There was a time—not that long ago, in fact—where a new Marvel Studios release fell into a bit of a routine. The film would get marketed all over the place, box office analysts would try to figure out which records it would break, and early reactions would praise the studio and the characters as invincible. Well, that time has come and gone, and now, box office projections are low, the SAG strike prevents the type of marketing we expect, and early reactions are, well, muted. And that’s exactly what’s happening with “The Marvels.”
Last night, “The Marvels” held special screenings for critics to see the film early. As you might expect, this led to a torrent of social media reactions on Twitter. And guess what? There are still fanboys out there who love the movie. (Hell, it actually seems as if Marvel Studios might have a fun movie on its hands to close out 2023.) But gone are the days when critics would claim that Marvel is untouchable, and the studio has released yet another amazing film. Instead, we get a slew of reactions in the “it’s fun, but…” variety.
“The Marvels” is the sequel to not one, not two, but at least four or five separate MCU projects. Primarily, it serves as the return of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, but it also brings Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani into the mix as Photon and Ms. Marvel, respectively. Now, the three “Marvels” have to team up to take down yet another bad guy. The film is directed by Nia DaCosta.
While you can look at a collection of reactions below, the general consensus is that DaCosta has crafted a “fun” film that is, thankfully, tighter than most Marvel films (it actually clocks in at a surprising 90 minutes). And as for the cast, this isn’t a huge surprise but Iman Vellani shines, as she did with her own “Ms. Marvel” TV series.
“The Marvels” arrives in theaters this Friday. You can see some of the reactions below:
