The Mosley Review: Ms. Marvel

I don't know why, but I'm a bit torn with this new series. On the one hand you have a wonderfully color, fun, cute and sometimes hilarious teen coming of age comedy. This series does something in America that isn't done very often and that is celebrate the beauty and family based culture of the Muslim people. I loved that when we go to Karachi, its not full of poor and starving people but instead they’re thriving and making art. There is so much to love about this show and how its coming age story is very in the now. On the other hand, I felt the insane mad dash to get to the action and what makes this show a Marvel series. It really hampered the brilliance of the storytelling and almost abandons what was making it so great. I really felt that toward the second half of the show, the amount of lore exposition that is dumped on you and then followed up by an over extended series of action sequences that are way too convenient. There is a moment where the villain of the series magically gets their weapon back and really never answers the question of how they got everything back. Its moments like those conveniences for plot that really make you wonder what happened in the writing or editing room. I think the 6 episode format of these shows really need to change to maybe longer episodes or maybe 8 episodes. So I'm split between feeling the fun spirit of the series and feeling the "Marvel sheen" fade right now with the amount of rushed storytelling and dumb story decisions. What I'm definitely not split on is the characters in this new show and how they all play off each other so well.

Iman Vellani was amazing, adorable and sweet as Kamala Khan. Right from the opening minutes of the show I immediately fell in love with her personality and charm. Iman lights up the screen with every smile and really delivers a heartwarming and emotional performance. Her progression from bumbling superhero fan of Captain Marvel to her own fully fledged neighborhood hero was fun to watch and earned. Her relationship with her friends and family were the heart of the show and they all matched her level. Matt Lintz was really fun as Kamala's bestfriend Bruno Carrelli. He was fantastic and he was the perfect partner in Kamala's adventures. Their chemistry was astounding and if it was just about their day to day life, I would be content. I really liked Yasmeen Fletcher as her other friend Nakia Bahadir. She helped illustrate the political aspect of the social clubs in the mosque both Kamala and her attend. I loved that she was a powerful voice in the community for young women. Zenobia Shroff was excellent as Kamala's mother Muneeba. She was fantastic and had such great chemistry with Iman. Yes she played the role of the over protective mother to a growing and energetic daughter whom she doesn't completely understand, but you can't help but appreciate the amount of strength she provides. Mohan Kapur was awesome Kamala's father Yusuf. He does play up the sometimes goofy father, but he captures your heart throughout the series and provides one of the best scenes of the series in the season finale. Arian Moayed returns as Agent P. Cleary of Department of Damage Control (DODC) and he was great. Alysia Reiner was a bit one note as DODC Agent Sadie Deever, but she represents a good foil to deal with powered individuals. Rish Shah was good as Kamran and of course his part of the story was very predictable. There is a depth to him that is revealed in the ladder part of the series, but it felt uneven and rushed at times. I'm interested in seeing more of him though.

The score by Laura Karpman was fantastic and I love Ms. Marvel's theme. The score is energetic and adds scale to every action scene and emotion to the more tender moments effortlessly. Visually the show is fantastic and the lighting was great. Now I know that Ms. Marvel's powers have changed from their comic roots, but I didn't mind it. Like I said before, there is alot of lore dumping in the middle chapters of the show that sometimes felt overwhelming and rushed to get to the ending showdown. There are some serious story conveniences that happen here that sort off break the rules of the show. There is also a reference to something in the future of Marvel that felt so forced. Almost like someone took a stick and started beating you over the head with it. Aside from those problems, this was truly a surprisingly fun series that unlike the character Ms. Marvel idolizes, has earned its place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Definitely check out the mid credit scene in the finale. Let me know what you thought of the show or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!