Even after the acclaimed Infinity Saga, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to grow strong with numerous mind-blowing announcements at Disney's most recent Investor Day. Fans were blessed with new trailers for the upcoming Marvel shows on Disney+ and some news for upcoming feature films.
But will the next phases in the MCU live up to the first three? All film is subjective and fans will therefore have their own opinions about the best and worst Marvel movies to date, but even in the worst ones, they all have their redeeming qualities whether that be a relationship, the wonderful Stan Lee Cameos, or great character development.
10 Black Panther (2018) - 7.3/10
Chadwick Boseman gave fans an incredible performance in Black Panther which leveled the playing field in the MCU. Some of the potential main criticisms of the movie include the CGI battle at the end of the movie but that aside, the movie was largely popular.
Undoubtedly, even for those who weren't as big a fan of the movie, the most redeeming quality, aside from the performances themselves, was how it really focused and shone a light on African American characters and the talent-rich cast including Michael B Jordan who was fantastic in all his scenes, Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whitaker brought the characters to life wonderfully.
9 Ant-Man (2015) - 7.3/10
The MCU's first heist movie directed by Peyton Reed pleasantly surprised audiences when they heard that there was a superhero called "Ant-Man" and were, rightly so, initially hesitant. Ant-Man was a risk for Marvel but many were left in stitches.
There was one character who almost stole the movie, and perhaps succeeded for some, and that was Scott Lang's friend Luis whose comedic retelling of events brought laughter to many theatre audiences, a magnificent performance from Michael Pena and a brilliant way to end the film with his final line "he said yes..."
8 Iron Man 3 (2013) - 7.1/10
Robert Downey Jr's third solo movie and fourth appearance as Tony Stark/Iron Man occurred in 2013 when Tony was at one of the lowest points in his life and was one of the MCU's most controversial films in terms of its popularity.
However, although many comic book fans were not impressed by Ben Kingsley's performance as The Mandarin as it was such a departure from what they were expecting, Kingsley was a hilarious addition to the movie. Also, Marvel certainly deserves some recognition for underlining the importance of mental health and how it can cause even the best of heroes to struggle.
7 Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018) - 7.1/10
The slightly less popular sequel to Ant-Man now featuring Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp. The film was mainly used to introduce the idea of the Quantum Realm - the microscopic universe that the Avengers used to retrieve the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame.
And therein lies the best thing about Ant-Man & The Wasp. There were elements the movie hit and missed on and while the movie was certainly funny and saw the return of Luis's recalling monologues, the redeeming factor was that it was a larger stepping stone to Avengers: Endgame as fans knew that the Quantum realm was going to play some role in Avengers: Endgame.
6 Thor (2011) - 7.0/10
The first Thor movie was released back in 2011 just as the MCU was getting started and was fans' first introduction to Chris Hemsworth as the God of Thunder. The film had many benefits including Tom Hiddleston as Loki, the visuals of the lightning, and the music just to name a few.
However, Chris Hemsworth's Thor was certainly the best thing about this movie. Hemsworth manages to fully become the god of thunder both mentally and physically. Thor's character development throughout the movie was also done perfectly by the lead.
5 Iron Man 2 (2010) - 7.0/10
After the resounding success of Iron Man comes Iron Man 2. The first movie was a hard standard to live up to and just because some fans preferred the first movie, does not mean that the sequel is a bad movie, if anything it speaks to the brilliance of the original.
However as it sits on IMDB as the fifth lowest-rated Marvel movie, one of the elements of the film that was not rated low is the relationship between Tony and Pepper. The relationship blossoms throughout the entirety of the MCU and does not feel like your standard movie romance. Downey and Paltrow have a great dynamic on screen.
4 Captain Marvel (2019) - 6.9/10
Captain Marvel was introduced for a few reasons, the main of which was to introduce a potential new powerhouse character that can lead the Avengers after Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. While it was great to get a backstory of who Carol Danvers is, it seemed like a "filler" film to explain her existence in Endgame, but after all, that's what origin stories are for.
One element of Captain Marvel that can be praised, aside from Brie Larson as the lead, is the action sequences. All fights were well choreographed and never seemed like a contrived set-up of punching and jumping around. Victor Monroe Armstrong did a fantastic job of bringing fans new and exciting moves that ramped up the action. Hopefully, it's ramped up further in the sequel.
3 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - 6.9/10
Chris Evans arrived as Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger way back in 2011. Rated surprisingly low on IMDB even though the first movie showed fans exactly who Steve Rogers is at his core and why they love him.
And it's all thanks to Chris Evans as he was certainly the best thing about the movie. Evans really brought the character of Steve Rogers to life in a way that no one would ever have guessed and will always be one of the greats.
2 Thor: The Dark World (2013) - 6.9/10
While the first and third Thor movies were very well received by audiences, Thor: The Dark World, sat slightly lower in the ratings than both of the other films in the trilogy. However, there is one element that stands out in the movie and every other movie he has appeared in.
Tom Hiddleston continuously brings different layers to Loki as the complicated relationship between him and Thor evolves throughout the MCU. Loki is one of Marvel's greatest villains/heroes and the upcoming Disney+ series Loki is getting fans incredibly excited.
1 The Incredible Hulk (2008) - 6.7/10
The second movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe originally starred Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. As the MCU was still finding its feet, naturally they had some negative reviews. However, one specific element that really shone in the movie was the action, notably Hulk Vs. Abomination.
The way the movie ended certainly left scope for Abomination to return but the final fight sequence was certainly a Hulk-smashing way to end the movie.
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January 05, 2021 at 04:30AM
