Movie review: 'The Marvels' sneaks truly inspired moments into comic book formula

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- The Marvels, in theaters Friday, is best when it abandons the usual trappings of Marvel comic book movies. While it cannot entirely break free, there is enough joy in scenes between the three main characters to love the film.

Captain Marvel Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) is on a mission in space when Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) calls her to investigate some unusual activity. Carol finds the remnants of a space portal Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) left open when she retrieved a powerful bangle from planet MB-418.

Carol comes in contact with the portal at the same time as Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris). The force causes them both switch places, as well as Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), the teenager who discovered another bangle in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel.

Every time Carol, Monica or Kamala use their super powers, they switch places. Pretty soon they also figure out Dar-Benn is up to no good so have to team up to stop her.

Director Nia DaCosta and the screenplay by DaCosta, Megan McDonnell and Elissa Karasik do a good job keeping track of where each of the three main characters are.

So, when they switch places, the audience can still follow who is where, as they can easily wind up outside Earth's atmosphere, on a space station or somewhere even more fanciful.

Just bringing Kamala into the films adds her contagious joy at being in the presence of Carol, let alone on a mission with her. Monica also has an unresolved past with Carol since the first Captain Marvel movie, which the film gives them time to address.

The film allows Carol, Monica and Kamala moments to simply enjoy each other's company. The most endearing is when the trio experiments with their teleportation powers.

The mission in space takes these superhero to planets wilder than any the Guardians of the Galaxy ever visited. When The Marvels abandons the superhero formula like that, there is real magic.

There are even hints of the anarchic spirit of a Gremlins 2, but The Marvels still is beholden to a greater cinematic universe, so it can't go too far overboard. That it even strays as far as it does is a breakthrough in a series with over 30 film and television entries.

The least interesting parts of The Marvels are the usual visual effects battles. The plot borders on incomprehensible, but if the plot is the excuse for scenes like that aforementioned planet, that justifies the most convoluted story.

Dar-Benn has a connection to Carol's past as portrayed in the first Captain Marvel. When Carol was living with the Kree aliens, she caused some problems Dar-Benn is still trying to fix.

Dar-Benn makes a treaty with the Skrull aliens, longtime enemy of the Kree. Carol either ruins the treaty or Dar-Benn was always lying to the Skrull, and at that point it's way too many parties to keep straight.

That's the usual Marvel business. Not all Marvel movies feature three joyful women supporting each other and having wacky adventures, which puts The Marvels in the top tier.

Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.