The Marvels

Written and directed by Nia DaCosta is the latest Marvel outing in the form of The Marvels. When Captain Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) discovers a strange energy surge, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) contacts Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) who spends most of her time, except for her “cat” Goose for company, alone, to investigate. When she discovers the potential source of the problem she suddenly finds herself transported into the bedroom of Jersey’s latest superhero Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel. Our three heroines realise that they are now inextricably linked with the ability to swap positions with each other. As they look to discover what’s causing this it brings them into battle with Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) and of course a race to save the universe.

I had a good time with this at that was entirely down to the camaraderie between the three central characters delivering an enjoyable, light hearted buddy comedy. There’s a super chemistry between them but star of the show is Iman Vellani, portraying with a real joy the kid who finds herself a superhero. It’s a performance full of heart and her fan girl reaction to meeting Captain Marvel is wonderfully done.

The script when the three of them are together zings along and while this is where it’s at its strongest, it does have other highlights. Kamala’s family are a refreshing joy with Mohan Kapur, Zenobia Shroff and Saagar Shaikh all bringing a lovely light touch. I never stopped enjoying Goose’s eating habits! And the trip to the water planet was worth admission alone!

What fairs less well is the story itself which is paper thin. But with its short run time it manages to not outstay its welcome.

The Marvels is a light hearted introduction to an enjoyable group of characters. The story is paper thin, but that doesn’t matter as the relationship between the three main characters was great fun. If the aim of this was to set me up seeing them together again, then job done. Although other outings will need more substance.