****
|
Excellent! Had to see it twice!
|
***
|
Good movie with a few flaws.
|
**
|
Not bad, but not great.
|
*
|
I’d watch it once if I was bored enough.
|
[no stars]
|
Just terrible.
|
@
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So bad it’s kind of good.
|
After Batman Begins, this is the other movie that reinvigorated the genre. Where Batman Begins was dark, this one was funny. Where Batman is driven, Tony Stark is brilliantly conflicted. It is everything that Nolan's movie wasn't, and that's why it works.
22. The Incredible Hulk (2008) ***1/2
This movie was sidelined by the overwhelming success of Iron Man, but I loved it. I loved Edward Norton's take on the character, I loved the script he wrote for the film, and I loved the Greco-Roman take on The Hulk. My only complaint is that he let The Abomination live at the end. I found this hard to believe.
23. Punisher: War Zone (2008) *
A more violent take on Frank Castle. It's a solid film, but maybe a little too depressing for its own good. I consider it an improvement on the first.
24. X-men Origins: Wolverine (2009) *
This movie is standard popcorn fare, much along the lines of Ghost Rider. Hugh Jackman goes through the motions, an attempt to bring Deadpool and Gambit into the mix is handled badly, and by the end you're thankful that it's not as dreadful as X3.
2010s
25. Iron Man 2 (2010) ***
I liked this almost as much as the first one. Downey Jr. is given even better one-liners in this film, and Mickey Rourke characteristically chews the scenery. Sam Rockwell is also great as Justin Hammer, and my only complaint is that Don Cheadle isn't given enough to do.
26. Kick-Ass (2010) **
I have friends who love this movie. I don't. I think the first half is good, but after Big Daddy dies it just gets silly - especially the jet pack. A nice warm up for The Amazing Spider-Man, however.
27. Thor (2011) *
Considering how hard it must have been to adapt Thor to the big screen, I would consider this movie a success. Still, compared to other movies Marvel Studios has made, I think this is the weakest one. I've never been a big fan of Kenneth Branagh.
28. X-men: First Class (2011) ***
Michael Fassbender makes this movie. Forgive the pun, but he is positively magnetic as Magneto. I thought the end was weak, but it's still miles ahead of the first three films.
29. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) ***
Still one of my favorite Marvel movies. It might seem a bit slow for some people, but the mixture of Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark really worked for me.
30. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
Ghost Rider journeys to Europe on an extremely low budget. The screenplay was probably good, but the direction is all over the place and Nicholas Cage overdoes the "manic" elements. The only good thing I can say about this film is that the actress who plays "the Devil's baby-momma" is extremely beautiful. Fun Fact: Idris Elba, who appeared in Thor the year before, is Johnny Blaze's sidekick.
31. The Avengers (2012) ***1/2
There are entire websites devoted to how awesome this movie is. It's a good film, but not one of the best. Considering how difficult it is to put characters as diverse as Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor into the same movie universe, this one is an unqualified triumph. I'm only sorry the Oscorp Tower didn't make an appearance.
32. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) ***
This is a good movie, and I'm looking forward to the sequel. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have some terrific chemistry, and it's a solid effort. The Lizard is a bit too Hulk-like for my taste, but this is a vast improvement over Spider-Man 3.
33. Iron Man 3 (2013) *
I was super excited about this movie, but walked away from it disappointed. It starts out well, but neither of the villains are very compelling, and the stunt work is too over the top. My biggest complaint is the ending, which gives us a Tony Stark who no longer has any reason to be Iron Man.
34. Kick-Ass 2 (2013) **
It's not a great movie, but it's not bad. There are some funny scenes in this one, but it could have been a lot better.
35. The Wolverine (2013) **1/2
I had high hopes for this one, but it wasn't all that good. It's certainly much better than X-Men Origins: Wolverine and all the other X-Men films, but that's not saying all that much.
36. Thor: The Dark World (2013) ***
This was a great movie. I didn't love the first Thor, but this one was a vast improvement. Reminded me a lot of the Walt Simonson run on the comic book. Hoping to see Beta Ray Bill in Thor 3!
37. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) **1/2
Steve Rogers struggles with the modern world and his role in S.H.I.E.L.D. After encountering the Winter Soldier, he has even more reasons to doubt the nobility of certain causes. A very topical movie, with some great action sequences. Didn't like it as much as Thor: The Dark World, but it was well done.
38. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) **
Too much CGI, but some great performances from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. I liked this movie more than "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," though the action sequences in Cap were better. This film has more dramatic tension, better ensemble performances, and more heart. Looking forward to the third film!
39. X-men: Days of Future Past (2014) ***1/2
A surprisingly good movie. As mutantkind faces extinction, Wolverine journeys into the past to change the future. Excellent performances, and one of the most emotionally resonant superhero films to come along in quite a while. Fun Fact: Although played by a white midget (Peter Dinklage) in Days of Future Past, Bill Duke, a rather large black man, plays Bolivar Trask in the earlier X-Men: The Last Stand.
40. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) **
A good movie, though it features too many characters for its own good. Humor holds the film together, and makes some of the less plausible plot elements seem more plausible. As with many other recent films from Marvel Studios, seems less inspired than calculated. Maybe the second one will be better?
41. The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)**1/2
I can't say it's flawless, but I did like it much better than Guardians of the Galaxy. It's less talky than the first Avengers, and the battle between Hulk and the Hulkbuster is truly awesome. Quicksilver seemed a bit underused, and I would have liked to see more of the Vision, but it's still a great movie.
42. Ant-Man (2015)**
Any great scenes in this movie involve a) Michael Pena, b) shrinking, or c) both. As for the rest of it? It starts off well enough, but it takes too long to get going. "The heist" at the end is a bit of a non-event, but the fight scenes between Ant-Man and Yellowjacket are good.
43. Fantastic Four (2015)*
This movie is not bad up until the four return from Planet Zero. After that point it's a mess. Once Reed escapes from the military facility the dialogue is awful, the characters do things that make no sense, and the movie somehow ends without building up any kind of dramatic tension. It feels like an hour of this film was removed before it hit theaters, and Dr. Doom looks like he escaped from another, much lower-budget film.
44. Deadpool (2016)***
The good news: as far as films within Fox's X-men universe go, this one is second best. It's not as riveting as X-men: Days of Future Past, but it's better than all the other ones. Compared to the Marvel Studios films, I'd rank it above lesser efforts like Iron Man 2 and 3, though it comes nowhere near their best. It's refreshingly profane, yet it struggles during most of the "serious" parts. A sequel to this movie would probably be much better than the original.
45. Captain America: Civil War (2016) **1/2
I liked it, but it was WAY to long and that fight at the airport seemed entirely unnecessary. The inclusion of both Black Panther and Spider-Man also did very little to advance the plot, though I was happy to finally see Marvel's approach to these characters. I think a smaller-scale movie, concentrating on the dynamic between Steve, Bucky, and Tony would have worked much better.
46. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016) **
Continuity be damned! Never mind the fact that many of the events occurring in Apocalypse happened much later (or is it earlier?) in the first three X-men movies. Never mind the fact that many of the characters from First Class ought to be in their 50s by the 1980s. The biggest problem with this movie is the villain, and the fact that he's just not threatening. When you title a movie "Apocalypse" it ought to feel like the end of the world, and this movie just doesn't deliver on that promise.
On the Way
47. Doctor Strange (2016)
All I can say is... finally! I've been waiting for this movie for so long. Scott Derrickson is directing, and Benedict Cumberbatch will star as Stephen Strange. The first trailer was released today, and it looks GREAT. Time to get strange!
48. Deadpool 2? X-Force? New Mutants? (2016)
The Gambit movie has been put on hold for the time being. A Deadpool sequel so soon seems unlikely. X-Force also seems unlikely without Deadpool. New Mutants is a distinct possibility, however.
49. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2017)
Who would have thought the first Guardians of the Galaxy would be such a success? And who would have thought that a sequel would be on the way so soon? Most of the original cast and crew will return for this film.
50. Third Wolverine Film (2017)
Hugh Jackman and director James Mangold will be returning. Hopefully they can improve upon The Wolverine, which wasn't the stylistic triumph I hoped it would be. Hugh Jackman has indicated that they'll be going for "Old Man Logan," though of course Fox will need to change a lot of the story to make up for characters they don't have the rights to.
51. Deadpool 2? X-Force? New Mutants? (2017)
Fox just greenlit the Deadpool sequel, and it seems likely that it will take over Fantastic Four 2's release date. Either that or they'll skip straight to X-Force and put Deadpool on the roster. New Mutants is also a possibility.
52. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
The Hulk will be in it, though nothing is known about the plot. Taika Waititi will be directing, and Chris Hemsworth will return as Thor.
53. The Black Panther (2017)
Chadwick Boseman will play the Black Panther. Creed's Ryan Coogler is directing. I think it's safe to say that elements of his backstory will appear in the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron. Nothing else is known about this movie.
54. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Sony finally set a release date for this film. After years of negotiations with Marvel, Tom Holland will finally star as a much younger Spider-Man, with Jon Watts directing. I thought the Amazing Spider-Man films were... OK, but I'm glad to see the character back under Marvel's supervision. Last I heard Michael Keaton (Batman!) was in talks to play (one of the) villain(s).
55. The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (2018)
It was bound to happen. Thanos will be the villain, and his quest for the infinity gems (stones) will probably cause Earth's mightiest heroes a great deal of misery. The interplay between this and DC's two Justice League movies will be fun to watch.
56. Captain Marvel (2018)
A female superhero film - even if it will appear a YEAR after DC's Wonder Woman. And Captain Marvel ain't no Wonder Woman! My guess is that Marvel will struggle with the script for a while and eventually give up. Captain Marvel just isn't that interesting a character.
57. Inhumans (2018)
It's kind of hard to imagine the Inhumans in the absence of the Fantastic Four, but I'm sure Marvel will figure out a way to make it work. Last I heard this movie had been delayed, and its release date may be given to another film.
58. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
No details on this movie as yet. It was announced this week, and the release dates for both Captain Marvel and Black Panther have been adjusted to accommodate it.
59. The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 (2019)
With a rumored budget of a BILLION dollars, this and Infinity War Part 1 will, if nothing else, be something to talk about.
60. Untitled (2020)
Have fun guessing. My guess is that we finally get another Hulk movie. Yeah, I know about that business with Universal, and yes, he often works better as part of the Avengers, but a Planet Hulk or World War Hulk movie would be amazing. Marvel also knows how bad many of us want this one.
61. Untitled (2020)
Have fun guessing here, too. We can safely rule out Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America. Ant-Man's sequel and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 are also listed above. What does that leave us? Could Marvel have won back the rights to the Fantastic Four? Or will it be Guardians of the Galaxy 3?
62. Untitled (2020)
Go CRAZY guessing! Ghost Rider? Daredevil on the big screen? The Punisher? Ego the living planet? The U-Foes? Spider-Gwen?
