We will likely put the cat amongst the pigeons with this one and there may be some strong disagreements, but this is our list and if your favourite doesn't feature it's not because we didn't like it, I can say whole heartedly that I have enjoyed every Marvel movie so far, but not every film was created equal.
MCU Movies
6. Captain America: The First Avenger
I had never seen or read anything of Captain America prior to the release of this film, my brother watched the cartoons when he was younger but I had no recollection, so I came to this character completely fresh without any expectations or bias. I was a little worried as I could only remember Chris Evans from the first Fantastic Four film and he was awful in that, but then again so was the movie, so much so that I didn't bother watching the second one.
I was impressed, the CGI work to make Evans look small was good, Stanley Tucci, Haley Atwell and Tommy Lee Jones put in great performances, Chis Evans was convincing as the weakling turned super soldier and as far as origin stories go I was very impressed. I felt like I understood the character, what motivated him and I loved the WW2 setting.
I don't have many down sides to the film other than Hugo Weaving sounding like he was impersonating Sam Neil in the Hunt for the Red October and my massive doubts that anyone other than the title character could have boarded that high speed train. Other than these little issues, I found this to be a highly enjoyable film.
5. Iron Man
Another origin story and another character I had no experience of until the film, Robert Downey Junior however I did know, I loved his earlier films like Air America and Back to School but I wasn't sure if I was ready for him to take the lead role. My expectations for this film were not high but I was pleasantly impressed with the thought process involved in bringing this relatively unknown character into an instant fan favourite.
RDJ was the only real choice to display the arrogance and brilliance of this character and he mastered it well, it's hard for one actor to carry a full movie of this type on their own but he did, without disrespect to Paltrow or Howard I didn't feel that they contributed much in the way of character to the story. Jeff Bridges was a convincing but obvious bad guy, the ending went the only direction it could with a David and Goliath type finale. Overall a great film which kick-started the whole MCU as we know it.
4. Captain America: Civil War [Blu-ray] [2016]
The latest instalment from the MCU showing what could happen if superheroes can no longer play nicely. By this point we are invested in the characters, we know who we like and we know where they have come from, but they have been set apart. Stark convinced that the Avengers need oversight and can no longer operate as an uncontrollable entity, Cap obviously looking for some kind of Airwolf The Movie [DVD] [1984]
type arrangement where they will help out when asked but are free to do what they want the rest of the time.Stark is trying to wear his big boy pants and Cap is being unbelievably naïve, but there could be a way through until Bucky is in trouble, unfortunately this presents a blind spot for Cap who doesn't think twice about interfering and going against the newly ratified accords, pitting Avenger vs Avenger.
Overall this was a fun action flick, the airport scene was very good, with Ant man and Spiderman bringing the humour during the fight, the almost sibling rivalry of Cap and Ironman is pushed to breaking point, Black Widow is her usual impressive self and I was especially impressed with the Scarlett Witch who I believed explored her character better. I have liked Falcon since he first appeared in Winter Soldier and this outing was no different, also we enjoyed a really good first impression from the Black Panther.
Downsides had to be Thaddeus Ross who was as two dimensional and unimpressive as he was in the Hulk film, his appearance was not required. Noticeable absences were Nick Fury and Maria Hill, it made absolutely no sense for neither of them to be present in this film, when they were probably needed more than ever.
This was a really hard film to get right as it was a Cap movie but he did seem to be on the wrong side of the fight. It served it's purpose which I am sure is to create the rift that will be prevalent in the first Infinity War film.
3. Marvel's The Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Some people may be surprised to see this film so highly placed on the list, but you shouldn't be because despite critic abuse it was a fun action packed movie that worked well for introducing new characters and developing existing ones.
The Avengers have clubbed together to take out the remnants of Hydra and in doing so they discover Loki's missing sceptre. Research of the glow stick results in Stark and Banner attempting to build their suit of armour around the world an artificial intelligence called Ultron that would help protect the planet against invading armies like those from the battle of New York that they were completely unprepared for. The first attempt unfortunately fails and results in a death-bot who would like to destroy the Avengers along with pretty much the rest of the human population.
There are some amazingly good bits in the film including the initial attack on Hydra, the after party with the superheroes chilling and winding down, the Hulkbuster and the Sokovia battle. All great scenes which helped make the film so enjoyable and one that I would watch again and again, not to mention the introduction of great characters such as Scarlet Witch and Vision. Yes there were some downsides, most of which were out of the control of Whedon who was dealing with the pressure of a growing franchise filled with other directors who refused to play ball for the larger story. The Thor and Selvig part was a little weird but served two purposes, one to set up the third instalment of the Azgardians series and secondly to motivate him to back Starks second attempt to create the artificial intelligence. Thoroughly enjoyable film, saddened that Whedon will not be on board for Infinity War.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
When I first saw this film come up on the to be released list for the MCU I didn't yet trust that Marvel knew what they were doing. My expectations were not high for the film, but yet again I dragged my long suffering wife along to the cinema to check it out. I have to say I was so impressed right from the start, the soundtrack kicked in and suddenly I found myself looking at a modern day sci-fi hero surrounded by a comic book environment.
From start to finish I enjoyed every minute of the film, I had never heard the names Star Lord, Rocket, Gamora, Groot or Drax before in my life and now I wanted to be a part of that universe. Amazingly well told story, good action scenes, well acted parts, brilliant humour and a kick ass 70's soundtrack, that how you make a hit film out of something that very few people had ever heard of.
I am concerned about the follow up as I worry that they will struggle to repeat the originality of the first one, but I trust that Marvel will do me proud.
1. Avengers Assemble
Total game changer for movies of the type, the most charismatic villain in the franchise to date aligned with a powerful staff weapon, mind control ability and a huge army of aliens. Defending the Earth we have the most powerful creature in the franchise with his best personification yet in the Ruffalo's Hulk, the super smart and arrogant Ironman, the God, the super soldier and two master assassins.
The action sequences in the movie were fantastic and faultless, the dialogue was clever and witty as you would expect from the Firefly - The Complete Series [DVD] [2003]
and Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Complete Seasons 1-7 [DVD]
creator and their was the heart, the emotion urging the Avengers on and the audience with them, the killing of Phil Coulson, Whedon not afraid to do what the Russo brothers haven't managed to achieve yet, the unexpected death of a well known character. Coulson had appeared in two Ironman films and Thor up until this point, no one saw his life being ended in such a brutal unforgiving way. (For all of those who will claim he was brought back to life in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 1 [DVD]
, he wasn't revived in the MCU, he is still dead in that).Some will claim that the attacking aliens story wasn't developed enough, but the truth is who cares, what good is it to have superheroes without a big bad to battle, so as far as enjoyable movies are concerned this one is right up there and that is why it is number 1 on my list.
There's something missing
There of course are films that did not make my list, many people may be surprised that Captain America: The Winter Soldier
hasn't appeared, so let me clear this up; I enjoyed the second instalment of the Captain America Trilogy, but it didn't impress me as much as it did others. I'll tell you why, I didn't find the film as clever as so many others thought it was, it was obvious that Bucky was a pawn who had had his mind altered, Rumlow seemed dodgy right from the start, it was obvious that Robert Redford was bent the moment he appeared on screen, why? Because he had to be, he was to big a star with an unknown name in the MCU thus far to be a good guy. I like the film, the introduction of Sam was good, Black Widow fun as always, but even she wasn't on top of her game, the masks came straight out of Mission impossible and the biggest hole in the film was that they felt they had to do it alone, no Ironman, Hulk or even Hawkeye, after the bond that had been created in the Avengers I don't know if it was believable to have them all sitting out when three giant death machines were taking off over Washington.So that is it, this is the list, if you have any comments below is where to put them.
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