It wasn't until the first Avengers movie that I started to become more interested in the Marvel movies and it wasn't until Captain America: Civil War that I wanted to give every film in the MCU a fair shake. What I appreciate about the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that you don't have to be well-versed in the comics to enjoy the movies. I think they put in enough Easter Eggs to keep comic fans happy but for the most part Marvel just puts out all-around enjoyable movies. In fact, I'm sure that a lot of people who have seen the movies first have then gained interest in reading the comics.
This post is coming from someone who hasn't read any of the comics that are involved in the MCU. This post comes from someone who just likes movies. I decided to watch every Marvel movie, 18 altogether, before Infinity War comes out and here is what I thought about each one.
Iron Man (2008): I really liked this movie better than I thought I would. Iron Man went from being one of my least favorite superheroes to one of my favorites. Along with the rest of the world, I do think Robert Downey, Jr. was born for this role. It was interesting to have a superhero that was a jerk for so much of the movie and had a good character arc that ended up continuing throughout other Marvel movies. I also love how much this movie feels like a modern-day Rocketeer. Overall I thought this was a fun and enjoyable movie and I totally get the love for Iron Man now. Iron Man was the forerunner for a different kind of superhero movie, one that was both funny and epic, a movie that had deep messages about moral character, government, choices, good and evil and still didn't take itself too seriously. It was a great first entry for the MCU. However, Obadiah Stane is the dumbest name for a villain ever.
The Incredible Hulk (2008): I don't like to get too negative on this blog. This is a happy space for good movies but...here we go. It wasn't a terrible film but I think it's the only film in the MCU I won't buy. This movie went in the wrong direction for a character that's a big green angry dude who can luckily keep his pants on - it was too serious. I'm glad they eventually went with Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk because Edward Norton didn't do it for me. He seemed so bored the whole time and it didn't help that much of the writing was awkward. I did not love Liv Tyler's character. For a scientist they made her do so many dumb things especially at the end. I also don't understand after all Ross did how he eventually became Secretary of State. I enjoyed the backstory and the explanation of how the Hulk became who he was and the references to Captain America but this movie does not hold up to anything else in the MCU. To anyone that's interested, after watching all of them, I do think this one could be skipped and you wouldn't miss anything major in the following movies.
Iron Man 2 (2010): Here's an unpopular opinion but I think I enjoyed this one a little bit more than the first. I know, I know. But I love the Rhodey and Iron Man team and Rhodey really shines in this one. This is also the first movie with Black Widow and she kicks butt. I thought all of the drones were creepy and relevant at the same time; another instance where Marvel mixes its technologically-advanced fantasy world with ours very well. I thought all the EPCOT connections were interesting, too, and that Sherman song at the end was amazing! There's also some interesting Tony Stark character development that forebodes to Civil War, which wasn't released until much later.
Thor (2010): Thor feels more like a fantasy movie than a superhero movie. I think this is the first time we see a director take a comic book character and integrate him into another genre pretty seamlessly. The MCU only gets better at this as the years go on. Seeing a mighty Norse god on Earth is so hilarious. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston portray Thor and Loki so well. I also love that it's set in New Mexico - it has awesome connections to weird space alien happenings in our history. I also love the design of Asgard and the bridge. Thor is a really good movie that also gets you excited for Avengers.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): This is one of the more underrated Marvel movies in my opinion. The Russo brothers took Captain America in an awesome direction but the first film is a great origin story and period piece with some cool retro-futuristic aspects. Steve Rogers is just the best. The scene where he jumps on the grenade during training is so good. Among Tony Stark, Scott Lang, Peter Quill, Natasha Romanoff, and Stephen Strange it's nice to have a hero who is good from the beginning and is willing to make sacrifices for the team. Every time I watch this movie I also become so much more aware of how much Wonder Woman ripped it off.
The Avengers (2012): Here we are, the movie that took over the world in 2012 and got me as well, hook, line, and sinker. Just on its own, it's one of the best action comedies ever made and a great summer blockbuster. It's not a flawless movie but it's so fun to watch. Loki still remains probably the most compelling and funniest villain in the MCU. Joss Whedon's writing is great. He meshes every character's personality so well together. There wasn't a movie made like it before and it paved the way for Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War as superhero movies that push the envelope and encompass so many different characters while still giving each one a good arc. Even though it's a fun action epic it still includes deeper messages about trust, governmental conspiracies, teamwork, and sacrifice, all themes that continue to play huge roles in later Marvel movies. Also it has one of the best post-credits scenes ever.
Iron Man 3 (2013): We're into Phase Two now and the third Iron Man film. This one is probably my least favorite of the Iron Man movies but it was still enjoyable. Again, I liked it more than I thought I would. I like the depth that was given to Iron Man. I know he's not as fun with anxiety and PTSD but I think it's understandable considering how many life-threatening, Earth-threatening battles Tony Stark has participated in. I think Iron Man 3 is another example of how no matter the director each Marvel movie has its own style, its own sense of humor, its own mix of superhero silliness and realistic characterization, and its own deeper themes. I love the kid in this movie. I think it was good for Tony Stark to deal with someone younger - it prepared him for Spider-Man, ha ha. I think people sometimes forget that comic books are for kids. I think it's about time we had one that had a fairly substantial role in a Marvel movie. I think there should be more of that. Oh, and I loved the end credits music!
Thor: The Dark World (2013): This Thor is also my least favorite of the Thor films but I think it's another underrated movie in the MCU. It's a funny and entertaining movie. The Thor/Loki team-up is awesome and of course it only gets better in time. I think bringing Jane Foster to Asgard was an interesting story line - how many humans have gotten to go there? I also think each Thor gets better and better at mixing fantasy and sc-fi until we get to the glory that is Ragnarok. Also the Captain America bit in this film is the best!
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): Here it is, the big one. Everyone loves Winter Soldier and for good reason: it changed Captain America and the MCU. This movie really doesn't feel like a superhero movie. It feels like a Cold War spy thriller. And you know me. Anything that's slightly Cold War is right up my alley. It has one of the coolest reveals in the MCU and some of the best action. As we started to learn in Avengers, SHIELD isn't perfect. In fact it's more corrupt than we think, which adds more layers to the Marvel films and what all this change could mean for the Avengers. Winter Soldier has amazing action sequences (I think the Russos are the best action directors in the MCU), the coolest car chase scene in any Marvel movie, interesting new characters, and profound themes that relate to our own world.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): I remember seeing this trailer and that this weird-looking movie was from Marvel and I didn't even care. It had me at space raccoon fights crime with his friends. Guardians of the Galaxy is tied with Civil War for my favorite movie in the MCU. I tend to go for the comedic movies and this one is hilarious. It's more like a sci-fi action comedy than a superhero film. I love every freakin' Guardian. They're all so lovable, from Groot to Gamora. The production design is incredible. The music is awesome. I have the soundtracks for both Guardians movies and they are such jams. I think Guardians surprised everyone in the best way and I am so excited to see them team up with the Avengers.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): While it's not as good as the first Avengers, Ultron is still a really entertaining movie. We get some new Avengers including the creation of Vision. Again, we get some deeper themes that are all just leading up to Civil War. It's also exciting to have the first introduction to Wakanda. One thing I didn't love was the out-of-left-field romance between Natasha and Bruce. It came out of nowhere and was just a weird, unnecessary addition to the film. I also hated Ultron's mouth, ha ha. But James Spader has such an evil-sounding voice. I think he did a good job of voicing the villain.
Ant-Man (2015): I remember hearing about Ant-Man when it was first coming out and I thought it sounded so dumb. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this movie is and I enjoy it more every time I see it. Again, we're taking superheros into a new genre, one I really enjoy, the comedy heist. I never thought I'd see Paul Rudd as a superhero but I love it. Michael Pena absolutely steals whatever scene he's in; he is so hilarious. I really hope to see Ant-Man and Dr. Strange do some weird physics, alternate dimension stuff together and I'm also excited for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Captain America: Civil War (2016): What a way to start Phase Three. Like I said, Civil War is tied for first place with the first Guardians. I've seen this movie by far more than any other MCU movie and I'm still not sick of it. The characters, the action, the message - it's all incredible. I actually wrote a more in depth review of Civil War so I won't go on too much here. If you want to read that review it's linked here.
Doctor Strange (2016): This is a movie that I didn't think I would like as much as I did. It's not as funny as some of my favorites but it's got some cool elements. Dr. Strange is similar to Tony Stark, arrogant, rude, and he learns to overcome that as the film goes on. I find astral projection kind of fascinating and so I loved that part of it. I know it was ~controversial~ but I quite enjoyed Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One. The special effects were absolutely amazing. This movie gave Inception a run for its money. Overall I loved the two major messages of this movie: not everything can be explained and that's okay and "it's not about you."
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): Guardians 2 was a fantastic sequel. While I enjoyed the plot of the first one more, this film was funny and had great new characters while making me love side characters from the first movie that I hadn't really cared about before. The music continues to be awesome. I also wrote a review of Guardians 2 when it came out. You can read it here.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): Freaks and Geeks is my favorite TV show of all time and I love that John Francis Daley has helped create this masterpiece. Again, we have directors and writers taking superheros into new genres. Here we have the teen comedy. This movie is so funny and it's nice to see people that actually look like/are high school students playing high school students. Tom Holland is the perfect Peter Parker and Jacob Batalon is hilarious as his best friend. It was also refreshing to have a villain in a Marvel movie that wasn't trying to take over the world; it gets awkward every time the Avengers aren't called to a world-ending, galaxy-ending situation. Spider-Man: Homecoming is lighthearted and relatable and a great addition to the MCU. And Captain America has the best cameos in the MCU and when he shows up in this movie, it's so amazing - one of the best post-credits scenes by far!
Thor: Ragnarok (2017): Right below Civil War and Guardians (although it really is so hard to pick favorites) is Ragnarok. I freaking love this movie. When I found out Taika Waititi was directing it I was all in. This movie is everything Thor should be. Sixties Thor is my favorite and this movie totally captures the Silver Age comic book art of Thor. It's psychedelic. It's colorful. It's the perfect blend of sci-fi and fantasy. It's a joke a minute. The villains are great. Thor gets some awesome new powers. The Hulk -- the Hulk! -- becomes almost kind of cute. The costumes and the set design is so perfect. I can't say enough good things about Ragnarok and if you haven't seen it yet you aren't doing yourself any favors.
Black Panther (2018): After Civil War I was so excited for Black Panther and I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. The costume design, set design, all of Wakanda just looked amazing. Finally we actually have a compelling villain. I thought it would only be Loki forever. This movie also has an amazing car chase scene and I am so excited to see Shuri team up with Tony Stark and Peter Parker in Infinity War to invent some amazing stuff. Her character absolutely stole the show in my opinion. It's also cool to have a superhero that's a king as well; I'm also excited to see Black Panther and Thor team up and what that will be like. There were some Lion King moments that were interesting and fantasy elements that I wasn't expecting. And the post-credits scene was great!
Phew. We made it. Can you believe it? I hope reading this gets you even more excited for Infinity War and I will definitely be writing about that movie when I see it!
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