Robert E. Acuña’s review published on Letterboxd:
Iman Vellani is a ray of sunshine and I am incapable of hating this film. Sorry, I don't make the rules.
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Okay, so before I get to my traditional review, we need to talk about the elephant in the room. Marvel Studios is in the middle of a management crisis. Now no, this isn't a reference to Feige himself, but Disney as a whole.
When Disney+ was announced, Bob Iger told each subsidiary studio to create television shows for the new streaming service. Marvel Studios was obviously one of them but this created an issue of too many projects at once.
Then in 2020, Iger stepped down as CEO of Disney and was replaced by Chapek. This knucklehead saw what Iger was doing...and decided that to save Disney from Covid-financial woes...the studios would need to triple the demand for Disney+. Chapek, in just 3 years, singlehandedly destroyed Disney and we are still paying the price of his & Iger's misguided sins.
Why am I talking about this? Well, if you haven't noticed, Marvel Studios has been putting out A LOT of average-to-terrible projects in between their typical great ones.
Sadly, 'The Marvels' suffers the same fate.
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You may be thinking to yourself, "Wow, the rating is pretty high considering this guy just admitted there are some problems at Marvel"...and you'd be right. In the last few years, I haven't been afraid to admit that Marvel has got its head in the clouds and that some of their projects are bad. But I also believe that some of the other projects with the supposed issues...are also overblown. And that's all led up to this.
'The Marvels' has a pacing/editing problem...but the movie as a whole is good. I really came into this with an open mind and, just like all of you, saw the harsh reactions leading up to today. I've seen some truly awful takes but I've also seen critics I respect simply not enjoying the movie.
It's ok if you don't like it. There's nothing wrong with not liking a movie.
I just think that 'The Marvels' is being dragged through the coals for more reasons than my own criticisms.
For one...there is NO girl power stuff in this movie. If you see a critic claiming this is a movie that pushes female representation with "men = bad" mentality...they are lying to you.
Unlike 'Captain Marvel (2019)', this movie doesn't even mention they are all women, that the villain is a woman, and that they are "stronger" for being women. None, nada, zilch. So...I have no clue why professional critics are saying the film is "pandering". It really isn't. 3 women in a room talking has no ground for pandering. Lmao.
Second, leave Brie Larson alone. The internet hate-mob has created this ridiculous narrative that she "hates men" and none of it is true. As for her performance, she is the same 'ol Carol Danvers and that may rub you the wrong way if you dislike the characterization.
But the actual problem this movie has is the editing. Remember when I spoke about Chapek? Yeah, he hates films that are over 2 hours and has put a weird runtime limit on certain films like 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' and 'Thor: Love and Thunder'.
This movie needed time to breathe and suffers the same fate as 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' and 'Renfield'.
The first act is all over the place and it's a bit much. I can see why critics immediately disliked this but it wasn't enough to hate the overall film.
There is a scene involving an Alien planet and it is a choice. Some of it is funny...some of it isn't. Mileage may vary but it didn't sway my overall feelings.
The last issue is the villain. Dar-Benn is justifiably upset and I liked her motivation...but she's just a retread of Ronan the Accuser. It's the same thing but with more empathy. Zawe Ashton gives as good of a performance as you can get, but the character is forgettable, like it's a Phase 1/2 villain.
Also, can we just...retcon/delete 'Secret Invasion'? Nick Fury is the same Fury from 'Captain Marvel' & 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' and is NOTHING like the guy we watched in his own Disney+ show. Again, I get why critics would hate this film if they saw that show because his characterization here doesn't match. But if you delete the show, it's actually normal.
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Iman Vellani is a STAR and she steals the film. Kamala Khan is a great character who's well-written and is just so energetic. It's infectious watching Iman just fangirl in this film and it really elevated the movie.
In fact, I love the entire Khan family and every scene with them was a gift. Truly joyful.
Teyonah Parris is given the more dramatic role and she really delivers in the bigger moments. I love how determined she was to the role and I appreciate the effort.
Nia DaCosta did a fine job directing but I can tell the Marvel Studios shackles were hurting her a bit. The visual direction is pretty good but the story is a bit too fast for my speed.
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'The Marvels' isn't going to be your favorite Marvel film but to kids out there, I can definitely see it being theirs. This is more of a Disney film like 'Tangled', 'Frozen', or 'Moana' than it was an actual Marvel film.
I just pray that 'Captain America: Brave New World' is the last Marvel movie with Chapek's fingerprints.
We need quality control and I appreciate that Marvel is taking the steps now, little by little.
'Echo', 'Deadpool 3', & 'Blade' will be R-rated, and 'Daredevil: Born Again' is being restructured...so there is progress.
Fingers crossed.
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If you are someone who has decided they don't want to watch Marvel stuff anymore...but relentlessly post about it nonstop like you are being forced...what is wrong with you? You don't see me complaining about how dumb reality shows are.
Just don't watch them. Lol.
