Crafting a new story within the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become challenging for every director. With over 30 preceding films and TV shows, each new entry must feel connected to the existing universe while self-contained enough to appeal to a casual viewer. As such, I credit Nia DaCosta for creating a film full of energy, humor, and fun, even if it's unable to successfully navigate the story pitfalls inherent in this phase of the MCU.

The heart of the film, the relationships between Carol, Monica, and Kamala, is where the film excels. Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, and Teyonah Parris's chemistry works exceptionally well and helps mask some questionable writing. Iman Vellani, in particular, has an infectious energy. Her fangirl enthusiasm acts as the gateway drug that opens up your receptors, sets your plot and story misgivings aside, and allows you to experience the movie through her lens. 

The impetus that brings this trio together is that their light-based powers have intermingled, causing them to switch places anytime they use their abilities. It's a mechanism that creates some exciting chaos in the early action scenes when the characters are physically separated. It gives these disparate characters a compelling reason to team up. The action sequences when the three are working together are kinetic and thrilling. 

While the action and chemistry between the main characters are great, the story leaves much to be desired. One challenge with following up films like "Thor: Love and Thunder" or "Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania" is that the silliness has escalated to the point where nothing is too silly to include. There are two digressions in this film that range into the comically ridiculous. The first involves a planet that communicates only in song and can't understand anyone who merely speaks their words. The second revolves around using Flerkens to assist with an evacuation when there aren't enough escape pods for everyone. Since Flerkens take up much less space than people, Nick Fury has Flerkens swallowing up people whole and loading up the escape pods with the Flerkens, only to have the Flerkens upchuck the escapees once they've reached safety. These writing decisions are there to inject some humor and levity into the story, and I don't want to say these moments aren't funny. They are. If you take either of these story digressions at face value and think about them for longer than 2 seconds, you realize they make zero logical sense. It makes the overall writing feel careless and lazy. The consequences of being swallowed by a Flerken in the previous films feel fundamentally different from how it's treated in "The Marvels." 

In addition to the escalating silliness, the MCU has a problem with the ever-escalating stakes. For decades, the stakes have risen from earth-level to universe-level to multi-verse level extinction. Because "The Marvels" operates at a much smaller scale, the stakes naturally don't feel like they carry any emotional weight. Worlds are introduced, only to be destroyed minutes later. It's the same issue as other recent Marvel movies like "Thor: Love and Thunder" or "Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania." When character actions don't have real consequences, and stakes don't have the appropriate emotional weight, I often leave the theater with a hollow feeling.

Thankfully, "The Marvels" is still an enjoyable ride. Larson, Vellani, and Parris are a joy to watch together on screen. If you can look past the story issues that are more a result of the current state of the MCU and experience the film through Kamala Kahn's lens, most will have a great time. Plus, that mid-credit tease will likely excite some fans for what is still to come.

— 3 / 5 ⭐