Photo courtesy of Slate Magazine

The big question everyone asks when a new Marvel movie releases is: Is the golden age of superhero movies over?

The consensus is that yes, after “Avengers: Endgame,” it ended. There is truth to that, but that does not mean every superhero film that follows is doomed. 

“I don’t know if it’s about just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. Because then, like, what’s left? You know, I think it’s just about making the audience care about their characters,” “The Marvels” star Iman Vellani said in an interview with The Direct.

I had high hopes for the film before it was released — and I wasn’t disappointed. The film had a fair balance of humor and emotion and knew when to have one over the other. 

Carol Danvers — played by Brie Larson — has a complex storyline. She faces a villain she’s previously wronged and wants to undo that. The villain, Dar-Benn, is understandable to a degree but is so consumed with the desire for vengeance that when offered an olive branch by the central trio, she declines it. 

Monica Rambeau has grown comfortable with her powers since “WandaVision” and now works side by side with Nick Fury in S.A.B.E.R. — previously mentioned in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” 

The relationship between Carol and Monica — which was previously strained — is resolved with a bittersweet memory shared of Monica’s mother dying. There was enough tension and hesitance from Monica that displayed her wish to forgive Carol from the start, and Teyonah Parris did an excellent job of conveying that. 

Kamala Khan was who I was most excited to see interact with the others, and I was not let down. Vellani stole the scene whenever she was present and brought a lighter tone to the team. She also acted as the bridge between Carol and Monica and honestly, nothing would’ve been solved without her. 

One of my favorite scenes was when all three characters were on Carol’s ship and began testing the limits of their intertwined powers and practicing how to combat successfully — all soundtracked to “Intergalactic” by the Beastie Boys. All of their combat scenes showed the creativity of the three. 

The relationship between Carol, Kamala and Monica made the movie. 

“These three women are basically like sisters: Carol’s the oldest, Kamala’s the youngest and Monica is in the middle,” director Nia DaCosta said in an interview with Variety.

The scene where the trio embarked on their first rescue of the Skrull was an emotional one, especially for newcomer Kamala. That being said, I’m glad they didn’t go down the route of Kamala changing her view on being a superhero or of Carol as a person. 

Three major characters were shown at the end of the film as well as the mid-credit: Kate Bishop from “Hawkeye,” Binary and Beast from the original “X-men” trilogy. These cameos teased the future of the MCU, and I can’t wait to see where they go with the Young Avengers and X-Men.

While it did poorly at the box office, “The Marvels” did break records and became the biggest-ever opening weekend for a film made by a black female director, Nia DaCosta. Additionally, this was the first Marvel movie directed by a black female director. 

Rating: 4/5 stars