Movie Review: The Marvels (2023) *No Spoilers*

Movie Review: The Marvels (2023) No Spoilers

I must admit I would've preferred more of a Captain Marvel solo movie over this team up event that is The Marvels. I'd still be fine with Ms Marvel and Monica Rambeau being in supporting roles but I kind of feel the character earned a sequel from the previous Captain Marvel box office alone.

Unfortunately the audience for the MCU has shifted dramatically since the last movie, as has the quality of the films and streaming shows being made by Marvel Studios.

The Marvels pays off the conclusions to two Disney+ shows, Wandavison and Ms Marvel, by bringing together Ms Marvel, aka Kamala Kahn, and Monica Rambeau with Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers. While the shows aren't essential viewing for The Marvels it is extremely beneficial having seen each character's backstory over just getting the speed notes version in this movie.

In terms of being a sequel it's a direct sequel to Ms Marvel's streaming show, as well as picking up on storylines left open in the original Captain Marvel film.

For some unknown reason all three lead heroes of the film are switching places when they use their powers at the same time, literally teleporting them through time and space instantly (though not time so much, other than it takes no time for them to switch places even over great distances).

With the help of Nick Fury they must work out what caused them to be linked while defending several worlds from a new threat.

This movie does not deserve to be the MCU's lowest opening box office film in the current continuity. It's fast paced, fun, with plenty of action, that all builds on previous MCU movies and shows, just like all the MCU movies up to Avengers Endgame. It even has a weak villain, Dar-Benn, who is played well by Zawe Ashton but ultimately is only here to be the villain in this movie.

Unfortunately it's a victim of what came before and, much like DC's last Shazam and Blue Beetle movies, there's just no motivation to see them in a cinema, even though those two films are entertaining. (I would include The Flash here too but that has a whole other layer of problems it faced at the box office with its lead actor going rogue).

I enjoyed The Marvels. More so because I have seen and enjoyed the Disney+ shows that lead into it. It does lean, a little awkwardly at times, into being and preaching inclusivity and feeling heard but it's not beating you over the head with that messaging.

It just feels like those moments are a little shoe horned in rather than organic to the scene. When they do happen it's just the characters trying to do the right thing rather than preaching to the viewer.

I do feel it could've been a stronger story if it was more focused on Captain Marvel but I can't fault the writers for actually paying off two Disney+ shows when Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness completely wasted what was set up in Wandavision.

I'd definitely give The Marvels a few more viewings. It's not outstanding but it's far from being the worst thing Marvel has released since the whole multiverse saga began. It's poor box office isn't indicative of a bad film.

If anything it is a step up from recent Marvel TV offerings and is more inline with The Infinity Saga films than anything that Marvel Studios has released since. It's actually connected with the past and the future of the MCU more clearly than recent movie outings.

Comments

Is AI Art 'Art'? The Say NO to AI Art Movement, and Why Human Artists Will Adapt

AI Art No T-Shirt by TET Also available on other items . Right now there is a big debate over not just whether AI art is 'art' but whether AI's are actually ripping off the work of actual human artists, without their consent, to create their images - particularly images 'in the style of' specific artists. From my own observations this debate started to get more traction when artist's signatures began appearing in the output of AI Art image generators. Is It Art? Cool Froyd the Cat Sketch by TET. My style is very much influenced by classic Disney and WB character styles. To get some clarity on how real human artists work (of which I am one)... we, that is all of us... take influences from the art that has come before. i.e. whatever artists we like, have studied, seen etc. we are influenced by. It shows up in our work, intentionally or not. If you really study my own cartoony art style you'll see I'm heavily influenced by early Disney and Warner Bros cart...

Jimmy Barnes, Working Class Man 40th Aniversary Tour - Barossa Valley, Peter Lehmann Wines

D espite being in the middle of Summer, and experiencing some record temperatures across the state, we got a perfect day for the South Aussie leg of Jimmy Barnes' Working Class Man 40th Aniversay Tour. Lightly overcast. Almost no chance of rain. The cloud cover taking all the edge out of the sun, which was still quite fierce during the brief moments when it did break through the clouds for a little while. Guest artists supporting the show included, Jon Rooney, Kate Ceberano, Ian Moss, and Ice House. Unfortunately, while my partner and I had every intention of being at the concert when the show actually started, so did quite a lot of people. We didn't quite anticipate the traffic getting into the venue, Peter Lehmann Wines, Barossa Valley, and we certainly didn't expect the 5-10 minute hike from the carpark to the concert area itself. Kate Ceberano By the time we found our seats, Kate Ceberano was already part way through her set. Prior to this concert, I certainly knew w...

TV Series Review: Wonder Man (2026) - Disney+ No Spoilers

F or those of you that aren't adverse to your superhero content being a little more character driven and a lot less big action set pieces then Marvel's TV series, under the 'Marvel Spotlight' banner, Wonder Man , is a real underrated gem. Wanna-be actor, Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is a suspected superhero in hiding who believes, he was born to play the title role in a new superhero movie, Wonder Man. A chance meeting with fallen actor, Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), formerly known as 'The Mandarin', at an audition, puts them both on a path to success but, everything isn't quite as it seems. While you will certainly relate very quickly to Trevor if you know his past from the movie Iron Man III , or, to a lesser extent, Shang-Chi , neither are essential viewing. You get all you need to know about Trevor as the series unfolds. That said, Ben Kingsley must have jumped at the chance to play Trevor a little less as the comic relief, and a little more ...

The Lego Man - He's got all that!

Who would have thought that owning one of the worlds largest, private Lego collections could take you so far. Tom Lucieer of Angaston, South Australia, not only has met the Queen (of England) but is a frequent guest of her majesty and family when they are in Australia. He's also met Prince Charles, Lady Diana and Camila Parker-Bowles. Not only that, he grew up with TV Vet, Dr Harry, and is a friend of the Irwin family (yes, that's Steve Irwin's family). Tom will happily tell you all this as part of the guided tour of his collection, which, aside from Lego, includes much railway memorabilia and colourful anecdotes about days gone by, his achievements and more. Frequently he will finish each particular monologue with the phrase, "Have you got that?", just to check that he hasn't confused you because, as he points out, his display and the stories behind it are a lot to take in at once. In the photo you can see Tom holding a special award, which I think is for bei...

Boom Crash Opera Born Classic But Not Again

Boom Crash Opera are an Australian Band that reached the peak of their popularity in the mid to late nineteen eighties. They are a band that I knew about at that time but was never really excited by until they released their ill fated double album Born and Born Again in 1995 (Album cover pictured). At the time of its release I was very much into emerging Australian musical acts and was also looking out for new sounds that were different and had kind of a futuristic/electronic sound. Artists that I was buying at the time included; Swoop , Nine Inch Nails and Pop Will Eat Its Self . As well as a really interesting release by David Bowie, the concept album, Outside . Born was a fairly radical departure for Boom Crash Opera (BCO). The first single, Gimme , was often compared to the sounds of Gary Glitter, particularly his single, Rock n Roll part 2 , because of the pounding drum loops. Watch the video below. My favorite single from the album is dissemble which probably went now...

New TET Painting: Cat Amongst the Pigeons - Prints Available

Cat Amongst the Pigeons by TET 2026-02-22 Original Acrylic Painting on Canvas (15.5" x 12"). I n my previous post, Painting Whimsical Cats (and probably other stuff) Again After Almost a Decade Away From Traditional Art , I, obviously, mentioned I'm painting cats again. It wasn't an empty promise. As you can see I've created my first official, new cat painting - since the previous one was actually a test piece - titled Cat Amongst the Pigeons . This painting features two firsts; the first time I've painted a cat with pigeons, and the first time I've broken the edge of my white border with the image. (In case I'm not explaining that well, the cat's ears extend into the white border that is usually masked off with tape during painting). I just didn't want to clip the cat's ears! WIP Collage of Cat Amongst the Pigeons painting. Images from sketch to finished art. What Does It Mean? While this can mean anything you want it to mean, I was think...

Whyalla Foreshore Steam Train Found!

Road Trip Day 12: 3rd June 2007 Whist visiting the Mt Laura Homestead Museum, Rose and I spotted this Steam Locomotive - the only one in the museum - and thought just maybe it was the one I remember playing on at the foreshore as a child. On closer inspection of the information board we were amazed to learn that it is in fact the very same steam engine! I was even more surprised to learn that this locomotive is more than 100 years old (I bet it didn't get a certificate from the Queen). Bought new by BHP in 1891 it was used to cart ore along the tramway between Iron Knob and Whyalla. It has a fairly busy history but the key dates for me are that it was placed on the Whyalla foreshore in 1962 where it remained until 1983 when it was moved to the museum. Back then it was all painted black rather than green as you see in the photo. In fact it was the green paint that made me think it couldn't be the same train at first. Not being able to find any trace of where this train stood on...

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog