Reviews have started flooding in for The Marvels and, as you might expect, they're not exactly glowing. We'd expected that to be the case after the muted response to the Captain Marvel sequel's trailers, but even though it's not receiving Avengers: Endgame-levels of praise, those social media reactions were pretty spot on.
As you'll see from reading through some of the verdicts below, the consensus appears to be that The Marvels is a fun ride...just not one you should expect to leave much of a lasting impact. The three leads receive a lot of praise; the CG-heavy final act and villain, however, do not.
Anyway, we'll begin with the trades; Variety says the movie, "is short enough not to overstay its welcome, though it’s still padded with too many of those fight scenes that make you think, 'If these characters have such singular and extraordinary powers, why does it always come down to two of them bashing each other?'" The Wrap argues that The Marvels is "silly and makes little sense" but adds that it's "a fun time at the movies [and] captures the pure essence of why superheroes are so beloved."
The Hollywood Reporter singles out Ms. Marvel star Iman Vellani by explaining, "As the three women fight to save their galaxy, Khan proves herself to be the key to the success of this dynamic trio. She helps Monica brainstorm and encourages Carol to soften up. She’s undeniably a badass and, if Disney and Marvel are smart, she’s the future of the franchise."
Empire Online awards the movie 4/5 and concludes with, "It might not have the overwhelming impact of an Endgame or even a Guardians 3, but this is the MCU back on fast, funny form." As for Total Film, they were less impressed, publishing a 2/5 review and their belief that, "Marvel’s woes won’t be solved by a disjointed mini-Avengers that doesn't make a great deal of sense. But the cats are Flerken great."
Discussing Film shared similar sentiments by noting, "There’s obvious turmoil running from the top to bottom of Marvel Studios right now, and it’s going to take a lot more than a cuteness overload with CGI cats to make these projects watchable." As for Uproxx's critic, "Even though there are some fun scenes with The Marvels trio, I’d be hard-pressed to recommend this to anyone who isn’t an MCU superfan." Then, it's over to io9, a site pleased with the experience, calling the movie "an endearing, smartly contained popcorn flick that’s about characters first over mythology building."
Dar-Benn, unfortunately, sounds like a disappointment as the sequel's villain, something which is evident from a Chicago Sun-Times review that shares, "The problem with 'The Marvels' begins and ends with a story that comes nowhere near the high-stakes gravitas of the most memorable superhero movies, due in large part to a second-tier villain who seems almost like an afterthought through much of the adventure."
Awards Radar calls The Marvels a "pretty good time" and Collider wraps up on a positive note with, "In a universe that often feels suffocated by the amount of history, dense storytelling, and character awareness needed to enjoy these films, DaCosta figures out how to handle all of that in one of the most fun Marvel films in years."
The Illuminerdi may have said it best, though. After awarding The Marvels an 8/10 score, the site declares, "F*ck The Haters!"
The Marvels arrives in theaters this Friday.