REVIEW: MS. MARVEL Premiere Is Light On Action, But High In Character, Charisma, And Charm

REVIEW: MS. MARVEL Premiere Is Light On Action, But High In Character, Charisma, And Charm

Kamala Khan has made the jump to the MCU in the Disney+ premiere of Ms. Marvel, but does the show live up to the early online praise it's received? Spoilers ahead!

Review Opinion
By Waddles - Jun 09, 2022 10:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Ms. Marvel

I am someone who, until recently, had only a passing knowledge of the character of Kamala Khan. I knew she was a young Muslim girl who had embiggening powers and idolized Carol Danvers, but that was about it. In preparation for this new series, I sat down and burned through G. Willow Wilson's 19 issue debut run for Kamala, and what I discovered was a wonderfully complex character who can serve as a mirror for all of us.

Kamala is a nerd. Plain and simple. She is every one of us who has ever read a comic book and dreamed of flying, or having super strength, or saving the world. Every fanboy/girl can look to Kamala's story and see someone like them who dreams of being a hero, who gets to live that dream, and inevitably finds that it's far more complicated than she bargained for. After reading the book, I became instantly more excited for the show that had previously left me intrigued, if not exactly hyped.

Social media is now abuzz with reactions to the premiere episode of Ms. Marvel, heaping praise on the show's unique style, clever editing, and endlessly endearing young star. After watching the episode, I can confirm that the praise is 100% earned, and that Kevin Feige and Co. are looking at another certified hit to add to the MCU's ever growing list of successes. They have perfectly incapsulated the character of Kamala, her personality, her fantasies, and the trials that she faces as she tries to find her place as a girl from two different worlds.

What sets this show largely apart from its MCU counterparts is the clever use of animation sprinkled throughout the episode. Kamala is a young woman with her head always in the clouds, and to illustrate this, her fantasies and conversations come to life in the real world around her. Executive producer Bisha K Ali, along with premiere directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, have crafted a vibrant and colorful world that still feels like a very real and lived in Jersey City. There is nothing bland or by-the-numbers about the feel and composition of Ms. Marvel so far, so those who find themselves growing tired of the "Marvel Formula" should be pleasantly surprised. The bike riding sequence and the Bruno/Kamala texting scene especially stand out, and the montage of Kamala illustrating her plan to sneak out to AvengersCon was incredibly well done and made the following depiction of the plan absolutely falling apart that much funnier. 

The cast of the show is also perfect, from breakout star Iman Vellani (in her first acting role) to every member of her overbearing but deeply loving family, and even her school friends all delivering solid performances. For this being her freshman role, Iman cannot be praised enough for her amazing take on Kamala Khan. Iman is playful and lighthearted, but this betrays the turmoil and insecurities laying just beneath the surface. This is a character who finds herself conflicted between her Pakistani heritage and the western roots that she has established in America. She loves her family and culture but also feels as if she is missing out on some larger adventure by being restricted from embracing her American friends and interests. What probably helps Iman to capture the spirit of her character so brilliantly is the fact that the actress herself is a Marvel fangirl at heart. She is a nerdy Muslim girl who is getting to live out her dream of becoming a superhero, just like Kamala. Iman is Kamala personified, to the point that Kevin Feige has confirmed that she would walk around set carrying a binder with notes and illustrations about the character and story.

Perhaps the most emotional moment in the show come when her parents attempt to compromise with Kamala about attending the 1st annual Avengers con, which Kamala desperately wants to attend despite her parent’s disapproval. Not at all a fan of Captain Marvel, Kamala's Ammi (Urdu for Mother) creates a Hulk costume for her daughter that is more in line with traditional Muslim garb. Furthermore, Muneeba (Anjali Bhimani) also creates a matching Hulk costume for Kamala's Abbu (father) to wear. Marvel released this clip prior to the show's debut, and it showed a lighthearted and fun scene in which a young girl is understandably embarrassed by her parents attempts to seem hip. What the show reveals to us after that moment is Kamala voicing her embarrassment and the outburst causing great pain to her parents, who genuinely love her and want to be a part of her life. The scene deftly changes course from silly to somber, and the performance by Muhan Kapur (Yusuf Khan) in this moment especially packed a punch.

Kamala's family feels incredibly real and authentic throughout the episode. Her father is a loving goofball, and while her mother is more judgmental and harsh, she ultimately has her daughter’s safety at heart. Even her brother Aamir (Played by Saagar Shaikh) shows a believable "I pick on you, but I have your back" older sibling vibe. 

The show features several friends and classmates throughout the episode, but none of them really get much time to shine aside from Kamala's bestie and eventual "Guy in the chair", Bruno (played by Matt LIntz). In the comics, Bruno has been a close friend of Kamala's since they were toddlers and everyone around them can see how clearly enamored he is with Kamala except for Kamala herself. They do seem to touch on this a bit in the premiere, as Bruno is clearly someone who is in Kamala's corner no matter what and there was definite chemistry in their rooftop moment. His delivery of "You're Kamala Khan. If you want to save the world... you're going to save the world." was proof positive of the high esteem in which he holds his friend/crush.

If there's anything to complain about in this episode, it would be that there wasn't much forward plot progression until the final few minutes. If you're someone who loves slice-of-life superhero storytelling then this will not be a big gripe at all, but if you prefer to the action and intrigue as fast as possible then this may have been a slower burn than you wanted. There's also no real "Villain" to speak of in the premiere (save for school bully Zoe) as we establish Kamala's world and the people there-in, but the episode's mid-credit scene did set the stage for things to come and introduces a mysterious new group who has been made aware of Kamala's powers.

I do wish the episode had been a bit longer, as I feel the time between the first manifestation of her powers and the end of the episode moves a bit too quickly and doesn't give any time for Kamala or Bruno to process what they've witnessed. Perhaps a brief scene of them on the bus back home, or even on their rooftop to marvel (heh) at Kamala's new powers would have provided another good character moment. 

The power change is certainly something that has been talked about ad nauseam both on this site and others and will likely continue to irk certain comic book purists. I was against the change at first myself and held out hope that Marvel may just be pulling a bait-and-switch in the marketing. Whether or not the change was necessary remains to be seen, but every other aspect of the character feels ripped straight from the comics, so they have earned a bit of good faith to tell their story in my eyes. 

All-in-all, I feel like the show is off to a strong start and there is no ceiling in sight to limit its potential. I eagerly await episode 2 where we get to see more of Ms. Khan exploring her new powers, the personal fallout as she continues to defy her parents, and the reveal of just who is after her and her abilities. 

MS. MARVEL Season 2 Reportedly Being Discussed; Update On NOVA - Will It Be Sam Alexander Or Richard Rider?
Related:

MS. MARVEL Season 2 Reportedly Being Discussed; Update On NOVA - Will It Be Sam Alexander Or Richard Rider?

THE MARVELS Star Iman Vellani Says She's Been Assured By Marvel Studios That Ms. Marvel Will Return
Recommended For You:

THE MARVELS Star Iman Vellani Says She's Been "Assured" By Marvel Studios That Ms. Marvel Will Return

DISCLAIMER: As a user generated site and platform, ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and "Safe Harbor" provisions.

This post was submitted by a user who has agreed to our Terms of Service and Community Guidelines. ComicBookMovie.com will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement. Please CONTACT US for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content. CLICK HERE to learn more about our copyright and trademark policies.

Note that ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.

1 2 3 4 5
Santanaonfire
Santanaonfire - 6/9/2022, 11:01 AM
I thought it was a lot of fun and very charming. I am keeping an open mind with respect to her power changes, which, so far, seem like they could be used in a similar way to the comic book version, even if the source/visualization is different. Looking forward to more at this point.
okim08
okim08 - 6/9/2022, 11:20 AM
@Santanaonfire - Besides the hardcore comic fans, the masses aren't even going to flinch at how she got her powers.
StSteven
StSteven - 6/9/2022, 12:16 PM
@Santanaonfire - Yeah, especially when they were at the AvengersCon and she used her powers to catch Zoe as she was falling. The big, stretched out arm and hand that caught her was just like her embiggening powers, just made out of a light construct instead her actual body. I expect that we'll see ore of that as the episodes continue.
Santanaonfire
Santanaonfire - 6/9/2022, 10:23 PM
@StSteven - Totally. I’m pretty OK with it. Especially without a cannon Inhumans lore built up in the MCU to take that avenue to her powers.
StSteven
StSteven - 6/9/2022, 11:46 PM
@Santanaonfire - Yeah that's a good point about the Inhumans. Considering that they so far don't even exist in the MCU (at least in Earth-616) that would be a real *stretch* to try to introduce them in order to explain Kamala's Terragenisis origin. That, and the obvious similarity to Reed Richards, while different enough to comic fans to be okay, to the GA would be too confusing. So two good reasons to justify changing it up (in my opinion anyway). Beside, if they want to later make her powers Inhuman-based whenever they finally introduce them (which I don't think is going to be any time soon) they could always do that, but I just don't see them doing that after establishing her origin this way. Plus, one other point is that by having her powers seeming be cosmic-based vs. Inhuman, that further puts her closer in line with the more cosmic characters, especially Captain Marvel. Overall, it was probably. pretty smart move on their part.
Santanaonfire
Santanaonfire - 6/10/2022, 3:40 AM
@StSteven - All good points. And I see what you did there with the *stretch* lol 😉
StSteven
StSteven - 6/10/2022, 11:45 AM
@Santanaonfire - Ba-da-tsh!. Seriously, to take it a step further: Marvel Studios knows that they're never going to be able to please everyone (the hardcore comics fans, the casual comics fans, the GA, etc.) all the time, so they're going to try their best to please any many folks as they can knowing that SOMEONE is going to be pissed no matter what (hell, even IW/EG had its detractors, although they were few and far between). But at the end of the day, despite what some folks think, Feige & Co. have said that although they will try to stick as closely to the comics as possible, they are not necessarily beholden to them, and at the end of they they want to tell good, compelling stories with great characters because they think that overall, that's what everyone wants to see. Now, how closely they hit that mark project by project is up for debate, but that's their stated goal. So that's why they sometimes make minor or more serious changes to the source material, and it's hard to blame them in most cases. In addition to our above points about Kamala, the next one that pops immediately to mind is Ultron's origin. While it would have been cool to have Hank responsible for Ultron vs. Tony and Bruce, considering that Hank hadn't even been introduced into the MCU by that point and that it had more of an emotional impact that it was Tony's ego that lead to that disaster (which had ramifications for him personally as well as the rest of the MCU for several years after that (Sokoia Accords, Civil War, IW, etc.), it just made more sense and felt more organic to have the story go this way. Now that's not to say that MS can't always retcon stuff later on, and the plant a lot of seeds to be able to do that on down the line when/if it makes sense. For example, regarding Ultron, in Ant-Man 3 Scott could always have a scene with Hank where he's trying to convince Hank to take a more prominent position as one of the world's top engineers/scientists now that Tony's gone. Something along the lines of:

Scott: "Now that Tony's gone, the world needs a top scientific mind to take his place."
Hank: "Bah! Take his place? Let me tell you something, Scott. The Starks have always been glory hogs, especially Howard. His best skill was taking the work of his partners and claiming it as his own. Just like he did with Anton Venko, just like he did with me."
Scott: "With you? Do you mean the Pym particles?"
Hank" No, I mean the Ultron project."
Scott: "Ultron?"
Hank: "Yes, Ultron. That was a project that Howard and I originally conceived of back during my days with SHIELD. Ultimately having an AI system protecting the planet was deemed to dangerous and so the project was shelved until Tony dusted it off and finished what WE started. And don't forget what HYDRA did tried to do with their Project Insight".

BOOM! See there, retconned (obviously the dialogue is a little clunky, but you get the point). And now it makes more sense narratively and explains why Hank doesn't like the Starks as well. So I say all the to say that for me personally, I don't get too worked up when they make changes to the source material because in the context of the current narrative it usually makes more sense and they can always retcon if it makes sense to do so.
Itwasme
Itwasme - 6/9/2022, 11:03 AM
Super hard not to like this show tbh. Really fun and creative.
DoubleD
DoubleD - 6/9/2022, 11:07 AM
Marvel Studios MS. Marvel was AWESOME another WIN for Disney 5 Stars out 5 Stars.
1 2 3 4 5
View Recorder