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The Marvels is the third worst reviewed MCU movie (but still fresh)

By Dan Selcke

(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios' THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL.
(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios' THE MARVELS. Photo by Laura Radford. © 2023 MARVEL. /
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The Marvels, the latest movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comes out this weekend, and the reviews are flowing in. What do the critics think? Well, that depends on which ones you ask, because they’re pretty divided.

The Marvels is a sequel to 2018’s Captain Marvel, which introduced us to Brie Larson’s titular cosmic superhero, who comes complete with super-strength, flight, and everything else you need to battle the forces of evil. The Marvels teams up her up with Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), who made her debut in the show of the same name on Disney+; and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), who we met in WandaVision. If I’m being honest, I’m still not sure what her powers are.

This is definitely one of those Marvel movies where you have to have seen a bunch of other Marvel movies and shows to get the full experience. How did that go over critics? Let’s take a look below.

As of this writing, The Marvels sits at a 61% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That makes it the third worst reviewed film in the franchise, ahead of only Eternals and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. That said, critics are overall positive, if only just.

Critics who liked The Marvels

  • Empire Magazine: “It might not have the overwhelming impact of an Endgame or even a Guardians 3, but this is the MCU back on fast, funny form.”
  • The Seattle Times: “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.”
  • Observer: “At under two-hours, light-hearted in tone, and skipping long expository scenes in favor of fun, ‘The Marvels’ is a refreshingly different than a lot of recent MCU fare.”

Critics who were lukewarm on The Marvels

  • Detroit News: “As tentpole entertainment, it feels inconsequential, if slightly diverting. To put it in corporate speak, it could have been an email.”
  • San Francisco Chronicle: “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.”
  • PerthNow: “There are soaring highs fighting to break out from an overall cluttered movie with a sloppy plot that you’ll struggle to care about. But what does work, works incredibly well.”

Critics who didn’t like The Marvels

  • RogerEbert.com: “A narrative and visual jumble, and the clearest evidence yet that maybe we don’t need some sort of Marvel product in theaters or on streaming at all times.”
  • Irish Times: “A solid contender for the worst Marvel film yet … 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.”
  • Austen Chronicle: “A film begins with the script. It quickly becomes abundantly clear that the problems with The Marvels start with a lumpen, exposition-laden, charmless, and emotionally flat one … and it’s all downhill from there.”

Every Marvel movie, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes score

If you’re wondering exactly where The Marvels falls critically in relation to everything else in the MCU, here’s a complete list:

  1. Black Panther (96%)
  2. Avengers: Endgame (94%)
  3. Iron Man (94%)
  4. Thor: Ragnarok (93%)
  5. Spider-Man: No Way Home (93%)
  6. Spider-Man: Homecoming (92%)
  7. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (92%)
  8. Guardians of the Galaxy (91%)
  9. Captain America: Civil War (91%)
  10. The Avengers (91%)
  11. Spider-Man: Far From Home (90%)
  12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (90%)
  13. Doctor Strange (89%)
  14. Ant-Man and the Wasp (87%)
  15. Avengers: Infinity War (85%)
  16. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (85%)
  17. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (83%)
  18. Ant-Man (83%)
  19. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (82%)
  20. Captain America: The First Avenger (80%)
  21. Captain Marvel (79%)
  22. Black Widow (79%)
  23. Iron Man 3 (79%)
  24. Thor (77%)
  25. Avengers: Age of Ultron (76%)
  26. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (73%)
  27. Iron Man 2 (72%)
  28. Thor: The Dark World (67%)
  29. The Incredible Hulk (67%)
  30. Thor: Love and Thunder (63%)
  31. The Marvels (61%)
  32. Eternals (47%)
  33. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (46%)

The Marvels opens in theaters tomorrow, Friday, November 10.

Next. Deadpool 3, Gladiator 2 among movies getting back to work quickly after strike. dark

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