“The Marvels” is one of the shortest Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies in recent memory, but every minute is packed with humor and action, making it one of the franchise’s most entertaining movies to date. 

This movie follows the story of Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani), and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) as they try to untangle their powers and save the universe from Dar-Benn, who is a member of an alien race called the Kree and is destroying the universe it in hopes of repairing her home world of Hala which was destroyed. 

The story is built by each of the characters’ journeys in separate MCU projects before this movie. Captain Marvel, otherwise known as Carol Danvers, has been traveling the galaxy on her own; Monica Rambeau is high up in an agency titled SWORD after gaining her own powers in the “Wandavision” series; and Ms. Marvel, otherwise known as Kamala Khan, is a new hero herself, figuring out how to balance being Jersey City’s number one hero with being a high school girl. 

The dynamic between the three characters is interesting, as Monica and Carol have a history together that harbors pain for both of them as Monica’s late mother was Carol’s best friend, and Monica feels betrayed by the fact that Carol left her and her mother in favor of saving the galaxy. 

Their awkwardness is exacerbated by Kamala, a big Captain Marvel fan who even named herself after the hero. The excitement of Kamala, mixed with Monica’s negative emotions and Carol’s desperate feelings, unfolded into an extremely compelling dynamic.  

Larson, Vellani, and Parris were truly a dream team on the screen; their dynamic and quick play with one another allowed the movie to flourish. The dynamic is at its best in conjunction with Samuel L. Jackson’s stoic and iconic portrayal of Nick Fury, who contrasts their hilarity with the gravity that grounds the movie. 

The best moments in this movie are when it embraces the peculiarity and the fun of the character’s situation. By not taking itself too seriously, the movie encourages viewers to suspend disbelief and fall completely into another world. 

Take, for example, the moment in which the Flerkens, which are creatures that look like cats, are chasing the cast on Fury’s ship around while “Memory” from the Original Broadway Cast Recording of “Cats: The Musical” plays in the background. 

However, the movie’s humor was sometimes overdone and did not always work to its benefit. For instance, having the characters of the water planet Aladna be solely musical creatures was a feature that I found grew tired quickly as a joke and, in the end, did not add anything valuable to the film. 

Overall, “The Marvels” is a great movie for fans of the MCU and anyone looking to have a good time watching a movie. The humor lends itself well to all ages, and the plot is not so entangled with previous installments that inexperienced viewers cannot gauge what is going on, making the movie a great one even for those not familiar with the MCU.