Higher. Further. Faster. Together.
This is the name of the game for Marvel Studios’s 33rd release, the Nia DaCosta-directed sci-fi actioner The Marvels, as it sees Brie Larson reprise her role as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and being joined by WandaVision’s (2021) Teyonah Parris and Ms. Marvel’s Iman Vellani as fellow light-based powered individuals Captain Monica Rambeau/Spectrum and Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel. For fans of 2019’s Captain Marvel, seeing Larson hit the big screen again in a non-Avengers film has been a long time coming and much desired, with some feeling underwhelmed by The Marvels specifically because it tries to balance too much with a runtime that’s the shortest in the entire MCU. For others, The Marvels is a fast-paced action comedy who’s shining moments of fun make up for the glaring issues. If you’re in the latter category, DaCosta’s The Marvels is now out on home video via digital ownership with a physical release to come, both of which contain various bonus features *including* the rare feature-length audio commentary from the director.
If you’re interested in exploring The Marvels in a spoiler-free capacity, head over to the initial theatrical release review. Moving forward, we’re going to be about as good a secret-keeper as an over-excited Kamala Khan.
During her initial cinematic adventure, Carol made two promises and managed to only keep one of them immediately. She told Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) that she was going to return to Hala and free everyone from the Supreme Intelligence’s control, and she told Monica Rambeau, a.k.a. Lieutenant Trouble (Akira Akbar), that she’d be back soon and catch up on all the time missed between them and Monica’s mother, Maria (Lashana Lynch). Carol did return to Hala, but it wouldn’t be until the Blip happens decades later that Carol would return. Now, in the present, when Carol’s powers become entangled with those belonging to adult Monica and previously unknown hero (and Captain Marvel fangirl) Kamala, the trio must figure out how to work together if they’re going to prevent trouble from Carol’s past from destroying all Carol holds dear.
Having now seen the film three times, I’m comfortable declaring it a good time. Just like the first film, The Marvels possesses a different vibe from the majority of the other films, one which allows it be more malleable from scene to scene. For example, we’re used to a certain version of Samuel L. Jackson’s (The Hateful Eight) Nick Fury after decades playing the role since the very first MCU stinger in Iron Man (2008). But, with Captain Marvel, we got a younger iteration of Fury, one who wasn’t so world weary and was more capable of forming secure bonds. So, rather than something more parental or leader-based with Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, or anyone else on the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. teams, Fury semi-reverts to that younger version when working with Carol, something which all old friends tend to do. That slipping into old habits is something that denotes a persistent humanity that, for all its efforts, the Fury-centric Secret Invasion (2023) failed to do. Granted, one thing we learn from the bonus features is that there was quite a bit of ad-libbing going on, with Fury’s “use your core” and “Black Girl Magic” lines during the Monica pep-talk sequence being two of them, these weren’t so out of line when one considers that Fury’s always been a bit of a smartass while on screen, but that, in the Captain Marvel world, he’s not as collected or serious as he appears in other situations. Add in the moments where Kamala fan-girls over her beloved idol (something that might come across icky if not for Iman’s undeniable charm) and you’ve got the makings of several enjoyable comedic moments.
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL.
Where the film falters is also hard to argue against. For all its good intents trying to explore Carol’s failings as a hero and her reluctance to return home until she’s made things right; for all it’s interesting designs to make the film’s antagonist Dar-Benn (played with delicate complexity by Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw)) someone we can understand, even if we don’t agree with her methods; there’s too little time spent on either in the rush to create The Marvels and make them feel realized. Of course, the problem being that even the teamwork segments, fun though they are, don’t feel like *enough* in order for audiences to really believe in the bond. Too much of this film relies on people having watched the television shows to have context so that, even with the smart design of dialogue and narrative to avoid traditional exposition dumps, there’s a little too much reading between the lines in order to get from start to finish successfully. Personally, my biggest frustration is how the film possesses an interesting nugget within the plot about Carol seeking revenge for what was done to her at the direction of the Supreme Intelligence and how her role as “hero” is called into question by those who suffered the repercussions of her choices; repercussions she didn’t have to stand and face anyone for, thereby making her seem the true villain responsible for Dar-Benn’s actions. Granted, I don’t think anyone is responsible for Dar-Benn other than herself, but there’s some interesting culpability that the scripts teases but never seeks to make a difference choice to explore as it’s too locked into “heroes are allowed to punch and villains are not.” In a way, The Marvels would’ve, I think, felt more adult and more interesting if the film had been allowed to take a Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) approach wherein the hero and villain talked their shit out and tried working together (albeit right when things were about to go **too** far), not in a way that absolves either of their collective destruction, but that signals a shift toward a different way of doing things would be more in-line with the ideas brought up in the conflict. Sadly, the script does not allow for this, which is likely because there needed to be a reason for Monica to have to universe hop in order for someone to kick off the X-Men inclusion to the MCU. Is it great that the X-Men have officially made contact with the MCU? Absolutely. But to do it at the cost of engaging character arcs and compromising narrative themes — it’s a bit of a bummer.
Oh, before anyone tries to drag me for the Dar-Benn/Gorr the God Butcher comparison, I’m firmly aware that Gorr was being manipulated by the sword he carried whereas Dar-Benn is entirely driven by emotion and a sense of justice for her people who are about to be exterminated due to Carol’s choices. There’s a massive difference here. Hence why it’s odd that Gorr would get a bit of redemption, but Dar-Benn does not.
Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
In terms of bonus features, the home release includes the aforementioned full feature audio commentary track which featured both DaCosta (Candyman; Little Woods) and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco, two featurettes, four deleted scenes, and a gag reel, all of which totals roughly 130 minutes. The gag reel supports the notion that the cast and crew were having a good time while making what’s mostly a space comedy, while the deleted scenes offer alt-takes on a couple of moments in the film, but otherwise make scene for being cut from the film. The two featurettes, “Entangled” and “The Production Diaries,” offer exactly the kind of behind-the-scenes insights one expects from MCU home releases at this point: plenty of on-set play, information on the production design, a walkthrough of sets, and even explorations of the use of practical versus CG/tech-driven scenework. Two things becomes increasingly clear: the cast had a blast (none so much as Iman) and DaCosta is a beautiful comic nerd. If you don’t get that vibe from the featurettes, it positively comes through in the audio commentary. The way she discussing her vision of things for the film, as well as how she came to the characters herself and the joy she felt realizing that this would intro the X-Men after, apparently, asking producer Kevin Feige about it a lot…you can’t feign this kind of excitement and knowledge, y’all, you just can’t. So if you enjoy the film and want to feel like you’re watching it with one of your geeky friends, the audio commentary is a trip.
Director Nia DaCosta on the set of Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL.
By the by, it’s worth noting after the way the trades have dragged DaCosta for the box office disappointment of The Marvels that she was present for the shoot, she did get to celebrate the film with her team, and any bad-mouthing unto her reeks of bad actors trying to scapegoat someone. Folks came for her for leaving The Marvels when it was in post-production as though Steven Spielberg hadn’t done the same thing with Jurassic Park (1993) and Schindler’s List (1993). Some bullshit.
For those looking for alternative options rather than the usual physical or digital fare, be advised that the only other version being offered is a limited edition steelbook that is a retail exclusive for Wal-Mart. If you weren’t aware, Best Buy is moving out of the physical media market and Wal-Mart appears to be picking up what Best Buy doesn’t want anymore — our attention. Similarly, and much to my personal frustration, there’s currently no listing with the Disney Movie Club for a tri-format Blu-ray/DVD/digital combo DMC Exclusive edition either. One of the bigger reasons I’ve stayed a member since picking up A Goofy Movie (1995) on Blu-ray is to get this tri-format releases that are no longer available in-store. With luck, one will appear closer to the February 13th wide release date, but it’s best to keep expectations low.
THE MARVELS limited edition 4K UHD steelbook.
One oddball thing worth mentioning, the digital review copy provided by Disney was redeemed via MoviesAnywhere and it does appear both within that service *and* iTunes. However, when trying to watch the film in iTunes, it does not appear in my “Recently Purchased” heading or within my library. The only way to access it is by going through the store. So if you also get it on digital and try to watch it through iTunes, be aware that you may have to go around your butt to get to your elbow to press play. Here’s hoping it’s a glitch that gets remedied in the future.
L-R: Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL.
Like any home release, whether someone is excited for it or not really comes down to how they felt seeing it initially. If you enjoyed yourself, this is a day-one purchase and you’re not going to regret it. Unlike other digital releases, all the features play well without bugs, so those preferring a more minimalistic approach to their collection and purchase with a bit more confidence. If you didn’t enjoy the film, well, this home release isn’t for you, but at least you have some intel to help make your decision later, if you are an MCU completionist. I’m still going to snag a physical copy so I don’t have to jump through digital hoops when the mood strikes to watch this or any other MCU film, but you do what’s most comfortable for you.
The Marvels Special Features*:
- Feature-length audio commentary with director Nia DaCosta and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco (1:44:39)
- Entangled (10:57)
- The Production Diaries (5:31)
- Four (4) Deleted Scenes (5:52)
- Gag Reel (2:00)
*Bonus features vary by product and retailer
Available on digital-to-own January 16th, 2024.
Available on Disney+ February 7th, 2024.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD February 13th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Marvel Studios The Marvels webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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