The Marvelous Marvelest Marvel to Ever Have Marveled

Carol, Monica, and Kamala Team Up in a Great Movie

The Marvels (PG-13)

Directed & co-written by Nia DaCosta

Starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris & Iman Vellani

3.5/4 stars: A-

One of the lies that consumers tend to tell ourselves is that we’re always searching for something new. This might be true for a few brave souls, but for most of us, it isn’t. As a DJ who plays a lot of community events, I’ve learned that the quickest way to clear out the dance floor is to play something completely different than anything else heard before. We may say we want something new, but what we really want is something similar to what we’re used to, except just different enough.

This is especially true for adults, and corporations know this. They know that Joe and Janice Brown from Topeka, Kansas aren’t looking for an avant-garde film experience that will make them question the nature of their own existence. They just need a pleasant way to spend two hours with their adolescents at the mall without much objectionable content. This is one of the reasons why the Marvel brand has become so strong. They identify a formula and stick to it.