There is that old saying that when you fall off a horse, you get back on it. This is exactly what The Marvels did overnight. On the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel started off on the wrong foot where it got a "Rotten" score of 55% but not today, folks! The Marvels turned the rating upside down overnight as it is now rated "Fresh" with 62% on the Tomatometer!
When the first reviews of The Marvels started coming in, it received a worrying score on Rotten Tomatoes because it got marked as "Rotten" that it was even being grouped with the worst MCU movies of all time. Surprisingly, there's some magic that happened overnight as critic reviews were pulled up from the ditch that The Marvels was in and within a day, the score of the movie rose enough to get a "Fresh" score of 62% and hopefully, this trend would continue for the latest MCU movie. While The Marvels isn't out yet on some countries, the reviews can still go sideways or maybe even better than that but that is something to look forward to alongside the release of the movie in theaters.
Here are some of the positive reviews of the critics for The Marvels:
Seattle Times' Moira MacDonald noted that while The Marvels brought out what's expected of it, the movie brought more:
While it’s full of all the expected Marvel metaphysical head-spinning... it’s also unexpectedly endearing, a pleasant popcorn-flavored joy ride into the cosmos, with three likable heroes as our guides.
Christian Holub of Entertainment Weekly has nothing but praise to Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan:
Kamala comes into her own here and works really well at meeting her heroes. Both the actress and the character are clearly so excited to be in a big Marvel movie that you can't help but get a little swept up in it yourself.
Director Nia DaCosta should be thanked for the peculiarity of The Marvels plus that extended Flerken scene as per Michael Phillips of Chicago Tribune:
Director and co-writer Nia DaCosta’s agreeable weirdo of a movie has a few things going for it. It’s genuinely peculiar, its nervous energy keeping things reasonably diverting. Also there’s an extended scene of Flerken.
Valerie Complex of Deadline felt that The Marvels is a "breath of fresh air" in the MCU:
In an era where the Marvel Cinematic Universe frequently shuttles between multiverse escapades and interplanetary conflicts, Nia DaCosta‘s "The Marvels" emerges as a breath of fresh air.
Reviews of The Marvels are from the opposite ends of the spectrum with some critics calling it too formulaic and all about fan-service, others look the other way and enjoy the movie with heroes to root for and a different touch on how to bring three powered heroines all together in one. As mixed as the reviews that The Marvels have, the one thing that is sure is that the movie, just as the other MCU films, connects to the bigger story of the franchise. The Marvels is one of the movies that would lead to the culmination of the Multiverse Saga of the MCU.
How does The Marvels connect to other MCU titles in the future?
The Marvels brings together three superpowered women to face a common foe and this sets up the stage for Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and Monica Rambeau on what they could contribute in the future MCU movies and series. It is expected that these three superheroes would play a bigger role in the current Multiverse Saga as their abilities fit the bill for what the universe may need. Speculations also connects The Marvels to Avengers: Secret Wars which would be releasing in 2027 and that is proof on how the MCU has planned it all out from the start!
The Marvels comes out in theaters on November 11, 2023.
