The MCU is back on the big screen with its latest all-female outing ‘The Marvels’ featuring Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau. Directed by Nia DaCosta, the film had its first premiere in Las Vegas a few days before its imminent global release on November 10. The first reactions for the film from critics as well as audiences are out on social media and it seems like a mixed bag. Let’s explore them in detail.
The Marvels gets mixed response from critics
From a critical perspective, things don’t look good for the latest MCU movie. The film opened to a 58% score on Rotten Tomatoes (now at 60%) making it the third-worst rated Marvel movie after Eternals and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
‘The Marvels’ review: The worst MCU movie yet https://t.co/eVxt6Jo5YQ pic.twitter.com/FgGMyBhzOP
— New York Post (@nypost) November 8, 2023
The New York Post’s review has labeled it the worst MCU movie yet and described it as “barely directed” by Nia DaCosta. The review calls the film a sad study of the downfall of America’s favorite screen franchise than a story about the female superheroes in question.
Similarly, The Telegraph’s review has called The Marvels a knot of nightmares that groans with VFX sloppiness. To make things worse, the film got a rating of just 1 star out of 5 from the news outlet.
The Marvels really does go higher, further, faster baby. Our review: https://t.co/vpLx0vRCsH pic.twitter.com/Cj1NGbiOMI
— IGN (@IGN) November 8, 2023
However, other sites like The Verge and IGN have praised the film as a big-hearted story which explores complex themes like the aftermath of war. They even claim that the movie’s negative criticism is exaggerated and that some views could be rooted in misogyny.
Audience reactions on social media
While film critics are important, it’s the audience that truly determines a film’s success, especially tentpole movies like The Marvels. X (Twitter) users have been buzzing with their honest casual reviews of the film ahead of its worldwide release.
#TheMarvels is pretty all over the place, with a truly silly plot, but still manages to be light on its feet. It’s often really funny, mostly thanks to Iman Vellani – a STAR.
Fun body-switching action, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Not great, but far from a disaster. pic.twitter.com/ammljNEvCw
— Daniel Howat (@howatdk) November 8, 2023
From the reactions, it’s clear that MCU fans have been eagerly looking forward to The Marvels after Captain Marvel’s release in 2019, which made more than a billion dollars at the box office. However, analysts predict below-par opening numbers for the latest movie.
Happy to report #themarvels is a blast. It’s fun, funny & the cast is so good together. Is it one of the best Marvel movies? No. But I had a smile on my face a lot. Definitely worth seeing in a movie theater.
Also the after the credits scene is 🔥🔥🔥
Excited for what’s next. pic.twitter.com/XuRYyqcVJD
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) November 8, 2023
Moreover, expectations have changed since 2019 where the film directly connected to the Endgame saga and also worked as Carol Danvers’ origin story. Lately, Marvel hasn’t had much success compared to how it once used to dominate the theatrical landscape.
All details about the movie
The Marvels is the third film in the MCU’s ongoing Phase Five and also serves as a direct sequel to Captain Marvel. Brie Larson returns as Carol Danvers alongside Iman Vellani who played Ms. Marvel in the Disney+ series of the same name.
Teyonah Parris’s Monica Rambeau was first introduced as a child in the 2019 film but now she has her own superpowers as seen in WandaVision. The final trailer for The Marvels featured old footage of Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Evans’ Captain America as a last-minute movie to remind viewers about Captain Marvel’s connection to the Avengers.
