With new “state of the MCU” articles coming out every day, The Marvels enters a precarious discursive climate. And, unfortunately, Nia DaCosta’s superhero team-up space comedy now has the distinction of the lowest grossing opening weekend of any Marvel movie. How much does that reflect the quality of the film, though?

On this episode of The Long Take Review, Greg and I explain why we still had a great time with The Marvels, despite its flaws. We then try to diagnose the MCU’s much-discussed downturn, consider various reasons why The Marvels underperformed at the box office, and geek out about the future of the franchise. Stick around until the end for our takes on flerken biology.

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Movie News Check-In: The actor’s strike has ended! We rejoice. 4:13

The Short Take: Our general impressions of The Marvels. (Spoiler-free.) 20:35

The Recommendation Algorithm: Who should see The Marvels? To what extent is this film for diehard fans vs. accessible to casual fans? Do you need to have seen Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, or WandaVision before watching The Marvels? (Spoiler-free.) 30:17

SPOILER MODE There’s a mid-credits scene, and we talk about it a lot. Then we go back to focusing on The Marvels. What made it enjoyable? What’s not working or holding it back? 39:27

The Rhetorical Situation: How much does current discourse about the MCU influence fans’ and critics’ reception of The Marvels? What lessons should Marvel take away from this film and what lessons might they (mistakenly) take away? 1:33:30

Image Credit: IGN

All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

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