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.