Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole, her powers are entangled with super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and work together to save the universe.
For in-depth thoughts on The Marvels, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Marvels offers a lovely uptick in quality over the already stellar accompanying Blu-Ray. With a dazzling, colorful aesthetic on full display, you are grateful to have HDR to find the depth and nuance within each hue that leaps off the screen. The HDR makes the most of every color in a way that makes you grateful for the format. We love all of the beautiful costumes and colorful elements of the production design that serve as a nice contrast to some other dour corners of the MCU. Skin tones also appear more natural with crisp detail apparent on faces such as makeup and scrapes.
The elements in the film taking place in shadows or the voids of space are more distinct and finely delineated thanks to deep black levels. The highlights in the film are also more firmly defined with white levels more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Fine detail is more forefront than ever with this increased resolution. This 4K UHD presentation is a tremendous achievement on all fronts with gains in every category. The Blu-Ray is a good choice, but Disney has delivered a knockout with the 4K UHD Blu-Ray release.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a capable Dolby Atmos presentation that rarely falters throughout. Environmental details are ever-present and implemented well in the rear and overhead channels. The overhead channels take on a significant amount of information which adds a unique sense of space to this body-hopping tale. Sounds are rendered with precise directionality from the more action-oriented scenes to interpersonal exchanges of dialogue.
The low end could potentially hit with more force, but you still feel it in your bones when things start crashing and exploding. The soundtrack and the score are a very important part of the film’s personality, and it flows through the room with force. The sounds of the entanglement and visits to different worlds provide an immersive soundscape that radiates throughout all the speakers. Dialogue is presented clearly without ever being clipped by any of the competing sonic elements. Fans will be happy with the audio portion of this release. There are optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Co-writer/Director Nia DaCosta and VFX Supervisor Tara DeMarco provide an informative commentary track in which they discuss what they wanted to achieve with this story, the fun details added to certain environments, the elements of the script that evolved, the links between the films, elements brought into the relationship dynamics, working with digital environments and more.
- Entangled: An 11-minute featurette that takes a look at the dynamic between the leading trio, the impact of their entanglement, the scope of the production, the training that went into the musical number, the costume designs, and more.
- The Production Diaries: A six-minute piece that focuses on the community of the production, fun moments on set, birthday celebrations, and more.
- Gag Reel A two-minute collection of flubbed and forgotten lines, goofing around on set, ruined takes, and more that is quite delightful.
- Deleted Scenes: Four unused scenes totaling six minutes are included here featuring Kamala exploring the ship and receiving an unexpected phone call, Nick Fury getting involved with yoga, and more.
Final Thoughts
The Marvels does not deserve the backlash it received from segments of the fandom who were waiting with bated breath to hate it. The financial collapse of this particular entry is unfortunate since there were previous installments that would have deserved the fate much more. While the movie is not perfect, it is a lot of fun to see the main trio working together and forming their own little family. Having a movie that is not bloated is always our preference, but this effort actually could have used a little bit more breathing room to allow emotional moments to land more effectively and give characters more depth. The performers all do a really good job, especially the vibrant Iman Vellani. This is not an essential entry in the MCU, but it entertains pretty consistently. Disney Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a top-tier A/V presentation and a welcome assortment of special features. Recommended
The Marvels will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD on February 13, 2024. The film is currently available on digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Disney Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.