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Captain Marvel was a breath of fresh air; almost – in a formulaic genre that gave Ben Mendelsohn a chance to play against type and Brie Larson and Samuel L Jackson to have some of the most fun they’ve had in years thanks to the work of directing dream team Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. But it’s a case of Marvel realising that they dared to give directors freedom and going a complete 180 on that in the sequel and stripping Nia DaCosta of any creative liberties; meaning that the end result is a largely dull affair that is bereft of any signs of life despite its charismatic cast: anchored together largely by a brilliant Iman Vellani.
The film struggles being a sequel to three things at once – Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel and by extension, WandaVision. That’s a lot of baggage and it means the first act is spent playing catch-up, requiring the second act to be the first act and the third act to then do not only the second and the third act, but also act as the customary set-up for what comes next in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as this feels like it’s once again, straight off the endless production line chain. To give The Marvels credit – there are fun moments to be had here; the body swapping everytime Ms. Marvel, Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau and Captain Marvel use their powers allows for an entertaining combat sequence, Goose the alien cat continues to be the star of the show – and on top of that, there’s a visit to the musical planet where its inhabitants communicate entirely through song that show flashes of what The Marvels could’ve been if it dared to have a little more fun. Think The Heroic Trio – but ultimately, nowhere near as good – it takes a rare talent to waste Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani – but The Marvels has done that.
It’s abundantly clear that the film got the harsh end of the edit in post to the point where it barely becomes a movie: it’s something of a miracle that this isn’t quite the atrocity of The Flash – the entertainment is still there and it moves along like a breeze. It’s just a shame every time there attempts to be some kind of depth here; such as turning Captain Marvel into the “Annihilator” and giving her a Doctor Who-type last survivor of the Time War story wrestling with the guilt of her actions, the film would be much more interested in throwing the Wider MCU at us as a way of distraction expecting you to gasp in shock like my audience did when a character showed up.
It’s a shame as 5% more depth afforded to the annihilator arc and more attention to Zawe Ashton’s antagonist could’ve made this film incredibly watchable – but instead of wondering what could’ve been; you’re left with what is – a film barely memorable two let alone three days after watching it and such an underwhelming feature debut for one of the shining lights of Phase 4 Marvel – Iman Vellani; full of heart from the first shot she shows up in to the end credits.
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