“Come with Me if You Want to Live.” “Huh?” “Just Kidding. I’ve Always Wanted to Say That.”
I was excited about Ms. Marvel. I knew nothing about the character, but I’ve wound up enjoying the last couple of Marvel shows on Disney+, so I went into this one with high expectations. Sadly, this one needed some structural work.
The show introduces us to Kamala Kahn (Iman Vellani), a die hard fan of all things Avengers. These superheroes are her heroes because of everything they have done to save humanity. There is the first annual Avengers Con happening near her home in New Jersey, and she will do anything to go with her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz), especially since she has the perfect costume based on her idol, Captain Marvel.
One requirement of the costume contest is that each person must have one item that represents them, and Kamala chooses a bracelet that was her great-grandmother’s. However, when she puts it on, she quickly discovers she now has powers of her own. Unfortunately, her powers have attracted the attention of two groups of people. Can Kamala figure out how to use them in time to defend herself?
If you look back through my Marvel movie reviews, especially the first ones that introduce the various character, I complain that they feel very formulaic. This one tries to break the formula, and yet I’m going to complain that it doesn’t quite work either. Part of that is because we expect certain things, so if a story is going to buck those trends, it needs to make sure it really works. In this case, I feel like they were trying to work too many things into the six episodes here.
The show takes a couple of episodes to really introduce all the players. I think that’s part of the problem. It leaves so much to pack into the second half that those episodes feel rushed. There are multiple times that people seem to switch their behavior on a dime. One is definitely plot driven. The other one was some very welcome character development, but it still felt too abrupt.
Speaking of abrupt, one of the groups of villains got a weak climax.
One of the episodes spends a lot of time with Kamala seeing parts of her family’s history. While it was well crafted and did have a couple of keys to the story, it still felt like a momentum killer late in the season.
This is all the fault of the writers. The actors were amazing at bringing their characters to life. I especially have to praise newcomer Iman Vellani who carried the entire show with ease. She made Kamala charming and a joy to watch each week.
That’s why I’m looking forward to seeing more of this character in next year’s The Marvels. Fans will be interested in meeting the character early in Ms. Marvel. I just wish the writing had been better on the show.
I enjoyed the series overall, but it might have worked better as a two hour movie. I agree that the actors were amazing, especially Iman Vellani!
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