Ms. Marvel - Premiere - Review

So far within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have had dealt with genius billionaires, reformed-ish criminals, genetically modified soldiers and of course, friendly neighborhood Spider-Men, but Ms Marvel is the first show that is grounded in reality. Not because it focuses on new powers, but rather focuses on issues that don’t require a superhuman to understand. Of course there was always going to be a level of skepticism on the show, given its focus on a teenage girl, but with the premiere, the question going in, was would they make something anyone could watch, even if they have never been a teenage girl.

****Spoiler Warning Ahead****

Kamala Khan is about as average as you can get, at least when you are someone who lives in the same world as Thor, The Hulk and Captain Marvel, but average she is. In fact her life is one that is so bland, she often spends time drawing and daydreaming of more than what she has, but what kid hasn’t done that right. The problem is that Kamala is a young girl growing up in America and is taken in by all that it has to offer, but is Pakistani as well, so her heritage is something that is always there. While she doesn’t adhere to it as much as her brother, or worse her parents, there is still a level of pride that she has for it and while some times we see it pop up very easily, other times it is subtle, but is always there. When we meet Kamala, she is determined to go AvengerCon, a basic event for fans of the Avengers to dress up, chat and have a good time and is the first thing that she wants to do, as she is a massive fan of Captain Marvel and her dream is to win the costume contest.

While Kamala’s dream or goal is admirable, she sadly is shoved into the same teen box that all teens in movies and shows are, they have to lie and betray the trust of their parents. Now there are going to be some people that are quite confident that is a common thing, even in the real world, the problem is our first real interaction with her is with her spacing out in the guidance counselors office, something that he immediately calls her out on. Through out the rest of the first episode, Kamala continues to do that and while some shows use inner monologues or flashbacks to help sell the story, they never get in the way of the story being told, here it is a major part of it. Even when riding home from school, we are treated to the drawings of her mind, as she talks with Bruno about the costume she is making for AvengersCon.

Speaking of, we need to talk about her powers and how she gets them, there are no cosmic waves that hit, no exposure to gamma radiation and no mystical hammer that she picks up, instead it’s a bracelet. Now the first episode doesn’t expand on that, the second one does, but there isn’t even the usual throwaway line about how it is cursed or something, it is referred to as junk. The moment she puts it on, we get a moment where she notices something and we as the audience, is going on and then as usual, there is no real chance to test things out and she is shoved into the spotlight. I actually do appreciate the way they threw Kamala in the deep end, purely because it gives her a chance to be out of control, when she honestly thought she had everything under control. The flip side is that we never get a good look at the powers she has, purely because she has no idea what is going on as well and while there are some fun little moments here, it isn’t about her getting a complete understanding of the powers from the outset.

Bringing the focus onto the cast, with the main character of the show being a teenage girl, you might expect that Iman Vellani is a veteran actress, or as much as one can be as a teenager, but you would be wrong. This role is actually her first ever on screen job and there are times when it shows, they are not common, but when they do, you will notice. Thankfully the roles of her parents are played by veteran actors Zenobia Shroff and Moran Kapur as mum and dad respectively and they give the home life a solid foundation. There is one critical scene, that I won’t spoil, but offers a lot more weight than we are used to seeing in the MCU, not only because there wasn’t a single quip to be had afterwards. The rest of the cats isn’t given a real chance to shine here and that makes sense, though Matt Lintz as Bruno does have a pretty deep scene with Kamala and there is some nice chemistry between the two of them.

Due to the way in which Kamala gets her powers, there isn’t anything much we see of them in this episode, but we do get some and I really dig the interpretation that they went with here. In the comics and other times she has appeared, most recently in Marvel’s Avengers by Square Enix, her powers allow her to grow and expand her body, similar to what Mr Fantastic can do. Here though, they have embraced a more modern approach and instead her powers behave more like an energy that expands out from her, growing and shrinking as needed. The visual impact reminds me of diamonds, but an uncut diamond, so large and rough and as it grows, the diamond grows as well and it took a bit to understand what was going on, but I do like it, thankfully we get to see some more familiar looks with them in episode 2.

Ms Marvel is likely to be the most divisive entry in the MCU, purely because of the age and gender of the character it focuses on, a teenage girl. There is a lot to be enjoyed in the episode, but given that they went so far into the realm of teenage child sneaks around, you have to have an open mind on where the story can go. The visual impact from Kamala’s daydreams and doodles that populate the world are great and do look wonderful, even if some of them can be really out there, the ones that remain subtle, built into the set, are the best. I am fortunate that I have seen the second episode as well, because I can say that while the first episode does a decent job of setting things up, it is the second that provides the pay off. If you are a die-hard Marvel fan, then I am sure you are going to watch this, but the show is not aimed at you, it is instead a way for the younger crowd to step into it. The show is good, you just need to remind yourself, its focus is a teenage girl and a lot of things are going to be set around that.

The Score

7.5

Early access was provided by Disney

The Pros

+The show is loaded with style, thanks to Kamala and her wandering mind

+They never shy away from her heritage, which was quite the surprise

The Cons

-They stuck within the typical teenage rebellion plot line and it doesn't work

-We never really get a chance to see the powers that Kamala has, which is a shame