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BuzzJack Music Forum _ Movies and Theatre _ Marvel Cinematic Universe: Rate Results
Posted by: SamJudd 19th May 2018, 10:53 PM
With the recent release of the mammoth 'Avengers - Infinity War', it's time to take a look back at all 18 of the previous Marvel entries over the last 10 years and see which ones the voters on Buzzjack likes the best. A reminder below of what was featured in this rate, and all the scores have been added up and verified, all will be revealed in this thread.
Phase One
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel's The Avengers
Phase Two
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Ant-Man
Phase Three
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2
Spider-Man Homecoming
Thor Ragnarok
Black Panther
Any thoughts any predictions as all will be revealed very soon...
Phase One
Phase Two
Phase Three
Any thoughts any predictions as all will be revealed very soon...
Posted by: SamJudd 21st May 2018, 12:13 AM
18. Iron Man 2 | Avg.6.125
Highest Scores: 9: (Dexton, TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 1: (Regina)
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 73%, Worldwide Box Office: $623,933,331
Highest Scores: 9: (Dexton, TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 1: (Regina)
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 73%, Worldwide Box Office: $623,933,331
Coming in dead last in the Marvel Cinematic Universe rate results is 'Iron Man 2' released in 2010 as the sequel to 2008's 'Iron Man' as the 3rd film in the MCU. It received positive reviews, although not on the level of the first one and was a commercial success with $623.9 Million at the worldwide box office on a production budget of about $200 Million, and even received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
I honestly don't find this all that bad, yes it has several flaws which I will go into in a moment, but on the whole it's still pretty fun and it does has good moments. Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark is fantastic as always, he totally nailed the character in the first one and successfully carries that over into this one with all that usual charm and charisma. This is where we get to see his fall from grace, and his personal demons with regards to his love life and alcoholism comes into play. Plus we have the introduction of War Machine, although Rhodey was re-cast for the sequel with Don Cheadle, who I personally find much better in the role as he brings a lot more life and vibrancy to the role. His relationship with Stark is a big part of the movie, a continuation of a strong bond, which will be important throughout the MCU. Plus we do have some awesome action scenes, namely the racetrack scene with Whiplash wielding electric whips, which was very visually interesting and exciting. Then finally we also get the pleasure of Black Widow's introduction into this universe along with Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury.
Now the bad points, firstly this does unfortunately make the classic superhero sequel mistake - by cramming in way too many characters as well as bringing up some interesting ideas, such as the alcoholism and the arc reactor but then not doing anything with them and dismissing them quite quickly like they didn't matter. Mickey Rourke as the villain Whiplash, certainly looked the part, but apart from that one great action scene, he's basically a throwaway bad guy coming across more weird than compelling, giving a don't care performance. Thankfully we do have another villain Justin Hammer played by Sam Rockwell who gives a lot more effort and hamming it up big time, but the movie doesn't give him much to do as with Scarlet Johansson who don't get me wrong is fantastic as Black Widow, however in this she isn't given much to do and is missing from a big chunk of the film. On the whole it suffers from being overstuffed and under cooked.
As a whole this is still a watchable entry, even if it does suffer that dreaded sequel curse and was definitely rushed with needed more time spent on the story being more focused, instead of eyeing up the forthcoming Avengers movie. While personally I wouldn't rank this as the worst of the MCU, I would rank it in my bottom 3.
I honestly don't find this all that bad, yes it has several flaws which I will go into in a moment, but on the whole it's still pretty fun and it does has good moments. Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark is fantastic as always, he totally nailed the character in the first one and successfully carries that over into this one with all that usual charm and charisma. This is where we get to see his fall from grace, and his personal demons with regards to his love life and alcoholism comes into play. Plus we have the introduction of War Machine, although Rhodey was re-cast for the sequel with Don Cheadle, who I personally find much better in the role as he brings a lot more life and vibrancy to the role. His relationship with Stark is a big part of the movie, a continuation of a strong bond, which will be important throughout the MCU. Plus we do have some awesome action scenes, namely the racetrack scene with Whiplash wielding electric whips, which was very visually interesting and exciting. Then finally we also get the pleasure of Black Widow's introduction into this universe along with Samuel L Jackson's Nick Fury.
Now the bad points, firstly this does unfortunately make the classic superhero sequel mistake - by cramming in way too many characters as well as bringing up some interesting ideas, such as the alcoholism and the arc reactor but then not doing anything with them and dismissing them quite quickly like they didn't matter. Mickey Rourke as the villain Whiplash, certainly looked the part, but apart from that one great action scene, he's basically a throwaway bad guy coming across more weird than compelling, giving a don't care performance. Thankfully we do have another villain Justin Hammer played by Sam Rockwell who gives a lot more effort and hamming it up big time, but the movie doesn't give him much to do as with Scarlet Johansson who don't get me wrong is fantastic as Black Widow, however in this she isn't given much to do and is missing from a big chunk of the film. On the whole it suffers from being overstuffed and under cooked.
As a whole this is still a watchable entry, even if it does suffer that dreaded sequel curse and was definitely rushed with needed more time spent on the story being more focused, instead of eyeing up the forthcoming Avengers movie. While personally I wouldn't rank this as the worst of the MCU, I would rank it in my bottom 3.
Posted by: Ronald McJackson 21st May 2018, 01:01 AM
I preferred the original Rhodey cos he was a lot hotter! I really enjoyed this film though, although I was really confused by the recast when I first watched it.
Posted by: Jonjo 21st May 2018, 01:23 AM
Surprised that it's not 'The Incredible Hulk' that's last! 
(happy though, I like it!) but 'Iron Man 2' is definitely down there in my personal rankings. Ivan Vanko was such a mess! He had so much potential and Rourke was so pissed off! 
Posted by: Dexton 21st May 2018, 04:45 AM
Iron Man 2 is below Iron Man 3?
Posted by: SamJudd 21st May 2018, 04:31 PM
17. The Incredible Hulk | Avg.6.133
Highest Scores: 9: (PeteFromLeeds, TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 3: (Nightcrawler)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%, Worldwide Box Office: $263,427,551
Highest Scores: 9: (PeteFromLeeds, TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 3: (Nightcrawler)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%, Worldwide Box Office: $263,427,551
At #17 is 'The Incredible Hulk', where if this rate was based on scores then this would have finished last, but managed a higher place due to it benefiting from 1 less rate, and so therefore manages a slightly higher average than 'IM2'. This was the 2nd entry in the MCU coming out the same year as 'IM' in June 2008 and received favourable reviews and became a moderate success with $263.4 Million gross worldwide on a $150 Million dollar budget. Originally began as a loose sequel to the 2003 film 'Hulk' that would be much more faithful to the comics and the 1978 TV series of the same name. When actor Edward Norton was brought on to play the title character he rewrote the screenplay in order to distance itself from the 2003 version and establish itself as a soft reboot.
Often seen as the red-headed step child of the MCU and it's not hard to see why. However I think that we can all agree that this is better than that awful artsy crap that Ang Lee churned out 5 years before and this does have a lot of the ingredients of what you want in a Hulk movie, like for instance some fun action scenes and that famous Hulk smash, even if they don't quite come together the way that you might hope. Edward Norton who plays Banner would only appear in this movie, future instalments would feature Mark Ruffalo, and while he was fine and likeable enough in the role, but given that he was re-cast, I think that makes everything quite confusing especially in later instalments, which sadly makes this one of the more skippable entries in the MCU. 'The Incredible Hulk' is still a pretty solid and fun movie that thankfully skips over the well known orgins of the story and just jumps right into the fun stuff.
While the CGI is definitely a vast improvement compared to the other version, this still looks incredibly dated, obviously due to it's time, but the way that this movie is shot is incredibly ugly looking with dark and dingy colour palettes throughout, which is even more glaring in the final fight scene with Abomination (he looks pretty bad by today's standards), looks more like a computer game fight, and while Tim Roth has the makings of a good villain, but wasn't quite compelling enough and Liv Tyler was very uninspiring as the love interest Betty Ross. William Hurt would be the only actor to return for future instalments and to probably let people know that this movie is part of the MCU.
So in all you can admire the effort, but this was Marvel's early days and they hadn't quite worked out the winning formula fully yet, plus the Hulk is quite a difficult character on his own to connect with on the big screen and may be at best when he's a supporting character in the MCU. So yes I would definitely rank this as the weakest MCU movie, it doesn't hit the highs that later entries would reach. Like I said this was still early days yet and not everything was fully worked out yet.
Often seen as the red-headed step child of the MCU and it's not hard to see why. However I think that we can all agree that this is better than that awful artsy crap that Ang Lee churned out 5 years before and this does have a lot of the ingredients of what you want in a Hulk movie, like for instance some fun action scenes and that famous Hulk smash, even if they don't quite come together the way that you might hope. Edward Norton who plays Banner would only appear in this movie, future instalments would feature Mark Ruffalo, and while he was fine and likeable enough in the role, but given that he was re-cast, I think that makes everything quite confusing especially in later instalments, which sadly makes this one of the more skippable entries in the MCU. 'The Incredible Hulk' is still a pretty solid and fun movie that thankfully skips over the well known orgins of the story and just jumps right into the fun stuff.
While the CGI is definitely a vast improvement compared to the other version, this still looks incredibly dated, obviously due to it's time, but the way that this movie is shot is incredibly ugly looking with dark and dingy colour palettes throughout, which is even more glaring in the final fight scene with Abomination (he looks pretty bad by today's standards), looks more like a computer game fight, and while Tim Roth has the makings of a good villain, but wasn't quite compelling enough and Liv Tyler was very uninspiring as the love interest Betty Ross. William Hurt would be the only actor to return for future instalments and to probably let people know that this movie is part of the MCU.
So in all you can admire the effort, but this was Marvel's early days and they hadn't quite worked out the winning formula fully yet, plus the Hulk is quite a difficult character on his own to connect with on the big screen and may be at best when he's a supporting character in the MCU. So yes I would definitely rank this as the weakest MCU movie, it doesn't hit the highs that later entries would reach. Like I said this was still early days yet and not everything was fully worked out yet.
Posted by: Jonjo 21st May 2018, 05:06 PM
I enjoy 'The Incredible Hulk' a lot. It's nowhere near the heights of the highs of the MCU but it's a nice entry.
Posted by: Ronald McJackson 21st May 2018, 06:13 PM
Omg, The Incredible Hulk is incredible! I guess maybe the actor change makes it feel disconnected for some people
Posted by: SamJudd 21st May 2018, 11:39 PM
The next one to drop out will be a phase 2 movie, any guesses....
Posted by: Jonjo 22nd May 2018, 03:57 PM
Thor: Dark World would be my guess!
Posted by: SamJudd 23rd May 2018, 05:01 AM
16. Thor: The Dark World | Avg.6.735
Highest Scores: 9: (Chez Wombat, Qween), Lowest Scores: 4.5/4: (Nightcrawler, Dexton, Blacksquare, Klaus)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%, Worldwide Box Office: $644,571,402
Highest Scores: 9: (Chez Wombat, Qween), Lowest Scores: 4.5/4: (Nightcrawler, Dexton, Blacksquare, Klaus)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 66%, Worldwide Box Office: $644,571,402
Jonjo guessed right at #16 is 'Thor: The Dark World', which not only makes this the first Thor movie to drop, but the first of the phase 2 era of Marvel films to drop out also. Released in November 2013 as not only the 8th film in the MCU, but a sequel to the first 'Thor' movie back in 2011. It received mixed critical reviews and to date has the lowest score out of all 19 movies on Rotten Tomatoes with 66% (which still isn't terrible), but was a commercial success grossing over $644.5 Million worldwide and making it the 10th highest grossing movie of that year.
Considered by many as the weakest entry in the MCU and it's not hard to see why. While it does attempt to embrace the fantasy elements of it's hero, it unfortunately misses the mark with a very weak plot that drags in several areas and some awful villain elves (who'll probably never be heard from again), which only furthers the Marvel villain problem. All of which just makes this one of the more filler entries in this series. While the first movie set everything up pretty well, this just seems like such a step back and another factor that makes things worse is the bogged down romantic plot between Jane and Thor which lacks any sort of spark or chemistry, and it doesn't help that Natalie Portman just looks bored throughout the whole thing and clearly doesn't care. I know that was down to the controversy of original director Patti Jenkins leaving and being replaced by Alan Taylor. While his work on Game Of Thrones is inspiring, sadly it doesn't quite translate to the big screen and the whole thing looks murky and too dark (kinda like a D.C. movie), and therefore lacking that all important visual flair and personality.
The movie's not all bad though there are some good points, like the visual effects are impressive as ever and Chris Hemsworth is as charming as ever as the title character, but again Loki steals the show, Tom Hiddleston basically saves this movie from total disaster. So on the whole I would say that this entry is still watchable and does at least attempt to delve deeper into things, even if it does come across as forgettable, but hey at least the realm hopping climax was still pretty fun.
Considered by many as the weakest entry in the MCU and it's not hard to see why. While it does attempt to embrace the fantasy elements of it's hero, it unfortunately misses the mark with a very weak plot that drags in several areas and some awful villain elves (who'll probably never be heard from again), which only furthers the Marvel villain problem. All of which just makes this one of the more filler entries in this series. While the first movie set everything up pretty well, this just seems like such a step back and another factor that makes things worse is the bogged down romantic plot between Jane and Thor which lacks any sort of spark or chemistry, and it doesn't help that Natalie Portman just looks bored throughout the whole thing and clearly doesn't care. I know that was down to the controversy of original director Patti Jenkins leaving and being replaced by Alan Taylor. While his work on Game Of Thrones is inspiring, sadly it doesn't quite translate to the big screen and the whole thing looks murky and too dark (kinda like a D.C. movie), and therefore lacking that all important visual flair and personality.
The movie's not all bad though there are some good points, like the visual effects are impressive as ever and Chris Hemsworth is as charming as ever as the title character, but again Loki steals the show, Tom Hiddleston basically saves this movie from total disaster. So on the whole I would say that this entry is still watchable and does at least attempt to delve deeper into things, even if it does come across as forgettable, but hey at least the realm hopping climax was still pretty fun.
Posted by: Joe. 23rd May 2018, 08:02 AM
Guessing Thor or Cap 1 will be out next?
Posted by: PaulM1983 23rd May 2018, 12:04 PM
I hope Thor manages to stay in. I've got a soft spot for the first one, I really enjoy it.
Not surprised Dark World is out already though, it's hugely underwhelming.
I'd go for Cap 1 next. I've always struggled to make it through a viewing. It's so boring.
Posted by: SamJudd 23rd May 2018, 11:39 PM
15. Iron Man 3 | Avg.7.156
Highest Scores: 10: (TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 3: (blacksquare)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%, World Wide Box Office: $1,214,811,252
Highest Scores: 10: (TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 3: (blacksquare)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%, World Wide Box Office: $1,214,811,252
At #15 we say goodbye to another Tony Stark outing 'Iron Man 3', making this the 2nd in that trilogy to drop out, leaving only the first one left in the running. Released in May 2013 as the 7th movie in the MCU with a change in director in Shane Black after Jon Faveau opted not to return after part 2 and Black also wrote the script deciding to make the movie more character centric and more thriller elements, as well as using concepts from the "Extremis" story arc by Warren Ellis, as well as introducing Tony Starks main nemesis from the comics 'The Mandarin' played by Ben Kingsley. Upon release the movie received positive critical reviews, while fan reaction was more mixed, but nonetheless it became a massive commercial success by grossing over $1.2 Billion worldwide, not only becoming the 2nd highest grossing movie of that year, but the first solo movie to gross a over a Billion at the box office. The film also received a nomination at the Oscars for Best Visual Effects as well as a BAFTA nomination in the same category.
This is definitely one of the more polarizing movies in the MCU cannon and coming right after the mega game changing success of 'The Avengers' from the previous year, could be seen as a risk, which in my opinion was a good thing that shows that they weren't afraid to up the ante and take some risks, making this different from the usual typical Marvel fare. How much you like this movie will largely depend on whether you like Shane Black's blend of explosive action and quippy dialogue and as such 'Iron Man 3' perfectly rounds off the character's initial trilogy, a well written, insightful piece of character driven plot, and makes this aspect work is Robert Downey Jr's excellent performance that forever shows that he was absolutely the right choice for this role and no-one can take his place.
That Mandarin twist upset a lot of fans I know, but personally I was okay with it, Ben Kingsley was hilarious in the role and to be honest I never really had that strong connection to the character anyway. But I can see why so many hated it, it can be seen as Marvel throwing away one of Iron Man's most recognizable (if problematic) villains, and yet again the main villain in this film turned out yet another guy in a suit (really wished that they'd change it up for this last instalment, but oh well) Sure there was some wonky plotting here and there, and for a superhero I bet it can feel a little slow paced, but other than all that I thought that it was a good time. All in all this is definitely better than the 2nd Iron Man movie, but not as good or strong as the first and given how great some of the later MCU entries got after this, I think this kinda got left in the dust.
This is definitely one of the more polarizing movies in the MCU cannon and coming right after the mega game changing success of 'The Avengers' from the previous year, could be seen as a risk, which in my opinion was a good thing that shows that they weren't afraid to up the ante and take some risks, making this different from the usual typical Marvel fare. How much you like this movie will largely depend on whether you like Shane Black's blend of explosive action and quippy dialogue and as such 'Iron Man 3' perfectly rounds off the character's initial trilogy, a well written, insightful piece of character driven plot, and makes this aspect work is Robert Downey Jr's excellent performance that forever shows that he was absolutely the right choice for this role and no-one can take his place.
That Mandarin twist upset a lot of fans I know, but personally I was okay with it, Ben Kingsley was hilarious in the role and to be honest I never really had that strong connection to the character anyway. But I can see why so many hated it, it can be seen as Marvel throwing away one of Iron Man's most recognizable (if problematic) villains, and yet again the main villain in this film turned out yet another guy in a suit (really wished that they'd change it up for this last instalment, but oh well) Sure there was some wonky plotting here and there, and for a superhero I bet it can feel a little slow paced, but other than all that I thought that it was a good time. All in all this is definitely better than the 2nd Iron Man movie, but not as good or strong as the first and given how great some of the later MCU entries got after this, I think this kinda got left in the dust.
Posted by: Dexton 24th May 2018, 05:10 AM
Thor 1 & 2 are the two dullest MCU movies I think, Ragnarok made Thor a lot more likeable so hopefully that will be a lot higher.
Iron Man 3 is great but I much preferred the first two. Quite opposite to how I feel about the Thor movies obviously 
Hulk was fine. Nothing too special and the fact Edward Norton was Hulk and not Mark Ruffalo makes it a bit unnecessary to the universe, especially considering no one from that movie (I don't think) has made a second appearance since then. It feels like just as much of a standalone film as the first Hulk did and tbh I can't remember which was which aside from Norton replacing Eric Bana.
Posted by: SamJudd 24th May 2018, 11:45 PM
14. Captain America: The First Avenger | Avg.7.281
Highest Scores: 9: (PeteFromLeeds, Jonjo, Regina, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 4: (Qween)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%, Worldwide Box Office: $370,569,774
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%, Worldwide Box Office: $370,569,774
At #14 is the first Captain America movie to drop, sub-titled 'The First Avenger', released in July 2011 as the 5th movie in the MCU and directed by Joe Johnson and stars Chris Evans as the title character. The movie was stuck in development hell since 1997 and was scheduled for distribution by another company, However a lawsuit which wasn't settled until 2003 disrupted the project. In 2005 Marvel Studios managed to secure the rights back after receiving a loan from Merrill Lynch with plans to finance and release it through Paramount Pictures. This wasn't the first time Captain America had been adapted to live action with 2 television movies in 1979-1981, as well as a 1990 movie simply titled 'Captain America' that was planned for a cinema release, but instead ended up being released straight to video and was universally panned by pretty much everybody. This version however received decent reviews with a 79% on RT and became a success with $370.6 box office gross.
Firstly I really like the World War II setting, it strikes a similarity with one of the director's previous movies 'The Rocketeer' (a very underrated movie), and it's quite refreshing to have a period superhero movie piece with some great action set pieces and a terrific cast. Chris Evans really nails the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America, planting the seeds of how even better and important the character would be later on. Hayley Atwell is just so damn amazing as Peggy Carter one of the better love interests in the MCU adding a lot more to her character, no wonder she got her own spin off TV show as well as Tommy Lee Jones whose brilliant as always with his tough as nails character and Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark is also a treat and a great addition to the already impressive cast list. The visual effects on Steve Roger's body is definitely worth a mention and still holds up very well today. You even get a sense of more of a broad story going on, rather than flashy special effects and while some may feel that it takes too long to get to the action, others like myself find it rather interesting and more invested.
While I already said that the cast was impressive, however Hugo Weaving as Red Skull was rather disappointing, I don't think that's entirely his fault, I think the movie wastes a major opportunity to fully use his potential and removes any opportunity to tell a nuanced story. All of which makes him one of more forgettable bad guys in the MCU, and also the movie doesn't really have a strong ending, it just seems that everything comes to a grinding halt once the end time is up and the way the movie just skips through a lot of the action with montage after montage is kinda annoying as there's some real stories in these adventures of Cap, Bucky and his teammates, but the movie took too long to get to these points and unfortunately sacrifices had to be made.
So in all 'Captain America' is a very good time, sure it's trampled by it's sequels, but hey everybody's gotta start somewhere and it does kick off the cinematic journey of one of the greatest superheroes of our time, even if this isn't quite as memorable as the far better later MCU classics that are still yet to come.
Firstly I really like the World War II setting, it strikes a similarity with one of the director's previous movies 'The Rocketeer' (a very underrated movie), and it's quite refreshing to have a period superhero movie piece with some great action set pieces and a terrific cast. Chris Evans really nails the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America, planting the seeds of how even better and important the character would be later on. Hayley Atwell is just so damn amazing as Peggy Carter one of the better love interests in the MCU adding a lot more to her character, no wonder she got her own spin off TV show as well as Tommy Lee Jones whose brilliant as always with his tough as nails character and Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark is also a treat and a great addition to the already impressive cast list. The visual effects on Steve Roger's body is definitely worth a mention and still holds up very well today. You even get a sense of more of a broad story going on, rather than flashy special effects and while some may feel that it takes too long to get to the action, others like myself find it rather interesting and more invested.
While I already said that the cast was impressive, however Hugo Weaving as Red Skull was rather disappointing, I don't think that's entirely his fault, I think the movie wastes a major opportunity to fully use his potential and removes any opportunity to tell a nuanced story. All of which makes him one of more forgettable bad guys in the MCU, and also the movie doesn't really have a strong ending, it just seems that everything comes to a grinding halt once the end time is up and the way the movie just skips through a lot of the action with montage after montage is kinda annoying as there's some real stories in these adventures of Cap, Bucky and his teammates, but the movie took too long to get to these points and unfortunately sacrifices had to be made.
So in all 'Captain America' is a very good time, sure it's trampled by it's sequels, but hey everybody's gotta start somewhere and it does kick off the cinematic journey of one of the greatest superheroes of our time, even if this isn't quite as memorable as the far better later MCU classics that are still yet to come.
Posted by: Jonjo 24th May 2018, 11:53 PM
I enjoy 'Thor: Dark World' more than most, but I def see it's flaws. I enjoy it more than 'Thor' tbh.
'Iron Man 3' is surprisingly dark. That's one I forget how much I like, until I actually watch it.
'Captain America: The First Avenger' is one of my fave origin movies. I think the story in particular stands out and the whole cast is brilliant! One that's often underrated, I feel.
Hmm... Can 'Doctor Strange' hurry up and leave please x
Posted by: Dexton 25th May 2018, 05:24 AM
The First Avenger is really good but so are all the Captain America movies, but I think part of the love for Civil War is that it's more of an Avengers movie than a Captain America movie - and then for some reason everyone is in love with Bucky so Winter Soldier will probs be Top 5 for no reason
Doctor Strange is one of my favourites tbh
Posted by: SamJudd 25th May 2018, 07:57 PM
13. Thor | Avg.7.47
Highest Scores: 9: (PeteFromLeeds, Josh, TomboOnBroadway, Klaus), Lowest Scores: 4: (Severin)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%, Worldwide Box Office: $449,326,618
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%, Worldwide Box Office: $449,326,618
At #13 we not only do we say goodbye to another 'Thor' movie, but yet again another phase 1 movie, leaving only 2 left in the running. 'Thor' released in 2011 as the 4th movie in the MCU. This was another Marvel movie that had been stuck in development hell for several years where firstly Sam Raimi was attached to the project in 1991, but soon abandoned it, then Matthew Vaughn was signed to direct it for a 2010 release, but however he was released from his holding deal back in 2008. So finally Kenneth Branagh signed onto the project and the rest was history, with the movie becoming yet another financial and critical success, as well as paving the way for the then upcoming 'Avengers' movie that was to come the following year. as
A fish out of water comedy that's masquerading as a superhero film, with Marvel taking a huge risk on a project that was always deemed too expensive and the fact that the title character wasn't seen as big enough to carry their own movie. So scaling down the production and pushing the mythological elements to the side in order to make this work and surprisingly it works with a great cast of characters that takes everything serious enough to make this universe believable. Chris Hemsworth is impossibly charming as the God of Thunder Thor and this movie sets him up well for his future appearances in later MCU instalments, as well as establishing his family relationships which will become more important later on and rightfully making him a star overnight with his excellent comic timing. Tom Hiddleston of course is another highlight of this film as the ever loveable Loki and makes not only the title character, but the whole thing much more interesting. And of course it's always a pleasure to see Anthony Hopkins as the all mighty King Odin with his commanding presence and giving the movie that extra bit of credibility. The cinematic scope of Asgard is simply just beautiful to look at with it's stunning set designs and grand scope in which the director Kenneth Branagh really has a knack for giving the whole thing that Shakespearian vibe, he knows how to draw you into it's world, all of which gives this movie a lot of heart.
While this movie does suffer a lot of the same difficulties as the 2nd Thor movie, but this is far stronger and funnier. However I do think that as the years went on this movie does seem very small by Marvel standards and Thor spending a lot of the runtime depowered, while that's not entirely a bad thing, but some may be disappointed by it's very modest scope, like the earth setting which is where most of the flaws come to light as there didn't seem to be very much action going on and therefore not being the big grand adventure that fans would expect from a Thor movie, but this does do a lot of world building and on the whole it is an entertaining entry in the MCU.
A fish out of water comedy that's masquerading as a superhero film, with Marvel taking a huge risk on a project that was always deemed too expensive and the fact that the title character wasn't seen as big enough to carry their own movie. So scaling down the production and pushing the mythological elements to the side in order to make this work and surprisingly it works with a great cast of characters that takes everything serious enough to make this universe believable. Chris Hemsworth is impossibly charming as the God of Thunder Thor and this movie sets him up well for his future appearances in later MCU instalments, as well as establishing his family relationships which will become more important later on and rightfully making him a star overnight with his excellent comic timing. Tom Hiddleston of course is another highlight of this film as the ever loveable Loki and makes not only the title character, but the whole thing much more interesting. And of course it's always a pleasure to see Anthony Hopkins as the all mighty King Odin with his commanding presence and giving the movie that extra bit of credibility. The cinematic scope of Asgard is simply just beautiful to look at with it's stunning set designs and grand scope in which the director Kenneth Branagh really has a knack for giving the whole thing that Shakespearian vibe, he knows how to draw you into it's world, all of which gives this movie a lot of heart.
While this movie does suffer a lot of the same difficulties as the 2nd Thor movie, but this is far stronger and funnier. However I do think that as the years went on this movie does seem very small by Marvel standards and Thor spending a lot of the runtime depowered, while that's not entirely a bad thing, but some may be disappointed by it's very modest scope, like the earth setting which is where most of the flaws come to light as there didn't seem to be very much action going on and therefore not being the big grand adventure that fans would expect from a Thor movie, but this does do a lot of world building and on the whole it is an entertaining entry in the MCU.
Posted by: SamJudd 25th May 2018, 08:03 PM
Seems as though this rate was done before 'Avengers: Infinity War', I will be doing my own write up on that movie later on. Also guys tell me what you think of my write ups.
Posted by: Jonjo 25th May 2018, 08:19 PM
I really enjoy reading your write-ups Sam! 
'Thor' was my least fave Marvel movie until 'Doctor Strange' came along. It's good, but it just feels so hollow and empty to me.
Posted by: Spiceboy 26th May 2018, 02:33 PM
Awww Thor (the first one) is one of my favourites 
The second one was a bit of a let down though. I'm not overtly fond of the Captain America films I find them quite boring tbh.
Posted by: SamJudd 26th May 2018, 11:25 PM
12. Iron Man | Avg.7.529
Highest Scores: 10: (Dexton, SamJudd), Lowest Scores: 1: (Regina)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%, Worldwide Box Office: $585,174,222
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%, Worldwide Box Office: $585,174,222
At #13 we say goodbye to the one that started it all, 'Iron Man', meaning that all 3 of the Tony Stark trilogy is out of the running and leaving only one movie left in the phase 1 era of the MCU. Released in May 2008 as the first in what would end up being a long running cinematic universe that's still going strong today and would become an instant critical and commercial success with a whopping 94% on Rotten Tomatoes (would be the highest up until this year's 'Black Panther') and on a budget of $140 Million, this would end up grossing over $585 Million worldwide, with about $318 Million coming from the USA making this the 2nd highest grossing movie of that year over there. Robert Downey JR's performance as Tony Stark earned massive praise, marking a very successful comeback for him after many thought his career was over, but this would bring him back into the mainstream bigger than ever. This would kick of the MCU with a really strong foundation and therefore create hype as to what's to come next. It was also nominated for 2 Oscar's for Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
This is such a shame, it really deserves to be top 10 at the lower end at least. I mean come on it is the one that started it all and without this we wouldn't have the amazing MCU to this day and so there's a lot to thank this movie for. I remember at the time that no-one expected much from this, the character was a B-List superhero and Marvel movies that weren't X-Men or Spider-Man didn't have the best track records at the box office, being modest success's at best. Thankfully this defied all expectations and once the first trailer was shown, then the hype started to pick up and yeah okay this wasn't the biggest superhero movie of that year 'The Dark Knight' was, but it didn't launch a franchise like the way this did and even now 10 years later, I would still rank this as one the best superhero origin stories ever made.
What makes 'Iron Man' work was a number of things, but it's the sheer simplicity of telling the standard superhero origin story done right, very well executed and a hell of a lot of fun, with it's humour becoming a firm staple of the MCU bringing that fun factor that's seemed to disappear from the DC movies. Another factor as to what makes this whole thing work is the cast, namely Robert Downey JR who was perfect person to bring the arrogant Tony Stark to life and his technical suit was a breath of fresh air to superhero movies at the time. Jon Favreau's directing is fantastic in not only bringing a faithful version of the comic to the big screen and also creating a lively atmosphere and crowd pleasing action, as well as sticking to his guns and hiring Robert Downey JR in a career defining role that the MCU wouldn't be the same without. All the cast were good, Gwyneth Paltow as Pepper Potts has amazing chemistry with Tony Stark and gives a very grounded performance.
The only minor gripes that I have is that compared to the recent Marvel movies this can seem a little basic by those standards, but I suppose that they had to do a lot of world building and a lot of groundwork in order to get where they are now, but that doesn't stop this from being a pretty great time and if you wanna see an origin story done right, then look no further than this. Also the MCU's long struggle with finding suitable villains started here with Jeff Bridges abruptly wanting to create his own Iron Monger suit for that 3rd act battle, but he did play the role very well and was very convincing. However I would say that Terrance Howard as Rhodey was probably the weakest link in the cast, he just didn't seem to have that chemistry to click with Tony Stark and seemed to lack energy, but anyway he got re-cast for the later movies, so it doesn't really matter that much.
All in all 'Iron Man' is a very strong and fantastic beginning to what would become the greatest cinematic universe in the history of everything. While it may not be the most ambitious superhero movie ever made, it's not trying to be and sets out what it needs to do and just be a good time.
This is such a shame, it really deserves to be top 10 at the lower end at least. I mean come on it is the one that started it all and without this we wouldn't have the amazing MCU to this day and so there's a lot to thank this movie for. I remember at the time that no-one expected much from this, the character was a B-List superhero and Marvel movies that weren't X-Men or Spider-Man didn't have the best track records at the box office, being modest success's at best. Thankfully this defied all expectations and once the first trailer was shown, then the hype started to pick up and yeah okay this wasn't the biggest superhero movie of that year 'The Dark Knight' was, but it didn't launch a franchise like the way this did and even now 10 years later, I would still rank this as one the best superhero origin stories ever made.
What makes 'Iron Man' work was a number of things, but it's the sheer simplicity of telling the standard superhero origin story done right, very well executed and a hell of a lot of fun, with it's humour becoming a firm staple of the MCU bringing that fun factor that's seemed to disappear from the DC movies. Another factor as to what makes this whole thing work is the cast, namely Robert Downey JR who was perfect person to bring the arrogant Tony Stark to life and his technical suit was a breath of fresh air to superhero movies at the time. Jon Favreau's directing is fantastic in not only bringing a faithful version of the comic to the big screen and also creating a lively atmosphere and crowd pleasing action, as well as sticking to his guns and hiring Robert Downey JR in a career defining role that the MCU wouldn't be the same without. All the cast were good, Gwyneth Paltow as Pepper Potts has amazing chemistry with Tony Stark and gives a very grounded performance.
The only minor gripes that I have is that compared to the recent Marvel movies this can seem a little basic by those standards, but I suppose that they had to do a lot of world building and a lot of groundwork in order to get where they are now, but that doesn't stop this from being a pretty great time and if you wanna see an origin story done right, then look no further than this. Also the MCU's long struggle with finding suitable villains started here with Jeff Bridges abruptly wanting to create his own Iron Monger suit for that 3rd act battle, but he did play the role very well and was very convincing. However I would say that Terrance Howard as Rhodey was probably the weakest link in the cast, he just didn't seem to have that chemistry to click with Tony Stark and seemed to lack energy, but anyway he got re-cast for the later movies, so it doesn't really matter that much.
All in all 'Iron Man' is a very strong and fantastic beginning to what would become the greatest cinematic universe in the history of everything. While it may not be the most ambitious superhero movie ever made, it's not trying to be and sets out what it needs to do and just be a good time.
Posted by: SamJudd 26th May 2018, 11:36 PM
The next to drop will be a Phase 3 movie, any guesses....
Posted by: Ronald McJackson 27th May 2018, 12:08 AM
Iron Man 3 is incredible and deserves to be higher. I love it! Also, like you I enjoyed the Mandarin twist.
Captain America 1 is a bit dull cos the era it is set in. I prefer modern day stuff sp that's why it isn't one of my favourites.
I love Civil War though.
Posted by: PaulM1983 27th May 2018, 09:37 AM
If it's a Phase 3 one next, I'd drop GOTG2. It just wasn't a patch on the original in any way.
Suspect it might be Dr Strange though, which is a shame. It's really good.
Posted by: Jonjo 27th May 2018, 11:34 AM
NO f***ING WAY.
WTF???
Especially being beaten by Doctor Strange? No thanks!!
Posted by: Dexton 27th May 2018, 12:37 PM
All of phrase 3 remaining and most of phase 2... I feel like some people may have favoured the newer stuff because it's fresher in their minds 
My ranking of remaining films:
1 Spider-Man Homecoming [A brilliant addition to the MCU and finally a decent Spiderman film, the original Tobey Maguire was just as good but his story quickly faded as the trilogy went on. Andrew Garfield did a good job acting but not good enough to excuse the crappy script and crappy everything else. Tom Holland is the Spidey we always wanted and his chemistry with Tony Stark & Doctor Strange is 10/10]
2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
3 Doctor Strange
4 Guardians Of The Galaxy
5 Ant-Man
6 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2
7 Thor Ragnarok
8 Black Panther
1 Captain America: Civil War [Aside from the fact this was a bit OTT at times I enjoyed this a lot for what it was]
2 Marvel's The Avengers [A nice first time mashup of the heroes we know and wanted to know more about, a solid standalone story]
3 Avengers: Age Of Ultron [A bit of a rehash of the first Avengers I think, not much new was introduced and what did stay doesn't interest me - Vision and the girl]
Posted by: SamJudd 28th May 2018, 05:50 PM
11. Doctor Strange | Avg.8.071
Highest Scores: 10: (Chez Wombat, TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 6: (Klaus, T Boy)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%, Worldwide Box Office: $677,541,920
Highest Scores: 10: (Chez Wombat, TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 6: (Klaus, T Boy)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%, Worldwide Box Office: $677,541,920
At #11 we finally lose a phase 3 movie, 'Doctor Strange' which is the 14th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character and directed by Scott Derrickson. The movie was released in October 2016 and grossed over $677 Million worldwide, and was met with a positive response from critics who praised it's visuals and cast. These elements also received awards intention, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects as well as several other award nominations and wins. This was also another movie that got stuck in development hell for several years, with several directors coming up with treatments for the film including Wes Craven and David S Goyer, until Paramount gained the rights in 2005, on behalf of Marvel Studios. Although there was a TV movie version that ran for 2 hours, released in 1978 intended as a pilot for a TV series, but wasn't picked up due to low ratings because it aired against the hugely popular 'Roots'. Creator Stan Lee had a lot of input and still says to this day that out of the TV Marvel movies/series this and 'The Incredible Hulk' were the best ones.
This is where the MCU becomes mystical with some eye popping special effects and a decent cast. Benedict Cumberbatch was a fantastic choice as Dr Strange and is able to make the arrogant and self involved character sympathetic and okay his American accent is quite questionable, but has enough charisma to make his character work and show that he was the perfect choice for this role. I am glossing over the white washing of the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, but to honest it doesn't really matter to me, I found her a true delight in this role, she injects a lot of passion and life into her character and as always gives a truly memorable and fantastic performance. Like I already said the visuals in this are simply stunning with it's 'Inception' styled antics that really draws you into this universe. So far these are best effects that the MCU has given so far and offering us something unique and quite a treat for the eyes. Plus there is enough humour to keep the movie floating along at a solid pace.
If 'Doctor Strange' feels so familiar then it is, it's basically a magical Tony Stark origin story, which by this point the MCU was starting to rinse and repeat itself. While it is a winning formula, but for a movie about the strange and mystical you'd expect something a little different with a bit more to offer and despite looking amazing, it lacks the action and interest of the other MCU movies and feel that it's a little too high on this list (Iron Man should be above this at least), and despite a great cast a lot of them have very little to do and the final fight which is definitely unique fell a little flat for me and while I'm not saying that this movie is bad or anything, in fact it's pretty good, it just feels like a rather basic origin story and obviously just here to introduce the character into later MCU movies and it does that.
So in all 'Doctor Strange' is a good effort but not great, with some stunning visuals and enough going on to keep it from the bottom of the MCU's rankings and hopefully we'll get some more 'DS' movies in order for us to fully understand his universe and watch him develop more as a character and fully come into his own, and hopefully see even more weird and mystical dark magic and alternative realities.
This is where the MCU becomes mystical with some eye popping special effects and a decent cast. Benedict Cumberbatch was a fantastic choice as Dr Strange and is able to make the arrogant and self involved character sympathetic and okay his American accent is quite questionable, but has enough charisma to make his character work and show that he was the perfect choice for this role. I am glossing over the white washing of the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, but to honest it doesn't really matter to me, I found her a true delight in this role, she injects a lot of passion and life into her character and as always gives a truly memorable and fantastic performance. Like I already said the visuals in this are simply stunning with it's 'Inception' styled antics that really draws you into this universe. So far these are best effects that the MCU has given so far and offering us something unique and quite a treat for the eyes. Plus there is enough humour to keep the movie floating along at a solid pace.
If 'Doctor Strange' feels so familiar then it is, it's basically a magical Tony Stark origin story, which by this point the MCU was starting to rinse and repeat itself. While it is a winning formula, but for a movie about the strange and mystical you'd expect something a little different with a bit more to offer and despite looking amazing, it lacks the action and interest of the other MCU movies and feel that it's a little too high on this list (Iron Man should be above this at least), and despite a great cast a lot of them have very little to do and the final fight which is definitely unique fell a little flat for me and while I'm not saying that this movie is bad or anything, in fact it's pretty good, it just feels like a rather basic origin story and obviously just here to introduce the character into later MCU movies and it does that.
So in all 'Doctor Strange' is a good effort but not great, with some stunning visuals and enough going on to keep it from the bottom of the MCU's rankings and hopefully we'll get some more 'DS' movies in order for us to fully understand his universe and watch him develop more as a character and fully come into his own, and hopefully see even more weird and mystical dark magic and alternative realities.
Posted by: SamJudd 30th May 2018, 01:29 AM
10. Avengers: Age Of Ultron | Avg.8.312
Highest Scores: 10: (TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 5: (Severin)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,405,403,694
Highest Scores: 10: (TomboOnBroadway), Lowest Scores: 5: (Severin)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,405,403,694
Kicking off the top 10 with a bang is 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron', where despite several high scores it surprisingly only managed a single 10, and the rest were mainly 9's and 8's, and so a pretty positive reception all round. The only negative score was a 5 which prevented this from gaining a higher average and position. Released in May 2015 as the 11th movie in the MCU as well as being a sequel to the game changing smash hit 'The Avengers' back in 2012. All of the original core cast members returned along with a few new ones, as well as director Joss Whedon, who also did the first film and was brought back on board after the success of the previous one, with a production budget of around $365 Million (the 2nd most expensive film ever made), the sequel became another success with $1.4 Billion grossed worldwide, becoming the 4th highest grossing movie of that year and received generally positive reviews, although not quite on the level of the previous one, but still overall very positive.
Following on from what the first movie achieved was always gonna be a challenge, because it's never gonna capture that new and exciting feeling of seeing these guys together on the big screen, that's just something you can't repeat, but you can still create an enjoyable experience and it's still great seeing the Marvel heavy hitters on the big screen again and that's a factor nobody can take away from you (unless it's the Justice League, then nobody cares). From that opening scene in which the Avengers operate as a well oiled superhero unit is at it's best, along with some funny moments and great character moments that makes this movie work well in it's favour. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and The Hulk are all here and even Hawkeye gets a lot more love this time round, after being totally short changed in the last movie, in this one we get too see more of him and that's an aspect that I really liked. In fact the whole team together just works well off each other, the chemistry is unmistakeable and something that's carried over from the last movie. Even some of the new characters were interesting such as Scarlet Witch and Vision who'll both become more important later on, in this they make more than a welcomed addition to the team. Of course there some explosive action scenes with some amazing visuals that's always a treat and what makes this a really good summer blockbuster movie.
Unfortunately this does suffer that dreaded sequel curse in which it's definitely weaker than it's previous outing and overlong and overstuffed. It doesn't help that this movie is forced to do the heavy lifting for what's to come in later movies in which it takes up a lot of the run-time and more time should have been spent on the script. The villain Ultron was only mildly threatening and James Spader performance was really good, but making him way too quipy was a mis-step and given how menacing the character is in the comics, I think they should have went down more that route and made him more terrifying, instead of jokey. The bizarre sub-plot of Black Widow's and The Hulk's romance actually didn't bother me much, even if it was shoved in at the last minute and didn't find that it came out of nowhere as I sensed that there was some kind of spark between them in the first movie, or is that just me. While I did like some of the new characters, however found Quicksilver a rather pointless addition to the movie and Aaron Taylor Johnson's awful Russian accent didn't help matter either, I know why they chose to kill him off (because the X-Men movies did him better), in this one though I found it rather a waste and just there for the plot to coast along. Also I found the climax rather disappointing with the team fighting an army of robots, felt more like rinse and repeat unfortunately.
In all 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' is a good superhero movie, even with it's flaws, as well as being uneven and overstuffed. I think that there was way too much pressure behind the scenes and too much studio interference. While this doesn't compare to the first one, you can still have a pretty fun time with this as there are plenty of action and decent moments to be had, but by Marvel's standards yes it is quite middling , which really says a lot about the overall quality of the MCU.
Following on from what the first movie achieved was always gonna be a challenge, because it's never gonna capture that new and exciting feeling of seeing these guys together on the big screen, that's just something you can't repeat, but you can still create an enjoyable experience and it's still great seeing the Marvel heavy hitters on the big screen again and that's a factor nobody can take away from you (unless it's the Justice League, then nobody cares). From that opening scene in which the Avengers operate as a well oiled superhero unit is at it's best, along with some funny moments and great character moments that makes this movie work well in it's favour. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow and The Hulk are all here and even Hawkeye gets a lot more love this time round, after being totally short changed in the last movie, in this one we get too see more of him and that's an aspect that I really liked. In fact the whole team together just works well off each other, the chemistry is unmistakeable and something that's carried over from the last movie. Even some of the new characters were interesting such as Scarlet Witch and Vision who'll both become more important later on, in this they make more than a welcomed addition to the team. Of course there some explosive action scenes with some amazing visuals that's always a treat and what makes this a really good summer blockbuster movie.
Unfortunately this does suffer that dreaded sequel curse in which it's definitely weaker than it's previous outing and overlong and overstuffed. It doesn't help that this movie is forced to do the heavy lifting for what's to come in later movies in which it takes up a lot of the run-time and more time should have been spent on the script. The villain Ultron was only mildly threatening and James Spader performance was really good, but making him way too quipy was a mis-step and given how menacing the character is in the comics, I think they should have went down more that route and made him more terrifying, instead of jokey. The bizarre sub-plot of Black Widow's and The Hulk's romance actually didn't bother me much, even if it was shoved in at the last minute and didn't find that it came out of nowhere as I sensed that there was some kind of spark between them in the first movie, or is that just me. While I did like some of the new characters, however found Quicksilver a rather pointless addition to the movie and Aaron Taylor Johnson's awful Russian accent didn't help matter either, I know why they chose to kill him off (because the X-Men movies did him better), in this one though I found it rather a waste and just there for the plot to coast along. Also I found the climax rather disappointing with the team fighting an army of robots, felt more like rinse and repeat unfortunately.
In all 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' is a good superhero movie, even with it's flaws, as well as being uneven and overstuffed. I think that there was way too much pressure behind the scenes and too much studio interference. While this doesn't compare to the first one, you can still have a pretty fun time with this as there are plenty of action and decent moments to be had, but by Marvel's standards yes it is quite middling , which really says a lot about the overall quality of the MCU.
Posted by: SamJudd 30th May 2018, 01:37 AM
We are now at the halfway point and the next to drop will be a Phase 3 movie, and here's the nine that are left in the running =
The Avengers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2
Spider-Man Homecoming
Thor: Ragnarok
Black Panther
The Avengers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Ant-Man
Captain America: Civil War
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2
Spider-Man Homecoming
Thor: Ragnarok
Black Panther
Posted by: SamJudd 31st May 2018, 12:56 AM
9. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 | Avg.8.366
Highest Scores: 11: (LewisGT), 10: (Jonjo, Josh, TomboOnBroadway, SamJudd, Mack), Lowest Scores: 5: (Joe, Nightcrawler)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%, Worldwide Box Office: $863,756,051
Highest Scores: 11: (LewisGT), 10: (Jonjo, Josh, TomboOnBroadway, SamJudd, Mack), Lowest Scores: 5: (Joe, Nightcrawler)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%, Worldwide Box Office: $863,756,051
At the #9 spot and another sequel drops, 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2' which was released in May 2017, coming 3 years after the first film with James Gunn again returning to the director's chair and it's the 15th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movie grossed over $863 Million worldwide, making it the 8th highest grossing movie of last year, as well as outgrossing it's predecessor, and received generally positive reviews, with praise going towards it's visuals, soundtrack and cast, though not deemed as fresh or good as the first movie. Like many of the other MCU entries it received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. Due to the overwhelming success a third entry is being planned for a 2020 release. This also makes this the first MCU film to drop that's scored an 11.
'Guardians 2' is a hell of a good time and writer/director James Gunn takes everything that worked in the first movie and cranked it up a few notches, and surprisingly a lot of it works, even if it isn't on the same level of the first, but this one is a very decent follow up with some cracking visuals, the beautiful colours and huge set pieces are simply stunning to look at and some of the character arcs are well thought out, along with some emotional moments (like the ending) really hits you. Of course the returning cast is what makes this a hell of a lot more fun along with Baby Groot whose just the cutest thing ever and Kurt Russell really shines as the villain Ego, I know they've changed Star-Lord's father's origin from the comic, but I don't mind, what they've done here really and it helps the narrative along. If you're looking for a strong story line, then don't bother with this one, this is just a fun space adventure and a thrilling good time that builds on everything that's built up in the first movie in some really compelling ways.
The second time round the jokes aren't as fresh and feel rather forced and some of the characters are not served so well by the sequel, namely Drax whose turned into more a comic relief type character and spends a lot of time along with others laughing too hard at things that aren't funny. Plus this does suffer a lot of the same problems 'Age Of Ultron' suffers in that you can't recapture the same magic twice, and making everything bigger and brighter doesn't always land, but I would say that this entry is definitely better than the Avengers sequel, as this does still have a lot of the stuff that worked so well the last time.
So in all 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2' is still a cracking movie with a very loose plot, which doesn't really matter as it has all your faves from the last film going on another space adventure and just having a blast while doing it. Another solid entry in the MCU, that's definitely worth a look.
'Guardians 2' is a hell of a good time and writer/director James Gunn takes everything that worked in the first movie and cranked it up a few notches, and surprisingly a lot of it works, even if it isn't on the same level of the first, but this one is a very decent follow up with some cracking visuals, the beautiful colours and huge set pieces are simply stunning to look at and some of the character arcs are well thought out, along with some emotional moments (like the ending) really hits you. Of course the returning cast is what makes this a hell of a lot more fun along with Baby Groot whose just the cutest thing ever and Kurt Russell really shines as the villain Ego, I know they've changed Star-Lord's father's origin from the comic, but I don't mind, what they've done here really and it helps the narrative along. If you're looking for a strong story line, then don't bother with this one, this is just a fun space adventure and a thrilling good time that builds on everything that's built up in the first movie in some really compelling ways.
The second time round the jokes aren't as fresh and feel rather forced and some of the characters are not served so well by the sequel, namely Drax whose turned into more a comic relief type character and spends a lot of time along with others laughing too hard at things that aren't funny. Plus this does suffer a lot of the same problems 'Age Of Ultron' suffers in that you can't recapture the same magic twice, and making everything bigger and brighter doesn't always land, but I would say that this entry is definitely better than the Avengers sequel, as this does still have a lot of the stuff that worked so well the last time.
So in all 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2' is still a cracking movie with a very loose plot, which doesn't really matter as it has all your faves from the last film going on another space adventure and just having a blast while doing it. Another solid entry in the MCU, that's definitely worth a look.
Posted by: Dexton 1st June 2018, 06:00 AM
I enjoyed GOTG2 but I agree it wasn't on the same level as the original. But I think some of that comes from the fact we were expecting what the sequel would be like, whereas the original felt more unique and was a new experience for everyone. The plot is very thin especially compared to some other Marvel movies and at least twice I checked the time to see when it would crank up a notch, but then eventually it just ended.
Visuals, acting, etc. etc. everything here is on point except for the plot which would otherwise have probably been Top 5 here with some better storytelling.
Age of Ultron suffers from this too I think, but in terms of characters rather than the plot itself. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision were all just kind of thrown at us. Ultron was the only new character I actually liked in this movie but obviously being the villain he didn't last any longer in the MCU. He's more sinister and unforgiving than most other MCU villains (except obviously Thanos)
Posted by: Chez Wombat 1st June 2018, 12:27 PM
Doctor Strange is my favourite Marvel film of recent years D: I really love the greater emphasis on Sci-Fi and psychology in comparison to other films of the same ilk. GOTG 2 had some great moments and the comedy still landed really well for the most part (Baby Groot dancing to Mr Blue Sky is one of my favourite cinematic moments of last year), but it was always gonna feel inferior to the original and while I admired the ambition of the world shifting plot, it did start to get a bit incomprehensible at the end.
Posted by: SamJudd 2nd June 2018, 04:48 PM
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming | Avg.8.566
Highest Scores: 10: (Joe, Dexton, Jonjo, Josh, LewisGT, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 5: (PeteFromLeeds, Severin)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%, Worldwide Box Office: $880,166,924
Highest Scores: 10: (Joe, Dexton, Jonjo, Josh, LewisGT, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 5: (PeteFromLeeds, Severin)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%, Worldwide Box Office: $880,166,924
At #8 is 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' which was released in July 2017 as the 16th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as being the 2nd reboot of the character after Marvel Studios and Sony finally managed to come to a deal in 2015 and share the character rights so he can be apart of the already established MCU, with Tom Holland becoming the 3rd actor to play him on the big screen and Tom Watts was hired to direct. The movie became a critical and commercial success upon release, grossing over $880 Million worldwide, making it the 2nd most successful Spider-Man film, as well as becoming the 6th highest grossing movie of that year.
I think every Marvel fan breathed a sigh of relief when Sony finally agreed to at least share the rights to the character, especially following the disappointing 'Amazing Spider-Man' films, which to be frank weren't very good, But I will say the Tobey Maguire ones are still really good (the first 2 anyway), and I know rebooting the franchise yet again was seen as a big risk, but thankfully it paid off and it's great to see Spider-Man done right. Tom Holland is perfectly cast as the title hero, he's smart, funny and an over eager teenager who makes mistakes that teens make, which therefore makes him a very believable character, and he's also the first cinematic Spider-Man to get the quips right, and plus he fully embodies the character that we all know and love the best. Much of the success of this is that it's not yet another origin story, thank god as we've already seen it twice and don't need too see it again (take notes Batman), anyway we all know the story by now. Michael Keaton as the villain The Vulture was pure brilliance, he manages to make him genuinely frightening and somewhat sympathetic and plus the twist involving him and Peter towards the last act was totally mind blowing and totally didn't see that coming. Plus it was refreshing too see this scaled back for a change without every Spider-Man movie becoming this huge event, (something the last few movies suffered from), just a nice change that's all.
While I do have a few minor gripes with the film, like firstly I didn't mind Tony Stark showing up, but could have done without that hi-tech Spidey suit that basically made him into Iron Man Jr, and what's happened to his Spidey sense. Also while I do think it's a strong movie and yes I said it was refreshing that everything was toned down, however I did find the direction rather generic and bland in this movie, there weren't simply very many visually stunning shots or interesting and that many memorable action scenes, especially the final battle which I found rather disappointing, but aside from that this is still the best Spider-Man movie since 2004.
On the whole yes, this is definitely a step in the right direction for Spider-Man in this universe and hopefully with follow ups there will be a lot more action and risks. This is still a fairly traditional superhero movie of sorts, which reminds fans why we love the genre in the first place while still feeling fresh. Also I did like MCU attempting to make a Teen movie which is quite interesting and unique in a way and they do pull it off rather well.
I think every Marvel fan breathed a sigh of relief when Sony finally agreed to at least share the rights to the character, especially following the disappointing 'Amazing Spider-Man' films, which to be frank weren't very good, But I will say the Tobey Maguire ones are still really good (the first 2 anyway), and I know rebooting the franchise yet again was seen as a big risk, but thankfully it paid off and it's great to see Spider-Man done right. Tom Holland is perfectly cast as the title hero, he's smart, funny and an over eager teenager who makes mistakes that teens make, which therefore makes him a very believable character, and he's also the first cinematic Spider-Man to get the quips right, and plus he fully embodies the character that we all know and love the best. Much of the success of this is that it's not yet another origin story, thank god as we've already seen it twice and don't need too see it again (take notes Batman), anyway we all know the story by now. Michael Keaton as the villain The Vulture was pure brilliance, he manages to make him genuinely frightening and somewhat sympathetic and plus the twist involving him and Peter towards the last act was totally mind blowing and totally didn't see that coming. Plus it was refreshing too see this scaled back for a change without every Spider-Man movie becoming this huge event, (something the last few movies suffered from), just a nice change that's all.
While I do have a few minor gripes with the film, like firstly I didn't mind Tony Stark showing up, but could have done without that hi-tech Spidey suit that basically made him into Iron Man Jr, and what's happened to his Spidey sense. Also while I do think it's a strong movie and yes I said it was refreshing that everything was toned down, however I did find the direction rather generic and bland in this movie, there weren't simply very many visually stunning shots or interesting and that many memorable action scenes, especially the final battle which I found rather disappointing, but aside from that this is still the best Spider-Man movie since 2004.
On the whole yes, this is definitely a step in the right direction for Spider-Man in this universe and hopefully with follow ups there will be a lot more action and risks. This is still a fairly traditional superhero movie of sorts, which reminds fans why we love the genre in the first place while still feeling fresh. Also I did like MCU attempting to make a Teen movie which is quite interesting and unique in a way and they do pull it off rather well.
Posted by: SamJudd 6th June 2018, 10:21 PM
7. Ant-Man | Avg.8.733
Highest Scores: 11: (Dexton, Klaus), 10: (PeteFromLeeds, TomboOnBroadway, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 5: (Nightcrawler)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%, Worldwide Box Office: $519,311,965
Highest Scores: 11: (Dexton, Klaus), 10: (PeteFromLeeds, TomboOnBroadway, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 5: (Nightcrawler)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%, Worldwide Box Office: $519,311,965
At #7 is 'Ant-Man' and comes as a total shocker considering some of the bigger and much better movies it's managed to beat, so surprising that I even added up the totals six times, just to be sure and even with it's 2 less rates it still would have beaten everything that came before it, so that's a pretty good feat for such a smaller scaled movie. Released in July 2015 as the 12th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and also ending the Phase 2 era of movies. Development for this began way back in 2006 with the hiring of Edgar Wright as director and co-write with Joe Cornish. However things wouldn't begin kicking off until 2011 where both had completed 3 different drafts of the script and Wright even shot test footage for the film in July 2012. But the project ended up being put on hold so Wright could complete The World's End. In 2014 Wright left the project due to creative differences (that old excuse), though he still received screenplay and story credits, the following month Peyton Reed was brought on board to direct, as well as Adam McKay was hired to co-write the script along with Paul Rudd who also plays the title character. Upon release the movie received generally positive reviews and grossed over $519 Million at the worldwide box office, on a budget of around $180 Million, and therefore making this yet another success for the Marvel Studios.
This is a very good movie, but feel that it's way too high on here and should be a little lower. But anyway part of the genius of the Marvel formula is that they keep things interesting by incorporating other genre styles into their movies, like in this case a crime caper movie, and 'Ant-Man' does get a lot of mileage out of this kind of classic heist style. The slightly slower pace of getting the team together, the single focused goal and of course the montages which are always a fun addition. This movie knows all of the genre clichés and just runs away with them all, and an important factor to it's success is it's much smaller scale, especially coming off the back of the bloated 'Age Of Ultron'. This movie also has a surprising amount of heart to it with it's 2 separate father-daughter storylines, which you can tell that there was effort put into this. Paul Rudd makes for a likeable leading man and okay not someone you'd think off as a superhero, but he is fantastic in the role, as well as Michael Douglas as Hank Pym (nice to see him in movies again), whose fantastic in the mentor role and Evangeline Lily also gives a good supporting turn, and can't wait too see her as The Wasp in the sequel.
There's not much bad I could say about this, except that maybe the villain is kinda generic, but I didn't mind him too much I thought Corey Stroll hammed it up just enough and had a blast and yeah some might complain that the stakes are low, however that doesn't bother me personally, it's one of those MCU movies you can watch without seeing all the others that came before it, just a fun little superhero movie. Plus it was a shame that we didn't get to see The Wasp in this one, as it seems that the men in this movie prevent that from happening, like I said that's gonna happen in the sequel and that's great.
In all 'Ant-Man' is a fun little movie, maybe we needed something stripped back by this point and shows that the MCU can still do these kind of movies. Parts of the formula were getting a bit stale by this point, but if you're looking for a fun waste of time and not something heavy or too deep, then this entry is definitely for you.
This is a very good movie, but feel that it's way too high on here and should be a little lower. But anyway part of the genius of the Marvel formula is that they keep things interesting by incorporating other genre styles into their movies, like in this case a crime caper movie, and 'Ant-Man' does get a lot of mileage out of this kind of classic heist style. The slightly slower pace of getting the team together, the single focused goal and of course the montages which are always a fun addition. This movie knows all of the genre clichés and just runs away with them all, and an important factor to it's success is it's much smaller scale, especially coming off the back of the bloated 'Age Of Ultron'. This movie also has a surprising amount of heart to it with it's 2 separate father-daughter storylines, which you can tell that there was effort put into this. Paul Rudd makes for a likeable leading man and okay not someone you'd think off as a superhero, but he is fantastic in the role, as well as Michael Douglas as Hank Pym (nice to see him in movies again), whose fantastic in the mentor role and Evangeline Lily also gives a good supporting turn, and can't wait too see her as The Wasp in the sequel.
There's not much bad I could say about this, except that maybe the villain is kinda generic, but I didn't mind him too much I thought Corey Stroll hammed it up just enough and had a blast and yeah some might complain that the stakes are low, however that doesn't bother me personally, it's one of those MCU movies you can watch without seeing all the others that came before it, just a fun little superhero movie. Plus it was a shame that we didn't get to see The Wasp in this one, as it seems that the men in this movie prevent that from happening, like I said that's gonna happen in the sequel and that's great.
In all 'Ant-Man' is a fun little movie, maybe we needed something stripped back by this point and shows that the MCU can still do these kind of movies. Parts of the formula were getting a bit stale by this point, but if you're looking for a fun waste of time and not something heavy or too deep, then this entry is definitely for you.
Posted by: ebae 7th June 2018, 04:46 AM
Ant-Man slays, I really enjoyed it. I can't wait for the sequel!
Homecoming for me is one of the weakest MCU films.
Posted by: Severin 9th June 2018, 08:37 PM
QUOTE(SamJudd @ Jun 6 2018, 11:21 PM) 
a smaller scaled movie.
it's much smaller scale,
a fun little superhero movie.
a fun little movie,
it's much smaller scale,
a fun little superhero movie.
a fun little movie,
I see what you did there. Nice
Posted by: Dexton 10th June 2018, 02:53 AM
Ant-Man got my 11 but Spider-Man was very close. I love the castinf in Ant-Man and Paul Rudd works really well as the laid back comedic type of superhero. He’s not even a superhero in this really and is just a pawn in Civil War - obviously he wasn’t interested in being Earths local ant hero so he went into hiding as you do. It’s a comedy-heist movie and is only a superhero movie by being attached to the MCU really, and as Sam said coming after Age Of Ultrom this was a nice way to chill things down a bit for the end of Phase 2. The train scene is one of my favourite cinematic moments in the MCU to date too
Spider-Man: Homecoming is like I said a close second. I find that I enjoy the comedic-superhero movies more than the drama-superhero ones - mainly being Thor 1&2 and sort of Captain America 1. Hulk can also be a bit of a chore sometimes but tbh I haven’t seen it in years. Tom Holland is my favourite Spidey to date and I feel as if Marvel will know when to phase him out this time whereas the last two Spidermen just got worse & worse as time went by. Michael Keaton was fantastic as Vulture too, he’s a fantastic actor as it is and it was a huge sort of throwback to Birdman which is also an incredible movie (actually better than these tbh)
Posted by: SamJudd 11th June 2018, 02:48 AM
6. Black Panther | Avg.8.909
Highest Scores: 10: (PeteFromLeeds, Blacksquare, SamJudd), Lowest Scores: 7.5: (Josh)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,345,665,841
Highest Scores: 10: (PeteFromLeeds, Blacksquare, SamJudd), Lowest Scores: 7.5: (Josh)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,345,665,841
At the #6 spot is the newest Marvel movie to feature in this countdown 'Black Panther', which makes a really impressive landing on this list, considering it's so new, but that was also it's downfall in a way because it had the least amount of votes and therefore had the 2nd lowest score. However considering the really high scores it had anyway, it would have definitely done well either way. Directed by Ryan Coogler and starring Chadwick Boseman as the title character, the movie was released in February of this year and received universal acclaim with a whopping 97% on Rotten Tomatoes (the highest MCU movie so far) as well as being noted for it's cultural significance, It grossed over $1.3 Billion worldwide, making it 2nd highest grossing movie of the year so far and 9th highest grossing movie of all time. Wesley Snipes had expressed interest in a Black Panther movie back in 1992, but the project never came to fruition and instead he starred in another Marvel based movie 'Blade' a few years later.
Well I must say that this was a really great movie and definitely one of the best MCU films to date with a fantastic ensemble cast, along with some amazing special effects and even Wakanda itself is such a stunning and magical place that clearly steals the show, with it's vibrant world that's both futuristic and yet steeped in culture and tradition, making the whole thing very much unique. The plot is probably one of the most interesting and tightly woven that the MCU has brought us so far, that deals with the internal and external conflicts the country is going through and a villain played excellently by Michael B Jordan gives such a compelling and relatable performance that makes him one of the strongest villains of this universe to date. Even Chadwick Boseman himself provides a very strong lead having a character like him take centre stage in a blockbuster event such as this is a true turning point and shows that he was worth the hype from his breakout role in 'Captain America - Civil War' back in 2016. Danai Guirira and Letitia Wright also provides strong supporting performances and shows that it isn't just the men that get all the praise in this film, they both provide such great positive role models for women everywhere and can't wait to see more of them in further adventures.
I haven't seen this movie as many times as some of the other MCU films, so it's still pretty new to me and despite only seeing it twice I still love it, with such interesting themes, dazzling effects that are almost perfect apart from the final battle at the end between Black Panther and Killmonger where it goes off the rails a bit and becomes so dark that when they're in their dark coloured costumes where it's hard to tell them apart, but other than that the movie is fun as hell and a refreshingly welcomed addition to a film series that did need that extra boost to stop it from becoming stale.
Well I must say that this was a really great movie and definitely one of the best MCU films to date with a fantastic ensemble cast, along with some amazing special effects and even Wakanda itself is such a stunning and magical place that clearly steals the show, with it's vibrant world that's both futuristic and yet steeped in culture and tradition, making the whole thing very much unique. The plot is probably one of the most interesting and tightly woven that the MCU has brought us so far, that deals with the internal and external conflicts the country is going through and a villain played excellently by Michael B Jordan gives such a compelling and relatable performance that makes him one of the strongest villains of this universe to date. Even Chadwick Boseman himself provides a very strong lead having a character like him take centre stage in a blockbuster event such as this is a true turning point and shows that he was worth the hype from his breakout role in 'Captain America - Civil War' back in 2016. Danai Guirira and Letitia Wright also provides strong supporting performances and shows that it isn't just the men that get all the praise in this film, they both provide such great positive role models for women everywhere and can't wait to see more of them in further adventures.
I haven't seen this movie as many times as some of the other MCU films, so it's still pretty new to me and despite only seeing it twice I still love it, with such interesting themes, dazzling effects that are almost perfect apart from the final battle at the end between Black Panther and Killmonger where it goes off the rails a bit and becomes so dark that when they're in their dark coloured costumes where it's hard to tell them apart, but other than that the movie is fun as hell and a refreshingly welcomed addition to a film series that did need that extra boost to stop it from becoming stale.
Posted by: SamJudd 11th June 2018, 02:57 AM
Just 5 left now and they are...
The Avengers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
Thor: Ragnarok
Any thoughts any predictions....
The Avengers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
Thor: Ragnarok
Any thoughts any predictions....
Posted by: Dexton 11th June 2018, 03:15 AM
I predict that they’ll be in the order you put them tbh
1. The Avengers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
5. Thor: Ragnarok
Avengers just has to win this but I can see Winter Soldier being a close second. Ragnarok is good but idk if it’s worthy of Top 5 already
Posted by: Joe. 11th June 2018, 07:47 AM
Infinity War should be #1...Wait..
The top 5 is actually perfect imo. I'd have had Homecoming a couple of spots higher though maybe.
Posted by: PaulM1983 11th June 2018, 08:04 AM
Definitely the right top 5, but Infinity War would be number 1 for me now. Not sure what that would push out though. Probably Winter Soldier for me. I couldn't lose Ragnarok - it's so fantastic.
Posted by: SamJudd 13th June 2018, 11:01 PM
5. Thor: Ragnarok | Avg.9.312
Highest Scores: 10: (Nightcrawler, Jonjo, Josh, Regina, Blacksquare, TomboOnBroadway, Qween, SamJudd), Lowest Scores: 7: (Klaus)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%, Worldwide Box Office: $853,977,126
Highest Scores: 10: (Nightcrawler, Jonjo, Josh, Regina, Blacksquare, TomboOnBroadway, Qween, SamJudd), Lowest Scores: 7: (Klaus)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%, Worldwide Box Office: $853,977,126
At #5 we finally say goodbye to the last of the Thor films, with the previous instalments bowing out in 13th and 16th place respectively, 'Ragnarok' trounces both in not only scores and position, but in overall quality as well, and therefore rounding off the trilogy with a bang. Released in November 2017 as the 17th movie in the MCU and serves as a sequel to both the title character's previous entries 2011's 'Thor' and 2013's 'Thor: The Dark World'. Directed by Taika Waititi and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, along with Mark Ruffalo joining the cast as The Hulk, marking his return to the MCU since 2014. Upon release the movie received high critical praise with many declaring it the best of the trilogy and grossed $854 Million worldwide on a $180 Million budget, making this not only the best received out of the 3, but the most successful as well as becoming the 9th highest grossing movie of 2017.
Out of the 3 Marvel movies released last year who'd have thought that this would have been the best one. Now you gotta admit that a lot of people including myself weren't that excited at the thought of another Thor movie, especially considering the disappointment of the 2nd one, but once the first trailer came out, I became highly interested and excited to boot. Pushing the Shakespearean stuff aside that was established in the first movie was a smart move on director Taika Waititi's side and instead choosing to go a much more light hearted and retro-futuristic tone was something that was much needed for this franchise and even the serious tone of the 2nd one is all but gone here, despite the planet ending nature of the title. The movie relies heavily on Chris Hemsworth's charm, showing that by this point he has fully embraced this godly character and definitely made him is own. The quips and gags come at a steady pace occasionally interrupted by some better than average superhero action, and how can you not enjoy a movie where Thor and Hulk smash their way through everything.
I think the MCU has finally found what works for these characters that have had the most trouble adapting to the big screen, and turns out that all was needed was to put them both together in an intergalactic buddy movie made for a fun romp. Okay the constant laugh a minute direction may not be for everyone, but I had hell of a fun time with it and plus I did find that his friends were cruelly shafted, however not everything can be perfect. Another aspect that made this whole thing work was the excellent cast, of course I've already mentioned the big two Thor and Hulk, but Tom Hiddleston also makes a welcomed return as Loki, and the way he and Thor bounce off each other is always a treat. Cate Blanchett as Hela makes for a fantastic villain, she literally chews every scene she's in and just runs away with it, making her another great Marvel villain and probably one of the best. Tessa Thompson as Valkyre is another welcomed addition to the team and makes for a strong female character and more than holds her own with the other cast members.
So in all, yes finally a Thor movie that finally works on every level and needless to say, it's another one of those refreshing MCU movies that we've had over the last couple of years, and shows why they still remain on top with their cinematic universe. Take notes D.C..
Out of the 3 Marvel movies released last year who'd have thought that this would have been the best one. Now you gotta admit that a lot of people including myself weren't that excited at the thought of another Thor movie, especially considering the disappointment of the 2nd one, but once the first trailer came out, I became highly interested and excited to boot. Pushing the Shakespearean stuff aside that was established in the first movie was a smart move on director Taika Waititi's side and instead choosing to go a much more light hearted and retro-futuristic tone was something that was much needed for this franchise and even the serious tone of the 2nd one is all but gone here, despite the planet ending nature of the title. The movie relies heavily on Chris Hemsworth's charm, showing that by this point he has fully embraced this godly character and definitely made him is own. The quips and gags come at a steady pace occasionally interrupted by some better than average superhero action, and how can you not enjoy a movie where Thor and Hulk smash their way through everything.
I think the MCU has finally found what works for these characters that have had the most trouble adapting to the big screen, and turns out that all was needed was to put them both together in an intergalactic buddy movie made for a fun romp. Okay the constant laugh a minute direction may not be for everyone, but I had hell of a fun time with it and plus I did find that his friends were cruelly shafted, however not everything can be perfect. Another aspect that made this whole thing work was the excellent cast, of course I've already mentioned the big two Thor and Hulk, but Tom Hiddleston also makes a welcomed return as Loki, and the way he and Thor bounce off each other is always a treat. Cate Blanchett as Hela makes for a fantastic villain, she literally chews every scene she's in and just runs away with it, making her another great Marvel villain and probably one of the best. Tessa Thompson as Valkyre is another welcomed addition to the team and makes for a strong female character and more than holds her own with the other cast members.
So in all, yes finally a Thor movie that finally works on every level and needless to say, it's another one of those refreshing MCU movies that we've had over the last couple of years, and shows why they still remain on top with their cinematic universe. Take notes D.C..
Posted by: Tombo 14th June 2018, 08:56 AM
I love Ragnarok!
Civil War and Winter Soldier to SMASH!
Posted by: SamJudd 20th June 2018, 04:21 PM
4. The Avengers | Avg.9.441
Highest Scores: 11: (Nightcrawler), 10: (PeteFromLeeds, Joe, Dexton, Chez Wombat, Jonjo, LewisGT, Severin, SamJudd, Klaus), Lowest Scores: (None lower than 8)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,518,812,988
Highest Scores: 11: (Nightcrawler), 10: (PeteFromLeeds, Joe, Dexton, Chez Wombat, Jonjo, LewisGT, Severin, SamJudd, Klaus), Lowest Scores: (None lower than 8)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,518,812,988
At #4 it's a big one 'The Avengers', making this the last of the first phase of Marvel movies to feature here. Released in May 2012 as the 6th film in the MCU and written and directed by Joss Whedon and features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner as the title team. Development began in 2005 when Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch. After the success of 'Iron Man' in 2008, Marvel announced the movie's release date of July 2011, however would end up being pushed back to 2012. Upon release the movie would receive positive reviews as well as breaking box office records with $1.5 Billion grossed worldwide, becoming the highest grossing movie of that year as well as becoming the 3rd highest grossing movie of all-time, and would receive numerous awards and nominations including Academy Award and BAFTA nominations for Best Visual Effects. Of note this was also the first Marvel movie to gross over a Billion in ticket sales and the massive success of this would put the MCU on the map as a force to be reckoned with.
I think the iconic nature of this film really speaks for itself, and I remember that when this was first announced nobody (including me) would think that the studio was ever going to pull this off. But boy are we glad that they did, this was the first movie ever to take established superheroes in their own solo movies and put them all together into one giant crossover event, and that was thanks to the foundations already laid by the previous entries and the skilled hands of writer/director Joss Whedon who knows just how to let these characters play off one another and gives everybody (mostly) a chance to shine. You've got to admit that it's a pretty damn fantastic fun time with heroes galore, action packed blockbuster battles and enough balance in the story to let it flow together without it becoming bogged down or clustered.
If you're a fan of Marvel (like I am), there was nothing to compare the sheer thrill of seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Thor & Hulk assemble together in one movie, and witnessing this back then was the ultimate HIGH, and nothing can take that away from you, and while there have been other Avengers movies since, no matter how good they are they will never have that same impact ever again, because we've got to see them together in this one and that's a total game changer in itself. In the past the closest we've had to seeing a superhero team together was the X-Men movies, but none of them could compare to the quality of this one, even when Batman and Superman finally teamed up for their own movie (which ended up being disappointing), these guys did it first and not only created something special, but the most exciting cinematic universe ever.
There are a few nit picky points that I have to make about this movie, firstly yeah the storyline is serviceable at best, the basic plot of aliens invading New York forcing the team to come together and stop them (huh just remembered the awful Justice League movie basically used this same plot line 5 years later). Now that we've had far more complicated crossover stories, the basicness of this doesn't quite hold up as it did the first time, and also Hawkeye gets really shafted here, but gladly he got a better shot in the sequel, and even with these points they don't really bother me very much and can still have a fun time with this.
So in all while this may not be the masterpiece it once was, 'The Avengers' is still an incredible feat of cinematic history, and therefore defining all odds. Finally can I just say that even with the recasting of Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, who I must say turned in a much better performance than Edward Norton and it's finally nice to see this character done right for a change after 2 somewhat shaky attempts.
I think the iconic nature of this film really speaks for itself, and I remember that when this was first announced nobody (including me) would think that the studio was ever going to pull this off. But boy are we glad that they did, this was the first movie ever to take established superheroes in their own solo movies and put them all together into one giant crossover event, and that was thanks to the foundations already laid by the previous entries and the skilled hands of writer/director Joss Whedon who knows just how to let these characters play off one another and gives everybody (mostly) a chance to shine. You've got to admit that it's a pretty damn fantastic fun time with heroes galore, action packed blockbuster battles and enough balance in the story to let it flow together without it becoming bogged down or clustered.
If you're a fan of Marvel (like I am), there was nothing to compare the sheer thrill of seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Thor & Hulk assemble together in one movie, and witnessing this back then was the ultimate HIGH, and nothing can take that away from you, and while there have been other Avengers movies since, no matter how good they are they will never have that same impact ever again, because we've got to see them together in this one and that's a total game changer in itself. In the past the closest we've had to seeing a superhero team together was the X-Men movies, but none of them could compare to the quality of this one, even when Batman and Superman finally teamed up for their own movie (which ended up being disappointing), these guys did it first and not only created something special, but the most exciting cinematic universe ever.
There are a few nit picky points that I have to make about this movie, firstly yeah the storyline is serviceable at best, the basic plot of aliens invading New York forcing the team to come together and stop them (huh just remembered the awful Justice League movie basically used this same plot line 5 years later). Now that we've had far more complicated crossover stories, the basicness of this doesn't quite hold up as it did the first time, and also Hawkeye gets really shafted here, but gladly he got a better shot in the sequel, and even with these points they don't really bother me very much and can still have a fun time with this.
So in all while this may not be the masterpiece it once was, 'The Avengers' is still an incredible feat of cinematic history, and therefore defining all odds. Finally can I just say that even with the recasting of Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk, who I must say turned in a much better performance than Edward Norton and it's finally nice to see this character done right for a change after 2 somewhat shaky attempts.
Posted by: SamJudd 20th June 2018, 04:23 PM
Our final 3 remaining MCU movies left are =
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of The Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of The Galaxy
Captain America: Civil War
Posted by: Jonjo 21st June 2018, 03:13 PM
What a MARVELlous top 3 *.*
Posted by: Mack. 30th June 2018, 11:34 AM
Guardians of the Galaxy to just edge of hopefully.
Posted by: SamJudd 5th July 2018, 07:30 PM
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Avg.9.47
Highest Scores: 11: (Regina, Blacksquare, Qween), 10: (Joe, Chez Wombat, Jonjo, SamJudd, Klaus, Mack), Lowest Scores: 6: (PeteFromLeeds)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%, Worldwide Box Office: $714,264,267
Highest Scores: 11: (Regina, Blacksquare, Qween), 10: (Joe, Chez Wombat, Jonjo, SamJudd, Klaus, Mack), Lowest Scores: 6: (PeteFromLeeds)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%, Worldwide Box Office: $714,264,267
At #3 we finally lose another Captain America movie, 'The Winter Soldier', which was the 2nd in the trilogy, released in April 2014 as the 9th film in the MCU and based upon the Marvel graphic novel of the same name by Ed Brubaker. A major influence was conspiracy fiction from the 1970's such as 'Three Days of the Condor', with the script based upon it's comic. The movie was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo who would also go on to direct 'Civil War' & 'Infinity War'. Upon release the movie became a critical and commercial success, grossing over $714 Million worldwide on a budget of around $177 Million, and making it the 7th highest grossing movie of that year and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
Given at how low the first Captain America film is on this list (a mere #14), you might be surprised that it's sequel or sequels (the 3rd is still to come), but 'The Winter Soldier' really set the bar high for not only the MCU but superhero movies in general and like many of the best Marvel films, this one is a totally different take on the universe with it's take on 70's cold war thriller for inspiration and just runs away with it and barely puts a foot wrong. It's a little darker and more complicated than your average superhero fare, but that just makes the whole thing a lot more interesting and gripping with some fantastic action scenes, namely that elevator scene with Cap taking on a bunch of Hydra agents single handedly, which where you have to admit is AMAZING!, and not only that it's also one of the most well balanced movies in this universe in terms of action and pace, and the Russo brothers really set a lot of groundwork and a level of quality for future films, and no wonder they were hired again for 'CW' & 'AIF'.
'Winter Soldier' is one of the best Marvel movies in my opinion (and Buzzjack voters agree with me), and yes I am a Captain America fan, and this was the moment when he became a firm favourite among many, Chris Evans proves yet again why he was the perfect choice for this role and any doubts would be wiped away with the excellence of his performance in this movie, he really came into his own and now it would be hard to imagine anyone else in this role. Black Widow also gets the best treatment that she's ever gotten in this entry and given a lot more to do and quite rightly so. Samuel L Jackson gets more screen time than usual as Nick Fury and actually gets more involved in the plot and yeah he's just plain awesome. Anthony Mackie gets introduced as Falcon and proves he's a really decent sidekick and having fun with his role. Robert Redford adds that extra gravitas and sophistication as Alexander Pierce. Then finally there's Sebastian Stan as Bucky a.k.a. The Winter Soldier, gives a fantastically layered and gripping performance of a character who would become a major player in future movies.
There isn't anything bad you can say about this movie, okay I know the final act gets a bit of flack for delving into the usual superhero fare, but that didn't bother me at all, because the movie on the whole is just great and really holds up on repeated viewings (I've probably watched this the 2nd highest amount of times), and this was the moment where the MCU films went from just being good to being pretty damn excellent and perfectly set high standards for what lays ahead.
Given at how low the first Captain America film is on this list (a mere #14), you might be surprised that it's sequel or sequels (the 3rd is still to come), but 'The Winter Soldier' really set the bar high for not only the MCU but superhero movies in general and like many of the best Marvel films, this one is a totally different take on the universe with it's take on 70's cold war thriller for inspiration and just runs away with it and barely puts a foot wrong. It's a little darker and more complicated than your average superhero fare, but that just makes the whole thing a lot more interesting and gripping with some fantastic action scenes, namely that elevator scene with Cap taking on a bunch of Hydra agents single handedly, which where you have to admit is AMAZING!, and not only that it's also one of the most well balanced movies in this universe in terms of action and pace, and the Russo brothers really set a lot of groundwork and a level of quality for future films, and no wonder they were hired again for 'CW' & 'AIF'.
'Winter Soldier' is one of the best Marvel movies in my opinion (and Buzzjack voters agree with me), and yes I am a Captain America fan, and this was the moment when he became a firm favourite among many, Chris Evans proves yet again why he was the perfect choice for this role and any doubts would be wiped away with the excellence of his performance in this movie, he really came into his own and now it would be hard to imagine anyone else in this role. Black Widow also gets the best treatment that she's ever gotten in this entry and given a lot more to do and quite rightly so. Samuel L Jackson gets more screen time than usual as Nick Fury and actually gets more involved in the plot and yeah he's just plain awesome. Anthony Mackie gets introduced as Falcon and proves he's a really decent sidekick and having fun with his role. Robert Redford adds that extra gravitas and sophistication as Alexander Pierce. Then finally there's Sebastian Stan as Bucky a.k.a. The Winter Soldier, gives a fantastically layered and gripping performance of a character who would become a major player in future movies.
There isn't anything bad you can say about this movie, okay I know the final act gets a bit of flack for delving into the usual superhero fare, but that didn't bother me at all, because the movie on the whole is just great and really holds up on repeated viewings (I've probably watched this the 2nd highest amount of times), and this was the moment where the MCU films went from just being good to being pretty damn excellent and perfectly set high standards for what lays ahead.
Posted by: SamJudd 5th July 2018, 07:31 PM
So it's 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' VS 'Captain America - Civil War' who will win...
Posted by: PaulM1983 8th July 2018, 08:51 AM
They're not my top 2 but out of them Civil War should win. Guardians is fantastic and deserves to finish high, but it's not the best of the bunch.
Posted by: Dexton 11th July 2018, 03:48 AM
Civil War will definitely win, although I can also see Guardians sneaking past with higher average votes
Posted by: SamJudd 12th August 2018, 12:56 AM
2. Guardians Of The Galaxy | Avg.9.764
Highest Scores: 11: (Chez Wombat, Jonjo, Severin, T Boy, Mack), 10: (Dexton, Josh, LewisGT, Qween, SamJudd, Klaus), Lowest Scores: 7/7.5: (PeteFromLeeds, Regina)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%, Worldwide Box Office: $773,328,629
*Commentary coming soon...
Highest Scores: 11: (Chez Wombat, Jonjo, Severin, T Boy, Mack), 10: (Dexton, Josh, LewisGT, Qween, SamJudd, Klaus), Lowest Scores: 7/7.5: (PeteFromLeeds, Regina)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%, Worldwide Box Office: $773,328,629
*Commentary coming soon...
1. Captain America: Civil War | Avg.9.823
Highest Scores: 11: (PeteFromLeeds, Joe, Josh, TomboOnBroadway, SamJudd), 10: (Dexton, Nightcrawler, Chez Wombat, Jonjo, Regina, Blacksquare, LewisGT, Klaus, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 7: (Severin, Mack)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,153,304,495
Highest Scores: 11: (PeteFromLeeds, Joe, Josh, TomboOnBroadway, SamJudd), 10: (Dexton, Nightcrawler, Chez Wombat, Jonjo, Regina, Blacksquare, LewisGT, Klaus, T Boy), Lowest Scores: 7: (Severin, Mack)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%, Worldwide Box Office: $1,153,304,495
COMMENTARY COMING SOON....
Posted by: Jonjo 12th August 2018, 01:01 AM
I'd have preferred a switch, however, I can't begrudge a Civil War win
Looking forward to reading your comments!!
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