that undoubtedly holds the film back from being any more than a mid-ranking MCU instalment.

With three individual character threads playing out all at once and all stuffed with weird, wild, and wacky cosmic shenanigans, there’s an awful lot going on with The Marvels and precious little time available to let it all breathe. It’s immensely fun and full of the kind of enjoyable, light-hearted action Marvel Studios is still (even at its lowest) able to nail, yet it all feels a little too disjointed for its own good.

Piling heaps of charm onto this chaos, the combined force of Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani allows The Marvels to soar despite its issues. Bouncing off both one another and DaCosta’s direction perfectly, this is a trio that know the assignment and stick to it, and whether they’re body switching while taking down Kree henchmen, chasing space cats, or just sitting around bantering, their combined chemistry and energy are off the charts.

Less successful in this mix, however, is the film’s villain, and while Zawe Ashton does her best with what she’s got, her character suffers from a disappointingly one note execution. Although the intentions are there and Ashton gives it a good go, with a generic motivation and a distinct lack of threat, there’s little to lift Dar-Benn above an antagonist also ran. Although improved upon as the years have passed, this is a problem that would regularly haunt early MCU villains and it’s perhaps an ominous sign that this kind of underwhelming antagonist issue has crept back into the franchise.

Villain aside, however, the remainder of The Marvels’ cast do a more than decent job levelling up the story and helping to supplement the energy of the film’s leads. Among the ensemble, it’s always nice to see Samuel L. Jackson back under the eyepatch, especially when he’s having this much fun with it, while Kamala’s family are just as joyful here as they are in the Ms Marvel show. Oh, and the more tentacle spewing cats in the MCU the merrier!

All in, despite its clear issues, there’s something so heartfelt and so infectiously enjoyable about The Marvels that it’s downright impossible to resist. How the film does at the box office, and whether it manages to lift Marvel out of their recent slump, only time will tell, yet, considering just how frustratingly inconsistent the franchise has felt of late, it’s just nice to have a little solid, dependable fun back in the MCU.

Not perfect by a long shot, The Marvels is nevertheless a blast. Great action, an irresistible cosmic energy, and the delightful chemistry between its leads carry the film a long way, and despite a choppy narrative and a disappointingly one-note villain, The Marvels goes far higher, far further, and far faster than its predecessor managed.

The Marvels is in cinemas now.