Literally, days after complaining on Twitter — the same Twitter where we do everything and nothing simultaneously — about missing my pen because heaven knows I’ve not written in a short while, I found myself dissipating through my desk in search of it due to the uncontrollable urge to put into words, my feeling about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) Ms. Marvel.
Yes, exciting MCU projects have been announced at the Marvel San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2022 —stick with us at On About Nothing for more info on that— but I needed to watch Kamala Khan’s adventures in Ms. Marvel, especially after the so-called “hardcore marvel fans” criticized the way her powers will work in live action, following the release of the trailer earlier in the year.
Currently regarded as one of the best MCU series on Disney+, Ms. Marvel was everything I thought it would be and then some. And also continues the MCU’s recent desire for diversity whilst educating audiences on some historical events.
So why is Ms. Marvel the highest scored MCU series on Rotten Tomatoes, come along with me on this short ride, as I try to explain why everyone (maybe fans of the superhero genre) should give this a watch?
The Good
After questions — at least my questions — surrounding the movie, Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Kevin Feige and the rest of his cronies at the MCU reminded us why they are at the top of the superhero storytelling business. Ms. Marvel is a lovely origin story of Pakistani-American superhero Kamala Khan and an enjoyable way to introduce her to the MCU family.
Played Canadian actress, Iman Vellani, the series tells the story of a 16-year-old teenage girl, who tries to balance the life of being a nerd, a superhero-obsessed fan of Captain Marvel, and parental control with high school life. Ms. Marvel’s high school setting reminded me of why I loved watching high school movies while growing up, without overly focusing on bullying and the negatives. Instead, tell a story of how teenagers try to achieve school-life balance in a fun way.
The series is also rich in family and religious tales. With a good amount of focus on the struggles of middle-eastern immigrants into the United States and how their community plays a part in helping them settle. Kamala’s somewhat difficult relationship with her mother, who (Kamala's mum) suffers something similar to her own mother (Kamala’s grandmother) as well brings Ms. Marvel down to earth and makes it very relatable. As every girl child out there would have been something similar at some point in their life.
Ms. Marvel also boasts of wonderful CGI and despite criticism of deviating from how Kamala’s powers look in the comics, I for one believe the MCU found the best way to interpret her powers onto the big screen. For all the fun, high school things —including teenage boy likes girl drama— that the series provides, my favourite thing about it is the message delivery. Director Meera Menon’s ability to tell how the British colonial rule led to the division of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh is a huge plus. The MCU has made a conscious effort in some of their recent TV series to shine the light on societal issues, from Moon Knight’s mental health issues to The Falcon & The Winter Soldier’s racial consciousness and Ms. Marvel was no exception either.
Ms. Marvel is a pack of fun television moments and the diversity makes it all the more enjoyable.
The Bad
For all the good things about Ms. Marvel, I still found the not-so-good ones — I’m probably not in the mood to call them bad. Villains are a major part of any story, more especially superhero movies but Ms. Marvel failed to deliver any worthwhile. The Clandestine, who were the supposed villains of the series were uninspiring at best and failed to project any form of empathy — at least, the world knew why Thanos did what he did and why Loki is who he is.
Exiled from their world — the other dimension of earth — the Clandestine failed to justify why they were exiled, what they really are, or what they’ve been doing on earth. Whilst Ms. Marvel gives a better explanation to the world Djinns and why the Clandestine was called that, the series failed to dive into their origin and what the other dimension of earth is all about leaving gaps in my head that I couldn’t possibly fill with a boat load of bricks.
Perhaps, this omission is a conscious decision that might be explained in the second season (if there’s one) or maybe in the upcoming movie The Marvels —in which Kamala Khan is expected to team up with Captain Marvel and Monica Rambeau.
Another sad point for me was the poor fight sequence and scenes in this series. Come on guys, I know it’s a teenage tv series but I’m sure we can do better than that.
The Ugly
Meera Menon, Kevin Feige, and the MCU hit new heights with Ms. Marvel which is a massive feather to add to their cap or rank their sleeve —you get my point right. However, the constant bickering from the supposed “hardcore marvel comic fans” over Kamala Khan’s powers is an ugly sight, that (in my opinion), which only serves to downplay wonderful storytelling.
On About Nothing Tv rating: 8/10
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