Marching through the MCU
- Thomas Charest
- Apr 23, 2018
- 14 min read
Before heading into Avengers: Infinity War, I am re-watching every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie in order to capture the full scope of what will be the largest comic book movie ever attempted. With 18 films leading up to such a huge undertaking and at least a half dozen more in the tank, I am curious to see how it all plays out. As I watch them, I will be reviewing and creating a comprehensive rankings. These are solely my opinion, so you may disagree. Feel free to discuss in the comments.
MCU Rankings
1. Guardians of the Galaxy
2. Captain America: Winter Soldier
3. Thor: Ragnarok
4. The Avengers
5. Captain America: Civil War
6. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming
8. Ant-Man
9. Iron Man
10. Black Panther
11. Thor
12. Captain America: The First Avenger
13. Doctor Strange
14. Thor: The Dark World
15. Iron Man 2
16. The Incredible Hulk
17. Iron Man 3
18. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Iron Man (2008)
For a movie from 2008, it was a beautifully made film. The visuals were stellar and even look better than some modern movies. The casting was perfect, with the snarky confidence of RDJ taking the helm and the charismatic darkness of Jeff Bridges as the antagonist and Gwyneth Paltrow playing the not so helpless damsel. It was a wonderful origin story that was updated to fit into the climate of the time it was filmed. Having Tony get attacked and kidnapped by a terrorist cell was and is a realistic threat and also having corporate greed be the ultimate villain will always be real. The script was sharp and gave Stark depth and clear growth as a character. His reaction to tragedy built him as a more friendly and relatable Bruce Wayne. Even small things, like the introduction of the real name of SHIELD, was seamlessly built in. Top to bottom, fantastic film and it is what origin stories should aspire to be.
8/10
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Not as beautiful as Iron Man, but still a vast improvement over Ang Lee’s Hulk in the effects department. You can still see a huge difference in the animation quality when comparing it to Avengers’ Hulk in 2012, though. Hulk was the only character until Spider-Man in the MCU with an established media history, and The Incredible Hulk did a nice job of paying homage to the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno TV series. Early on, Ferrigno had a cameo and the tone of Banner’s constant running and the music was reminiscent to the end of every episode. It was also nice that they relegated the backstory to the opening credits, something that Once Banner returned home, the rising conflict between him and Blonsky/Abomination was the perfect choice. Abomination is a well known villain for the fans from the comics and was a realistic foe, due to his size and power, for casual and newer fans. If they had Leader or any of Hulk’s cosmic or alternate reality foes, like Maestro. On a related note, I kind of wish that there was a sequel so we could continue the storyline with Leader. I will say that Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner would not fit into this movie and Edward Norton’s Banner would not fit into the current MCU, especially Thor: Ragnarok, so it was good that they parted ways. Overall, it was a quality continuation of the overall franchise and helped get more funding for building the MCU.
6/10
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Even though Iron Man 2 turned Pepper Potts into a whiny worrywart, the movie made significant progress with the other characters. Tony grew through his fight with death, Rhody grew into a better actor, and the MCU grew with the flushing out of SHIELD, specifically Nick Fury and Black Widow. For as bad as it was for Paltrow, Johanssen as Black Widow was excellent, layered, and badass, even in a smaller role. At the time, this movie was a revolution in world building, and sadly will probably never be replicated. Again, the villain was a reflection of Stark if he decided to use his intelligence and tech for evil, but it is cool that they keep getting A-level talent to play one-off villains, like Bridges and Rourke. Even though the talent was there, he did lose like a bitch at the end. It was also great looking. The effects blossomed in just 2 years since the original and they didn’t seem dated like in The Incredible Hulk, when Hulk was in the rain. I didn’t remember liking this one as much as I did and was pleasantly surprised.
7/10
Thor (2011)
Thor was the first big chance that Marvel took. Thus far, Iron Man was a prototypical origin story that was pulled off by incredible writers and actors, The Incredible Hulk was a widely known property that drew expected numbers, and Iron Man 2 was a rehash of Iron Man with necessary growth and development of the characters and greater universe, but all of them were heroes based in reality and science. Thor was the first look for audiences into the cosmic reaches of the MCU, and Kenneth Branagh brought it together to seamlessly weave gods and magic into a storyline grounded in plausibility. His direction and his excellent effects department gave a grandiose look at Asgard and Jotunheim to establish possibilities beyond Earth. If Thor did not work, Avengers would not have worked, and Guardians of the Galaxy would have been immediately scrapped as a potential project. Thor being good was the lynchpin of the entire MCU, and luckily, it was great. It was well cast, well written, well directed, and well acted. It was fun when it needed to be, tender when it wanted to be, but it did lack tension. Hemsworth was an absolute gem and has blossomed into the role. Even Kat Dennings, who is insufferable in Two Broke Girls, was a welcome source of charm and humor. Thor also had the best and deepest villain, whose motives and true nature are still a mystery. Thor was a solid, foundational film for the MCU and was able to open the doors for more adventurous and strange properties, and it deserves its place as the third most important movie in the entire MCU, only behind Iron Man and The Avengers.
8/10
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
Captain America truly was the first Avenger. He is the only one who was already a hero before the movie started. He didn’t need a tragic event to spark his heroism, he just needed the power to help people. And when he got that power, he was reluctantly taken advantage of for propaganda purposes in a scene of wonderful social commentary that went from performing for money at home and then getting roasted on the front lines. I smile every time he punches Hitler. Even though Captain America needed the least growth of the heroes introduced so far, he still was able to overcome some trying experiences and show his mettle. Not only did this movie establish the Avengers true leader, it also gave the MCU its best antagonist that became an overarching villain for several other movies and two TV series. Nazis, especially super cult Nazis, will always make believable and hateable villains for any movie. One thing that bothered me was that no Allied soldiers would pick up the HYDRA weapons, even though they are guaranteed one hit kills and didn’t need reloads. Captain America: The First Avenger gave the MCU its purest hero in the sweetest entry into the universe up to this point. It was a worthy entry with more heart than the other films and gave Chris Evans true atonement for the Fantastic Four movies.
8/10
The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers is the epitome of a blockbuster film. It has an all star cast, a comprehensive story, great visual effects, and edge of your seat battle sequences. This movie doesn’t really need a review because it was done so well. The characters played off each other well and each had their own role to play to advance the story. Nobody felt wasted and every scene felt important. You are hard pressed to find anything wrong, and if you can, it doesn’t affect the story or the movie. This movie changed the game, but unfortunately has not been replicated by anyone else. So many other studios are trying to build franchises instead of making good movies because of the success of The Avengers. I doubt any other studio will ever make a truly magnificent team up movie like this ever again, which is a damn shame. This movie is essentially perfect.
10/10
Iron Man 3 (2013)
For a follow-up to one of the greatest superhero movies ever, Iron Man 3 was as close to a dud as Feige and the MCU have made. For the first time, they didn’t just slightly deviate from the source material, they went all out and gave the comic fans the middle finger. It was overly reliant on being in the aftermath of The Avengers, trying to create a regression in Tony Stark because of a near death experience, when we have seen him have several with no such repercussions. It was forced development that was unnecessary and detrimental to the film and character. It was also filled with glaring plot holes, mostly about Pepper and Extremis. Again Pepper was relegated to the damsel in distress role until the last 10 minutes, when she magically becomes more badass than Black Widow. She does literal ninja moves and then grabs an unused bullet/missile and shoots it midair with a repulsor blast to beat the final boss after not being able to use the repulsor the previous day when trying to save someone. And Extremis soldiers were impossible to kill, until they weren’t needed in the story anymore and became fodder. And those are forgivable sins, but the worst part about the movie was making the Mandarin nothing. Wasting Ben Kingsley on a frontman for a corporation as opposed to Iron Man’s greatest nemesis that was teased in the first movie with the 10 rings organization was the greatest crime against the fans the MCU has committed. After seeing the trailers and seeing the sociopathic speeches, he just turned out to be a junkie actor and the “real” Mandarin was the head of AIM. That swerve was almost on the level of killer plants in The Happening. It might have been a cool reveal for someone who had no clue about the comics, but as a fan of comics, I was offended by the rejection of the source material. For all its faults, Iron Man 3 was visually stunning and had some spectacular moments, like the mid-air rescue and the assault on Stark’s house. There was also good, sharp dialogue, which is a staple of Shane Black movies. I remember liking this movie more when I saw it in theaters, but it was probably just leftover excitement from The Avengers.
5.5/10
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
I remembered disliking Thor: The Dark World when it came out because I couldn’t see where the Thor franchise was going. Now that I understand the cosmic repercussions of the actions in Thor and its driving power behind the MCU, I was able to enjoy it much more. It certainly isn’t perfect, namely because of the over-reliance on Kat Dennings’ character. Her in your face humor lacked the subtlety from the first movie. She continued to work with Jane Foster for 2 years, but still somehow learned nothing of value and was just there to crack wise and interrupt. Erik Selvig also took a strange turn. The movie tried to make him a comedic character, when he should have been played as a more sullen, remorseful character obsessed with trying to save the world after almost destroying it in The Avengers. Or he could just run around Stonehenge naked and take off his clothes at inopportune times. Whatever. I do appreciate Thor’s growth much more now, noticing how he is hampered by the burden of leadership, while only wanting to fight for what he loves, not for political gain. It is a shame that Natalie Portman did not continue with the franchise, because Foster was a competent female character whose expertise added to the story. Even the Dark Elves seemed like reasonable foes. Their design and their disposable nature make them excellent villains for a mid-phase Marvel movie. They were just strong enough to pose a reasonable threat, but weak enough to be completely dispatched in the course of two hours. Thor: The Dark World is much better with more knowledge of the universe it belongs to, but still was one of the weaker MCU films.
6.5/10
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the most complete comic book movie out there. It has a fantastic and layered story about corruption, friendship, betrayal, and values. Each character has a clear and important arc, from Cap’s change from a disillusioned soldier to a true hero, to Fury’s arc from know-it-all spy to fugitive without a defined purpose due to his own actions. No scene is superfluous and the twist is well timed and makes for a truly compelling movie. Although it covers deeply serious topics, there is enough intermittent and appropriate humor to keep the movie was bogging itself down. It was perfectly cast, especially Robert Redford, who is just incredible. This movie borders on perfect.
10/10
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy completed a perfect year for Marvel. This movie was a surprise when it came out, but it has become well known that it is an incredible movie. From the moment “Come and Get Your Love” starts playing, it created a previously unseen tone for comic book movies. Guardians of the Galaxy was able to introduce five new characters with backstories and motivations while giving a complete story. Not only were the characters fully developed, the actors playing them had brilliant chemistry, which is more impressive when two are digital, two are in intense makeup, and the other is staring at weird things whenever he acts. Guardians of the Galaxy is oozing humor, but also had more heart than any other Marvel movie so far. There is a moment towards the end that tugs the heartstrings and still almost makes me cry, which does not happen in many movies. I love this movie and can watch it endlessly and still smile.
10/10
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Avengers: Age of Ultron is the epitome of trying too hard. It starts out trying to be funny like Guardians of the Galaxy, but then gets bogged down in the serious nature of Ultron’s goal. Even with Ultron trying to destroy the world, there were times that he tried to be humorous because he was a reflection of Tony Stark’s character, especially his flaws. The action scenes were largely great, but there were moments where it was CGI-heavy and it was obvious. You could tell that Joss Whedon wasn’t given full control, because it was a mess at points. It tried to do too much and that cost the movie overall. It didn’t develop anyone fully and gave cursory introductions to the three new Avengers, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision. This is the sloppy result of an ensemble movie made to further a universe and make money instead of telling a coherent story.
5/10
Ant-Man (2015)
Ant-Man is one of the best heist movies I have ever seen, on par with greats like Oceans 11 and The Italian Job. It was fresh and funny and very different from the previous MCU movies. The directors brilliantly made the scale of the conflict small to mirror the scale of the hero. Marvel once again nailed the casting. Rudd, Douglas, Lilly, and Stoll were excellent and made the characters relatable with believable relationships. Pena was hilarious and was the best Marvel side character up to this point. The underlying story of redemption, on many levels and for many characters, was a welcome change after a movie with no real resolution in Age of Ultron. Ant-Man was a blast and infinitely rewatchable. It makes me want a remake of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
9/10
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Captain America: Civil War fixed everything that Avengers: Age of Ultron did wrong. The minimal humor was well timed. The action sequences all felt important and nothing was overdone. The story was crisp and cohesive and it developed merits for both sides of the battle. Clearly Cap was the correct side, but you could empathize with Stark’s cohort. The new characters were well placed and old characters, like Vision and Wanda were given time to grow. It was fluid and complete with no real flaws. Only small things bothered me, primarily Tony Stark’s nature. He and Black Widow are the only two Avengers that lack a consistent moral compass, but Black Widow is a trained assassin and spy, so her waffling makes sense. Stark began as a cocky guy who played by his own rules in his movies and in The Avengers, then he thought that he shouldn’t be the one making rules, so he made a robot overlord in Age of Ultron, and now he thinks he can’t be trusted so he puts it in the government’s hands. It is a complete 180 from Iron Man 2 and it doesn’t really make sense to me. But that didn’t stop Captain America: Civil War from being immensely entertaining.
10/10
Doctor Strange (2016)
Doctor Strange is a visual marvel. It is the most spectacular MCU movie to watch. Although it relies on CGI, it doesn’t look fake. The fight sequences, especially between Strange, Mordo, and the Ancient One in the Mirror Dimension of New York, could have devolved into Matrix Reloaded levels of CGI, but they seamlessly transitioned between live action and animation. In my opinion, Doctor Strange has the best effects of any movie I have ever seen. Not only are the colors full and vibrant, but the lead character has a complete heroic arc from selfish to selfless. His rapid power increase is a bit much, but it is a movie about magic, so I will let it slide. The acting was great and the set pieces were enticing and necessary. Its relatively short run-time gave a brisk introduction to the connection between the mystical and the cosmic in the MCU and established itself as a necessary building block for Infinity War. Doctor Strange may have been an amalgamation of the Iron Man and Green Lantern movies, but it was well done. I realize my score is higher than most, but I am a simple man who likes shiny objects.
8/10
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 was an excellent sequel to an excellent movie. It answers questions from the first while creating opportunities for further sequels. It also gave every character depth, including ancillary characters that were new to the team. Rocket and Star-Lord’s arcs were the foundation, using Yondu as an intermediary, but Gamora opened herself to Quill, Drax was given an opportunity to shine as comic relief and an unfiltered conscience of the team, and Groot was able to be just adorable. From the opening battle to the end credits, the story was swiftly carried between visually stunning and interesting set-pieces. The soundtrack was also incredible and was a character unto itself. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 even tugs at the heartstrings and made me well up, which is a quite a feat, since I am an uncaring monster. And even though it makes me feel things, it is still highly rewatchable and a great movie. The only problem I had was that it made the Sovereign seem like they were only thrown in as fodder, which is a waste of an incredibly powerful race.
9/10
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best cinematic depiction of Spider-Man. Tom Holland captures the youthful exuberance of Spider-Man when he first starts and his humor is spot on throughout. The entire cast does a great job creating a realistic high school environment and portraying menacing villains. Keaton as the Vulture is the best villain in the MCU. The scale is appropriate to the corresponding hero. He has real motivations for his criminal acts and follows a sort of code. Every other villain is either a Nazi or a corporate guy who is driven solely by greed or Loki, who is too complicated. Keaton played doting father and careful criminal very well and knows how to get the most out of a comic book characters. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a blast, start to finish, and is the second best Spider-Man movie, only behind the masterful Spider-Man 2.
9/10
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok is a delightful romp through space and mythology. It rips from several different stories in the comics and blends them into a hilarious, fast-paced ride about home. At its core, it is a movie about overcoming loss and the true meaning of home, but on its surface it is the funniest MCU movie. Every time Korg or the Grandmaster speak, I smile and laugh. It is still funny after watching it four times in 6 months and that humor covers up any minute flaws in the narrative structure. Some people have had problems with the inconsistent tone of Thor: Ragnarok, but these are my reviews, and dammit, I wholeheartedly love this movie.
10/10
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther is a strong movie and the easiest to watch without watching the others besides Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk. It has a strong story with more purpose built in than any of the other movies. It deals with deeper issues than just corporate greed and the villain isn’t a reflection of the hero. Killmonger is actually the antithesis of T’Challa and is something that T’Challa would never become, even after his father was killed. Black Panther resolved his thirst for revenge at the end of Civil War and had to face against the embodiment of revenge in his own movie. Killmonger might be the best villain in the entire MCU, and Michael B. Jordan was fantastic. The score was beautifully crafted to help carry the story and mood, especially the sweeping orchestrals during each battle. While the story and music were great, there was laughably bad CGI during the third act. The rhinos in the final battle were mediocre at best and the final fight between Killmonger and T’Challa was the worst CGI in the MCU since The Incredible Hulk. It was on the same level as the fight between Daredevil and Bullseye in 2003. Even though I still really liked Black Panther, the CGI and the “What are those?!” joke really drag it down from a near perfect movie.
8/10
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