The Marvels (2023)

Movie · 2023 · Science Fiction, Adventure, Action · 1h 45m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 0.9/10 (675.9K ratings)

Higher. Further. Faster. Together.

Overview

When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, Carol's powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol's estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.

Ratings

Director

Nia DaCosta

Production

Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige Productions

Cast

Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, Gary Lewis, Park Seo-jun, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Leila Farzad, Abraham Popoola, Lashana Lynch, Tessa Thompson, Daniel Ings, Alex Hughes, Shardiah Ssagala, Cecily Cleeve, Remi Dabiri-McQuaid, Ffion Jolly

Where to watch

Disney Plus

Curator Review

Verdict

A breezy, uneven space-adventure that works best as a team-up comedy. The chemistry among the three leads, the playful tone, and a few inventive action beats give it real charm, but the story feels undercooked and the villain is thinly drawn.

Best for

  • Viewers who like light, fast superhero movies with a goofy streak
  • Fans of ensemble chemistry and character banter
  • People who enjoyed Ms. Marvel and want more of that energy
  • Audiences looking for colorful, family-friendly sci-fi action

Skip if

  • You want a tightly plotted or emotionally weighty blockbuster
  • Weak villains and rushed exposition are dealbreakers
  • You are tired of MCU continuity and crossover setup
  • You prefer grounded action over bright, comic-book spectacle

Overview

The Marvels is at its most enjoyable when it stops worrying about cosmic stakes and lets its three leads bounce off one another. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani make a genuinely fun trio, and the movie’s best stretches feel like a chaotic buddy comedy in space. There’s a looseness to the humor and action that gives it a lighter, more playful identity than most modern superhero entries.

Worth noting

That said, the film is clearly strained by studio-era franchise pressures. The villain is underdeveloped, the plotting is choppy, and the movie often feels like it has been edited around missing connective tissue. It moves quickly enough to stay watchable, but not always coherently enough to feel fully satisfying.

Bottom line

If you’re open to a messy but amiable comic-book adventure, there’s enough charm here to justify the trip. If you need strong stakes, a memorable antagonist, or a sense that every scene was allowed to breathe, this one will likely frustrate you. It’s a movie with real personality trapped inside an overstuffed machine.

Top Letterboxd reviews

itsprobablykc (3★) · 13085 likes

marvel made a good girls sleepover movie and u twitter incels arent invited

zoë rose bryant (4★) · 6851 likes

fuck the noise i had fun

Iman Vellani · 6154 likes

Actual footage of the girlies and I having fun

Noah Duzent (3★) · 4059 likes

Ooooooooohhh boy, the incels are REALLY gonna hate that song planet

jonathan fujii (2.5★) · 3605 likes

Did they forget to develop the villain past one backstory scene

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Topics

superhero, science fiction, ensemble, buddy comedy, space opera, female-led, colorful visuals, action-adventure, franchise sequel, lighthearted

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