Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
Attempting to work as a follow-up to “Captain Marvel,” “Ms. Marvel” and “WandaVision” while still telling its own story, “The Marvels” is a mostly fun film thanks to some fun character dynamics and decent action sequences. The plot is mostly so-so and does just enough to propel things along. The threat isn’t really clearly defined, and the villain is pretty one-note. Thankfully, the team up of the lead heroes is pretty solid. There’s a nice mix of levity and emotional moments between the three women to make them all likable. The supporting cast is solid, adding even more levity and heart to the movie. (Although some of the newer characters get a lot of screen time despite not being all that interesting.) The humor in the rest of the film tends to go a little overboard, although outer space setting helps ground some of the really bizarre material. The special effects really aren’t all that great, with plenty of obvious CG and green screen work. Thanks to a shorter runtime, the film wraps up just as the story is wearing out its welcome. There is a mid-credits scene that looks to have major implications down the road. I didn’t stick around, but apparently there’s also a humorous audio gag after the end of all the credits.
**1/2 out of *****