The Marvels
Released in theaters on November 10, 2023
Currently only in theaters
Runtime: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, has spent years reclaiming her identity after being tricked into thinking she was part of the Kree Empire. After destroying the Supreme Intelligence (in Captain Marvel) she freed herself, but in the wake left a civilization on the brink of destruction. These unfortunate consequences are going to send her on a mission where she will discover the importance of not being a lone wolf. After coming into contact with a anomalous wormhole linked to the Kree she finds her powers intertwined with Monica Rambeau (from Captain Marvel and Wanda Vision) and Kamala Khan (from Ms Marvel).
If you want to go into this one knowing who all the characters are I would suggest watching Captain Marvel, Wanda Vision Season 1, Ms Marvel Season 1, and Hawkeye Season 1. You will also get more of the Easter eggs and know about the alien races if you watch Guardians of the Galaxy, Secret Invasion Season 1, and Thor Love and Thunder
Themes:
Family, identity, super fandom, mix ups, space travel, aliens, light manipulation, super powers, war, refuges, hate, teamwork, flerkittens, fighting for what you believe in, dying planets, teleportation, friendship, forgiveness, being their for people, love, arranged marriages, singing, natural resources, teens, S.W.O.R.D., catching up, guilt, moving on, memories, and loss.
Language:
I admit to going to the bathroom for a minute, but here is what I heard…
Hell - 7, Sh*t - 3 times, and D*mn 2 times. I counted 6 Religious Exclamations before I stopped. Ms Marvel (Kamala Khan) is the main offender here you uses them 4-6 times every time she says one (Oh my, oh my, oh my….. you get the gist)
Stuff to be aware of:
Typical Marvel Cinematic Universe fighting. Punches are thrown, people are stabbed, and guns are fired. People die, but not in graphic ways. Several planets are attacked and their natural resources siphoned. Hala, the Kree planet from the first movie, is slowly dying. Goose, the Flerkin, and her liter of Flerkitten swallow and spit people out using the giant tentacles from their mouths. After how dark Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was and the graphicness of Secret Invasion, this movie seemed a bit tame. Which I liked.
There is a female character that briefly makes an appearance. This character is known to be a lesbian (or bisexual). She gives Carol a kiss on the cheek, but it is not sexual.
Overall:
Does this one go higher, further, faster than the first? I won’t say I like it better than the first one, but I did enjoy it. The beginning of the movie is a bit of jumbled chaos, but it makes for some humorous scenes. Once, the “swapping places” anomaly is explained and you understand the villain’s motives it all makes more sense. The story does a good job giving us insight into the human (non space hero) side of Captain Marvel. The fight scenes are really neat and crazy with the characters swapping places when they use their powers. Overall, I had a lot of fun watching this.
Was it the best MCU movie? No, but it was a lot better than Thor Love and Thunder, Wakanda Forever, and Eternals.
One complaint I have is that it moves very quickly and the characters really never deal with the fact that Captain Marvel (spoiler alert) did something that caused an entire planet to almost die, basically creating the movie’s villain. This seems to kind of get swept under the rug by smaller less significant issues like Carol not coming back to earth to see Monica and how big of a fan Kamala is. The fact that no one seems to be very worried about this or that the villian has every right to hate Captain Marvel is pretty jarring.
There is a mid-credits scene that lots of folks will be talking about and will have a big impact on the MCU. There is no end credits scene.