Story
In this sequel to Captain Marvel, civil war has almost destroyed the planet Hala. It is now barren, with no light, air or water. Hala’s leader, Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton), discovers a Quantum Band amidst the destruction and uses its power to try to restore Hala. In doing so, she tears apart a jump point in space to harness resources from other planets. However, this is discovered by S.W.O.R.D., and Nick Fury (Samuel Johnson) calls in Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) to investigate. When Monica touches the jump point, her light powers become entangled with Carol as well as a young girl, Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani) who has the other Quantum Band. The three switch places, much to the astonishment of Kamala’s family. Unfortunately, fighting breaks out between the trio and the Kree militia, which brings chaos to Kamala’s home.
Meanwhile, in order to collect what she needs, Dar-Benn has caused further tears in jump points. She has siphoned the air from the planet Tarnax, leaving the Skrull people displaced; she is drawing the ocean water from the planet Aladna; and she intends to use the Earth to gain light from its sun. The Skrull people are persuaded by Nick and his team at S.A.B.R.E. to join The Marvels in their efforts to stop Dar-Benn from destroying the universe. The Marvels fight Dar-Benn, who manages to take Kamala’s band from her. With both bands, Dar-Benn now has the power to open yet another jump point, but in doing so creates an opening into the multiverse. The Marvels now have the task of trying to repair the opening before the universe is completely destroyed.
Themes
Science fiction; superheroes; time and space travel
Violence
The Marvels has a lot of violence. For example:
- Many battle scenes using light powers, punching and kicking, and weapons, such as swords, hammers, guns, maces, knives, and laser guns. However, no one is seriously injured and there is no blood and gore.
- Many explosions and destruction of buildings and houses.
- A cartoon sequence showing characters fighting and punching.
- A woman remembers war scenes of fighting, gun pointing and explosions.
- During a fight scene in the house, Carol throws a man up into and through the roof. Kamala’s Mum is threatened by one of the Kree militia with a weapon. Objects are thrown and glass crashes. There is a long fight sequence in this particular scene, at the end of which, 2 men are seen tied up in chains.
- A huge octopus creature with long tentacles is seemingly vomited from Kamala’s cat’s mouth. It uses the tentacles to eat things as well as people.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in The Marvels.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no substance use in The Marvels.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in The Marvels.
Product placement
The Marvels has some product placement. For example, the Marvel franchise.
Coarse language
The Marvels has some coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Marvels is an action/adventure, superhero movie based on the Marvel comics. It’s the sequel to Captain Marvel and some viewers might find the plot a bit confusing, particularly if they haven’t seen the first movie. During the considerable animated violence no one is seriously hurt or injured, but there are some scary and disturbing scenes that make the movie unsuitable for children under 10 years. Parental guidance is recommended for children 10-12 years.
The main messages from The Marvels are:
- Good will always win over evil.
- You can achieve more as part of a team than you can on your own.
Values in The Marvels that you could reinforce with your children include teamwork, persistence, courage, strong women and empathy.
The Marvels could also give you the chance to talk with your children about how true to life, or not, are superhero movies and their characters.