It's been ten years since we began this long path, but 'The Avengers: Infinity War' is finally coming in just a few weeks. Ten years and 18 films have led to this and needless to say that's a lot of pressure on the Marvel and Disney corp. but before I pass judgment on this ultimate film, I will be looking back on the entire MCU series ranking them from worst to first. If you have any differences or opinions yourself, be sure to let me know in our comment section or on my Facebook page and I'll be happy to know what you think. Without further ado, let us begin our journey with the very worst...
18.) Thor: The Dark World (WORST)
By far the lowest film in the ten years of Marvel flicks is the Norse God's second outing. Everyone in this film just seems to be going through the motions and fulfilling contract obligations, and judging by the behind the scenes drama (like another film we'll discuss in a bit) it sounds like this movie wasn't fun for anyone to make let alone sit in a dark theater watching for two hours. 'Dark World' also contains the worst villain in the series to boot, whose name I can never remember off the top of my head and even in the lower tier Marvel movies I can at least name the villain. Pretty abysmal and downright unwatchable, 'Thor: The Dark World' can be easily skipped and any backstory you may need is just a Wikipedia search away.
17.) The Incredible Hulk (2008)
While this second attempt at bringing Dr. Banner and his angry alter-ego was much more successful, it has not aged well since it's 2008 release. While 'Iron Man' felt like a movie in which many seeds were being sown throughout and every little Easter egg and detail would shape the Marvel Universe later, 'Hulk' feels completely out of place. It seems to feel like a stand alone film, with a completely different look and feel to the rest and only a few bits of 'Avengers' material thrown in here and there. It's almost as if Marvel forgot they even made the movie because other than Lt. Ross and Dr. Banner the film's villain, love interest, and virtually every other aspect are left by the wayside. I guess we can consider 'The Avengers' the true introduction to Hulk and easily drop this one from our watch list.
16.) Iron Man 2 (2010)
Honestly, this was a toss up against 'Incredible Hulk' because even when first seeing 'Iron Man 2' I don't have the fondest memories of it. Its biggest problem is its lack of innovation or progressing forward, which is strongly contradicting the film's storyline. I believe this was meant to set up S.H.I.E.L.D. as a permanent addition to the rest of the MCU and begin sowing the seeds to the Avengers but instead, it goes all over the place and introduces too many characters too quickly and like 'Hulk' eventually doing nothing with them. Sam Rockwell's character Justin Hammer is one of the biggest baddies of the Marvel Universe but here, he's little more than a whiny greedy businessman whose evil schemes almost immediately backfire and he's out of the picture fast. Mickey Rourke's Whiplash is one of the most boring villains I've seen in a superhero movie, and the introduction of War Machine at the last minute just does nothing for me. Many talk of 'Iron Man 3' as if it's the worst, but maybe they should take a look back at this one.
15.) Thor (2011)
I just don't enjoy the first two 'Thor' movies but I won't lie and say that the first film wasn't a well made entry in the MCU. Director Kenneth Branaugh has a strong eye for visuals and a good eye for picking the right actors for their parts and this flick has the best of both. Chris Hemsworth is perfect in the role of Thor and Tom Hiddleston is devious but charming as Loki. For me personally, I dislike 'Thor' for taking itself a little too seriously. Yes, it does throw in some lighter moments and a joke here and there and I appreciate that but these are superhero movies and really unless you're Batman, the serious dark route just doesn't appeal to me. I go to DC for the serious but I go to Marvel for some fun.
14.) Iron Man 3 (2013)
I seem to hear more negative criticism towards this entry than part 2, and I in some ways I do understand. For many hardcore Marvel fans, the drastic change to one of Iron Man's greatest villains was a big slap in the face and many average viewers were frustrated with the story, which seemed all over the place or slows really bad in places. However, I personally enjoyed 'Iron Man 3' for its darker direction and some great writing thanks to Shane Black. I think this was Robert Downy Jr.'s best performance of the three films, as he now has a solid grip on his character and brings some of the conflict Tony has in the comics which gives him a more grounded hero. I can understand the anger towards the Mandarin changes, but really if you're a casual fan or only a moderate comic book fan then I don't see this as that big of an issue and I don't think a lot of the audience fully understood the controversy to begin with. Out of the three 'Iron Man' films, part 3 has a lot of flaws, but it's a strong silver medal in my eyes.
13.) Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
I feel that out of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe series, Captain America is the most lucky as he has the strongest ratio of good films over the last decade. While 'First Avenger' is certainly the weakest entry, it's by no means a weak film. Oddly, despite being about a man turned into a near immortal super soldier to fight the Nazis this film feels the most real and grounded which I think is the appeal of Cap. Like Tony Stark, he is still just a man despite his super human powers and like any other man, he has his own personal demons, regrets, and sadness while also being a strong man of both physical strength and by far the best integrity of any Marvel hero. It also helps that the 'Captain America' films have some of the strongest supporting casts and this one is one of my favorite with the stand outs being Haylee Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter. I must have not been the only one thinking that, since she came out as a rather well made television series on ABC and you also get the beginning of one of the biggest seeds planted in the MCU in Sebastian Stan's Bucky. This relationship will shape many Marvel films to come after and hopefully we will see it all come to a strong end with 'Infinity War'.
12.) The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Another entry that seems to get a lot of hate when it comes up in discussion with my fellow fans, but in some ways I have to admit I enjoy watching this film more than the first 'Avengers'. That's not to say it's anywhere near being as good as that one, far from it but for some reason I tend to go back and place this DVD in my player more frequently and in many ways, I think that was the idea behind it. While I wouldn't say that the Marvel films are meant to be long lasting masterpieces of cinema, they have left an imprint on the industry for better and worse but with 'Age of Ultron' I feel they wanted to have some more fun with it and put out something more akin to a popcorn flick much like the old Sam Raimi 'Spider-Man' films. I think the biggest issue with that decision is the storyline is far too serious and dark which throws the tone around like one of Hulk's victims. Perhaps if they chose a more serious route while still keeping their usual humor intact like the previous entry, 'Age of Ultron' could have become a much better movie.
11.) Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Knowing what
we know now with their overall plans with the series, it's easy to
forget just how much negativity 'Civil War' had been given by even
people such as myself when it first released. Far from being a bad movie
for sure, but it definitely was lacking in a lot when one knows the
source material well. I also felt that they tried a little too hard to
tone down the harsher elements from the 'Civil War' book, where many
heroes were critically injured and even killed whereas here in the film,
we get a gravely injured War Machine only for him to recover by film's
end and it feels like no real consequences happen in this flick. Now,
having watched the film again in preparation of the upcoming 'Infinity
War' I can understand their choices a little better and the second
viewing was a much better experience. I still think they should have
pushed the envelope a little more and given more permanent damage to the
universe but if the rumors are to be believed with IW, we'll be coming
full circle to 'Civil War' and see something come from this storyline at
last.
10.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Really, the only major negative of 'Vol. 2' is its story which if they just focused a little better and left some subplots on the floor this would have been the better of the two 'Guardians' flicks by far. It has everything else going for it in the plus category for sure, from better humor, better action scenes, and a closer look at the character's relationships but some of those also factor into the previous negatives as well. Some characters get little to no screen time like the newly introduced Mantis and characters like Drax and Rocket aren't as balanced as they were in the first movie. With the first film, they were both humorous but also had drama and sadness to them which showed you their motivations and also showed that they were truly good people despite being seen as misfits and scoundrels. Overall, I wish they had a little more of a setup to 'Infinity War' seeing as how these characters are by far the most important factor to that film's story and main villain. Still, it's a Marvel movie I go back to more than others hence it's high ranking.
9.) Doctor Strange (2016)
Another underdog Marvel hero on my top list? Yes, I will be honest and say that out of all the famous characters we've seen so far, I tend to enjoy these smaller heroes films far more. I think it simply comes down to the fact that I have no expectations since I am not a hardcore comic fan therefore I don't know anything about Doctor Strange or even the Guardians of the Galaxy prior to these movies or video game adaptations which likely leads to my enjoyment more than others. Those facts and the great performance of Benedict Cumberbatch helps the flick as well and like many of my favorite Marvel movies, it knows how to use humor and action well without taking itself too seriously. 'Doctor Strange' strikes a good balance with this aspect more than other MCU films, almost to a Zen like quality with the first half being dramatic and sad then the second half kicks into high gear with lots of comic relief and great fighting sequences.
8.) Ant-Man (2015)
On the other hand, sometimes going the humor route for the majority of your flick can work wonders as well if done right and there's no better example than 'Ant-Man' a character I had no knowledge of whatsoever when first going into the theater. Luckily, my pre-conceived negativity was unwarranted because this was the biggest surprise of the MCU series, with a really solid script full of some unique fight scenes and it made me actually like Paul Rudd in a movie (trust me, if you know me that's a big win). I would say the biggest downside to 'Ant-Man' like 'Strange' above is that these lesser known Marvel heroes tend to have much weaker antagonists with maybe the exception being the Guardians but unlike 'Strange' the villain does get a much more fun and action packed final battle here and also he gets run over by Thomas the Tank Engine for a cheap laugh which always makes me chuckle. The rest of the cast is also excellent and one of the best ensemble of the MCU with the stand out favorite being Michael Pena as Scott's bestie. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be seeing much of these characters in 'Infinity War' so we'll have to wait until July with 'Ant-Man and the Wasp' to catch up with them.
7.) Black Panther (2018)
I had to think about 'Black Panther' for a while since so much controversy and political issues made for reviewing the film an unnecessarily hard task. In the end, I believe this is the best Marvel film if we're speaking of the more straight played entries. For the most part, I enjoy the MCU flicks that don't take themselves so seriously and while none in the series are in the realm of DC Comics, there are distinct differences between 'Thor: Dark World' and 'Thor: Ragnorok' and for me personally, I just find the latter more worthwhile for it's lighter tone and humor. Not to say that 'Black Panther' is lacking in this, as it's still got the usual Marvel humor thrown in here and there but a lot of the movie deals with certain cultural issues that I just don't have experience with which made me feel a little alienated. As far as the story itself, I would say it's one of the best standing right next to 'Winter Soldier' as my favorite screenplays and just like that previous film, 'Black Panther' is an important piece of the puzzle if you want to be fully caught up for 'Infinity War'. The movie lives up to the hype, just not in the way the media would tell you.
6.) The Avengers (2012)
This was the big one at the time. All these heroes were finally together on the big screen for the first time. Living, breathing superheroes fighting together and even after six years, the first 'Avengers' is one of the best of the MCU. Everyone here is on their game, everyone gets their own piece (except maybe Black Widow but let's avoid politics here), and really this was the true start of something bigger and better with Marvel and after this they became a household name with more than just your average comic book fan. If I have to jab at it in any way, it's going to be at the lack of a big memorable baddie. The last minute change from the infamous Skrull to some generic cyborg aliens does make the overall threat feel a little weak but thankfully we get Tom Hiddleston's always charismatic Loki to spice things up and put up a good fight on his own. 'The Avengers' is still one of the greats, on the same level as 'Dark Knight' or 'Spider-Man 2'.
5.) Iron Man (2008)
It's still great folks even after ten long years, the original 'Iron Man' is fun and action-packed with lots of charisma and the perfect performance of Robert Downy Jr. in a role that will be hard to replace. Like a lot of these early flicks, it suffers from a good villain, but everything else here just falls perfectly into place and works so well, from the character relationships, to the humor, and even with the weak villain he still puts up a hell of a fight and the climax is still great. If you haven't seen 'Iron Man' in a while, check it out it's still fun.
4.) Thor: Ragnorok (2017)
Talk about two hits and a home-run. 'Thor: Ragnorok' is by far the best of the three and takes a page from 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and adds some much needed humor and a light-hearted tone that saved Thor from being the worst of the MCU films. The humor, fight scenes, everything I mentioned before are superior in this film and even the villain despite her brief appearance in the overall film is still shown to be a badass and a true threat to the heroes thanks to the always awesome Cate Blanchett. Even the minor characters here, such as Karl Urban are pretty fun to watch and Jeff Goldblum is still the king and I always love seeing him on the screen. Thanks for going out with a bang Thor.
3.) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
For a long time, this was my favorite Marvel flick. It has an awesome retro soundtrack which I'm always for in more movies, it had loads of funny moments, fun characters with charm and attitude, and the best thing by far is that 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is simply a fun comic book movie that expands upon the Marvel Cinematic Universe while still keeping focus on a great story and characters. Marvel is known for its more light-hearted fare and there's no better example than here.
2.) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' ties with 'Guardians' in my book as it has the same strengths: strong writing, great humor, lighter tone, fun fight scenes, and charisma. Basically, everything Marvel is famous for and these two films are the two best examples I could think of. But you may notice one more is on the list...
1.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Probably the biggest polar opposite of the two previous entries, but why would I praise the lighter elements of those films only to place a spy thriller as my numero uno you may be asking? Well, this choice simply comes down to quality of the film itself and out of the entire 10 years of Marvel, 'Winter Soldier' is the only one that I feel isn't just a 'superhero' movie. It's a solid spy film, in the vein of 'Mission: Impossible' or 'Bourne Identity' and really stands out as a completely different film because of this. It's the only Marvel film I can think of that has completely grounded and realistic villains and situations that hit home and gives the viewer a much more personal attachment. Not to say it's lacking in the usual action or even the jokes that the company is famous for, but they're used more carefully and the overall story is one of character development and morality choices. Pretty heavy stuff considering it's not a DC movie but it's what makes 'The Winter Soldier' my absolute favorite film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Whew! Well guys, I'd just like to say thank you if you read through all these as it took me quite a bit of marathon watching, careful thinking, and then several weeks of writing this article for you all. I hope you enjoyed and if you thought I should have a flick somewhere else on the list, just let me know what order you'd put them in. Also, I hope you all enjoy 'Avengers: Infinity War' this weekend as I hope to get a review out to you as soon as I possibly can.
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