The Marvels

As we inch into the summer blockbuster season, summer-bound trailers are starting to coincide with a first look at this holiday’s releases. Chief among these is undoubtedly The Marvels, the third and final release of 2023 in the fifth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which as a franchise still shows little sign of waning public interest.

Perhaps in keeping with the original Captain Marvel’s tone and setting, which placed the action primarily in the 90s, this trailer for the sequel invokes its sense of fun with a tinge of nostalgia through the Beastie Boys’ “Intergalactic” from 1998’s Hello Nasty (and their music also featured in _Star Trek Beyond _and Star Wars Rogue One trailers)_ _ “Well, now, don’t you tell me to smile”, they rap—in this context, possibly seen as a feminist missive. By the one-minute mark, the vocals are omitted in favour of a backbeat and exposition, as one of the new superheroes, Monica Rambeau, explains that their “powers are entangled”. As such, Rambeau, Kamala Khan, and Captain Marvel swap places whenever one of them uses said powers.

This is the idea that drives the film, as we see how each is driven into situations that are presented not necessarily as harrowing or dangerous, but as both strange and even humorous. Take, for example, Khan ending up on a spaceship with a cat who reveals itself to harbour a mass of ravenous tentacles in its body (really, just watch it). This moment at 1:20 is preceded by a pause in the music, almost like a punchline in a comedy trailer. Importantly, though the Beastie Boys’ rapping never returns, the sounds and beats that are emblematic of Intergalactic run through the remainder of the trailer.

A record scratch leads us to the next story beat at the release date title card, with a few repetitions of the song’s main motif (a simple but effective, three-note descending minor melody). Various action scenes are synched to the beat, such as the dancers at 1:33 or the sound of energy blasts against shield cuffs at 1:42 (with a fight scene between the three Marvel superheroes suggesting some rivalry, perhaps).

More than anything, the choice of song helps to underpin the movie as one that never takes itself too seriously, despite the literally galactic scope of its affairs. For generations of fans, the Beastie Boys are synonymous with fun (and sci fi/fantasy trailers)—a powerful association that reinforces the humorous bent that the teaser is obviously going for in its story beats and character interactions. The Marvels arrives in theatres November 10th.

— Curtis Perry