"The Marvels: A Divisive Addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe"

"Critical Reception of 'The Marvels': A Divisive Addition to the MCU"

Johnny Oleksinski from the New York Post highlighted previous Marvel films that were poorly received as he said, "If you thought ‘Eternals’ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ were low points for the limping Marvel Cinematic Universe, strap in for the ride to abject misery that is ‘The Marvels.’"

Lindsey Bahr, writing for the Associated Press, observed a trend of "pandering" in recent Marvel properties. She remarked, "As is often the case with Marvel’s girl power attempts, it feels a little pandering in all the wrong places and doesn’t really engage with any specific or unique female point of view."

Donald Clarke of the Irish Times didn't mince words, dubbing "The Marvels" as a "solid contender for the worst Marvel film yet" and went on to say, "To say The Marvels is hard to watch would be to risk understatement. It’s not just that it’s not very good. It is hard to watch in the sense that a tree is hard to defibrillate."

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle offered a backhanded compliment by noting that the film, at least, is mercifully short, saying, "Thankfully, the movie clocks in at a mere 105 minutes. ‘The Marvels’ doesn’t have much to say, but at least it says it quickly."

"In a departure from the widespread popularity of Marvel's Avengers films, Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com pointed out that this movie is 'the clearest evidence yet that perhaps we don't constantly need a stream of Marvel content in theaters or on streaming services.'

"Robbie Collin from The Daily Telegraph reminisced, 'Higher, further, faster' was the original Captain Marvel's inspiring tagline. 'Have we reached the bottom yet?' might be a fitting one for this."

"Peter Travers of ABC News lamented that this film serves as evidence that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has departed from its former glory as a 'generator of greatness.'

"Describing the movie as 'teetering between absurd and atrocious' and plagued by multiple rewrites and reshoots, he stated, 'This 33rd installment in the Marvel cinematic universe is in dire need of repair. The MCU, once a wellspring of magnificence, finds itself stuck in a creative rut. It's high time for a reevaluation.'

"Zachary Barnes of the Wall Street Journal remarked, 'The superhero seems as disinterested as the audience, yet the Marvel juggernaut presses on.'"

"While the movie did receive some backhanded compliments and positive reviews, a writer from The Guardian declared, 'It is undeniably absurd, but it's presented with an endearing sense of humor and enthusiasm, particularly during the Marvels' visit to a planet where everyone communicates through song rather than speech.'

"Peter Howell of the Toronto Star praised the film for introducing a Muslim superhero into the Marvel Universe but cautioned that this alone couldn't redeem the movie as a whole. He wrote, 'What 'The Marvels' has in its favor, apart from its concise 105-minute runtime, is the dynamic presence of Canada's Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Marvel's first Muslim superhero. She almost manages to salvage a movie that, in the end, is beyond redemption.'

"Jake Wilson of The Age noted that this film demonstrated that Marvel had finally embraced the concept of female empowerment, which came at the expense of traditional male fanboys. He wrote, 'A substantial portion of 'The Marvels' seems purposefully designed to challenge the traditional fanboy culture, and for that, kudos to DaCosta. Carol's spaceship resembles a cozy student common room, complete with throw pillows and popcorn.' He later suggested that 'subtextually, this may be the most LGBTQ+-friendly Marvel production to date.'

"Brie Larson herself has previously made headlines for her advocacy of liberal politics, and her co-star Samuel L. Jackson mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview that he had to console her after feeling disheartened by the Trump presidency."