I've done this before with my other favorite major movie franchise, and I figured that since my wife and I are watching the entire MCU again in preparation for Thor: Ragnarok in the fall, now was as good a time as any to get this out of the way. If you missed this party the first time around, I'll be ranking the movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe from best to worst, and then reviewing the movies in more depth from the bottom of the list up (skipping the ones I've already reviewed). We'll finish off with Thor: Ragnarok, after which I'll slide it into the rankings.
Oh, and Spiderman: Homecoming. We'll get that in here sometime. I'm just not as excited for that movie as I am the others, for whatever reason.
To be perfectly clear, my rankings are hardly objective (no list of this nature ever really is). Like my list of my favorite movies, this list is organized by how rewatchable I think the movies are. Now, let's go.
The Avengers - I don't think there's much debate over whether this is the best made movie in the MCU. Arguments could probably be made in favor of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and a few others, but there's definitely no doubt this is a really well made movie. The story, the characters, the script, the visuals, everything is top notch. It's objectively a good film. And for my part, the rewatchability is sky high. The Avengers never fails to give me chills when I watch it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I've seen this movie once, but I don't think it's much of a stretch to say I will be watching it again and again and again over the coming years. Like The Avengers, this is objectively a well made movie, with a narrative structure and character development that draws users in while making them laugh constantly.
Avengers: Age of Ultron - While certainly not as objectively well crafted as The Avengers, Age of Ultron never fails to entertain and move me despite a few failings and "da heck" moments. The addition of the Maximoff twins was great, and Ultron himself was just about perfect. Adding to that, the flawlessly managed action from the first movie is back, so you'll never have a hard time convincing me to watch this movie. Also, the soundtrack is one of my favorites of all time.
Guardians of the Galaxy - Do I like ensemble movies more than solo movies? Yes. Yes I do. Guardians of the Galaxy is also a really well made movie, and I think the thing I love about it most is that the characters are all developed together in a way that makes the finale really feel like a massive payoff. It's beautiful.
Captain America: The First Avenger - Things start to get muddy around here, and it's fair to say that these next few entries on this list are all well within spitting distance of each other. The First Avenger is, I think, one of the most underrated movies in the MCU, but I love it. I love it because it has a simple, timeless moral about the nature of heroism that really rings true to me. Also it has Hayley Atwell, which is always a win.
Ant-Man - Ant-Man stands out in the MCU because, fundamentally, it's not a superhero film. It's actually a heist movie with bits of spy movie sprinkled in there, dressed up as a superhero movie for comic con. Happily, it's a very well executed heist movie and it's just tons of fun. It really doesn't have a hard time hanging out with other great heist movies like Mission Impossible, and the genre switch inside of the MCU was welcome.
Iron Man - No doubt this movie is responsible for the entire MCU. It started something wonderful, and I certainly do appreciate that. But it's also a really well made movie, with just about the most perfect casting of a pre-existing character ever. Aside from J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jamison from the Spiderman trilogy, no actor has ever been more perfectly suited to fill the shoes of a character from existing fiction than Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.
Thor - Thor might just be my favorite avenger. It's kind of a tie between him and Wanda Maximoff. This movie did such an amazing job of setting up his character going forward, sort of starting him on this path of accepting responsibility for the first time in his life. Beyond that it also starts Loki on a path of being just the best for several movies in a row, which I also appreciate.
Thor: The Dark World - This movie is pretty similar to the first Thor where quality is concerned, but maybe a little more forgettable where the actual story is concerned. I still like it quite a lot, Loki is again just fabulous to have around, and I liked the increased emphasis given to Jane's involvement with stuff. Not a bad sequel, overall, and a good entry into the MCU.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier - This is a good movie. Arguably better than both Thor films, objectively. But I don't like it as much for a few reasons. First, there's less emphasis on character development than in stuff like Thor and Iron Man. Second, the music was a huge letdown. The action was great and the conflict was engaging. For my money it was decidedly middle of the road.
Iron Man 3 - Not a bad third part of the excellent Iron Man trilogy, assuming the second part is The Avengers and not actually Iron Man 2. I enjoyed it, and once again RDJ turns in a superb performance as Tony. I also really liked this version of the Mandarin, though that plot twist was a little... ridiculous.
Doctor Strange - Again, the movie was perfectly entertaining. I had a good time, for sure, and will watch it many times over the next decade I'm sure. Good performances and great humor, a really interesting solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem, an actual character arc for the main character. A little predictable, overall, but still fun. And honestly the enjoyment-gap measure between this and The First Avenger is, like, a hair's-bredth. From here on, though...
Captain America: Civil War - This movie had some great moments. But it was a long movie, and those few great moments get swallowed up in a sea of utter mediocrity. The best thing I can say for this movie is it was good to see Wanda owning on an infinity-stone powered Vision (because someone will need to be able to do that come Avengers 3), and Black Panther and Spiderman were introduced well. That's pretty much it.
Iron Man 2 - While this doesn't quite drop into the realms of "bad movie" land, it certainly is pretty forgettable. The reason for that? It's basically the same movie as Iron Man. Tony's character arc is pretty much identical, the villain is basically the same. The plot is actually pretty contrived, and you don't really lose anything by skipping this one aside from an introduction to Black Widow (which is, admittedly, pretty sweet).
The Incredible Hulk - The best decision anyone made after the MCU became a thing? Pretending this movie never happened. Recast the Hulk, pretend Betty doesn't exist, and never make a solo Hulk film again. This movie was a train wreck of dumb plot, bizarre script, ridiculous characters, and wooden acting. All said and done, though, it's the only MCU movie that's actively unpleasant to watch, which is a pretty good record.
Oh, and Spiderman: Homecoming. We'll get that in here sometime. I'm just not as excited for that movie as I am the others, for whatever reason.
To be perfectly clear, my rankings are hardly objective (no list of this nature ever really is). Like my list of my favorite movies, this list is organized by how rewatchable I think the movies are. Now, let's go.
The Avengers - I don't think there's much debate over whether this is the best made movie in the MCU. Arguments could probably be made in favor of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and a few others, but there's definitely no doubt this is a really well made movie. The story, the characters, the script, the visuals, everything is top notch. It's objectively a good film. And for my part, the rewatchability is sky high. The Avengers never fails to give me chills when I watch it.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - I've seen this movie once, but I don't think it's much of a stretch to say I will be watching it again and again and again over the coming years. Like The Avengers, this is objectively a well made movie, with a narrative structure and character development that draws users in while making them laugh constantly.
Avengers: Age of Ultron - While certainly not as objectively well crafted as The Avengers, Age of Ultron never fails to entertain and move me despite a few failings and "da heck" moments. The addition of the Maximoff twins was great, and Ultron himself was just about perfect. Adding to that, the flawlessly managed action from the first movie is back, so you'll never have a hard time convincing me to watch this movie. Also, the soundtrack is one of my favorites of all time.
Guardians of the Galaxy - Do I like ensemble movies more than solo movies? Yes. Yes I do. Guardians of the Galaxy is also a really well made movie, and I think the thing I love about it most is that the characters are all developed together in a way that makes the finale really feel like a massive payoff. It's beautiful.
Captain America: The First Avenger - Things start to get muddy around here, and it's fair to say that these next few entries on this list are all well within spitting distance of each other. The First Avenger is, I think, one of the most underrated movies in the MCU, but I love it. I love it because it has a simple, timeless moral about the nature of heroism that really rings true to me. Also it has Hayley Atwell, which is always a win.
Ant-Man - Ant-Man stands out in the MCU because, fundamentally, it's not a superhero film. It's actually a heist movie with bits of spy movie sprinkled in there, dressed up as a superhero movie for comic con. Happily, it's a very well executed heist movie and it's just tons of fun. It really doesn't have a hard time hanging out with other great heist movies like Mission Impossible, and the genre switch inside of the MCU was welcome.
Iron Man - No doubt this movie is responsible for the entire MCU. It started something wonderful, and I certainly do appreciate that. But it's also a really well made movie, with just about the most perfect casting of a pre-existing character ever. Aside from J. K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jamison from the Spiderman trilogy, no actor has ever been more perfectly suited to fill the shoes of a character from existing fiction than Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.
Thor - Thor might just be my favorite avenger. It's kind of a tie between him and Wanda Maximoff. This movie did such an amazing job of setting up his character going forward, sort of starting him on this path of accepting responsibility for the first time in his life. Beyond that it also starts Loki on a path of being just the best for several movies in a row, which I also appreciate.
Thor: The Dark World - This movie is pretty similar to the first Thor where quality is concerned, but maybe a little more forgettable where the actual story is concerned. I still like it quite a lot, Loki is again just fabulous to have around, and I liked the increased emphasis given to Jane's involvement with stuff. Not a bad sequel, overall, and a good entry into the MCU.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier - This is a good movie. Arguably better than both Thor films, objectively. But I don't like it as much for a few reasons. First, there's less emphasis on character development than in stuff like Thor and Iron Man. Second, the music was a huge letdown. The action was great and the conflict was engaging. For my money it was decidedly middle of the road.
Iron Man 3 - Not a bad third part of the excellent Iron Man trilogy, assuming the second part is The Avengers and not actually Iron Man 2. I enjoyed it, and once again RDJ turns in a superb performance as Tony. I also really liked this version of the Mandarin, though that plot twist was a little... ridiculous.
Doctor Strange - Again, the movie was perfectly entertaining. I had a good time, for sure, and will watch it many times over the next decade I'm sure. Good performances and great humor, a really interesting solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem, an actual character arc for the main character. A little predictable, overall, but still fun. And honestly the enjoyment-gap measure between this and The First Avenger is, like, a hair's-bredth. From here on, though...
Captain America: Civil War - This movie had some great moments. But it was a long movie, and those few great moments get swallowed up in a sea of utter mediocrity. The best thing I can say for this movie is it was good to see Wanda owning on an infinity-stone powered Vision (because someone will need to be able to do that come Avengers 3), and Black Panther and Spiderman were introduced well. That's pretty much it.
Iron Man 2 - While this doesn't quite drop into the realms of "bad movie" land, it certainly is pretty forgettable. The reason for that? It's basically the same movie as Iron Man. Tony's character arc is pretty much identical, the villain is basically the same. The plot is actually pretty contrived, and you don't really lose anything by skipping this one aside from an introduction to Black Widow (which is, admittedly, pretty sweet).
The Incredible Hulk - The best decision anyone made after the MCU became a thing? Pretending this movie never happened. Recast the Hulk, pretend Betty doesn't exist, and never make a solo Hulk film again. This movie was a train wreck of dumb plot, bizarre script, ridiculous characters, and wooden acting. All said and done, though, it's the only MCU movie that's actively unpleasant to watch, which is a pretty good record.
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