A Ranking of all 35 Marvel Movies
How do the films of the most successful franchise of the 21st century stack up.
I recently saw Marvel’s latest film Captain America: Brave New World and unlike the Huxley book Brave New World it was less than inspired. As someone who wants to make films and be apart of the industry- I find it hard to write a negative review for a piece of film a ton of people put together. Even a terrible movie has talent put behind it usually, a movie can fall apart for so many different reasons. That is why today I’ve decided instead of just fully reviewing the new Captain America movie, I’m gonna rank all thirty five Marvel movies. To be honest, I find the Marvel movie discourse to be annoying - on both sides. These movies get talked about too much as the destroyer of prestige cinema (if audiences are going to the theatres and keeping them alive, let them!) but also having entire YouTube channels claim they are film sites and only discussing Marvel and occasionally Star Wars is also annoying. So today I’m counting down every Marvel movie ranked - as my way to discuss these movies individually and not have every post I write be about them, I guess. Let’s start the countdown!
35. The Marvels
First, I want to clarify something until you start reading me tear into these first few movies, I don’t hate Marvel. I think they provide a good for theatres and a lot of their movies are very enjoyable for me. A few of them nostalgic for me as well. My favorite Marvel movie is also one of my favorite movies of all time, so keep that in mind. That being said, The Marvels is genuinely terrible. Like I stated before, there’s talent in this movie but every moment of it is misguided. This movie has an incredibly clunky screenplay, baffling action set pieces and some of the most off-putting and groan inducing humor I’ve seen in a movie. Most of the Marvel movies range from ‘it’s okay to it’s pretty good’ territory but there are only a few I would deem outright unwatchable and The Marvels is certainly on that list. There’s not much more to say other than the fact that this movie had me so unengaged in the theatre when I saw it I almost walked out at a certain point.
34. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
The saddest thing about this movie coming in so low is that I actually enjoy the first two movies. They are perfectly entertaining action comedies, but what happened with this one? The Ant-Man movies worked because they had lower stakes and felt a little more relatable. This movie is anything but that. They tried to make an Ant-Man movie have Avengers movies stakes and the final result is something that is incredibly clunky. They attached some of the writers for Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty series to write this one and that shows in the final result. This movie flirts with having some really funny and inspired bits. I appreciate some of the wacky and surreal elements here but they only can go so far. Kang the Conqueror is established here as the big Marvel threat (which they are now going back on due to some unfortunate real life implications) but he gets defeated by this movie by several large ants. That’s a way to build up your next cosmic threat I guess. This movie also introduces the cult comic character Modok into the mix and it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in a movie. Not just a Marvel movie, not even a superhero movie. Modok is like, as bad as watching The Room but it doesn’t have any campy charm behind it. This movie is a total miss and it’s a bummer.
33. Captain America Brave New World
I wish I liked this movie more. When I walked into this movie, I already knew the lackluster reviews it had but I wanted to be a contrarian so badly but atlas, I could not get into it. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have redeemable qualities. Anthony Mackie as Captain America gives a great performance here and is able to elevate material that is lackluster. In all honesty, he gives more gravitas to the shield than Chris Evans did. Sadly, the movie around Mackie doesn’t do him any favors. This movie has a really bad edit. The color grade on this film feels grey and washed out. The action sequences are sluggish and choppily edited. The screenplay is clunky, having every bad and cliche dialogue moment you could think of. If you hate the “oh you rehearsed that speech” bits that these movies will occasionally do to undermine a poignant moment with some levity that doesn’t work, this movie is FILLED with crap like that. I appreciate that the film isn’t as jokey as some of Marvel’s other projects. It’s less obnoxious than the previous two films I mentioned and it’s less obnoxious than some films I’m about to talk about, but it also doesn’t feel like it’s delivering on anything. The ending message of the film could have been a powerful statement on what is going on in our country at this moment, yet the film lacks any courage to say anything meaningful, worried about making the audience think or challenging them intellectually. It’s like if Pixar’s WALL-E went, “actually these big business capitalistic systems that destroyed planet Earth, well maybe they weren’t all entirely bad”! I’m all for unity, but maybe call out evil when you see it. Especially for a movie that’s called CAPTAIN AMERICA. Not to mention, the editing on this movie is just awful. There’s no real interesting choices in framing shots. Every scene is set up like a shot reverse shot set up you would see on a daytime soap opera. It doesn’t feel cinematic in the slightest and the reshoots they had to do in the movie show in the final product. It doesn’t feel like actors are in the same room with each other at a certain point. It’s just not great and the saddest part is that it had potential to be great.
32. Thor Love and Thunder
Another massive disappointment! I’m a big fan of Taika Waititi and his specific brand of humor and believe his films have been excellent in the past. Heck, I think Jojo Rabbit is a close to perfect piece of filmmaking. He just wasn’t the right choice for this one. We will discuss it later, but I do like what he did with the third Thor film, but returning to direct this one it felt like the tone was off. This movie is entertaining enough but it feels like an extended SNL sketch, with is disrespectful to the Thor character entirely. It’s okay to approach Thor with silliness, he’s a silly character but he isn’t a joke. I also didn’t like how they approached the character in Avengers Endgame, making him a fat slob felt cheap and wrong and they continue that sense of mockery here. The Avengers movie promised us more of a team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, but they show up in this movie for maybe three minutes of screen time total. It’s like the Guardians were like “ok we only want to take part in good movies” and took off. This ranks above some others purely for the villain. Gorr The God Butcher is an awesome villain and there’s a sequence taking place on a monochromatic planet that is one of the most inspired set pieces in Marvel’s catalogue. There’s a lot of cringe humor to get through in order to get there though sadly.
31. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
Most people have this higher on their list but I’m sorry, I really didn’t care for this movie. Maybe that is because my expectations were so high for it. I love Ryan Coogler as a filmmaker and spoiler alert for later on in this list, I think the first Black Panther film is one of the best Marvel movies. It’s one of the most important blockbusters to come out in the last decade and a total achievement for his career. Ryan Coogler was able to take franchise filmmaking and have it say something profound and politically charged that does take chances and sides (looking at you Brave New World). The trailers leading up to Wakanda Forever looked challenging and daring and it wasn’t that in the final product. I appreciate what Ryan Coogler was trying to do here but there’s a lot you can’t do navigating Chadwick Boseman’s tragic passing. The passing of the torch here didn’t ring true to me and felt hollow, making most of this movie feel uninspired for the most part. This movie was dull in my opinion, and having this be the follow up to a movie I consider great is disappointing. I’m glad Coogler is of making his own original project with Sinner and I hope that movie feels more inspired.
30. Captain Marvel
The most tragic thing about the Captain Marvel movies is how much they waste Brie Larson, who’s a great actress who’s been amazing in several movies (and won an Oscar for the movie Room, an excellent A24 drama). Captain Marvel doesn’t let her explore her dramatic roots and instead has her playing a character I simply don’t care for. I think Captain Marvel is a boring character and this movie doesn’t do anything else but simply exist as another Marvel movie that hits all the beats you think it would. Not much else to say about it.
29. The Incredible Hulk
Now we are just getting into the most forgettable stuff. This was Marvel’s second movie and an early sign not all of these movies would be great. It’s not actively awful but it feels like a cable movie in all the worst ways. What I will say is at least people remember the Ang Lee Hulk movie.
28. Iron Man 2
Another forgettable Marvel movie. As a follow up to Iron Man, a great movie, this one lacked that spark that made the first film so great. It did introduce Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow though, so I can’t be too upset about that. That’s all it really did to stand out however, the rest of the movie is simply just another Marvel movie. A trend with the next few movies we are talking about.
27. Thor: The Dark World
A lot of people rank this way lower than I have it, but I never got the immense hate for this movie. Outside of having the most iconically forgettable villain in Marvel history, this movie is fine. It’s not doing anything exceptional, but the characterization of Loki in this movie is great and some of the set pieces are kinda inspired. I appreciate this era of Thor trying to give the character more gravitas than he would be given later on. This is a clunky movie overall with a lot of groan inducing Marvel quips, but it’s not awful by any means.
26. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Another big disappointment for me, I know I keep saying this about the films on this list I promise it’ll get more optimistic soon. I love Sam Rami as a director and was super excited to see what he would bring to Marvel, especially since his film Spider-Man 2 is one of if not just straight up my favorite superhero movie of all time. Sadly, this movie is a mess that wastes his talents. You can’t help but get some cool imagery and inspired set pieces because of Rami’s sensibilities alone, but this movie is a complete mess structurally. The plot is muddy and it feels like an extended TV episode of the Marvel Universe instead of feeling like it has it’s own personality as a movie and a follow up to the first movie.
25. Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings
I won’t mind to see Shang Chi in future Marvel movies. He’s likable as a character, but I didn’t love this movie. I thought this film could have had a really interesting exploration of Chinese culture and mythos that gave it a unique identity and instead, it feels like another cluttered Marvel project that has no unique identity attached to it. Not to mention, it features an obnoxious performance from Awkwafina. I wish movies knew how to utilize her talents because she’s excellent in the film The Farewell but in every movie after that she’s used as the loud sidekick, which is so frustrating to me. There’s cool action sequences here (including a train fight that’s one of the best directed scenes in any Marvel movie) but there’s a lot of potential here that isn’t utilized in the slightest sadly.
24. Black Widow
This movie features an unfortunate final act that is a complete and total mind inducing mess. With that being said, the first two thirds sets up great characterizations and I love Florence Pugh as Yelena a lot. The family dynamic created in this one is compelling and I’m excited to follow some of these characters in the new Thunderbolts movie coming out this May.
23. Deadpool and Wolverine
Full transparency, I don’t like Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. As a fan of the comic character as a kid, I think it’s miscasting which is my biggest hot take of all time. I feel like they took what was an irreverent but interesting comic book character with weight and pathos behind him and made him into a meme that makes jokes that would make fans of Family Guy laugh I guess. Deadpool and Wolverine is my favorite of the Deadpool trilogy, but I still don’t love it. I find a lot of the humor to be clunky and tired after a while and the visual palette of this movie is not very good. It feels washed out. Hugh Jackman is great as Wolverine and I found his character to be easily the most compelling in the movie and he got the most laughs out of me as well. Wolverine and his arc here is what helps this film jump up a few spots for me personally. This is a great X-Men movie trapped in mediocre Marvel movie.
22. Ant-Man and the Wasp
I like this movie more than most people. A lot of people would put this closer to the bottom of their Marvel list. A lot of people complain it doesn’t do much to further the MCU (even though it practically sets up exactly how Avengers Endgame will play out) but to me, an appeal of this movie is how low stakes it feels. This just feels like a fun action comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously. I like Paul Rudd a lot and I think he’s really funny and charming in these movies. This is just an entertaining and unpretentious time at the movies, it’s not great but it’s enjoyable.
21. Thor
This movie is decent enough. I appreciate Kenneth Branagh for making Thor feel epic and grand like the mythos it’s based off on but the fish out of water aspects of Thor going into the real world feels kinda hokey and the obsessions with dutch angles in this movie is something I will never understand. It feels more distracting to the narrative than artistic in my opinion.
20. Avengers: Age of Ultron
As a follow up to The Avengers, Age of Ultron feels slight in comparison. That being said, it’s a really fun movie and I think Ultron is a solid villain. This is just passable blockbuster entertainment I don’t find myself needing to watch again anytime soon, but this movie introduces Scarlett Witch who is great and helped the Marvel movies feel more elevated so I have to give props to this movie alone for that.
19. Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 gets underrated at times. It’s not a great movie but it is one that wrestles with deeper themes than the vast majority of these films do. Shane Black is an excellent writer and director and his flair shines in this movie. The way this movie wrestles with dealing with PTSD and the ways it can wreck your career ambition and personal life is really compelling. This movie also has scenes where it’s more quiet and introspective. There’s a scene where a kid finds Tony Stark in the snow and takes him in that’s some of my favorite moments in any Marvel movie. Sadly, like a lot of these movies they just don’t know what to do with the ending. The end of this movie feels like a cluttered action spectacle mess that takes away some of the poignancy of earlier scenes. Overall, there’s more good than bad with this movie.
18. Spider-Man Far From Home
This movie is an entertaining time at the movies. Does it try to do anything new? No, not really. As an adventure in the Spider-Man universe though it’s just a lot of fun if nothing else. I think Mysterio is a cool villain and Jake Gyllenhaal does a great job portraying him. I love Tom Holland as Spider-Man and he is very identifiable in all of the movies where he plays Spider-Man, including this one. Not much else to say about it, it’s solid but unambitious.
17. Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is aesthetically one of the cooler things Marvel has done. The times where the film dares to go in a trippier and more surreal direction is what I admire the most about it. Scott Derrickson is a great filmmaker but I do wish Marvel had let him stick to his horror roots a little more here. I wanted this movie to be scarier and have a little more edge to it. Ultimately, it feels like another Marvel adjacent movie with all the beats you would expect it to have. However, this movie does feel more cinematic in scope than a lot of the films I’ve previously mentioned so I admire it a lot on that level.
16. Ant-Man
Like I’ve said before, I like the first two Ant-Man movies. They are just a fun and unpretentious time at the theatre. Paul Rudd is really charming. This movie has Greg Turkington from At The Cinema in it so I have to rave about it. This movie has a smaller scale and a human family story at it’s core, making it a lot more human and relatable than the obnoxious lore building of a lot of the other Marvel projects. While I do wish that Edgar Wright had fully directed the movie and not left the project, enough of his flair is left in this movie to make it feel distinctively different than the rest of the MCU. The film has it’s beats it has to hit as your typical Marvel fair, but it does so better than a lot of these movies do. Good movie! I can finally start being positive about these movies, hooray.
15. Captain America Civil War
They turned a Captain America movie and made it an Avengers movie, but this felt like the Avengers movie that Age of Ultron should have been. Great action set pieces, I absolutely love the character that is Winter Solider and he’s terrific in this movie. The political themes in this movie are well explored. I love the idea that the film sets up both sides of the situations and then makes you the viewer side with one or the other. Tony Stark makes good points that are backed up by his own trauma but Steve Rogers makes a compelling point about his side as well. It’s all about Government control and regulation and how much Government is too much Government and what we will do to sacrifice freedom vs having safety. It’s a great critique on libertarianism but also a great critique on government mandates. It’s a great political thriller and something I don’t feel like Marvel would be comfortable addressing head on in this era of their filmography. The film doesn’t have any unique visual flair to make it stand out aesthetically, but it has a solid enough script to deem this one as a good movie.
14. Avengers Infinity War
Avengers Infinity War is such a great movie going experience. Watching it at home is not the same, a lot of Marvel movies feel like sporting events. They are a communal experience and this is the prime example of that. Most of this movie feels like a set up movie but the set up is super entertaining. I think the last third of this movie is excellent and the way this movie ends is amazing. I will always give Marvel proper for ending this movie in a way that is deeply unsatisfying to a typical viewer, actually creating stakes going into Endgame. It is a bold creative decision that paid off well. Challenge your audience and make them feel something but just apathy! Another solid Marvel movie. See guys, I’m not entirely dead inside! Yet!
13. Spider-Man Homecoming
Spider-Man Homecoming is frustrating only because it’s almost an all time great superhero movie. Marvel got John Francis Dailey to write this film. If you guys don’t know who that is, he is the star of the cult television show Freaks and Geeks, one of my favorite shows ever made in the history of the universe and he was able to bring a Freaks and Geeks flair to this movie, something that is lost in the other Spider-Man films following it. When this movie is a coming of age film about Peter Parker struggling with his newfound powers, it’s genuinely excellent. It’s funny, heartwarming and relatable. When this movie starts exploring deeper Marvel movie lore and becomes more of a superhero movie, it can’t help but loose some of its identity. I still really enjoy the movie however, one aspect of it is just so strong it can’t help but loose some of its momentum when more traditional Marvel aspects come to play.
12. The Eternals
I know I know I KNOW you all are probably shocked by this placement. The Eternals was the first movie on Rotten Tomatoes made by Marvel to get a rotten score. This is considered by many to be Marvel’s Cars 2 but I digress, I like this movie a lot. This to me feels like the most experimental and challenging movie Marvel has ever made and I feel like over time people will start to appreciate it more. Director Chloe Zhao said she was inspired by Interstellar and Tree of Life while making this movie and those influences show. While I wold never say this movie is a masterpiece like those two films are, the movie wrestles with concepts like how small we are, our place within the universe and our role in life. The comic grand spectacle of the film is right up my alley, which is why I think I resonated with this film more than most. It’s a Marvel movie I remember resonating with a lot and feeling invested in the characters. It’s a Marvel movie that dares to go outside the Marvel movie formula and I’m afraid people’s hatred for the film might cause Marvel to never try making something this ambitious and odd again. That being said, I’ll always appreciate this movie as something that feels daring in a filmography of films that feel safe.
11. Thor Ragnarock
This movie is awesome straight up. This movie feels like a goofy Saturday Morning cartoon in the best ways possible. Taika Waititi had a clear vision for this franchise and went for it. While I believe he dropped the ball by making Thor Love and Thunder feel too jokey, this movie is able to be hilarious while still having actual emotional stakes behind it. The color palette and edit here are perfect, this is more of a visionary feat than the vast majority of Marvel movies. The Immigration Song needle drop as Thor smashes down his hammer in a final climatic battle? You can’t get much cooler than that, feels like everything that a Marvel movie should be. While parts of the film can’t help but feel SNL adjacent like Love and Thunder, this one does a better job of feeling sprawling in scope.
10. Captain America Winter Solider
If you were to tell someone what a properly executed Marvel movie is that follows a typical Marvel movie formula, The Winter Solider is where you should point them to. This movie is the first time The Russo Brothers directed a Marvel movie, who would go on to make the last two Avengers movies and Civil War, the inception of what Marvel would become is started here in a lot of ways for better or for worse. Here however, I think The Russo Brothers cooked up a really good movie. The screenplay is the strongest part here, the spy espionage thriller tone of this movie is really sharp. I think Chris Evans gives the Captain America great ethos in this movie and helps make Captain America look less goofy as a character while keeping his boy scout spirit that makes the character so identifiable. The Winter Solider is also great in this movie and the way this film is able to flesh out the complicated relationship Bucky Barnes as with his alter ego and with Steve Rogers makes for compelling high stakes drama that feels grounded. It’s not just seismic end of the world threats which I appreciate a lot.
9. Spider-Man No Way Home
Spider-Man No Way Home is how you make a movie like Deadpool and Wolverine more compelling to me. I get tired of Marvel doing this “hey do you remember this? wink wink nudge nudge now applaud for us” moments that they do throughout their whole filmography. Spider-Man No Way Home could have easily come across as just a cameo show and nothing else, but John Francis Dailey is too talented of a writer to make it became that. No Way Home perfectly incorporates multiverse world building, bringing back characters from previous Marvel movies and incorporating them into a narrative that is compelling. The movie doesn’t stop dead in its tracks to remind you of a thing you recognize, it uses these cameos as a well to further explore not only the lore but the story at it’s center, which is a strong narrative about having to take responsibility. It’s a story about the sacrifices we must make to stay true to our character and how it’s so easy to get caught up in the what ifs. Anything about your life could be so different depending on life circumstances that are our of control and some in your control as well. This is a poignant Marvel movie that is also a fun comic book spectacle. There’s a good reason why this is one of the most successful Marvel movies of all time.
8. The Avengers
The Avengers is a movie I have a lot of nostalgia for. This movie just reeks of the early 2010’s which seem like a simpler time in retrospect. It’s one of the largest movies ever made to this day and the smash success that was this movie led to us having thirty five Marvel movies in the first place. This movie is just so much fun. It’s not a deep exploration of anything, it’s designed to be a movie filled with witty banter and fun action set pieces and it does that in spaces. The final action set piece in this movie is still potentially my favorite set piece in all of Marvel. I also find this movie to have a really solid script, the jokes here are actually really clever and funny. There aren’t the groaners in this movie that there are in later Marvel movies that feel like they try to eat this movies lunch and fail to. For just pure entertainment sake and nothing else this movie is one of the most entertaining blockbuster films of all time.
7. Iron Man
The movie that started this entire universe and another movie I have a lot of nostalgia for. Jon Faverau’s Iron Man is an excellent tentpole summer movie. It’s a great exploration on how morality should always prioritize monetization. This movie makes a bold declaration against militarization and capitalization and how that can corrupt the heart and soul. Tony Stark is a genius with a huge ego who discovers his brains can be used for good, to help and protect civilians instead of selling your product to the highest bidder just for monetary gain. The film gets scarily more relevant in our current administration. Maybe someone should show Elon Musk this movie.
6. Captain America The First Avenger
I like this movie more than a lot of people. I feel like most have this in the middle of their ranking, but I really do enjoy The First Avenger. I feel like Joe Johnston as the director gives this movie a unique flair that is missing from a lot of the Marvel movies that come after. It’s an unabashedly optimistic movie about being a hero and doing the right thing. It’s a great statement about what America should be, a land of the free and the brave. It’s schmaltzy and sentimental and brimming with good will and I love every moment of it. The film feels like an adventure serial from the 40’s and it looks beautiful and it gives the film such a unique personality. It also introduces us to Hayley Atwell as Agent Carter, so this movie will always be special to me for that alone.
5. Black Panther
Like I stated when I talked about the sequel, Black Panther is one of the best Marvel movies ever made. This movie was a cultural sensation. It’s a billion dollar movie, it was universally acclaimed and even got nominated for Best Picture of the year. This movie only grows on me the older I get. While I do have some issues with the final fight sequence feeling a little too cluttered, most of this movie is great. The wold building of Wakanda is gorgeous and inspired. Real craft went into the production design of the film and the score is beautiful as well. Like First Avenger, this film feels like it has it’s own personality. The conflict about how Wakanda should flourish is deeply political and intriguing. Michael B Jordan as Killmonger gives one of the best performances in the MCU and I believe he is the best villain in Marvel to date. His ideas of controlling Wakanda make sense. He is a man who’s been unjustly cast aside by a colony that was supposed to embrace him. But his idea of militarizing himself to take the throne is obviously wrong and T’Chala coming in to defend Wakanda while still having empathy for Killmonger and wanting to reach him on a personal level if good dramatic storytelling. The type of storytelling these Marvel movies desperately need right now. This isn’t a movie that is an episode in the Marvel Universe but a movie that is actually tackling serious themes about inequality, disenfranchisement and the idea of radical empathy even in the worst of circumstances against people who have wronged you. The waterfall sequence where T’Chala and Killmonger share a quiet, poignant final moment as the two realize the pain that has been caused is one of the most dramatic and poignant moments in any Marvel movie. No need for jokes or quips here, it’s a moment of true cinematic splendor the company is capable of pulling off when they have the right talent involved.
4. Avengers Endgame
When making this list, I almost put Black Panther above Avengers Endgame because realistically, it is probably a better movie. I do have some issues with Avengers Endgame. I don’t love the edit of this film, I feel like some of the color grading feels off. I think the way they treat Thor in the film is pretty campy and disrespectful. That being said, this is one of the best cinematic experiences I’ve ever had. I haven’t watched this movie again since I’ve seen it in theatres because in all honesty, I want to keep the memory of opening night alive as a special lightning in a bottle moment. People cheering, applauding, gasping and crying reconfirmed to me why I love going to the cinema, it also reconfirmed for me why I want to be a filmmaker. It was so special. I also believe the first half of this film explores how to grapple with loss in a profound way. It reminded me of the comic book series Y the Last Man. I liked the dystopian future they built up and the way you have to keep living every day even in the face of extreme tragedy. It’s really good dramatic storytelling. Avengers Endgame stuck the landing and it’s hard to know if Marvel will ever be able to stop the cinematic event that was this movie.
3. Guardians of the Galaxy
So you might have already predicted this, but the last three spots are going to be me ranking the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. When the Marvel movies stop being as relevant in the pop culture sphere, these will be the movies that are the most fondly remembered. Why? Because they dared to try something new. Marvel’s best move as a studio was bringing on James Gunn to make this movie. It was a big swing to make a movie with a talking Raccoon and a tree that only says “I am Groot” but James Gunn made it work. This movie is the least deep of the three movies, which is why it gets third place for me but it’s still a close to perfect movie. This is a macguffin Raiders of the Lost Arc esque space adventure about a bunch of bounty hunter misfits who have to discover a new found family, people coming together over the collective grief of loss is something incredibly profound. The Guardians are the few Marvel movies that actually choke me up while watching it, because while they are movies about quirky deep space, the pathos in the films are about us and the collective grief we all share.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is a swan song for James Gunn, who luckily got to direct the final film in his trilogy after being fired by Disney for dumb tweets he had apologized for making in the past. Vol. 3 feels like it’s all about change. The type of change James Gunn found in his own character is reflected in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 which is a movie about having to face your past, the trauma you saw first hand and how you can use that to change you into a better person. It’s also a movie about having to let go, how people will come and go from your life but everyone you meet has an impact on you in some way. It’s also an adventure in deep space with beautiful cinematography, inventive set pieces and a lot of humor that works well. Yet, the goofy nature of the characters never undermine the darker elements of the film. This movie is scary, people die in it and people see horror happen in front of their eyes. This movie doesn’t pull any punches to appeal to all demographics and it’s been easily the most successful Marvel movie made within the last few years so I hope Marvel will learn the right lessons from this movie. Make movies that make the audiences feel genuine human emotions. Create movies with empathy, where the characters change and grow and are identifiable because they reflect aspects of the human condition that we do as the audience. That is the genius of James Gunn and his filmography.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Yes, if I have to choose a favorite Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is what I’m going to choose. This is an all time favorite for me and while it’s hard to use the term masterpiece for any of these films per say, I wouldn’t change a second of this movie. I think it’s a perfect movie. I absolutely love the edit on this movie. The color grading is gorgeous. Every single shot feels like a painting and it captures the vastness of deep space so well. All of the characters here feel so incredibly authentic and identifiable and most everyone in the film has a great arc. The movie is also the deepest Marvel movie in my opinion. It’s a movie about ego. Not just the villain Ego, Peter Quill’s father but the Freudian concept of ego as well. The opening shot is our entire team trying to find dominance of telling Baby Groot how he needs to act and behave. Rocket and Peter fight over who can fly the ship better. Rocket steals batteries just to prove he can, getting them in the mess they are in in the first place. Peter Quill’s father Ego killed Peter’s mother to fertilize his soil because he still wanted to be rule. Yondu is outcasted for his bullish nature but we discover in the film he has a heart for Peter and his raising and there’s a reason for the way he behaves as well. This is a film that shows that everyone comes from a walk of life, but everyone has walls they put up to preserve their own ego. Life is just discovering the people you don’t feel like you have to put walls up around and that’s family. That can be found family as well. The last shot is a look at Rocket’s face, as he tears up watching Yondu’s funeral. Seeing himself he’s been running away from his own life- a version of himself he’s been afraid of that he realizes is there’s a lot of good in. A moment of realization that maybe there is a higher power. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the most spiritual Marvel film ever made and one I watch when I want to reflect on my own life and insecurities. It’s right up there with films like Lost in Translation and The Royal Tenanbaums for me as movies about reflection and pathos and that’s why it’s not only my favorite Marvel movie but one of my favorites in general.
What are your favorite Marvel movies? Let me know in the comments, let’s hope this studio makes good movies again soon.