I loved THE MARVELS but when it hit iTunes last week, I was hesitant to buy it. These days, I like to wait for a 4K release before purchasing a film (remember what Nolan said!) even if it means waiting a little longer. But with Disney putting more time between physical and digital release, I was quick to purchase THE MARVELS this week. Sure I wanted to revisit the film but I also love that Marvel almost always adds a director’s commentary on their digital release (which is not always there on physical media). And that director’s commentary did not disappoint. Nia DaCosta shared many valuable insights and fun stories throughout the film’s run time. But there were five things that really stood out.
1. DaCosta originally wanted to play the Fox X-Men theme music for Kamala Khan when she first showed up on screen. To me, this speaks to a greater point, Nia DaCosta’s love of comics in general and the X-Men specifically. I think it was an awesome idea. But I get why the studio might have been hesitant. It may have confused some viewers who did not watch MS. MARVEL on Disney Plus. While she was not able to play that theme for Kamala, DaCosta eventually did get to insert the music in the post-credit scene. And she even points out the theme during the end credits (a true film nerd – just like me – and I LOVE it).
But that wasn’t the only time that her comics love showed through during the commentary. At other times, DaCosta explains how she went to great lengths to show things in the Kree uniforms that mimicked the comics and hints that she actually pushed for more colors and brighter colors at times but that it didn’t happen (oh come on Feige!). She talks about how both of Carol’s suits in the film were derived from different runs of the CAPTAIN MARVEL comic (and I wrote extensively about them – and Carol’s other suits HERE). She even daringly calls the “quantum-bands” by their original comic name: “nega-bands”. She then regrets that decision immediately saying, “I don’t know if I should have said that word!” DaCosta also mentions how much there is to the world of SWORD and each of the people on the station and how badly she wanted a series that would follow SWORD’s word off-planet and compared it to similar arcs in the comics (again, oh come on Feige!).
2. Samuel L. Jackson improvised a lot – including the famous “Black Girl Magic!” line. That’s right, that line was not scripted but rather came directly from Jackson himself – along with a string of other lines during that scene. In fact, DaCosta said that every one of his lines in that scene while hyping up Monica Rambeau were improvised.
3. It was very hard to show the Kree trying to steal the Skrull air aka an atmosphere. One of the great things about the director’s commentary is that DaCosta is joined by her VFX supervisor for the entire duration, Tara DeMarco. She explains how they had to physically show what was basically an “air heist” by designing a landscape that would showcase such an action by the Kree.
Tara was also the VFX supervisor on Wandavision and shared a ton of other interesting points about VFX. Another interesting point covered how she and DaCosta had to find the best way to show the trio’s powers manifesting and changing – each time they switched. The resulting graphics are an inverse each time the powers shift.
4. That memorable needle-drop during the Flerkin Kitten sequence came from an animatics sequence. At the time of the animatic’s inception, DaCosta was working with another VFX artist and asked if he could bring in some music to play over the Flerkin sequence on the SWORD station. Together they decided on “Memories” from the Broadway musical CATS as sung by Barbara Streisand (that’s right – Streisand, I didn’t even realize that the first – or FOURTH – time I watched the film). DaCosta battled and battled and kept pressing for Marvel and Kevin Feige to use it in each subsequent cut – and unlike the X-Men music, this time they actually did (ok – great job Feige!).
5. DaCosta went back and filmed new CAPTAIN MARVEL era scenes for the trio’s Kree mind-frak sequence to mix-in with the older scenes from 2019’s CAPTAIN MARVEL. I really enjoyed this admission because there are a few quick cuts in that sequence that I did not recognize and had wondered if they were deleted scenes from the original CAPTAIN MARVEL. They were not recycled – but instead were new scenes and moments that DaCosta went back and filmed – just because she “did not want to have things in the film that people had already seen a hundred times.” I REALLY appreciate that. For me, it further shows just how much attention to detail and care Nia DaCosta has for CAPTAIN MARVEL and for her film and story. Congruently she mentions that the sequence, and the entire story, are tricky because the sequel was essentially two sequels: the story of Carol and Kamala and the story of Carol and Monica, and the two had to become one singular story. This is accomplished by re-filming new scenes that better contextualize their shared pasts during that Kree mind frak sequence – and also the crucial later scene after the Kree attack on Aladna wherein Carol, Monica, and Kamala crash the Hooptie and the trio all come to a mutual understanding about their shared situation at the same time.
One final bonus moment: DaCosta and Tara both spend a moment recognizing that Carol is now wearing one of the Quantum Bands during the final moments of the film. But both mysteriously say they did not know where that is headed. Very INTERESTING.
I could go on and on but if you enjoyed this essay, you should really take a listen to the commentary. So what do you think? Did you buy THE MARVELS on iTunes yet? Did you enjoy it? Leave a like if you enjoyed my wrap-up or a comment if you have any other questions about the commentary.
No Scoops Club 