The Marvels (2023)

 "Do you just add the word 'quantum' before everything?"

I don't usually watch films at the cinema because it's a faff finding a showing with subtitles... but I made an exception today, for this film. There seems to be a massive wave of negativity around The Marvels, not for any reason to do with its content, but because certain pathetic incels and male supremacist far right wankers are having a bit of a mardy. So I went to see it during the opening weekend just to throw my two fingers up at said little boys.

And you know what? I LOVED it. And not only because I'm a cat lover. Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and especially Iman Vellani are superb, giving us a likeable and charismatic super team. Crucially, the writing is superb absolutely in the Marvel tradition, balancing humour, humanity and cinematic action.

Spoilers, in case it needs saying.

Zawe Ashton is also great as Dar-Benn, a typical Marvel baddie. Yet there's real heart behind the theatrics. We learn that Carol caused Hala to start to die as an eventual result of killing the Supreme Intelligence, and the reason she didn't come back to see Monica was, essentially, shame. Kamala Khan is the perfect Spider-Man type teenage superhero, and her relationship with her family is utterly wonderful. Then there's Nick Fury, and the fact that it's cats who essentially save everyone by eating them with tentacles. And yes, that's a sentence I rather enjoyed writing. Then we have all the little Marvel details- Quasar's Quantum Band; quantum entanglement, like Mar-Vell and Rick Jones in the comics; lots of harking back to Ms Marvel and WandaVision.

The end is quite something, with Monica (my generation's Captain Marvel!) stuck in a different reality after fixing a hole in the multiversal fabric. She's in the X-Mansion! We see Kelsey Grammer as the Beast! "Charles" is mentioned. And... her alternate mother is there, this reality's Captain Marvel, except this time in Carol's old comics guise of Binary. This is awesome. And that's before we even consider the fact that Kamala, echoing Nick Fury, is going around assembling a team of young superheroes, starting with Kate Bishop. 

This is good, proper, old-fashioned MCU fun, just solid superhero storytelling. This is one of the finest MCU films in recent years, right up there with the best.

Ms Marvel: No Normal

 "Do you even like British Bake Off?"

At long last I've got Disney Plus working again. I can blog the finale now. Phew. It's been frustrating.

This is, after the intensity of the last few episodes, very much a feel good finale with Damage Control as comedy moustache twirling bad guys, the whole community supporting the new superhero wholeheartedly, and a lighthearted tone combined with awesome set pieces. Yes, I know that kids using Home Alone type tricks against agents with guns isn't realistic. I don't care. 

The whole thing is both fun ad heartwarming. I love Kamala's outing to the whole family, and the bond they all have. I love the positivity of the likes of Sheikh Abdullah, how Zoe doesn't rat Kamala out, how even Aamir joins in.

The one bit of sadness is Kamran, who is understandably hurting, but even he gets a happy ending. as does Kamala, who gets her superhero name at last from her dad.#

And then, two final bombshells. Yeah, yeah, she seems to swap places with Carol Danvers in the post-credits, but... is Kamala the MCU's first mutant?

Ms Marvel: Time and Again

 "It was me!"

This episode is wonderful, timey-wimey and cathartic in equal measure. About half of the episode is told in flashback, from the perspective of the young Aisha, as she meets and falls in love with the kind and decent Hasan, becomes a mother and has a happy life... but is visited and threatened by Najma on the eve of Partition. This all makes sense, and is told well, explaining the history of Indian independence to a potentially unfamiliar audience without dumbing down.

And then Kamala and the timey-wimeyness happens. It's all extremely clever. Yes, the Djinn are defeated perhaps implausible easy. But it's lovely that Kamala's mum, whom I'm starting to really like, sees and accepts the whole truth and grows closer to both her mother and her daughter in the process. No more frustrating misunderstandings, yay!

The Djinn are gone. But Kamran is with Bruno, and Damage Control have arrived for the finale. This is excellent stuff.

Ms Marvel: Seeing Red

 "Kamala, please don't be weird!"

To Pakistan, then, and it's not just Kamala who gets a wonerful tour of the beautiful-looking Karachi. The city looks glorious, and it's a nice little introduction to Pakistan and broader desi cultural mores, especially for the large American audience.

Kamala gets more than that, though, as she's introduced to the rather cool Red Daggersa, who give her friendship and exposition in equal measure, explaing exactly how dangerous the Djinn are. The Djinn who are at this moment escaping from Damage Control's supermax prison; I'm getting a very Guantanamo Bay feel from all this, as well as outrage as poor Kamran being vindictively left behind.

Meanwhile we also get to know Kamala's wise Nani, and get to see bits of all three generations of mothers are daughters. We see how Muneeba is perhaps angry about her mother's "stories" because she felt neglected. This is a nice human touch.

The confrontation between the Djinn and Red Daggers, plus Kamala, is expected, and the car chase is cool. Less expected is Kamala seeming to travel back in time to 1947. This episode builds and develops on so much, yet the world keeps expanding. Hugely enjoyable telly.

Ms Marvel: Destined

 "Excuse me, Miss Agent... next time, remove your shoes."

Where to begin here? Perhaps with the reveal that Kamran's grandma Najma is the leader of a group of ageless djinn, seen in flashback in 1942, and that Kamala's missing grandma is one of them. Perhaps we begin at the end with that train to Karachi- is Kamala's missing grandmother returning?

Perhaps we begin with the tension between Kamala's secret and her parents who are, in the main, supportive. Or Nakia, a close friend, who is upset to find that Kamala has been hiding big things from her. Or with Bruno, who is soon off to Caltech and away from his friends.There's a lot going on.

But it's also lovely to see Muslim people presented as normal, the culture of the subcontinent, a Muslim wedding followed by a Bon Jovi covers band and Bollywood dancing. And to see the imam's (and Nakia's) response to Damage Control, comedy official baddies representing Islamophobia.

And let's be clear: I'm an atheist. No religion, or its beliefs, should be free from criticism. But there is a point- a point which the likes of Richard Dawkins and his ilk have repeatedly breached- at which that kind of thinking- thinking that I share- can cross a line and assist in the demonising of a minority group which has uncomfortable echoes from the 1930s.

I love this series. It reminds me of early '60s Spider-Man, but with samosas.

Ms Marvel: Generation Why

 "You're Kamala Khan. If you want to save the world, then you're going to save the world."

I'm far too old to know Kamala Khan from the comics; she's after my time and Carol Danvers was my Ms Marvel. But that mean's I'm coming to this series fresh... and it's wonderful.

How to sufficiently praise this delightful piece of television? As a comedy, it works perfectly- witty; real, likeable characters; superb and visually comedic direction. Hilarious, fourt-wall breaking, but with real heart. Kamala, her parents, her brother Aamir, and Bruno are all instantly both likeable and real, which is a triump of both script and acting.

Also, this is an American show, and the USA has a history of not being great in its depiction of either South Asian people or Muslims. It's so refreshing, as a Brit, to see something that evokes Goodness Gracious Me or Bend It Like Beckham in the lightly assured way it has fun with the cultural contrasts without ever stereotyping.

The episode establishes both the characters and the set-up with aplomb. So what is this bracelet from Kamala's grandma? What does it do? What are the family secrets? I'm excited.