Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-Joon, Emily Ng, Mohan Kapur, Caroline Simonnet, Jessica Zhou, Colin Stoneley
Where: In theatres near you
Rating: **1/2
This 33rd film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fast-paced, chaotic jamboree that traverses multiverses, and reverberates with tropes of the previous 32 MCU narratives and is a sort of a sequel to the 2019 released Captain Marvel.
Designed as a sci-fi, emotional superhero action-comedy with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson), aka Captain Marvel, Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) an Astronaut for S.A.B.E.R and Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) aka Ms. Marvel a Captain Marvel superfan from Jersey City, the trio has been hugely enjoyable characters in their respective film and TV series, the film screams girl-power! And it is interesting to note that with Candyman director Nia DaCosta at the helm, the film showcases a feminine perspective of the superhero film.
In a very complex mode, with worm-holes and teleporting, the narrative tells us how Captain Marvel, who is rechristened as Annihilator by the Krees (residents of the planet Hala), teams up with Monica and teenager Kamla, to encounter the new Kree leader, the fanatical “Supremo” Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton).
The narrative begins with Dar-Benn retrieving a “quantum band,” a power bangle on a remote planet, and pairs it with her staff, named the Universal Weapon, but discovers that to tear apart a "jump point" in space, she would need the second quantum band which inexplicably is with Kamala Khan as her grandmother’s legacy.
The dynamic new trio called the Marvels, are all inextricably intertwined, much to the amusement of their exasperated leader Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson). They find themselves popping or jumping across the universe, changing places with each other whenever they use their powers, evidently caused by Dar-Benn’s messing with these “jump points”. How they save the universe from the Krees forms the crux of the narrative.
The action-packed plot has lots of action sequences, which are sprinkled with some light moments. Nevertheless, it is engaging, especially when it comes to, Kamala and her family. Yes, you chuckle as she stays in her bedroom daydreaming or is having her fan-girl moment or bickering with her parents (Zenobia Shroff and Mohan Kapur) and brother Aamir Khan (Saagar Shaikh). Her family will surely resonate with the Indian audience.
On the performance front, each of the actors delivers what is expected of them- but the one who stands out is the charming Vellani, who, with her infectious teenage enthusiasm, has good lines to mouth and is brilliant with her comic timings. She holds her own against Larson and Parris.
Larson appears like a prim princess accompanied by her orangish-brown tabby Goose, who has more screen-stealing moments than Larson.
On the other hand, Parris is warm and dynamic, but at the same time, going by the history of her character, she seems like a miscast for the role. (She is supposed to be much younger than Larson)
Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury appears lost in the narrative, and Zawe Ashton is impressive with her wide eyes and deep, resonant voice. She effortlessly gives an impression of strength and seriousness. Unfortunately, her poorly written character graph lets her down.
Overall, with decent production values, the film will appeal to fans of the MCU.
