In Years, Marvel's Lightest, Fizziest Film

The Lightest, Fizziest Marvel Movie in Years. The Marvels is pleasurably lightweight, its story unburdened by the off-screen drama of the studio that made it. The Marvels arrives at a strange moment for Marvel Studios, the company that ushered in more than a decade of spandex-clad blockbusters. 

The Marvels arrives at an odd time for Marvel Studios, the studio responsible for more than a decade of spandex-clad blockbusters. Because the (just ended) SAG-AFTRA strike prevented its performers from participating in promotional activities, the picture was launched with little fanfare and is expected to gross less than most of its comic-book predecessors. 

Furthermore, as the 33rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has been positioned as proof of Marvel's overreach, with characters drawn from both big and small-screen ventures. Really, it's all in the title: The term "Marvels" refers to the trio of superheroes with related powers at the center of the plot, but it also refers to how saturated the pop-culture landscape has become with Marvel-related stuff.

But, as it turns out, The Marvels is a pleasure to see, its plot unburdened by the off-screen turmoil of the studio that produced it. With a duration of 105 minutes, this jovial sequel to 2019's Captain Marvel functions like a breezy road-trip comedy set in space. 

Sure, there's a universe-threatening villain, reality-warping "quantum bands" to collect, and explosions galore, but director Nia DaCosta prioritizes a welcome sense of play, yielding a fizzy popcorn movie that's a welcome change of pace—at least for a franchise that's gotten largely somber in tone and convoluted in plot since Avengers: Endgame.

The Lightest, Fizziest Marvel Movie in Years. The Marvels is pleasurably lightweight, its story unburdened by the off-screen drama of the studio that made it. The Marvels arrives at a strange moment for Marvel Studios, the company that ushered in more than a decade of spandex-clad blockbusters. 

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