The arrival of The Marvels is nigh, and the atmosphere is thick with anticipation and a smattering of controversy. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has bestowed upon the Captain Marvel sequel a PG-13 rating, a revelation that shocks precisely no one, given the franchise’s history.
The rating comes with the promise of “action/violence and brief language,” but don’t expect any major f-bombs, if any. However, murkiness envelops the film’s runtime, with conflicting reports casting shadows of uncertainty.
While Odeon tantalizes audiences with a promise of 2 hours and 20 minutes of Marvel magic, Cineworld trims it down to a neat 2 hours. Yet, whispers in the digital realm, courtesy of the insider Cryptic HD Quality, suggest a runtime of a mere 1 hour and 33 minutes, potentially crowning The Marvels as the shortest MCU film to grace the screens.
This discrepancy in runtimes is not just a trivial matter of minutes and seconds; it’s a narrative of expectation versus reality, a dance of anticipation that leaves fans oscillating between hope and skepticism.
With a trio of main characters to explore and a narrative intertwined with the larger tapestry of the MCU, a shorter film raises eyebrows and questions alike. But the saga of The Marvels doesn’t end with ratings and runtimes; it extends into the realm of public reception, a battlefield where admiration and criticism collide.
The film’s trailer, a visual appetizer for the main course to come, has been met with a reception colder than the dark side of the moon. With 809,000 dislikes shadowing its 538,000 likes on YouTube, the trailer navigates through a sea of mixed reactions, bearing the weight of expectations and the brunt of dissatisfaction.
In the eyes of the beholder, The Marvels is either a beacon of ‘wokeness’ or a victim of its own progressive narrative. The term ‘wokeness’, often thrown around with disdain in the digital alleys of the internet, has been wielded like a weapon against the film. “With great wokeness comes great brokenness and fatigue,” comments one user, encapsulating a sentiment echoed by many.
Yet, amidst the cacophony of likes and dislikes and the symphony of anticipation and skepticism, The Marvels stands resilient, bearing the hopes of a studio and the expectations of an audience that has journeyed through the MCU’s multiverse saga.
The Marvels is sailing into theaters on November 10, bearing with it tales of ratings, runtimes, and receptions, waiting to be unraveled and understood.
