Ms. Marvel Goes Casual

I wonder if the title of last night's new Ms. Marvel, "Seeing Red", was meant as a nod to all the show's similarities to Turning Red. But the episode actually had less in common with that Pixar movie than previous episodes did. At its best, "Seeing Red" is kind of cosy. At its lowest points, it was a bit muddled and inert.

And I'm really looking at you, action sequences. When the Clandestines show up during Kamala's meeting with the Red Daggers, director Shermeen Obaid-Chinoy showed no ability to keep the focus or clarity necessary to keep the audience engaged in an action sequence. Since it spilled out into the street and tried to incorporate a lot of elements, it seemed like maybe she was aiming for something like The Winter Soldier but it came off more like the infamously confusing fight scenes in Batman Begins. I guess Christopher Nolan is good company to be in.

Another problem with the episode is that the normally charming Iman Vellani seemed downright bored for most of it. She seemed about as engaged with the action as the audience. And, sure, you can blame Vellani for it. Maybe as a professional actress she should be able to use her imagination to get herself into any emotional state. But I blame the director. This was the first episode to be directed by Obaid-Chinoy whose extensive filmography is primarily composed of documentaries. Which would explain why she doesn't know how to work with actors. A young actress like Vellani might be particularly in need of guidance from a director.

At nineteen years of age, maybe Vellani's too old to be considered a child actor but I think she's young enough for some of the same issues to apply. The best child performances in films are from directors who manipulate children to get genuine reactions rather than leaving it up to their imaginations. Vellani may be something of a method performer who needs something tangible and familiar to work with and that's why she comes off as much more interesting chatting with a boy at school than running down a street in Thailand.

I mean Pakistan. But it's really Thailand because once again, despite trying to cache in on cultural identity, Disney has refused to use an actual location. It's not quite as bad as when they used Atlanta to stand in for Africa in Black Panther but it's still disappointing, particularly as part of a consistent pattern.

I did find some of the scenes with Kamala's family kind of cosy. It was nice after a busy day of work to watch a show that didn't want me to get too excited.

Ms. Marvel is available on Disney+.