Alright! Today I'm reviewing the sixth MCU TV show and 36th product off the MCU assembly line, Ms. Marvel, which is about the superhero mega fan Kamala Kahn who accidentally gains powers of her own. In the style of her idol, Captain Marvel, Kamala garners a masked identity but now must balance grades, boys, familial past, duties to Islam, and the burdens of vigilantism.
Right off the bat, my favorite teenage TV show trope of all time - likable characters wearing flannel - is in full effect here, normally lacing Kamala's friend Bruno but occasionally being sported by the heroine herself. Other teenage tropes like love triangles and school bullies are also present, but, like most MCU appropriations, most of this "new-to-you" genre is shoved aside as the series goes on and focuses on the more heroic aspects of the character.
There were fun stylistic flairs new to the MCU, namely a few doodles that floated around the background and text messages that showed up in random places when appropriate. I always enjoy Muslim representation in media and appreciate that Ms. Marvel followed through on Kamala's heritage. I also, contrary to some online critiques, enjoyed seeing the love triangle between Kamala, Bruno, and Kamran. It's a teen high school show, what did you expect?
Most of all though, I liked the titular heroine. Ms. Marvel has long been a favorite of mine and Iman Vellani is pitch-perfect at the role, perfectly representing the bubbly ingenuity of the New Jersey native. Her enthusiasm rubs off on the show in the best way, and interviews confirm she’s basically the same in real life. She is, in my mind, as synonymous with the Ms. Marvel character as Robert Downey Jr. is to Iron Man. However, it's interesting to note that we've gotten to the point where the MCU is so large and expansive that Kamala's superhero mega fandom easily becomes a self-insert for the viewers at home who, like Kamala, have grown up with these heroes. It’s like a pat on the back for Marvel Studios, as if to spread the message that “Liking our heroes makes you a hero too!”
As this is an MCU product, the same basic general complaints exist - the action had terrible editing, the CGI was wonky at times, the show is more interesting when it's about the non-superhero aspects, it's too long for a movie but too short for a TV show (20-45 minutes is better, the 50-minute runtimes don't work), using famous pop songs over action scenes, the stakes went too big, weak villains, and most of the things the show doing only being fresh or original when compared to the rest of the MCU. It supplants the genuine genre (Such as Never Have I Ever) for MCU fans who don't watch anything but.
There are some aspects that, when compared to the rest of the MCU, the series does well at. The cinematography and lighting are all well done, looking best with purple and yellow. The music is good, but the actual main theme is either generic or I'm just over brass being used in superhero themes. Humorous beats don't ruin emotional moments, and a healthy dose of teen angst is a driving force. I also really liked the amount of care taken to (Presumably) accurately portray the everyday aspects of a teenage Muslim girl, and the effort that went into portraying the Partition.
Alternatively, there are some problems with the show that are wholly unique to the show. While I appreciated the focus on the British partition of India (Which I knew embarrassingly little about before the show), half of episode five is a flashback devoted to Kamala's great-grandmother finding Kamala's great-grandfather and then their separation via partition. It went on for nearly 20 minutes, a strong blip in the middle of the series that, while of remarkably high quality, was ultimately a very strange detour. It reminded me of the two Avatar Wan episodes that disrupted The Legend of Korra's second season. It's cool and well done, but ultimately unnecessary.
Another thing that the show divided me on was the change to Kamala's powers. In the comics, Kamala is a stretchy Inhuman whose appendages "embiggen." In the show, she's part Djinn and harnesses her Green Lantern-like powers from a magic bangle. On one hand, I really appreciate that they were able to have a backstory that's more intimate to Kamala's personal life and past. On the other hand, I was really looking forward to this show introducing the Inhumans lore to the MCU and the Green Lantern-like powers feel generic and slow compared to the comics' embiggening.
On the other other hand, the personal connection to Kamala the bangle/Djinn backstory is the catalyst the show uses to introduce some of the MCU's weakest villains that derail a charming teen comedy. They spend a lot of time developing this new backstory that I already wished was Inhuman lore and took the focus away from the relatable aspects of Kamala's life that the show did infinity better at. Again, it's more boring when it's about the superhero. I've seen quirky teen superheroes figure out their powers before. You know what I haven't seen? The everyday life of Kamala Khan. That's the better story, and it's why the first, second, third, and sixth episodes are better than the fourth and fifth.
Ms. Marvel is a lot of stuff we've seen before - teen superheroes figuring out their powers (Spider-Man, Shazam!), an ever-changing logo (Loki), quirky art covering the screen (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Into the Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs. the Machines), and fun training montages (Shazam!). The last one especially. While Shazam!'s training montage was absolutely hilarious, Ms. Marvel's choppy editing and questionable CGI can't help but draw unfavorable comparisons.
However, for all my gripes about the show and the genre in general, there are enough emotional beats in here that compensate for it. I loved her cast of supporting characters and the dynamic with her family (especially her dad), her journey to becoming a fully realized hero, and the last eight minutes of the series. Seeing Kamala look in the mirror and realize who she is was the defining moment of the series and one of the best scenes in the MCU. In that regard, it's the model Disney+ show. It enhances my excitement for The Marvels in addition to telling a story. Like, the end-credit cookies and exciting reveals are cool and all, but I'm more excited about Kamala's journey.
While Ms. Marvel occasionally comes off as an inferior cross between Never Have I Ever and Shazam!, the bubbly lead, surprisingly emotional moments, and arc to fully-realized hero make the experience worthwhile, overcoming some of the franchise's worst villains and a divisive origin change.
Also, the namedrop in the last episode is... cool? It's fine. But it does seem to point even further from an eventual "She was always an Inhuman" retcon. I hope it does lead to a No Way Home scenario that eventually has her take on the comic-accurate aspects of the character, though. At the moment she just runs everywhere in glowy parkour, which just looks... silly. Stretchy powers have to be down the line somewhere.
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| I'm... actually excited for The Marvels now. |
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