The Marvels (2023), directed by Nia Da Costa

A Captain Marvel superfan, 16-year-old Kamala Khan has some powers of her own that become supercharged when her grandmother’s armlet suddenly lights up. At the same time she finds herself in a body-switching situation with Carol Danvers herself and Captain Monica Rambeau. All three share light-based powers and must find a way to work together to combat the Kree, who plan to wreak revenge on Captain Marvel ‘the annihilator’ and restore their home planet by destroying the places she loves. This film has apparently not done well, which is perhaps not surprising given the lack of marketing but is a pity because it is a lot of fun. Clear plot lines, appealing characters and a running time of less than two hours are a very good start for a superhero film. But it is also hysterically funny in parts, with elements that could easily have veered into cheesiness or farce instead provoking gales of laughter. Bree Larsen is always good and her Carol Danvers is more vulnerable in this film. Iman Villani is a delight as Ms Marvel and Zawe Ashton makes a good fist of the big bad – Kree, Dar-Ben. There are references to the other films without getting bogged down in obscurity for those who haven’t seen them all, or the various TV shows. Samuel L Jackson is a nice anchor for the action, but the real star of the show is a cat, playing an alien.

Dr Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022), directed by Sam Raimi

Teenager America Chavez has the unique power of travelling to multiple universes, but she can’t control it and demons are chasing her to steal it. Dr Strange is trying to protect her, but accidentally puts her more at risk. Can he deal with multiple versions of himself in alternate universes to save the day? As well as the usual Marvel action and special effects, this film touches on dealing with grief and loss; continually asking what it is to be happy? Apart from Strange’s fellow sorcerers the Scarlet Witch is the only other major Marvel character present, but there are some interesting cameos from Avengers and others in alternate universes – which is a bit of fun, especially Peggy Carter as Captain Britain. Xochiti Gomez , as the talented teen, makes a nice foil to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Steven Strange and Rachel McAdams provides good value as multiple doomed love interest Christine. This film follows on directly from the last Spiderman movie and the Wandavision TV series, but it is not necessary to have seen them to pick up the thread. As always it is too long and it could be argued to be as much horror as sci fi, but despite some clunky dialogue the film is entertaining, sometimes gasp-inducing and occasionally moving.

Eternals (2021), directed by Chloe Zhao

There is an awful lot going on in this latest iteration of the Marvel universe. The 10 Eternals have been around for 7,000 years, influencing human development and history. A worldwide earthquake triggers a crisis that makes the Eternals question their purpose on Earth. While there are many references to events and characters of previous movies, it is essentially a standalone story. It is however a very complicated tale, with many characters, requiring much explanation. This makes the running time of almost three hours both too long and not long enough. It’s a very long time to sit still for one story and not long enough to do it justice, with much skimmed over and not explained. It would have worked better as a six-part series, allowing the space to flesh out each character and their complicated skills and stories. There is a nice blend of action and drama, and a few laughs, with a truly diverse cast including Salma Hayak, Angelina Jolie, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden and Kumail Nanjani.