There’s been a lot of press lately centering on the decline of Marvel Studios. It seems to have culminated with the financial failure of its latest film entry, ‘The Marvels’, a sequel to 2019’s, ‘Captain Marvel.’ Due to the strikes and a concerted effort to reevaluate the product, there won’t be another MCU movie until next summer, ‘Deadpool 3’, which is also the first feature starring a character directly from the Fox lineup. Best case scenario, this forced break will help Disney to focus on releasing content that succeeds where their latest stuff has faltered. It’s difficult to say exactly how all of this consternation affected the final presentation to audiences with this film, but it does seem like there may have been a few different versions of it throughout its development.

‘The Marvels’ is a decent entry into the ongoing saga and an entertaining time in the theater. It features a very manageable run time and some performances that range from solid to star making. It also suffers from a superhero movie villain problem and an overcomplicated screenplay struggling to find emotional resonance. The convoluted plot is edged out by what amounts to a feature length action scene, punctuated by a clever conceit where the three leads constantly switch bodies when they use their light-based powers. For a sequel to a story about one Carol Danvers, played by Brie Larson as a gaslit human accidentally imbued with alien powers who overcomes control, ‘The Marvels’ is not a one-woman show. In fact, as game as Larson is here in sharing the stage, one of her two allies here ends up shining even brighter.

Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel may have been introduced in the Disney+ show bearing her name, but she quickly proves her stardom, injecting this farcical cosmic story with levity and heart. It had been established on the small screen that Khan has an obsession with Danvers’ Captain Marvel, to the point where she patterned her costume on her hero’s color scheme and she wrote fanfic in which the two were best friends. As the comic book fates would have it, she now gets the chance to live that dream when her powers become entangled with Carol’s and she ends up in the family home of the teenage Jersey City vigilante. Although it does take a minute for the two to share the screen, when they do hilarity (and some “never meet your heroes” drama) ensues.

Complicating matters further is the addition of another entanglement, Teyonah Pariss’ Monica Rambeau (superhero moniker TBD, a clever nod to the frequent name changes this character has been subject to in the comics, including ‘Captain Marvel’ itself). She is the daughter of Carol’s best friend Maria, last seen by Danvers as a preteen, and therefore dealing with feelings of abandonment by her “aunt”. That’s not the last time audiences of Disney+ have seen Monica however, as she was also introduced on the streaming service as a side character in ‘Wandavision’ where Parris played an adult version, a science officer accidentally imbued with powers. It’s the historical connection to Captain Marvel that the writers try to use to garner some emotion, but mostly fail in any significant way due to the way this movie appears to have been chopped and edited together.

If all of this seems overly convoluted it’s because it is, and it doesn’t even account for the real reason this story is taking place. Warring alien races, explored in the first film in connection with Nick Fury (yup, Sam Jackson is also here, mainly acting from a chair, yet still an improvement to whatever was going on in ‘Secret Invasion’), have had a tentative peace treaty jeopardized by the new leader of the Kree. Her name is Dar-Benn, played by Zawe Ashton as another in the long line of nondescript MCU villains with unearned motivations. It’s in these plot-driving setup scenes, between the compelling action and comedy beats, where the real faults of the movie lie. Luckily they are glossed over to get to the fun parts, but this doesn’t excuse a narrative that probably originally aimed for poignancy.

No matter what the future holds for the MCU, it’s apparent over the last few years that the studio has failed to forge real connections with an audience who used to be open to all manner of stories. Propelled by charismatic heroes, played by actors and fashioned on screen by filmmakers who seemed to be interested in creating pop art that resonates, it seemed like the well that would never run dry. The thing about comics though, and hopefully the powers that be take note, is that once a classic run on a book has completed its course, along comes another team of writers, artists, etc. to reinvent . . .

Directed By: Nia DaCosta

Written By: Nia DaCosta, Megan McDonnell, & Elissa Karasik

Running Time: 105 min.

Rated: PG-13

* * 1/2 (out of 4 stars) – OR – C+