Film Essay: Marvel Cinematic Universe Review

With Avengers: Endgame coming out this Friday, the conclusion to one of the greatest experiments in film history will occur: a sprawling epic unlike anything else ever put to screen. Combining originally the six members of the Avengers, which was going to have three films for each of the main characters, has become something even more massive; a behemoth, playing with epic storytelling in a way that television has long had reign over. That being said, somewhere along the way, the quality of their films... didn’t necessarily drop (although that happened as well), but rather, Marvel saturated the market with so many superhero films that the formula grew old, especially the witty banter between heroes that somehow suggests a relationship that provides moments of quiet between large battles. So, with both of those thoughts in mind, I thought I would revisit the entire MCU series (or most of it) before the opening of Endgame. Below are my rankings of the MCU films I have seen.

Note: Films with superheroes that are not part of the MCU Universe (yes, I’m thinking of the original Spider-man films by Raimi and the X-men movies both by Bryan Singer and others) are not included. So here is my list in descending order.

NOTE: THERE ARE SPOILERS. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.

19. Iron Man 2 * ½
Coming off the success of Iron Man, expectations were high for Marvel to showcase themselves. Man… did they fail. The main problem in this film is an interesting villain, who never gets his due, and a manufactured crisis of conscious for Tony Stark. Tony’s personal journey in this film rings so hollow. If they at least had descent action sequences, the movie might be more watchable, but, the end fight is nothing, but digital effects shooting each other. There doesn’t seem to be any stakes and the limitations of the Iron Man suit come to bare when War Machine, Whiplash and Iron Man are all in suits and jettison their masks so that we can see the emotions of the characters while fighting. Too bad none of those emotions seem real or earned. In the end, the visual of Whiplash standing on the racing track is well done… if the rest of the movie had been that effective, they might have had something.

18. Iron Man 3 * ½
Perhaps the greatest Iron Man villain is The Mandarin. When I heard they were casting Ben Kingsley, my reaction… you have to be kidding me… a British / Indian actor playing one of the only Asian characters in the Marvel Universe. Now, granted, the movie has a hysterical reveal of the fact that Ben Kingsley’s character is merely an actor playing a terrorist they made up called The Mandarin. Too bad the rest of the story wasn’t as inventive. The one thing that does work slightly better than Iron Man 2 is Tony Stark’s personal struggle. The fear of dying following returning from space in the Marvel’s The Avengers seems much more real. There are stakes involved in his personal struggle, but again, a mess of a film.

17. Thor: The Dark World

The only reason to see this movie is to see Loki at his best. When Thor frees him from prison in Asgard, his transformations into the other Avengers is amazing. That being said, man… sometimes the lack of a real villain destroys everything. The “stakes” are “high” but feel pointless. The Dark Elf, played by Christopher Eccleston who could have imbued the character with real menace and presence… if they had bothered to write him any. A really pointless story.

16. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 **

If this movie had lived up to the opening scene where the Guardians are slaughtering a space monster attacking a planet, it would have been something. Watching Drax jump into the monster’s belly and fight him from within demonstrates the appeal of the Guardians: they’re silly fun. But, they stack the movie with too many additional characters and none of them really work. The worst is Ego; Star-Lord’s father who is actually the conscious of a planet. Not really developed, not interesting at all, the fight against him is one of the most boring fights that Marvel has ever constructed. Highlights: Rocket continues to entertain as does baby Groot. The one character who somewhat saves the movie is Yondu, who it is revealed, saved Star-Lord from a terrible fate, and somehow, the actor delivers an undeliverable line at the end and makes it emotional: “He might have been your father, but he sure wasn’t your daddy.”

Also this film has the worst special effects of the MCU… I was shocked at how bad Ego’s planet looks. All the actors seem like they’re floating the entire time… because they’re not standing on anything. They’re standing on a green screen

15. The Incredible Hulk **
Ed Norton just fails as Dr. Bruce Banner. It’s that simple. He is too cool, too sleek to carry the character. He attempts to nerd it up, but fails. The movie is such a standard plot and was basically a re-introduction of the character following Ang Lee’s mysterious and confounding Hulk. The villain played by Tim Roth is interesting… solely because it’s Tim Roth. All in all, a pointless film.

14. Avengers: Age of Ultron **
Perhaps the most disappointing of all of the Marvel films. I was surprised by how well Marvel’s The Avengers balanced all of the characters, here, this film gets weighs down by the vastness of the characters. The most interesting character is indeed Ultron, who James Spader provides an incredible voice performance for… if they only gave him something to say. I do enjoy Ultron rotating between trying to be benevolent and crazy, such as when he tears off the arm of Ulysses Klaue who somehow barely reacts. There was one great line. Captain America and Tony are trying to talk, but they have been having a hard time, and one of them says they’ve had a hard day, “a long day’s journey into night kind of day.” That made me smile.

13. Ant-Man ** ½
I really like Paul Rudd as an actor and as a person. He’s incredibly kind and brilliantly funny. The problem with film is not him, but that it’s an Iron Man clone… let me give you the summary: a super suit is built, but our hero decides to use it to do his own things before realizing to use it for good while making jokes along the way, causing another evil businessman to build a suit of their own so they can fight. Certainly, they had fun playing with the expanding and contracting of size… but… this was the beginning of Marvel losing some of their mojo for me.

12. Thor ** ½
For most, this movie would be lower on such a list and I don’t blame them. The film doesn’t have very good special effects, but, what it does have is an experienced Shakespearean actor and director at the helm. I think Kenneth Branagh does an amazing job of creating the Shakespearean level of tragedy between two warring brothers and a distant father. In many ways, it reminded me of Henry IV Part I with Thor as the Hotspur character and Loki as Hal. Loki also emerges as one of the great characters of the MCU.

11. Captain America: The First Avenger ***

This film has grown in my opinion as the years have gone on. When it first debuted, I didn’t think much of it. It felt too generic and in many ways it is. It is only when I watched it again recently, I realized that the origin story and the ending are indeed too generic, but, it is in the middle when Captain America is first made and then relegated to merely being propaganda that the film shines. It is in these reenactments to recruit people to the war and raise funds that the film finds its footing. It has something fascinating to say about patriotism actually means; is Captain America patriotic, recruiting people to fight a war? I wish the movie took that to heart and carried that throughout the film. Also, having Hugo Weaving play your villain is a plus as well; Red Skull looked fantastic.

10. Captain America: Civil War ***
This is the movie that followed Ant Man where I felt that Marvel had begun to let steam out of their own creation; that they had begun to rely on the formula too much. I had hoped this movie would prove me wrong… it didn’t happen. The end fight between Tony and Cap is just… bad. The way one convinces the other… it ends up upending all of what Marvel had built thematically. Tony is too … one sided in this. Yes, we learn more about his parents, and yes, that is a good motivation, but, he would at least listen to Captain America. The fights feel forced. That being said, the fights are great. This movie as peer spectacle outranks many of the other films and that is why it remains so high.

9. Doctor Strange ***

Once again, too much of a formula, but where they play with it is in the use of the time stone; it doesn’t hurt to have Benedict Cumberbatch playing your main character too. Like most superheros, Doctor Strange searches for healing from his past, only to discover his immense power. The plot and villain are only so-so, but, the special effects and use of time were really fun and inventive. I really like Tilda Swinton, but, I am still upset that she took a role that should have gone to an Asian actor or actress. I like the idea of having a female Ancient One, and I love Tilda Swinton as an actress… but… really?!

8. Captain Marvel ***
I wanted this film to be great. It was good. It follows the formula way too closely for an origin story. As a result, why isn’t it as low as Ant-man… well, because of two things: the theme of the work and digital young Samuel L Jackson. What I found impressive about Captain Marvel, not only did it star a great Brie Larson, not only was it written and directed at least by one woman, Anne Boden, but it conveyed it’s theme of the strength of women really subtly. In the beginning of the film, Yon-Rogg tells Vers to control her emotions if she wants to be successful. How long have men levied that idea against women? Carol Danvers eventually realizes that her strength comes not from superpowers, etc, but from herself, from her own emotions. A great message. Then, there is a young Samuel L Jackson. This may be the most impressive use of special effects in the entire MCU universe. They tried to do this with both Leia and Tarkin in Rogue One and neither were truly successful. Here, I saw a thirty year old Samuel L Jackson give a performance. It was amazing.

7. Avengers: Infinity War ***

Oh wow… what a mess of a movie… but what an incredible mess. The film juggles too many main characters. It borders on being bad, but somehow holds it together through the incredible performance of Josh Brolin as Thanos. Realizing Thanos is the main character was a stroke of genius, but they didn’t carry it out. The scene with Gamora is worth the price of admission alone.
Here’s my full review: https://www.gourmandfilmwriter.com/home/2018/8/15/film-review-avengers-infinity-war-

6. Thor: Ragnarok *** ½
Recently Marvel has begun taking chances, hopefully to revive some of the franchises that have become stale. They recruited several brilliant young directors to give them their shot at making a Marvel movie and more freedom to actually compose their vision. The first of these is Thor Ragnarok. Taika Waititi, previously known for Hunt of the Wilderpeople, brings an energy and style to match the absurdity of a story about gods and a woman from Hell. The use of color in this movie matches the insanity as do the incredible performances, playing with the ridiculous nature of the film. It’s a film that knows it’s silly and plays into it. Two of the ultimate vessels of that are Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster and bringing back the Hulk. A road movie in space. What a fun ride.

5. Guardians of the Galaxy ****
Speaking of fun rides, watching Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most fun filmgoing experiences I’ve had in the MCU and that’s saying something. This movie knows what it is and yet is profound as well. Watch how the ships around Nova Core link together to form a chain to prevent the enemy from landing. This is the theme of the movie. That this band of misfits are actually stronger together. That really comes to pass as they grasp the Infinity Power Stone, which would kill any one of them, but pass the power through all of them to defuse it. Add in the best use of music in the MCU, wonderful performances from everyone, especially the voice work of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel… it even becomes emotional when Groot sacrifices himself.

4. Marvel’s The Avengers ****

Marvel proved they knew what they were doing with this film. Some of the pieces leading up to this were not great, but, they all became necessary stepping stones to the first Avengers film. Wow, juggling all six of the Avengers in one storyline, having all of them have personal conflict and goals, and yet also link it into an adventure story done with incredible special effects, incredible set pieces, and great performances. Holy shit. This movie remains a mystery for how well they balanced it and a triumph of editing.

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ****

This isn’t a movie in the MCU Universe. This is one of the best espionage movies of the 20th century. It deserves to be mentioned with both The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. It also provided a blueprint that I wish Marvel had followed. Rather than redoing the superhero formula each film, they should have embraced different genres. They did that with Thor Ragnarok which was a buddy road movie. But, they needed to do this more. Have a horror film or an outright comedy, etc. Play with it.

This movie is perhaps the most emotional of all of the films. It also complicates the symbol of Captain America in a great way when he must turn against the government that represents America. Scoring Robert Redford didn’t hurt either. Thematically this is the second best Marvel work. The best thematic Marvel film is my favorite.

2. Iron Man ****
Before we get to my favorite and, I believe, the best Marvel film, we go back to the beginning. Iron Man remain the best use of the Marvel formula. That’s incredible considering it was also the first. They establish Tony Stark and take us on his personal journey, going from rich playboy to someone who cares and they do so by involving the film in real world situations. They create a character who has become so iconic that all he need do is deliver a line and we know it’s Tony Stark. Although there is a fight between power suits at the end, the film feels fresh and new and relevant even today.

1. Black Panther ****

No Marvel film has impressed me more than Black Panther. I think trusting Ryan Coogler to deliver this film is the best decision Marvel has ever made. What he gave us was a movie that uses the superhero formula perfectly. But if it did only that, it wouldn’t be my choice for the best Marvel film. The fact that Ryan Coogler was able to make the first Afro-centric Futurism film that is mainstream and it’s a Disney movie?! Wow. This is the best set design, the best costuming, the best use of mis-en-scene that Marvel has ever done. The world of Wakanda is imagined without European influence. African culture is projected into the future and celebrated in a way we never see. Look at how the remotes are beads people wear, or that the shields are actually fabric, or that holograms are made out of sand instead of light. In terms of world creation, this movie stands on a pedestal by itself.

But, even if it was that, it might not be my favorite Marvel film. The film is thematically complicated and engrossing. Killmonger is not a villain. He is a young man who was betrayed by his own people and then grew up in a racist society. He has seen the suffering of African Americans, of African Europeans, etc. He has decided that force (Malcolm X’s path) is the way to liberate centuries of oppression. At first, T’Challa doesn’t agree. He wants Wakanda to perhaps open up to the world, but not much. It is through fighting Killmonger that he comes to understand that Killmonger has a point. This is done visually in two brilliant ways:

First, there is the end fight. Never before in the Marvel universe has the end fight carried so much meaning. They are fighting in an underground railroad, which of course is an African American symbol of a road to freedom. It is what Killmonger wants. T’Challa to fight in it at first shuts it down, symbolic of his wish not to create such a pathway for those who live in oppression to freedom. But as the fight goes on, he realizes that the only way to win is to activate the train. It is when that happens that he succeeds.

The second is the ending. The first Wakanda embassy is located in Oakland where the Black Panthers opened their first school.

What an incredible movie.
And now… we await Avengers: Endgame.