The latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is also the shortest, which means that if you loved the zany, quippy energy ofThe Marvels, you may be looking for something else worth watching that’s in the same vein.
While few superhero movies share the exact time-bending, body-swapping premise asThe Marvels, these movies all get at the same vibe, and will be more than enough to keep you busy until you can seeThe Marvelsagain at home.
Freaky Friday (2003)
The Marvelsis not, strictly speaking, a body-swap comedy. Even so, a core part of its premise is the notion that the titular Marvels will swap places any time that they use their powers.Freaky Fridayis a much more traditional body-swap movie, following a mother and daughter who swap bodies and come to understand one another better as a result.
Thanks to excellent central performances from Lindsey Lohan and especially Jamie Lee Curtis,Freaky Fridayis hugely entertaining from beginning to end. It may not feature anyone battling to save the universe, but it may capture some of the same wacky energy.
Freaky Fridayis streaming onDisney+.
The Suicide Squad (2021)
DC’s second crack at a Suicide Squad movie turned out to be much more successful than the first. Following a mostly different group of characters than the first movie, this version tells the story of the Suicide Squad as they find ways to come together to battle a common enemy.
Like almost every James Gunn movie,The Suicide Squadis silly and sweet in equal measure, and while it’s also pretty violent, it has the same sort of goofball energy thatThe Marvelsdoes, even if that goofball energy is considerably more graphic inThe Suicide Squad.
The Suicide Squadis streaming onMax.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Another superhero story featuring heroes who are unstuck from their dimension,Spider-Man: In the Spider-Versefollows a young Miles Morales as he gets his Spider-Man powers, and meets a bunch of Spider-people who are traveling from other dimensions.
LikeThe Marvels,Spider-Versehas plenty of fun with the idea of multi-verses and ultimately manages to make a pretty profound point about what it means to wear a mask.Spider-Versealso happens to be wildly inventive, which is part of the reason it’s still beloved five years later.
Spider-Man: In the Spider-Verse is streaming onFuboTV.
Your Name. (2016)
Telling the story of two teenagers who swap bodies and become emotionally connected as a result,Your Name. is one of the best animated movies of the 21st century. Gliding effortlessly between broad comedy and profundity, the film manages to tell a pretty universal story by focusing on two individual people who find themselves connected across space and time.
The Marvelsmay not be going for anything quite that profound, but that connection through space and time is part of what unites this team of heroes, just like it unites the protagonists ofYour Name.
Your Name.is streaming on Prime Video viaCrunchyroll.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
If you haven’t seen this 2022 Best Picture winner yet, or if you’ve seen it several times,Everything Everywhere All at Onceis always worth a rewatch.
Telling the story of a middle-aged woman who comes to question the decisions she’s made in her life after she gains the ability to travel across the multiverse, the movie is at once a story about a hero saving the end of the world and an intimate tale about one woman’s realization that she is exactly where she’s supposed to be. Zany, profane, beautiful, and hilarious,Everything Everywhere All at Onceis everything movies should be, all in one package.
