I’m a Pakistani-American and I cried so much during this show. Never knew it felt this good to see your story on screen in a positive light. Glad to hear some other non-Pakistanis seem to have liked the show too.
I didn’t really understand why representation was so important until I saw the newest Spider-Man. They go into Ned’s house and he’s Filipino like me. His grandmother is my mom basically. I cried because I hadn’t seen myself or my home on screen until then. I had seen Filipino before but never a moment of our culture in the movies. We’re always Native American or Mexican but he was Filipino. I didn’t know i wanted to feel seen until i was. I finally understood why it was so important. I’m really happy you felt represented. It’s more important than I knew.
@@RayVi5ions Representation isn't really important in these stories because they add nothing to the story. It's just filler. Plus the focus on it is what made this show boring, besides the bad writing, because it felt like we're watching a drama documentary instead of a superhero show. They did absolutely nothing with Kamala because they didn't want to write a good story.
I'm an old white guy and I loved this show! Iman gave one of my favorite performances in any high school based show. Her naturalism really sold me. I think it's sad that more people can't see themselves in shows like this. We were all that age once.
I thought this series was a little flawed, and certainly sagged a bit in the middle, but it’s not often that you come across a piece of media that feels like it was so completely made with love and compassion. It practically vibrates out of the screen in every shot, and it was an absolute joy to experience every week.
Yeah, I think it suffered a bit with establishing two antagonistic forces with the Clandestine and the feds or whatever they are. But like you said, this definitely felt like it was made with love.
If nothing else, I appreciate that this show opens the door to learn about a culture many seem to be unfamiliar with. While it may not be in the greatest depth, I have to admire the risk taken to talk about something as big as partition, especially considering its seemingly absent in a lot of Western films, let alone blockbusters. Paired with a great cast, I'm genuinely excited to see where they go with the character
I would be happy with all of that if it weren't so poorly written and executed in the final episode, with no stakes to anything and the worst villains in the MCU. A for effort, F for execution.
@@kempkennedy5068 For my money, the strength of the entire show was the main character, Kamala Khan. It is very much her story, and learning about the type of person she is. To be honest, I've heard a lot of people cite these characters as the worst MCU villains, but I never even saw them as the real antagonists. They were simply an occasional threat, ones who were purely acting out of desperation. Hence, when they realise their whole goal has pretty much been for nothing, passing their gifts/curse to the next generation, in keeping with the whole idea of family within this show. Is it a bit clunky at times? Absolutely, and I do wish there was a better flow. But at the same time, it did successfully, at least for me, tell an introductory story in unique & warm manner, & took risks rather than playing it straight, and I have to applaud it for that...
The Muslim slice of life stuff was very interesting and I very much enjoyed. The superhero powers and extra dimension stuff felt confused and rushed and generic. The evil Noor dimension lady's attitude seemed to shift so quickly that I felt I'd genuinely missed scenes. Like Kamala help us get home then Kamala is like yes I want to help and even when Bruno says that's a bad idea she still wants to help and then next thing is Kamala you didn't help immediately and therefore you and your family must die. And then in the end portal is open Kamala is like but what if you were good and she's like you know what ok
😂😂 That’s a precise summary. You got me thinking I missed scenes too. Kamala is good at persuasion and empathy though but I wish there was more time spent there with her, the Djinn and her son.
The whole Djinn/ClanDestine part of the plot, while being the main threat, somehow still felt like a side plot to me. It's like they were portrayed as being threatening but never really did anything that showed you why they should be feared. I know they needed a villain but I personally feel like the Damage Control vs superpowered beings was more interesting for a character as young as Ms. Marvel who is coming to terms with her abilities, how, and when to use them. Felt like it would have fit better with all the other character driven narrative strengths Dan mentioned rather than yet another super powered not-really-going-to-happen world ending threat.
I liked both antagonists, but yeah, I felt like they should have focused on just one, and kinda plant the seeds for the other one to be the big bad later.
Fully agreed. I'll just copy-paste what I said about this in the Fandom Entertainment spoiler review of ep 6: I admit that I could have done without the whole Clandestine thing and the Pakistani sidetrip. Especially since for the last episode they pivot back to Damage Control being the main villains. That whole Noor thing made this fun, wacky high school hijinks take on World Ending Stakes and I for one would have liked to not have those. Not yet anyway. Instead, they would have had two-three more episodes to build up relationships and do more cat-and-mouse stuff with Damage Control. If you really want to have Kamran's Mom as a villain, it would have been easy enough to keep it vague. You could have her try something with the bangle and either fry herself up or whilst trying to transfer its power to Kamran, she causes Kamran to become 'destabilized', hence leading to the DC confrontation in the last episode. And if you wish to set up the Clandestines, Kamran could have said something about knowing some people who can help, and give a number to Kamala, who then gets the orders to get Kamran to the docks and he will be taken care of. No need for the Red Daggers at all. The whole Red Daggers and Djinn and Noor felt totally unnecessary for the main plot. And while I did like the romance flashback, it did not need to be part of this season. Instead, it would have made a great Season 2 intro, when we could find out more about the bangle. EDIT: And yeah, I agree with Lon that the family dynamic was much more fun than the superheroics. Another reason why I was disappointed about the Clandestine storyline. While I did like grandma's and mom's dynamic, too, I wish they had saved it for the second season,, as I said above.
I feel they really dropped the ball on both villains. But the actress, her family, Pakistani culture, the interesting re-imagined aspect to her powers... the suit is...okay.
I thought damage control was kind of stupid. This is post blip MCU and one teenager who didnt really cause that much damage and they send in all these armoured goons. They were the uninteresting part of the finale. The woman with the slick back hair in DC seems like she was miscast tbh. She just didnt have a menacing quality to her.
I didn't care for the Najma as the villain. Her behavior was all over the place. Asks Kamala nicely for help, tells her to think about it. Kamala says she needs more time. She immediately go into public kill mode. Knows Aisha is the only person who knows where the bangle is. Proceeds to stab her and leave for dead. Doesn't bother to search her, or look for her husband or child to see if they have it. Just walks off and waits decades. Leaves her own son behind with DC because she's consumed with her mission. Suddenly reverses because of a fairly mild speech reminding her that she has a son. Like, what the f---- is this character?
I think Ms Marvel reminded me a lot of a phase 1 mcu movie where it's main focus was the main character and their arc while the villain was lackluster (with exceptions of course, loki) and it felt refreshing seeing that again
I loved this show so much! I cried quite a bit. I haven't "felt" this much watching a Marvel production probably ever as much as I did with this show. I loved everything. The Production, the direction, the cast, the supporting cast, the music, the representation, the comic booky-ness of it!. A+ show.
I was really surprised by this thing! I didn't even mind that story itself was run-of-the-mill. I saw myself laughing out loud ("brown jovi" and then the kitchen worker going "NOPE" were awesome moments haha) - and even crying, too... The lead actor is adorable. Even the action was actually cool in some episodes, like the ruined wedding one.
The show was so fun in New Jersey but felt the writing was rushed/dipped when it went to Pakistan. I was so happy when we were finally back in NJ with the fam and Bruno. Maybe if they had 1-2 more episodes the middle would’ve been better. I wanted more about the partition cause I’ve never seen that on screen but maybe it would be too dark.
@@austincarlson9270 I still enjoyed the middle episodes because I loved the acting and interactions. I'd say the middle episodes of obi wan were far worse.
Dan, honestly this is a wonderfully considered review. You have a really special way of articulating your thoughts & doing so accurately in my opinion. Well done 🙏🏾
This show meant so much to me. I felt it was talking about my own life. I felt i became a superheroe and saved my community. Please make more shows like this
I thought the finale was actually much better then I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be super rushed but a bunch of stuff got addressed and so overall I thought the show was just GOOD. Decent and yet if it only had been one or two episodes more. I don’t like the 6 episode format anymore they need to stop with that. This could’ve been one of the best things Marvel ever did had it been longer. Aside from a few other criticisms of the villains and some editing choices and a few wonky CGI shots the show is decent. I liked it!!👍
the end of episode 4 kept in me in my seat crying for about 10 mins after the credits. i was so ....taken by seeing families splitting up by force it made my stomach turn. it felt so violating, kuddos to Disney for pushing there.
I hoped they kept the Edgar Wright-ish style of the beginning episodes, but they kind of ditched it towards the end. Overall I really enjoyed this show. Very cute.
I think that was a practical decision. The early episodes were not action heavy and the CGI could be used for visual gags to create a new atmosphere for the show.
I think Disney actually did a disservice to this show releasing it during the same days as Obi Wan. This isn't network television where if you release a show in a time slot right before or after a huge successful show to hope people will tune in and ride off the coat tales. I think it deserved to stand on it's on and on it's own day. I love Star Wars but at times I found this show just more enjoyable to watch especially the first episode and the beginning of the 5th episode and even this last episode. Sure it has it's flaws but overall it was great because of the characters. It's really cool seeing an intact family dynamic, I mean she has both her parents and her brother not one of them is dead (yet this is marvel so probably will happen eventually). I think her suit is really special because of each piece added has meaning and being made by her mom who was so against things in the beginning is really lovely to see. And I just loved her character and the actress player her I think your right she is a perfect choice. I hope Disney realize they are actually doing something good with Miss Marvel and don't let pure numbers cloud their judgement, after all I don't think they gave it a fair shake or time to breathe through word of mouth. And I can tell you I have seen a lot of hate thrown at the show before it even came out because it was about a teenage girl who happen to be Pakistani and Muslim, sometimes internet trolls are too loud spewing hate and those individuals likely never even attempted to watch the show. I'll admit the trailer didn't make me think I was gonna like the show and I thought about skipping watching but so glad I didn't because first episode I loved Kamala. Also let me just say as a huge fan of the animated Xmen show (literally one of my 3 fav shows growing up along with Batman animated series and Gargoyles) and flipped out a bit when I heard the show them song in the last episode. Maybe others saw it coming but I didn't. The thing this show did right was having not only so many people involved of the culture but also having so much passion and heart for this project. Even if the story could be a bit all over the place at times it was good overall because of the character and her family.
Can’t wait until Ms.Marvel, Love, Billy and Tommy, America Chavez, Kid Loki, Kate Bishop, Iron Heart, Cassie Lang, Torres, Elijah Bradley, Sprite & Miles interact in Young Avengers
First time I’ve ever come across you Dan, and really wasn’t expecting such a positive and fantastic review - touched on all the spoiler points I wanted too 😁 Being similar to yourself in that I’m in my 30s, felt your perspective on the audience they were trying to target opened my mind to what they were doing with that which was a refreshing feeling. Great work man - you have a new subscriber!
Idk i loved the show but I think most of Phase 4 is about the world ending and the Main Hero saving it. Ms. Marvel isn't an exception because if the Clandestines got the bangle and opened the portal the world would end. But seems like the finale no longer focused on that anymore because of what happened on Episode 5.
31 y/o and absolutely loved this show. It felt the most authentic and fresh and grounded in a long time. I wish we’d gotten more time with her family Vs superhero-ing, but it was such a fun series to watch. Can’t wait for more Ms. Marvel content. Also, All of the side characters were honestly just as enjoyable!
@@oliverbleuyoutube what isn't there to hate? The characters are cringey, it is a coming of age story, not enough action, boring powers that aren't even her actual powers, she's a mutant for some reason. The only thing that I will give it credit for is its visual effects
@@justadictatorridingonanuke3714 well those are certainly opinions you can have. changing her powers doesn’t bug me, nor does it being a coming of age story. there are definitely some cringy motifs like TikTok and what not, but you gotta understand what demographic it’s marketed/written for. I loved seeing beautiful Muslim representation as someone very interested in their culture n such.
I absolutely LOVED the show. It’s adorable and Iman is a true find. Her and her family made me excited to watch every week. Can’t wait for what’s next.
Probably the best post credit scene we've seen in a Disney Plus show (dark saber Moff Gideon scene included) That is how you hype us up heading into an MCU movie! This series was a home run. It doesn't have to be darkness and brooding all the damn time
As a viewer who is in their 40’s and well beyond the target demographic age for Ms. Marvel, I found the show absolutely charming and engaging. The characters were well-rounded and the visual story-telling was constantly creative. The cultural exchange of the show was sharp and welcoming to those who are unfamiliar with Muslim American communities and Pakistani history. Dealing with her powers was both awkward and fun. This is what drew me to Spider-Man when I was growing up. I’m only familiar with her first story arc, but seeing her sitting on the light pole was as iconic as Spidey swinging through Manhattan. It shows how much life can be had in the superhero genre when creators get some running room
I’m about your age Dan, and as a fan of the comics, this show honestly made me happy. Such a fresh reprieve from most of the stuff MCU shows have been about. Iman is perfect casting, she’s literally Kamala khan personified. Can’t wait for more. Her power set being tweaked and her being a mutant instead of inhuman is fine with me.
Disney needs to reevaluate their 6 episode format because it makes most of their shows suffer in terms of pacing and storytelling. 8 episodes would be a better length for the type of storytelling they hope to achieve with their shows. The most ideal would be to let the shows take up as many episodes as they need to complete a well rounded story arc
I agree 100% with you. While a lot of the D+ shows have been inventive in many ways, the (6) episode format is really starting to feel too formulaic and the ebbs of the stories end up seeming a bit too "copy+paste". I recall years ago both Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal noted that the beauty of streaming was the flexible runtime. Any episode can take as long or as little as it needs to tell the story well. I wish Marvel would apply the same logic to their episode totals. The other factor is cost I suppose. I think they spent nearly $25m / episode of 'Wandavision'. For comparison, episodes of 'Daredevil' cost between $3m-$4m.
I’m a 50 year old white guy who really warmed to this show! Sure it skewers a little young and the ‘big hands’ FX at the end were kind of ridiculous (and somewhat Power Rangers) - but it was a lot of fun. As Dan said, the characters are the shows true strength - especially Kamala and her whole perfectly cast (extended) family. And it’s great to see all kinds of representation (female empowerment, race, Muslim religion etc.) handled so thoughtfully and respectfully. Loads of great moments but Episode 5 was my fav. Like Moonknight, it’s another interesting addition to the MCU that I’d like to see explored some more.
I very much agree with you, Dan. And I'd add that the Pakistan/Partition history dimensions of the show were very courageous TV. As a Brit, I wish UK TV had been a tenth as gutsy and committed and creative in its programming during the 70th anniversary a few years ago. What a story - and as you say, how well integrated into Kamala Kahn's story! Can't wait for seaon 2 or new movie, etc.
You've been on a roll! I feel the EXACT same way about Iman and the show. Once she mysteriously got really good with her power and she was going against an army of people with no names, twice, the show went downhill. I REALLY enjoyed the first 2 episodes when it was mainly about her family, friends, and culture.
The show started great with great character, writing, STYLE and just plain fun. Then the introduction of Clandestines slowed it down. I don't know who's at fault but it felt that it was rushed and serve no ultimate purpose. Then the flashback episode was great and felt truly unique to the MCU, they should've just focus on this episode or give more time and development to the clandestine. Then the final episode came and it felt great 👍. Overall its just plain fun and awesome with a few episode being really unnecessary or underdeveloped.
I think that the show would be so much better with the entire Jinn plot line removed. It felt so inconsistent and raised the stakes so high only for the problem to be completely resolved by someone who was not our main protagonist before we even knew what was happening and it was never discussed again. That being said, this is probably my second favorite MCU show because literally every character in the show was so charming and so much fun to be around. I just would have loved the show more with less action and even more relationship moments.
I was able to watch this show with my mom and sister, and I'm so glad I did. In fact I feel like they, who've seen 2 other MCU projets between them, were more excited too watch the show than I was, just because the show was able to tell stories that we could relate to and understood extensively the history behind it. I feel a swell of pride that the show was able to depict this minority group, My minority group, with a respectful light, one that is loving and compassionate about their community. I hope the show gets another season, because these characters had been such a treat to watch how they interact. Thank you Dan for a great review!
I'm a white man in my 40s and I watched this show with my 7 year old daughter and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I had much more fun than with Moon Knight and really enjoyed the characters and the Pakistani back story.
The funny thing with the Inhuman vs Mutant origin is that the original creators wanted her to be a mutant but there was a mandate at the time to push the Inhumans and kill the mutants, if she had been launched a year sooner, she probably would have always been a mutant.
I feel exactly like you do. The culture aspect and relationships between characters were great. The last episode was definitely my least favorite, probably because the superhero aspects were the least interesting parts.
The pacing and writing were jarringly inconsistent. The first three episodes and the last three felt like the belonged to two completely different shows. The Djinn were so one note and cartoonish.
The beginning and end of the season were great, but the middle felt so slow. I love the characters, and the lore behind Kamala's family was so cool, but it felt like they were trying to fill the middle half of the show with just a few minutes worth of lore. I feel like this could have been three hours and been a lot more concise.
@@markdaly1903 imo it wouldn't have felt so out of place if we didn't already get information about the partition through dialogue. The flashback was cool on its own, but the only new information it gave was "great grandma didn't leave she died, also Kamala was there". And it took up most of the episode's time.
@@misticsword7561 I can definitely see it feeling rushed. If instead of getting a lot of information through dialogue about the partition, we instead go an episode dedicated to learning about it, and have that tie into the Kamala moment, it could have felt more in place. But either way you go with it, pacing is an issue.
This show was so much fun and had so much style. All of the Disney+ shows have felt messy to varying degrees, but of these series, Ms. Marvel is among the best for me. The characters are fantastic, and the main friend group is just super-compelling with their chemistry. It felt very Spiderman: Homecoming for me. The villains were very meh, and I think it's misguided to use it as a backdoor mutant intro, but I enjoyed it quite a bit over all.
My favorite Disney show by far! Episode 5 was a little confusing but every other episode was full of charm, wonderful family dynamic, and great vibe and music!
I am in my early fifties and love this show. Was it perfect? No. It was fun and touching though. I was a History major and knew very little about the Partition. Add in the big reveal, and it was fantastic. I love seeing a female superhero treated with respect.
I'm a 34 year old Mexican woman and I really enjoyed the show. You calling it "the most colorful" Disney+ show so far is exactly why. The last few years have been rough, so I've been a bit fatigued of shows "grounded in reality." I like that this was bright and loud like a comic book. Reminded me of Into the Spiderverse. Also, ever since I saw Bend It Like Beckham, I'm just fascinated by the similarities between middle eastern brown families and Mexican brown families. The undying familial love that is so often intertwined with generational trauma, the fantastic food, the expectations, etc. Great show!
I know they're teasing Kamala as a mutant but I hope it's just like a throw off line. I only say that cause the Inhuman storyline feels more natural if they're gonna team her and Carol Danvers together since Carol has a Kree background and Inhumans are just humans that have Kree blood in their system it just makes some sense. Besides that I really enjoyed this show! Iman Vellani's performance is amazing and honestly makes me wish we had more of this show in like a villain of the week type of deal or something so we can get more used to seeeing Bruno and Nakia interact with Kamala
It's likely that they will establish that mutants and inhumans are the same. Retconning their mistake of making the 2010s about them because they didn't have movie rights cause of Fox.
Loved the show❤. Good to see you enjoyed it. I hear you on the culture and character being more interesting than the superhero and magic stuff for this show.
I liked Ms Marvel so much I rewatched Captain Marvel for the first time in anticipation for The Marvels 😂 Also, it felt like the first time I had seen a mosque and its community represented on film/TV in any meaningful way. Coming from a church background I also felt strangely represented, as not many characters are incidentally religious.
This show was such a nice change of pace. Focusing more on art stylizations as well as cultural diversity, this feels a lot different to some other things we’ve seen lately. A pretty great show overall.
@@elgaen555 i binged it last night after being away from disney plus for awhile. while the character is adorable in a dorky way. she was too whingy and it felt too rushed in places. i never heard of the character, ms. marvel a bit like antman before those movies.
I really enjoyed the cultural aspects of the show and her family and their lives. But everything else really fell short. The story was disconnected and all over the place. The writing was a let done. They had so many characters. By the time we got to the final episode I completely forgot who the Zoe girl was. It was a teen drama, which I don’t criticize it for that. Just not for me.
Wasn’t until I saw Kamala in her suit, looking proudly in the mirror that I realized how much I wanted to see a Peter Parker-esque super hero story, but with a girl. Brought tears to my eyes.
6:49 As far as I'm concerned an Inhumans storyline was done really well on Agents of Shield. Unfortunately the MCU treats that show as if it doesn't exist and subsequent stories that have been told mean anything after the 3rd season of AoS would break canon.
All the superhero side felt like a side story to the charismatic characters and their own stories. Casting throughout was on point and I can't wait to see more of her in the marvels.
I know this video is a few months old, I came here from your Phase 4 top 10. As a Pakistani-American, THANK YOU. What I absolutely loved is that mosque scene being natural. There are MANY scenes in churches with sympathetic priests or a few in Synagogues with sympathetic Rabis in American shows. This is the first time I saw a sympathetic and normal Imam. And the partition scene reminded me of my grandparents who were on trains like that and made me think Pakistan was a big mistake, an EU like very-lose union of states with complete separation of religion and state would have been great. The bad part was when it turned into an old school Pakistani show that I was forced to watch due to my sisters when I lived there.
I come from black and latino decent. It was really cool to see the cliques within the Muslim community in the show. I can relate the group of older women at the festival talking gossip to my aunts and their chisme.
Even though I’m not the target demographic, I couldn’t help but love this show for all the reasons Dan said, and my expectations were different from the average Marvel show of “I expect a fairly chill series, nothing mind-blowing” but I got so engaged that all the big swings landed and I couldn’t help but have fun! I remember once hearing that these shared universes work partially cause they’re fun, and so I hope a lotta great lessons are taken from this show for future works 😁
This 46 year old CIS male who grew up in the 80s & on Marvel & DC comics absolutely loved this new character’s series, despite not knowing much about her. The heart, chemistry, flavor, sounds, music & history was so warm, vibrant & fascinating to me, but similarly to Falcon & Winter Soldier, the villains were absolutely the weak point; comparative to CW. The MCU needs to decide, design & execute villains according to what’s worked as the most formidable, intimidating & artistic in the past and this was definitely not it.
I've been to Karachi several times and I loved the hospitality. I felt that the show nailed SOME aspects of Pakistani culture but also missed a few elements
As someone in my mid-30's, this has been one of my favs of the MCU D+ shows easily. I could see that it was targeting someone a bit younger, but people who were trying to make it out like this was a Disney Channel Original show are just crazy. I'm a little biased, in that I was buying and reading her initial run of comics when they came out, but this show hit so much of what made that run special. I think if they had just flat out cut the whole Clan Destine stuff it would have been much better, as DODC was much better as the villians, but I still loved this overall. It's just really nice to have a superhero that brings something new and fresh, as well as having a great family dynamic that leads to some very touching moments. It was also nice to be made aware of Partition, and it feels insane that such an important event like that was never covered in any of my history classes in school.
This is a great show. I feel it is one of the most complete shows Marvel has done. From the beginning with the into of Kamala through her journey of discovering who she is and what her powers are, has been phenomenal. There is no part of this show where it really lags in the six episodes. If there is a flaw in this show it is that it should have been ten episodes long. Iman was a perfect casting for the character. Every member of her family was likeable and engaging and their interactions with Kamala was the best part of this show. If they took out the superhero stuff in this show, it possibly could have made the show even better focusing on the friends, family, community and dealing with culture, history and society in America.
I'm an old comic book reader. 61. I've been reading comics from the day I started to read. Maybe I'm not the target demo,and mYbe I dont care for the comic book Ms MARVEL. But I loved this charming and fun TV series. Just loved it.
Apart from really weak villains the show was super lovely overall. Arguably the best MCU show so far. I agree that I loved the character, home-life, cultural stuff way more than the actual superheroing as well.
I freaking LOVED this show so much. Easily, my second all-time MCU Disney Plus show. Ladies and gentlemen, we have Mutants in the MCU!!! The Mutants are coming!!! It is now confirmed: Iman Vellani is a superstar in the making. This girl has that it factor within her. Also, that Captain Marvel cameo has me more excited for The Marvels. This show has been nothing but phenomenal, and I LOVED every bit of it. Congratulations, Ms. Marvel!
Great review Dan. Although not perfect, there was something special about Ms. Marvel that made it stick out from the other disney+ series. I thinks the MCU has big plans for Iman and she’s earned it.
Hey Dan, great stuff. My personal opinion is that I really could care less when Disney drops shows. These days, I wait until I see the reviews (like yours) first, to see if it's worth the watch. So far, none of the shows seem worth the waste of time. Does that make sense?
This is a rumor that I heard from a friend of mine who is friends with one of the cast members when the show was in production, but apparently Iman was cast because she in general EXACTLY represents the character in real life too. She loves Marvel in real life, represents the demographic, and had no acting experience just LIVED experience which brought truth to her character. She was just a natural fit, and so your comment about her being sort of destined to play this character is kinda true. I like to think this character was made based on her and people who are really like her. It's just good character building.
Dan at about the 8:00 mark you were wondering about the post credit scene. Kamala looked at her band and shook it, that's when the switcheroo happened. Back in ye olden days, Captain Marvel used to switch places with Rick Jones via the nega-bands. That's my bet what's going on.
The show did nothing for Kamala and I had low expectations thanks to the trailer. All flash no substance. No struggle nor any lesson learned. Nothing to overcome. It's crazy that a video game did this character justice than a official show with a bigger budget.
I really enjoyed the show start to finish. They did her character justice even with the deviation in her origin and power set. That said, what they did makes sense for the MCU. We don't need all of the (often redundant and ludicrous) breadth that exists in the comics. That's what comics are for. Slim it down to the most important things for the MCU. Keep it coming!
I think my only real complaint I have for this series comes down to the Clandestine storyline and how quickly it kinda wraps up, as well as how quickly Nanjma flips from only caring about the other dimension to deciding to stop the gate from opening. On the flip side, tho, I loved how the show used Damage Control in this series. It touches on issues with Govt Agencies targeting and spying on the Muslim population, issues I remember learning about in a compelling documentary about a former Muslim CIA informant. I respect the show for touching on that, or at least as much as it could for it’s younger-skewing target audience.
I really liked the graphics and realized imaginings. I liked the family and friends. Her powers seemed a bit ... ummm ... wonky I guess, for live action ... but acceptable. The thing that I didn't like was all the unexplained stuff, and there was a lot - especially surrounding the Clandestines. Why the sudden change from "will you help us" to "kill her!"? I needed to know more about the nature of the rift between the world's, what power they had in our world, how the bangle was supposed get them home, and Najma's relationship with Kamala's great grandmother in order to understand anything that happened in episode 5. All this makes me wonder if they need to either rethink the six episode season, or really think about how many story points they need to cram into such a short season. I think I would have been happier getting more of the personal story of the bangle, the Clandestines, and how they all come together around Kamala, then devote most of the last episode to a sub plot (in my opinion) about Damage Control ... and, sorry, but Federal agents actually firing guns at high school kids with civilians surrounding them close enough to be in life threatening danger ... So completely ridiculous that it can not be explained away by a rogue commander who then doesn't get thrown in jail ... unless they are making a commentary on police shootings ... Is that what they were doing? 🤔
Thanks for pointing out how weird it was for Disney to release it at the same time as that Star Wars show (that had way more expectation around it). It's not the first time that Disney messes up the release of some female-led Marvel show or movie. Which show did they choose to start this whole Disney+ exclusive content release strategy? Wandavision. It could have easily flopped because D+ wasn't as big as it is now. So it was an experiment (that worked out well). Which movie did they choose for the PA strategy? Black Widow. Worked for D+ (almost $150M on PA alone), but not that much for Marvel's (fans?) bragging rights when it comes to BW's box office (we know it could have easily done +550M worldwide if it hadn't been available on Disney+ at the time of release, but at the same time we can just "guess" how much it would have done). Now with Ms. Marvel they've done it again. Release it at the same time as a way more popular show, to kinda sweep it under the rug. I love Marvel, but I don't like Disney, and with these moves they pull, I like them even less. And with that whole Scarlett Johansson mess, they kinda proved how little they care about women. xD Btw I agree with you on the authenticity part. Marvel seems to be doing representation *right* finally, something I think most Hollywood corporations don't seem to have managed to do yet (and Marvel has failed at that in the past as well).
This is a good show with good heart. I loved the ending reveal of mutants in the MCU with The X-Men 97 Theme. Loved The Post Credit scene with Carol. Iman is a star and a natural talent, Hope she gets a lot of time in The Marvels and hopefully Young Avengers.
I feel both of them dropping them at the exact same time was purely for research. If you have to choose 1, what do you choose. It's for them to get data ob what people ultimately want, even if they saw the other one right after.
7/10 Show was mostly pretty standard. Not bad but enjoyable. Feels exactly like Hawkeye's show. Things that stood out were the characters, I really liked Kamala's and Bruno's character. The editing was also really unique. Story was mostly okay, but there was a lot of things still unexplained like Kamran's power and wtv the hell all that Veil stuff was on episode 5. The inclusion of new culture was also fresh and interesting, but they did spend almost an entire episode (episode 4) doing cultural exposition and that was annoying. Things that I didn't like were the Clandestines's storyline. It led absolutely nowhere and they were created for the sake of having an enemy for the protagonist and served for the backstory of Kamala and Kamala's mother. But then again, the problem with that is because, at the end, Bruno revealed that it might more because Kamala was a mutant rather than because she had Clandestine genes as to why she could use her powers and not her other family members. I don't mind the ending honestly giving that surprise reveal but it makes what was built before, pointless. I also didn't like the fact that I was more excited about the word "mutation" than the show itself, not that I didn't like it. It's just that Marvel is just becoming less exciting after each new release. This is a more of general opinion, but I really don't like the 6-episode format Disney's been doing. So far only one show worked well in this format and that was Loki. Story was interesting and engaging throughout. All the characters had a purpose and I liked all of them. But if you look at all the other shows, they are mostly the same. Either too short to tell a concise story or not short enough that it could be made into a movie instead (so less filler episodes). It just makes me think Disney is doing this so that people would stay subscribed to their platform, because 6 episodes cover just over a month (you are guaranteed to pay the price of 2 months to watch and finish every show) and they save more money by not renting theatres to show their movies.
I thought the Clandestines were just very stupid villains. I couldn’t get over that early on how they felt compelled to barge into a family wedding and threaten to kill everyone if Kamala doesn’t help them right away when she seemed more than ready to help them anyway. Damage Control wasn’t that much better and I kind of wish that internal conflict in the organization came up sooner on whether how hard they were trying to capture two kids was right or not. Overall, I enjoyed the show and characters but by far the weakest part of the show was the seemingly mandatory injection of MCU-ness. PS: The mutant bit isn’t too surprising since I believe Marvel only made her an Inhuman originally due to licensing with Fox having the X-men. It’s the only real reason they tried to push Inhumans to begin with and even in the comics they threw the X-men under the bus during the 2010s.
Right! They have waited decades, couldn't they have waited onenmore night? I feel like if they had chose just one villain, they could have fleshed them out better. Yeah, the finales don't seem to be sticking the landing.
As a father of two this was my second favorite Marvel TV show only slightly behind WandaVision. I loved the family dynamics, which is what made the comic book popular. The cultural aspects were educational and respectfully and were a terrific demonstration of inclusion no matter your background. Marvel still has an antagonist problem in its movies and it’s TV shows. I just didn’t know or care too much about the antagonistic plight of the other dimension and Damage Control was just a faceless government agency. I continue to be optimistic about the Marvel properties, but after End Game they have all been a little lacking. I’ve rewatched all the movies up to End Game at least 4 times and these recent movies and shows just don’t have that something that makes me want to watch them again. Keep up the great reviews!
I enjoyed the first half of this show but the further we got in I could not care less about the Clandestine. I don't know why they decided to have 2 antagonist groups done in 6 episodes (really 5 episodes because the first episode was just character introduction). When I first saw the DODC as the "bad guy" I was like cool they are gonna tackle race and government surveillance. But that all stops when the djinn show up and I feel it doesn't add to Kamalas overall story as much as the DODC would have.
With the marketing (first point). Any chance they put them out at the same time to keep people on the site? Retain viewers by having them go from one to the other? Only reason I can think of
![[UA] NAVI vs MOUZ | BO5 | IEM Rio 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CMBYk0cbGoA/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m a Pakistani-American and I cried so much during this show. Never knew it felt this good to see your story on screen in a positive light. Glad to hear some other non-Pakistanis seem to have liked the show too.
The Pakistani slice of life stuff was the only part I particularly enjoyed, I felt the superhero extra dimension stuff was rushed and generic
You should read the comic you'll love it
I'm a 40 year old white male, Trump voter, and the human elements of this show made my eyes water at times.
I didn’t really understand why representation was so important until I saw the newest Spider-Man. They go into Ned’s house and he’s Filipino like me. His grandmother is my mom basically. I cried because I hadn’t seen myself or my home on screen until then. I had seen Filipino before but never a moment of our culture in the movies. We’re always Native American or Mexican but he was Filipino. I didn’t know i wanted to feel seen until i was. I finally understood why it was so important. I’m really happy you felt represented. It’s more important than I knew.
@@RayVi5ions Representation isn't really important in these stories because they add nothing to the story. It's just filler. Plus the focus on it is what made this show boring, besides the bad writing, because it felt like we're watching a drama documentary instead of a superhero show. They did absolutely nothing with Kamala because they didn't want to write a good story.
I'm an old white guy and I loved this show! Iman gave one of my favorite performances in any high school based show. Her naturalism really sold me. I think it's sad that more people can't see themselves in shows like this. We were all that age once.
I thought this series was a little flawed, and certainly sagged a bit in the middle, but it’s not often that you come across a piece of media that feels like it was so completely made with love and compassion. It practically vibrates out of the screen in every shot, and it was an absolute joy to experience every week.
Yeah, I think it suffered a bit with establishing two antagonistic forces with the Clandestine and the feds or whatever they are. But like you said, this definitely felt like it was made with love.
i felt there were times when kamala khan was whingy
I agree. I loved every minute.
If nothing else, I appreciate that this show opens the door to learn about a culture many seem to be unfamiliar with. While it may not be in the greatest depth, I have to admire the risk taken to talk about something as big as partition, especially considering its seemingly absent in a lot of Western films, let alone blockbusters. Paired with a great cast, I'm genuinely excited to see where they go with the character
I would be happy with all of that if it weren't so poorly written and executed in the final episode, with no stakes to anything and the worst villains in the MCU. A for effort, F for execution.
@@kempkennedy5068 For my money, the strength of the entire show was the main character, Kamala Khan. It is very much her story, and learning about the type of person she is. To be honest, I've heard a lot of people cite these characters as the worst MCU villains, but I never even saw them as the real antagonists. They were simply an occasional threat, ones who were purely acting out of desperation. Hence, when they realise their whole goal has pretty much been for nothing, passing their gifts/curse to the next generation, in keeping with the whole idea of family within this show.
Is it a bit clunky at times? Absolutely, and I do wish there was a better flow. But at the same time, it did successfully, at least for me, tell an introductory story in unique & warm manner, & took risks rather than playing it straight, and I have to applaud it for that...
The Muslim slice of life stuff was very interesting and I very much enjoyed. The superhero powers and extra dimension stuff felt confused and rushed and generic. The evil Noor dimension lady's attitude seemed to shift so quickly that I felt I'd genuinely missed scenes. Like Kamala help us get home then Kamala is like yes I want to help and even when Bruno says that's a bad idea she still wants to help and then next thing is Kamala you didn't help immediately and therefore you and your family must die. And then in the end portal is open Kamala is like but what if you were good and she's like you know what ok
😂😂 That’s a precise summary. You got me thinking I missed scenes too.
Kamala is good at persuasion and empathy though but I wish there was more time spent there with her, the Djinn and her son.
The whole Djinn/ClanDestine part of the plot, while being the main threat, somehow still felt like a side plot to me. It's like they were portrayed as being threatening but never really did anything that showed you why they should be feared. I know they needed a villain but I personally feel like the Damage Control vs superpowered beings was more interesting for a character as young as Ms. Marvel who is coming to terms with her abilities, how, and when to use them. Felt like it would have fit better with all the other character driven narrative strengths Dan mentioned rather than yet another super powered not-really-going-to-happen world ending threat.
I liked both antagonists, but yeah, I felt like they should have focused on just one, and kinda plant the seeds for the other one to be the big bad later.
Fully agreed. I'll just copy-paste what I said about this in the Fandom Entertainment spoiler review of ep 6:
I admit that I could have done without the whole Clandestine thing and the Pakistani sidetrip. Especially since for the last episode they pivot back to Damage Control being the main villains. That whole Noor thing made this fun, wacky high school hijinks take on World Ending Stakes and I for one would have liked to not have those. Not yet anyway.
Instead, they would have had two-three more episodes to build up relationships and do more cat-and-mouse stuff with Damage Control. If you really want to have Kamran's Mom as a villain, it would have been easy enough to keep it vague. You could have her try something with the bangle and either fry herself up or whilst trying to transfer its power to Kamran, she causes Kamran to become 'destabilized', hence leading to the DC confrontation in the last episode. And if you wish to set up the Clandestines, Kamran could have said something about knowing some people who can help, and give a number to Kamala, who then gets the orders to get Kamran to the docks and he will be taken care of. No need for the Red Daggers at all.
The whole Red Daggers and Djinn and Noor felt totally unnecessary for the main plot. And while I did like the romance flashback, it did not need to be part of this season. Instead, it would have made a great Season 2 intro, when we could find out more about the bangle.
EDIT: And yeah, I agree with Lon that the family dynamic was much more fun than the superheroics. Another reason why I was disappointed about the Clandestine storyline. While I did like grandma's and mom's dynamic, too, I wish they had saved it for the second season,, as I said above.
I feel they really dropped the ball on both villains. But the actress, her family, Pakistani culture, the interesting re-imagined aspect to her powers... the suit is...okay.
I thought damage control was kind of stupid. This is post blip MCU and one teenager who didnt really cause that much damage and they send in all these armoured goons. They were the uninteresting part of the finale. The woman with the slick back hair in DC seems like she was miscast tbh. She just didnt have a menacing quality to her.
I didn't care for the Najma as the villain. Her behavior was all over the place.
Asks Kamala nicely for help, tells her to think about it. Kamala says she needs more time. She immediately go into public kill mode.
Knows Aisha is the only person who knows where the bangle is. Proceeds to stab her and leave for dead. Doesn't bother to search her, or look for her husband or child to see if they have it. Just walks off and waits decades.
Leaves her own son behind with DC because she's consumed with her mission. Suddenly reverses because of a fairly mild speech reminding her that she has a son.
Like, what the f---- is this character?
I think Ms Marvel reminded me a lot of a phase 1 mcu movie where it's main focus was the main character and their arc while the villain was lackluster (with exceptions of course, loki) and it felt refreshing seeing that again
I loved this show so much! I cried quite a bit. I haven't "felt" this much watching a Marvel production probably ever as much as I did with this show. I loved everything. The Production, the direction, the cast, the supporting cast, the music, the representation, the comic booky-ness of it!. A+ show.
Yeah they tugged at your heartstrings 🥲😅
I was really surprised by this thing! I didn't even mind that story itself was run-of-the-mill. I saw myself laughing out loud ("brown jovi" and then the kitchen worker going "NOPE" were awesome moments haha) - and even crying, too... The lead actor is adorable. Even the action was actually cool in some episodes, like the ruined wedding one.
I agree with the Tom Holland comparison. I loved the style of the show but I think it ended stronger than it began.👍🏽
The middle episodes sucked
The show was so fun in New Jersey but felt the writing was rushed/dipped when it went to Pakistan. I was so happy when we were finally back in NJ with the fam and Bruno. Maybe if they had 1-2 more episodes the middle would’ve been better. I wanted more about the partition cause I’ve never seen that on screen but maybe it would be too dark.
@@austincarlson9270 Yup. Started great and then it got worse with each episode BUT the final episode saved it.
@@austincarlson9270 I still enjoyed the middle episodes because I loved the acting and interactions. I'd say the middle episodes of obi wan were far worse.
@@VanceRatt yeH I enjoyed rhe finale bu that's because it went back to its roots at the start
Dan, honestly this is a wonderfully considered review. You have a really special way of articulating your thoughts & doing so accurately in my opinion.
Well done 🙏🏾
As an Indian, it was absolutely lovely to watch an American show which was so relatable to me. I really liked it.
This show meant so much to me. I felt it was talking about my own life. I felt i became a superheroe and saved my community. Please make more shows like this
I thought the finale was actually much better then I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be super rushed but a bunch of stuff got addressed and so overall I thought the show was just GOOD. Decent and yet if it only had been one or two episodes more. I don’t like the 6 episode format anymore they need to stop with that. This could’ve been one of the best things Marvel ever did had it been longer.
Aside from a few other criticisms of the villains and some editing choices and a few wonky CGI shots the show is decent. I liked it!!👍
the end of episode 4 kept in me in my seat crying for about 10 mins after the credits. i was so ....taken by seeing families splitting up by force it made my stomach turn. it felt so violating, kuddos to Disney for pushing there.
I hoped they kept the Edgar Wright-ish style of the beginning episodes, but they kind of ditched it towards the end. Overall I really enjoyed this show. Very cute.
I think that was a practical decision. The early episodes were not action heavy and the CGI could be used for visual gags to create a new atmosphere for the show.
I think Disney actually did a disservice to this show releasing it during the same days as Obi Wan. This isn't network television where if you release a show in a time slot right before or after a huge successful show to hope people will tune in and ride off the coat tales. I think it deserved to stand on it's on and on it's own day. I love Star Wars but at times I found this show just more enjoyable to watch especially the first episode and the beginning of the 5th episode and even this last episode. Sure it has it's flaws but overall it was great because of the characters. It's really cool seeing an intact family dynamic, I mean she has both her parents and her brother not one of them is dead (yet this is marvel so probably will happen eventually). I think her suit is really special because of each piece added has meaning and being made by her mom who was so against things in the beginning is really lovely to see. And I just loved her character and the actress player her I think your right she is a perfect choice. I hope Disney realize they are actually doing something good with Miss Marvel and don't let pure numbers cloud their judgement, after all I don't think they gave it a fair shake or time to breathe through word of mouth. And I can tell you I have seen a lot of hate thrown at the show before it even came out because it was about a teenage girl who happen to be Pakistani and Muslim, sometimes internet trolls are too loud spewing hate and those individuals likely never even attempted to watch the show. I'll admit the trailer didn't make me think I was gonna like the show and I thought about skipping watching but so glad I didn't because first episode I loved Kamala. Also let me just say as a huge fan of the animated Xmen show (literally one of my 3 fav shows growing up along with Batman animated series and Gargoyles) and flipped out a bit when I heard the show them song in the last episode. Maybe others saw it coming but I didn't. The thing this show did right was having not only so many people involved of the culture but also having so much passion and heart for this project. Even if the story could be a bit all over the place at times it was good overall because of the character and her family.
Anyone else in tears by the end of episode 5?
me. i just watched
Can’t wait until Ms.Marvel, Love, Billy and Tommy, America Chavez, Kid Loki, Kate Bishop, Iron Heart, Cassie Lang, Torres, Elijah Bradley, Sprite & Miles interact in Young Avengers
Forgot Iron Lad, very important member for their story to fight Kang.
First time I’ve ever come across you Dan, and really wasn’t expecting such a positive and fantastic review - touched on all the spoiler points I wanted too 😁
Being similar to yourself in that I’m in my 30s, felt your perspective on the audience they were trying to target opened my mind to what they were doing with that which was a refreshing feeling.
Great work man - you have a new subscriber!
Thank you and welcome!
@@DanMurrellMovies Great to be aboard 😊🫡
I appreciate the ending. No world ending threats like most of the other projects we’ve seen lately.
Idk i loved the show but I think most of Phase 4 is about the world ending and the Main Hero saving it.
Ms. Marvel isn't an exception because if the Clandestines got the bangle and opened the portal the world would end. But seems like the finale no longer focused on that anymore because of what happened on Episode 5.
31 y/o and absolutely loved this show. It felt the most authentic and fresh and grounded in a long time. I wish we’d gotten more time with her family Vs superhero-ing, but it was such a fun series to watch. Can’t wait for more Ms. Marvel content. Also, All of the side characters were honestly just as enjoyable!
I'm 45 and I loved this show. Vellani was perfect casting. This felt so much like what Spider-Man should be.
Easily up there with Spider-Man. Absolutely loved it.
such a sweet and interesting show. Zenobia Shroff killlllled it as Muneeba!!
Easily down there with inhumans. Absolutely hated it
@@justadictatorridingonanuke3714 why did you hate it?
@@oliverbleuyoutube what isn't there to hate? The characters are cringey, it is a coming of age story, not enough action, boring powers that aren't even her actual powers, she's a mutant for some reason. The only thing that I will give it credit for is its visual effects
@@justadictatorridingonanuke3714 well those are certainly opinions you can have. changing her powers doesn’t bug me, nor does it being a coming of age story. there are definitely some cringy motifs like TikTok and what not, but you gotta understand what demographic it’s marketed/written for. I loved seeing beautiful Muslim representation as someone very interested in their culture n such.
I really loved this show and it’s refreshing to see a show that speaks my language.
I loved the show a lot the way the partition story was woven was truly perfect, I absolutely agree Iman was born for this role
I absolutely LOVED the show. It’s adorable and Iman is a true find. Her and her family made me excited to watch every week. Can’t wait for what’s next.
Probably the best post credit scene we've seen in a Disney Plus show (dark saber Moff Gideon scene included) That is how you hype us up heading into an MCU movie! This series was a home run. It doesn't have to be darkness and brooding all the damn time
❤exactly.
This was the best MCU/Disney+ show. I never left the show without feeling happier. Everyone was so good....and the music!
Ah Dan you missed a good opportunity for an intro pun, "Ms. Marvel's completed it's first season on Disney Plus, but is it a miss, or a marvel?"
As a viewer who is in their 40’s and well beyond the target demographic age for Ms. Marvel, I found the show absolutely charming and engaging. The characters were well-rounded and the visual story-telling was constantly creative. The cultural exchange of the show was sharp and welcoming to those who are unfamiliar with Muslim American communities and Pakistani history.
Dealing with her powers was both awkward and fun. This is what drew me to Spider-Man when I was growing up. I’m only familiar with her first story arc, but seeing her sitting on the light pole was as iconic as Spidey swinging through Manhattan. It shows how much life can be had in the superhero genre when creators get some running room
I’m about your age Dan, and as a fan of the comics, this show honestly made me happy. Such a fresh reprieve from most of the stuff MCU shows have been about. Iman is perfect casting, she’s literally Kamala khan personified. Can’t wait for more. Her power set being tweaked and her being a mutant instead of inhuman is fine with me.
Disney needs to reevaluate their 6 episode format because it makes most of their shows suffer in terms of pacing and storytelling.
8 episodes would be a better length for the type of storytelling they hope to achieve with their shows.
The most ideal would be to let the shows take up as many episodes as they need to complete a well rounded story arc
I agree 100% with you. While a lot of the D+ shows have been inventive in many ways, the (6) episode format is really starting to feel too formulaic and the ebbs of the stories end up seeming a bit too "copy+paste". I recall years ago both Charlie Cox and Jon Bernthal noted that the beauty of streaming was the flexible runtime. Any episode can take as long or as little as it needs to tell the story well. I wish Marvel would apply the same logic to their episode totals. The other factor is cost I suppose. I think they spent nearly $25m / episode of 'Wandavision'. For comparison, episodes of 'Daredevil' cost between $3m-$4m.
I’m a 50 year old white guy who really warmed to this show! Sure it skewers a little young and the ‘big hands’ FX at the end were kind of ridiculous (and somewhat Power Rangers) - but it was a lot of fun. As Dan said, the characters are the shows true strength - especially Kamala and her whole perfectly cast (extended) family. And it’s great to see all kinds of representation (female empowerment, race, Muslim religion etc.) handled so thoughtfully and respectfully. Loads of great moments but Episode 5 was my fav. Like Moonknight, it’s another interesting addition to the MCU that I’d like to see explored some more.
I love your reviews man! You are always fair and thorough!
I very much agree with you, Dan. And I'd add that the Pakistan/Partition history dimensions of the show were very courageous TV. As a Brit, I wish UK TV had been a tenth as gutsy and committed and creative in its programming during the 70th anniversary a few years ago. What a story - and as you say, how well integrated into Kamala Kahn's story! Can't wait for seaon 2 or new movie, etc.
One of my favourite parts of this show was the mention of Scott Lang's podcast because it feels like such a Scott Lang thing
You've been on a roll! I feel the EXACT same way about Iman and the show. Once she mysteriously got really good with her power and she was going against an army of people with no names, twice, the show went downhill. I REALLY enjoyed the first 2 episodes when it was mainly about her family, friends, and culture.
The show started great with great character, writing, STYLE and just plain fun. Then the introduction of Clandestines slowed it down. I don't know who's at fault but it felt that it was rushed and serve no ultimate purpose. Then the flashback episode was great and felt truly unique to the MCU, they should've just focus on this episode or give more time and development to the clandestine.
Then the final episode came and it felt great 👍. Overall its just plain fun and awesome with a few episode being really unnecessary or underdeveloped.
Love Dan's breakdowns
I think that the show would be so much better with the entire Jinn plot line removed. It felt so inconsistent and raised the stakes so high only for the problem to be completely resolved by someone who was not our main protagonist before we even knew what was happening and it was never discussed again. That being said, this is probably my second favorite MCU show because literally every character in the show was so charming and so much fun to be around. I just would have loved the show more with less action and even more relationship moments.
Absolutely. The Jin serves no purpose. Their plot points could have all been handed over to Kamran and it would have been fine.
I was able to watch this show with my mom and sister, and I'm so glad I did. In fact I feel like they, who've seen 2 other MCU projets between them, were more excited too watch the show than I was, just because the show was able to tell stories that we could relate to and understood extensively the history behind it. I feel a swell of pride that the show was able to depict this minority group, My minority group, with a respectful light, one that is loving and compassionate about their community. I hope the show gets another season, because these characters had been such a treat to watch how they interact. Thank you Dan for a great review!
I'm a white man in my 40s and I watched this show with my 7 year old daughter and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I had much more fun than with Moon Knight and really enjoyed the characters and the Pakistani back story.
The funny thing with the Inhuman vs Mutant origin is that the original creators wanted her to be a mutant but there was a mandate at the time to push the Inhumans and kill the mutants, if she had been launched a year sooner, she probably would have always been a mutant.
Ep. 1 & 2 are great
Ep. 3,4,5 are rough
And Ep. 6 is 🫤
I feel exactly like you do. The culture aspect and relationships between characters were great. The last episode was definitely my least favorite, probably because the superhero aspects were the least interesting parts.
With some quality headphones, your intro song really slaps. Some quality EQ work done there
The pacing and writing were jarringly inconsistent. The first three episodes and the last three felt like the belonged to two completely different shows. The Djinn were so one note and cartoonish.
The beginning and end of the season were great, but the middle felt so slow. I love the characters, and the lore behind Kamala's family was so cool, but it felt like they were trying to fill the middle half of the show with just a few minutes worth of lore. I feel like this could have been three hours and been a lot more concise.
i agree the stuff about the 1942 parttion of pakistan felt out of place.
marvel were going for a history lesson but it slowed the whole show down
I actually think it's rushed instead. An 8-10 episodes series would have filled it better, given more time to breeze.
@@markdaly1903 imo it wouldn't have felt so out of place if we didn't already get information about the partition through dialogue. The flashback was cool on its own, but the only new information it gave was "great grandma didn't leave she died, also Kamala was there". And it took up most of the episode's time.
@@misticsword7561 I can definitely see it feeling rushed. If instead of getting a lot of information through dialogue about the partition, we instead go an episode dedicated to learning about it, and have that tie into the Kamala moment, it could have felt more in place. But either way you go with it, pacing is an issue.
This show was so much fun and had so much style. All of the Disney+ shows have felt messy to varying degrees, but of these series, Ms. Marvel is among the best for me. The characters are fantastic, and the main friend group is just super-compelling with their chemistry. It felt very Spiderman: Homecoming for me. The villains were very meh, and I think it's misguided to use it as a backdoor mutant intro, but I enjoyed it quite a bit over all.
My favorite Disney show by far! Episode 5 was a little confusing but every other episode was full of charm, wonderful family dynamic, and great vibe and music!
I am in my early fifties and love this show. Was it perfect? No. It was fun and touching though. I was a History major and knew very little about the Partition. Add in the big reveal, and it was fantastic. I love seeing a female superhero treated with respect.
I'm Indian,but even I didn't know as much about the Partition. It was really well done!
I’m almost 40 too Dan😅... I loved this show!
I'm a 34 year old Mexican woman and I really enjoyed the show.
You calling it "the most colorful" Disney+ show so far is exactly why. The last few years have been rough, so I've been a bit fatigued of shows "grounded in reality." I like that this was bright and loud like a comic book. Reminded me of Into the Spiderverse.
Also, ever since I saw Bend It Like Beckham, I'm just fascinated by the similarities between middle eastern brown families and Mexican brown families. The undying familial love that is so often intertwined with generational trauma, the fantastic food, the expectations, etc. Great show!
I know they're teasing Kamala as a mutant but I hope it's just like a throw off line. I only say that cause the Inhuman storyline feels more natural if they're gonna team her and Carol Danvers together since Carol has a Kree background and Inhumans are just humans that have Kree blood in their system it just makes some sense.
Besides that I really enjoyed this show! Iman Vellani's performance is amazing and honestly makes me wish we had more of this show in like a villain of the week type of deal or something so we can get more used to seeeing Bruno and Nakia interact with Kamala
It's likely that they will establish that mutants and inhumans are the same. Retconning their mistake of making the 2010s about them because they didn't have movie rights cause of Fox.
For example, they will probably tell us that inhumans are a branch of mutants specific to what you're talking about.
@@jackdubz4247 to each is own, mate. I love wolverine and magneto.
Loved the show❤. Good to see you enjoyed it. I hear you on the culture and character being more interesting than the superhero and magic stuff for this show.
I liked Ms Marvel so much I rewatched Captain Marvel for the first time in anticipation for The Marvels 😂
Also, it felt like the first time I had seen a mosque and its community represented on film/TV in any meaningful way. Coming from a church background I also felt strangely represented, as not many characters are incidentally religious.
This show was such a nice change of pace. Focusing more on art stylizations as well as cultural diversity, this feels a lot different to some other things we’ve seen lately. A pretty great show overall.
The show was terrible
@@elgaen555 i binged it last night after being away from disney plus for awhile. while the character is adorable in a dorky way. she was too whingy and it felt too rushed in places. i never heard of the character, ms. marvel a bit like antman before those movies.
I really enjoyed the cultural aspects of the show and her family and their lives. But everything else really fell short. The story was disconnected and all over the place. The writing was a let done. They had so many characters. By the time we got to the final episode I completely forgot who the Zoe girl was. It was a teen drama, which I don’t criticize it for that. Just not for me.
Wasn’t until I saw Kamala in her suit, looking proudly in the mirror that I realized how much I wanted to see a Peter Parker-esque super hero story, but with a girl. Brought tears to my eyes.
I’m 23, but wasn’t that all of us as kids? Wondering what we’d do if we got powers?
6:49 As far as I'm concerned an Inhumans storyline was done really well on Agents of Shield. Unfortunately the MCU treats that show as if it doesn't exist and subsequent stories that have been told mean anything after the 3rd season of AoS would break canon.
ms marvel, loki, and wandavision are definitely the best mcu shows so far
All the superhero side felt like a side story to the charismatic characters and their own stories. Casting throughout was on point and I can't wait to see more of her in the marvels.
I know this video is a few months old, I came here from your Phase 4 top 10. As a Pakistani-American, THANK YOU. What I absolutely loved is that mosque scene being natural. There are MANY scenes in churches with sympathetic priests or a few in Synagogues with sympathetic Rabis in American shows. This is the first time I saw a sympathetic and normal Imam. And the partition scene reminded me of my grandparents who were on trains like that and made me think Pakistan was a big mistake, an EU like very-lose union of states with complete separation of religion and state would have been great. The bad part was when it turned into an old school Pakistani show that I was forced to watch due to my sisters when I lived there.
this show was sooo good as a family drama
I come from black and latino decent. It was really cool to see the cliques within the Muslim community in the show. I can relate the group of older women at the festival talking gossip to my aunts and their chisme.
Even though I’m not the target demographic, I couldn’t help but love this show for all the reasons Dan said, and my expectations were different from the average Marvel show of “I expect a fairly chill series, nothing mind-blowing” but I got so engaged that all the big swings landed and I couldn’t help but have fun! I remember once hearing that these shared universes work partially cause they’re fun, and so I hope a lotta great lessons are taken from this show for future works 😁
Kamala the first official Marvel mutant. Play the X-Men music.
This 46 year old CIS male who grew up in the 80s & on Marvel & DC comics absolutely loved this new character’s series, despite not knowing much about her. The heart, chemistry, flavor, sounds, music & history was so warm, vibrant & fascinating to me, but similarly to Falcon & Winter Soldier, the villains were absolutely the weak point; comparative to CW. The MCU needs to decide, design & execute villains according to what’s worked as the most formidable, intimidating & artistic in the past and this was definitely not it.
Great Review, Dan
I've been to Karachi several times and I loved the hospitality. I felt that the show nailed SOME aspects of Pakistani culture but also missed a few elements
@@beezusHrist 😆 I guess it depends if you're Muslim or not!
@@beezusHrist yeah I noticed some of that too. What year did you visit?
As someone in my mid-30's, this has been one of my favs of the MCU D+ shows easily. I could see that it was targeting someone a bit younger, but people who were trying to make it out like this was a Disney Channel Original show are just crazy. I'm a little biased, in that I was buying and reading her initial run of comics when they came out, but this show hit so much of what made that run special. I think if they had just flat out cut the whole Clan Destine stuff it would have been much better, as DODC was much better as the villians, but I still loved this overall. It's just really nice to have a superhero that brings something new and fresh, as well as having a great family dynamic that leads to some very touching moments. It was also nice to be made aware of Partition, and it feels insane that such an important event like that was never covered in any of my history classes in school.
This is a great show. I feel it is one of the most complete shows Marvel has done. From the beginning with the into of Kamala through her journey of discovering who she is and what her powers are, has been phenomenal. There is no part of this show where it really lags in the six episodes. If there is a flaw in this show it is that it should have been ten episodes long. Iman was a perfect casting for the character. Every member of her family was likeable and engaging and their interactions with Kamala was the best part of this show. If they took out the superhero stuff in this show, it possibly could have made the show even better focusing on the friends, family, community and dealing with culture, history and society in America.
I'm an old comic book reader. 61. I've been reading comics from the day I started to read. Maybe I'm not the target demo,and mYbe I dont care for the comic book Ms MARVEL. But I loved this charming and fun TV series. Just loved it.
Thoroughly enjoyed the series. I'm in my mid 50's. I am very much looking forward to seeing Kamala again next year in the Marvels.
Apart from really weak villains the show was super lovely overall. Arguably the best MCU show so far. I agree that I loved the character, home-life, cultural stuff way more than the actual superheroing as well.
I freaking LOVED this show so much. Easily, my second all-time MCU Disney Plus show.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have Mutants in the MCU!!! The Mutants are coming!!!
It is now confirmed: Iman Vellani is a superstar in the making. This girl has that it factor within her.
Also, that Captain Marvel cameo has me more excited for The Marvels.
This show has been nothing but phenomenal, and I LOVED every bit of it.
Congratulations, Ms. Marvel!
Keep in mind obi wan kenobi was originally going to come out a few days later than it did. They moved it up cause the trailer was so popular I think.
Great review Dan. Although not perfect, there was something special about Ms. Marvel that made it stick out from the other disney+ series. I thinks the MCU has big plans for Iman and she’s earned it.
Hey Dan, great stuff. My personal opinion is that I really could care less when Disney drops shows. These days, I wait until I see the reviews (like yours) first, to see if it's worth the watch. So far, none of the shows seem worth the waste of time. Does that make sense?
This is a rumor that I heard from a friend of mine who is friends with one of the cast members when the show was in production, but apparently Iman was cast because she in general EXACTLY represents the character in real life too. She loves Marvel in real life, represents the demographic, and had no acting experience just LIVED experience which brought truth to her character. She was just a natural fit, and so your comment about her being sort of destined to play this character is kinda true. I like to think this character was made based on her and people who are really like her. It's just good character building.
Agreed on the ep. 5 take. That's my favorite ep!
Dan at about the 8:00 mark you were wondering about the post credit scene. Kamala looked at her band and shook it, that's when the switcheroo happened. Back in ye olden days, Captain Marvel used to switch places with Rick Jones via the nega-bands. That's my bet what's going on.
The show did nothing for Kamala and I had low expectations thanks to the trailer. All flash no substance. No struggle nor any lesson learned. Nothing to overcome. It's crazy that a video game did this character justice than a official show with a bigger budget.
I really enjoyed the show start to finish. They did her character justice even with the deviation in her origin and power set. That said, what they did makes sense for the MCU. We don't need all of the (often redundant and ludicrous) breadth that exists in the comics. That's what comics are for. Slim it down to the most important things for the MCU. Keep it coming!
I think my only real complaint I have for this series comes down to the Clandestine storyline and how quickly it kinda wraps up, as well as how quickly Nanjma flips from only caring about the other dimension to deciding to stop the gate from opening. On the flip side, tho, I loved how the show used Damage Control in this series. It touches on issues with Govt Agencies targeting and spying on the Muslim population, issues I remember learning about in a compelling documentary about a former Muslim CIA informant. I respect the show for touching on that, or at least as much as it could for it’s younger-skewing target audience.
I really liked the graphics and realized imaginings. I liked the family and friends. Her powers seemed a bit ... ummm ... wonky I guess, for live action ... but acceptable. The thing that I didn't like was all the unexplained stuff, and there was a lot - especially surrounding the Clandestines. Why the sudden change from "will you help us" to "kill her!"? I needed to know more about the nature of the rift between the world's, what power they had in our world, how the bangle was supposed get them home, and Najma's relationship with Kamala's great grandmother in order to understand anything that happened in episode 5.
All this makes me wonder if they need to either rethink the six episode season, or really think about how many story points they need to cram into such a short season. I think I would have been happier getting more of the personal story of the bangle, the Clandestines, and how they all come together around Kamala, then devote most of the last episode to a sub plot (in my opinion) about Damage Control ... and, sorry, but Federal agents actually firing guns at high school kids with civilians surrounding them close enough to be in life threatening danger ... So completely ridiculous that it can not be explained away by a rogue commander who then doesn't get thrown in jail ... unless they are making a commentary on police shootings ... Is that what they were doing? 🤔
Thanks for pointing out how weird it was for Disney to release it at the same time as that Star Wars show (that had way more expectation around it). It's not the first time that Disney messes up the release of some female-led Marvel show or movie. Which show did they choose to start this whole Disney+ exclusive content release strategy? Wandavision. It could have easily flopped because D+ wasn't as big as it is now. So it was an experiment (that worked out well). Which movie did they choose for the PA strategy? Black Widow. Worked for D+ (almost $150M on PA alone), but not that much for Marvel's (fans?) bragging rights when it comes to BW's box office (we know it could have easily done +550M worldwide if it hadn't been available on Disney+ at the time of release, but at the same time we can just "guess" how much it would have done). Now with Ms. Marvel they've done it again. Release it at the same time as a way more popular show, to kinda sweep it under the rug. I love Marvel, but I don't like Disney, and with these moves they pull, I like them even less. And with that whole Scarlett Johansson mess, they kinda proved how little they care about women. xD Btw I agree with you on the authenticity part. Marvel seems to be doing representation *right* finally, something I think most Hollywood corporations don't seem to have managed to do yet (and Marvel has failed at that in the past as well).
This is a good show with good heart. I loved the ending reveal of mutants in the MCU with The X-Men 97 Theme. Loved The Post Credit scene with Carol. Iman is a star and a natural talent, Hope she gets a lot of time in The Marvels and hopefully Young Avengers.
It is one of the very few MCU's shows that stuck the landing.
I feel both of them dropping them at the exact same time was purely for research. If you have to choose 1, what do you choose. It's for them to get data ob what people ultimately want, even if they saw the other one right after.
7/10
Show was mostly pretty standard. Not bad but enjoyable. Feels exactly like Hawkeye's show.
Things that stood out were the characters, I really liked Kamala's and Bruno's character. The editing was also really unique. Story was mostly okay, but there was a lot of things still unexplained like Kamran's power and wtv the hell all that Veil stuff was on episode 5. The inclusion of new culture was also fresh and interesting, but they did spend almost an entire episode (episode 4) doing cultural exposition and that was annoying.
Things that I didn't like were the Clandestines's storyline. It led absolutely nowhere and they were created for the sake of having an enemy for the protagonist and served for the backstory of Kamala and Kamala's mother. But then again, the problem with that is because, at the end, Bruno revealed that it might more because Kamala was a mutant rather than because she had Clandestine genes as to why she could use her powers and not her other family members. I don't mind the ending honestly giving that surprise reveal but it makes what was built before, pointless. I also didn't like the fact that I was more excited about the word "mutation" than the show itself, not that I didn't like it. It's just that Marvel is just becoming less exciting after each new release.
This is a more of general opinion, but I really don't like the 6-episode format Disney's been doing. So far only one show worked well in this format and that was Loki. Story was interesting and engaging throughout. All the characters had a purpose and I liked all of them. But if you look at all the other shows, they are mostly the same. Either too short to tell a concise story or not short enough that it could be made into a movie instead (so less filler episodes). It just makes me think Disney is doing this so that people would stay subscribed to their platform, because 6 episodes cover just over a month (you are guaranteed to pay the price of 2 months to watch and finish every show) and they save more money by not renting theatres to show their movies.
I thought the Clandestines were just very stupid villains. I couldn’t get over that early on how they felt compelled to barge into a family wedding and threaten to kill everyone if Kamala doesn’t help them right away when she seemed more than ready to help them anyway.
Damage Control wasn’t that much better and I kind of wish that internal conflict in the organization came up sooner on whether how hard they were trying to capture two kids was right or not.
Overall, I enjoyed the show and characters but by far the weakest part of the show was the seemingly mandatory injection of MCU-ness.
PS: The mutant bit isn’t too surprising since I believe Marvel only made her an Inhuman originally due to licensing with Fox having the X-men. It’s the only real reason they tried to push Inhumans to begin with and even in the comics they threw the X-men under the bus during the 2010s.
Right! They have waited decades, couldn't they have waited onenmore night?
I feel like if they had chose just one villain, they could have fleshed them out better.
Yeah, the finales don't seem to be sticking the landing.
No one can ever watch another show later in the same day.
I would have preferred if Marvel didn't insert its superhero nonsense in my family drama about Pakistani family living in Jersey
My 12y/o daughter LOVED this show.
As a father of two this was my second favorite Marvel TV show only slightly behind WandaVision. I loved the family dynamics, which is what made the comic book popular. The cultural aspects were educational and respectfully and were a terrific demonstration of inclusion no matter your background. Marvel still has an antagonist problem in its movies and it’s TV shows. I just didn’t know or care too much about the antagonistic plight of the other dimension and Damage Control was just a faceless government agency. I continue to be optimistic about the Marvel properties, but after End Game they have all been a little lacking. I’ve rewatched all the movies up to End Game at least 4 times and these recent movies and shows just don’t have that something that makes me want to watch them again. Keep up the great reviews!
I enjoyed the first half of this show but the further we got in I could not care less about the Clandestine.
I don't know why they decided to have 2 antagonist groups done in 6 episodes (really 5 episodes because the first episode was just character introduction). When I first saw the DODC as the "bad guy" I was like cool they are gonna tackle race and government surveillance. But that all stops when the djinn show up and I feel it doesn't add to Kamalas overall story as much as the DODC would have.
With the marketing (first point). Any chance they put them out at the same time to keep people on the site? Retain viewers by having them go from one to the other? Only reason I can think of
I feel this would benefit from a second season.