‘The Marvels’ Hailed as ‘Hilarious,’ ‘Wholesome’ and ‘Breezy’ in First Reactions: ‘A Hell of a Lot of Fun’

There’s one word that appears again and again when you search for the first reactions to “The Marvels” on X: fun. Following its premiere Tuesday night, the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been praised as a “short” and “sweet” movie from the studio despite its disappointing opening weekend projections.

Full reviews for the film are set to drop later on Wednesday. But that deadline didn’t stop several reporters and critics from posting their initial take on the movie.

Many praised the movie for its humor. Rachel Leishman, assistant editor of The Mary Sue, called the installment “genuinely hilarious and exciting to watch from start to finish.” Lyra Hale, editor at REMEZCLA, took her praise a step further, revealing that the movie was “most I’ve laughed in a Marvel movie since the first [“Guardians of the Galaxy].”

Others praised it for being both “wacky” and unexpected. Ross Bonaime, the senior film editor for Collider, labelled the movie as “short, sweet and a hell of a lot of fun” and said it was the “most charmed” he had been by a MCU movie since “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Vulture and Cosmopolitan contributor Leah Marilla Thomas called the movie “goofy and sweet and surprising,” praising its development of character. TheWrap’s Drew Taylor echoed that sentiment, calling the movie “wholesome,” “wacky,” “joyful” and “moving” though noted that the movie suffered from “iffy plotting.”

The chemistry between the main trio — Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani — was also a highlight for critics. News editor for Nerdist Rotem Rusak dubbed the combination of the characters Carol, Kamala and Monica as “perfection.” ComicBook’s Jamie Jirak and BuzzFeed senior TV editor Nora Dominick also praised the trio. But there was one star who stood above her peers: “Ms. Marvel” star Iman Vellani.

In another post, Dominick praised Vellani as a “standout” from the movie who “further proved that she’s one of the best additions to the MCU.” Nerdist senior social media editor Lee Travis echoed that praise, calling Vellani “a delight” and stating that she needs to be in more MCU movies “immediately.” EW senior writer Devan Coggen simply said the actor was “SO GOOD” and encouraged her followers to watch Vellani’s Disney+ show.

But not every critic was so effusive about the film. Though correspondent for Insider’s entertainment section Kirsten Acuna posted that she “really dug” the movie, she also noted it was “not perfect, but a breezy 1 hr & 45 full of laughs.” She then went on to say the movie does an “excellent job” of setting “Ms. Marvel up as the MCU’s next leader.” Fandom’s managing editor Eric Goldman was also lukewarm in his reaction. In his post, he noted that during a year that has seen the “big low” of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and the “high” of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” “The Marvels” was “a solid middle of the path, entertaining MCU installment.” TheWrap’s film editor Kristen Lopez was similarly critical of the movie, stating that it had “serious script issues” but that “it’s so charming and colorful and fun it’s easy to overlook.

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