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Marvel Netflix's titular The Defenders isn't the grand slam we had all hoped for. It's more like a double that only knocked in a run or two. Here's why:
Finn Jones and Danny Rand continues to be uncompelling. This man child chi-user seems out of place from his counterparts. I cannot fathom seeing this version of Danny becoming best friends with Luke Cage. Centering this show's entire premise was not a good idea.
You would think with the episode order cut from the Netflix average of 13 down to just 8 that this team-up would need to pick up its pace in order to tell a cool and action-packed narrative for the first meeting of its heroes, but sadly this is not the case. The main plot moves at a snail's pace with a few dust-ups sprinkled in (Don't worry, the hallways and dark alleyway fights for which we have become accustomed are there). But unlike the current season of Game of Thrones, which also saw it's episodes cut, The Defenders is notusing it's short schedule to make all 8 episodes exciting. The series so far just doesn't feel worth it. Maybe this should have a 2 hour Netflix movie instead?
To the show's credit, it has delivered some great character moments. With at least a full season of stories devoted to each of the main protagonists (Luke, Matt, Jessica, and Danny), the audience knows these characters pretty well, but seeing them all finally interact with one another is exciting (even if it takes several episodes to finally happen). The side players (Foggy, Colleen, Claire, Misty, Rachel) are delegated to the background but each of them is always a welcome prescene, as is the great Scott Glenn's Stick, who plays an incredibly angry old man just the way Frank Miller intended.
Overall the show is just solid. So much of our media is thought of as either great or shit. Well guess what there is something called the middle and that is where The Defenders lies. My suggestion: Cut each individual show's episodes down to ten a piece and make the next Defenders a team-up movie. But hey I'm only mid-way through, maybe the second half is great and I'm just a whiny ass. I sure hope so.
P.S. Add in Blade, Punisher, or Ghost Rider to the mix for the next round.
The night is always darkest before the dawn. Truer words have never been spoken. 3 years have past since the darkness that is The Amazing Spiderman 2. Making it's poor use of Spidey's worldfade into a distant dubstep memory. Now it is time for the dawn aka Spiderman: Homecoming to rise and save the web crawler from cinematic mediocrity. Marvel Studios and Sony Picture have co-authored the best Spiderman movie of all time. It could even be my personal favorite MCU movie. It has heart, charm, and humor in spades. Tom Holland (Captain America: CW) embodies a teenage Spiderman. He is now officially my favorite Spidey. The character has never shown his age before quite like this on screen. Spiderman: Homecoming much like Peter Parker's actual life feels like a high school comedy seamlessly mixed with a superhero blockbuster. The whole cast is terrific and director Jon Watts (Cop Car) deserves serious praise. Also can't believe how many references and easter eggs are in this film as well. If you love Spidey what are you doing reading this shit, go to see Spiderman: Homecoming right now.
P.S. One of the only flaws with the film was that this amazing scene wasn't adapted. SHOCKER!!!
Thor movies are the powdered donuts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are in a donut box populated by the more popular flavors such as Boston Creme and Glazed. If you have to choose a Thor movie you would because it's in the box, but no way would you pick it as your favorite of the dozen of Marvel's other offerings. Thor: Ragnarok on the other hand is set to change this franchise's dry powdery past. Director Taika Waititi's (Hunt For the Wilder People) Thor movie looks bonkers fun. Check it out.
Guardians Of the Galaxy was the surprise hit of summer 2014. So it was of no surprise that Marvel Studios locked up director/writer James Gunn for a second installment. Check out it's first trailer.
1. Baby Groot is everything and has been everything for about 3 years now.
2. The trailer gives away zero plot. A move which is totally uncommon by today's trailer standards.
3. I found the lack of Kurt Russell disappointing, but James Gunn is probably saving the reveal of EGO the living planet for the movie.
What did you think of the GOTG Vol 2 trailer? Are you excited for more wacky space adventures? Or do you really not give a shit? Sound off in the comments.
Captain America: Civil War springs into theaters tomorrow. In honor of the Captain's third solo MCU outing, I decided to go back and rewatch his previous two films and see how they hold up or if I feel any differently about them from multiple viewings. Today's movie is Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
In my last rewatch review, I talked about how I never saw Captain America: TFA in theaters. That was not the case for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I was so hyped that I saw the movie in a Thursday night preview screening. I even wrote a short review for the film on this site. Here is an excerpt:
"Last night the Informers got together to see the premire of Captain America :The Winter Soldier. Wow, was it great. The group had a lot of praise for Cap's second outing and trust us that the universal acclaim is deserved." I went on to list ten aspects I loved about the film and then two I did not. I didn't go into extensive detail on any of the 12 points (I'm a lazy bastard sometimes) so it's kind of funny to look back and try to remember what I was thinking. Here are those lists:
What we loved
Awesome fight sequences
Great balance of action and comedy
Very current themes
BLACK WIDOW!
The Cap and Falcon bromance
Nick Fury's action sequence
Mid Credits Scenes
Winter Soldier's knife skills
HAIL HYDRA!!
Cap and Widow at the mall
What we didn't like
No Hawkeye
Maria Hill's portrayal
Now after rewatching this movie again, I can tell you I still agree will a lot of my initial thoughts, but I really question what I was thinking when I picked out what I didn't like about it. So here is what I thought about the film this time around.
The Winter Soldier upped the ante on action. We get to see Cap mow down countless bad guys in many different environments. The best part about it was Cap was not just running and jumping around like he was in TFA, this time he was beating ass in every way he could. He also gets a lot more use of his shield this time around. It's hard to pinpoint my favorite actions sequence so I'm gonna give you my top three fights. Each of one of these is a masterpiece:
1. Elevator Brawl
2. Knife Fight in the street against the Winter Soldier
3. The opening ship siege sequence
Solange vs Jay Z: Part 2
Captain America's allies are a lot more interesting than his last movie. Look back at my last review and notice I do not mention the Howling Commandos once. That's because besides Bucky they are interchangeable and the movie never gives you a reason to give a shit about them. Now Cap has a different team in place for this outing. He gets to hang out old Avengers favorites like Black Widow and Nick Fury, while also being introduced to a new ally in Sam Wilson/Falcon. I really enjoyed the dynamics between all of these characters. Especially the comradery between Cap and Falcon. They are the kind of guys you would wanna grab a beer with.
"Hail Hydra" is an amazing catchphrase (even though it basically confirms you are a Neo-Nazi). Shout out to the late great Gary Shandling playing a Hyrda supporting Senator. Here are some of the my favorite Hail Hydra memes.
As every person who has reviewed this film has already pointed out, this movie is a 70's political thriller. It's just as much a spy movie as it is a superhero one. The opening ship siege is very reminiscent of a James Bond cold opening.
Loved the scene with Zola as a computer. Gave the audience answers in a cool way while also giving a nod to Zola's comic book counterpart.
Hydra's infiltration of SHEILD was an interesting path for this movie to take. It also helps fuel Cap's motivations for Civil War.
The culmination of Hydra's plan leads to the end fight scene aboard the 3 giant death ships. It has solid action, but I find it less memorable than those 3 sequences that I listed earlier. Although Falcon's air acrobatics are pretty stunning. Actually fuck what I said, this scene kicks ass too.
The only real problem (if you even want to call it that) is that this movie lacks a big comic book villain such as the Joker or Loki. Alexander Pierce is essentially the bad guy, but he is kind of barely in the movie. So the brunt of the evil workload is handed off to Pierce's muscle, the Winter Soldier. Now while The Winter Soldier certainly makes for an tough physical opponent for Cap and his crew the real nitpick I have is that I prefer a villain whose motivation is more than just that he is brainwashed and being told what to do. That being said he was still a cool presence throughout.
Lastly, I have two questions about my dislikes from my old review.
1. Was Hawkeye not in this movie because he was busy working on his farm that we saw in Avengers: Age Of Ultron? Seriously he is a high level SHEILD agent and he didn't show up when his place of work was being destroyed because he was too busy fixing a tractor? I call bullshit. Do your job Clint!
2. Who gives a shit about Maria Hill? Why did I care about Maria Hill's portrayal? I didn't create the character. She was utilized fine in the movie. Why did I give shit? That is an answer I would like to know.
I love this kick.
In the end I loved this movie two years ago and I still do. I nitpicked more than I did before, but in spite of that I'm going to give it a higher score than I did two years ago. My rematch of Captain America: The Winter Soldier gets an A What did you think of Cap's second solo outing? Did you like the first one better? Do you Hail Hydra? Sound off and the comments and make sure to follow me @cstrand73 on Twitter and Instagram for all my superhero insights.
In anticipation of Captain America: Civil War I decided to go back and rewatch some old Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to see how they hold up. Leading off this parade through the MCU is Joe Johntson's 2011 Captain America: The First Avenger.
Captain America: The First Avenger is the one MCU movie that I didn't get to see in the theater. In fact I didn't watch it until after I saw Joss Whedon's The Avengers in2012. My college friends and I were so jazzed up about Marvel after watching The Avengers that we started talking about all the solo movies that came before it. What we quickly discovered though was that none of us had seen Captain America: The First Avenger. So without much hesitation I loaded the movie up my TV and we were off. Now I'm gonna tell you the truth. The first time I watched this movie I didn't like it. In fact all of my friends and I spent the majority of this film shitting on it. Now in retrospect that is probably because all of us had just seen The Avengers and we looking forward to this film being akin to that. In the 4 years that have passed since my first viewing I have seen (and loved) this movie's sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier and enjoyed another great Cap outing in Avengers: Age of Ultron. I have also read some Captain America comics and grown more fond of the character every time I've see him. In fact he is my favorite character on Marvel Studios roster now and I'm riding the #TeamCap train right into my Civil War screening tomorrow. So I think the combination of tempered expectations and more fondness of the character lead me to enjoying this movie a lot more in my second viewing. The first time I watched it I would have given it a D. Here is what I thought about it this time.
My Thoughts
The movie is very much a character piece. It is fully focused on showing it's audience how Steve Rogers is a great guy and hero at heart. Overall it's a great intro to the character.
Most of the action beats are solid though out, but full use of Caps fighting abilities (like kicking fuckers off boats and using his shield to take down a helicopter) are better showcased in The Winter Solider. This movie seems to be really focused on telling us that Cap can run fast and jump high. Now if this was a movie about how a shrimpy dude used a super soldier program to cheat his way into the Olympics then I would be fine with it. The problem is that this is a superhero flick and not The Ringer.
Watch Cap run and jump through the streets
A criticism for the MCU as a whole has been that there are no good villains besides Loki. Red Skull continues that trend by being the very one note evil German guy. In his defense though his makeup looks amazing.
Thorin Oakensheild, Margery Tyrell, and Damien Darhk are in this? That's cool. Also did anyone notice both of the announcers from the Hunger Games are competing German scientists? Coincidence I think not!
Hyrdra?
Most of this movie is great set up. Setting up Cap for the Avengers. Setting up Zola for his return in The Winter Soldier. Setting up Hydra and their utter awesomeness (I do not like Nazis I just like saying Hail Hydra!). Through all this set up is one crucial mistake. That is the mishandling of Bucky's death. He falls off a train and is never talked about again.They Han Soloed him. It was like in The Force Awakens how Leia hugged Rey and not Chewie. There is never a moment of Steve morning or saying anything about his best friend for the rest of the movie. Because Bucky's death was so unmemorable, The Winter Soldier has to drill what happened into the viewers head over and over for it's big twist to work.
The movie is poorly paced. So much exposition in the beginning then the end feels like a clip show of action moments. Don't get me wrong I liked a lot of the action and a lot of the exposition, it just felt like they were clustered together at the beginning and at the end.
I totally forgot about Cap's budding movie career. The old movie within a movie.
Final Grade: Overall Captain America: The First Avenger is more enjoyable than I remember. It has great character moments and does a good job introducing the Captain we all know and love.
I'm giving my rewatch of CA:TFA a B-
What do you think of Captain America: The first Avenger? Was there to much running and not enough punching? Sound of in the comments and make sure to follow me @cstrand73 on Twitter for all my takes on superhero stuff.
Jon Bernthal deserves an Emmy. Jon Bernthal deserves his own Netflix series. Jon Bernthal doesn't just deserve one batch or two batches, he fucking deserves all the batches. He deserves the dime not the penny.
Do not watch unless you have finished Daredevil
Those have been just some of the thoughts running through my head while watching Daredevil Season 2. Jon Bernthal's Punisher is an incredible addition to the Marvel Universe. Ever since he was announced as joining the show the general feeling was that Bernthal would bring justice to the character of Punisher, who has a shit go of things in live action (Expect for Tom Jane in Dirty Laundry). He just nailed everything I wanted to see from Frank Castle. The philosophical divide between Punisher + Daredevil is handled beautifully. Frank's solution to crime is to eradicate it by any means necessary. Matt Murdock still believes in the justice system he serves and believes in redemption and second chances. This causes an epic collision of these two characters that makes people in Hell's Kitchen asking what really makes someone a hero. I have so much more to say but I'm gonna save it for my full season review. What do you guys think of Jon Bernthal's Punisher? What about season 2 of Daredevil in general? Sound off in the comments.
Forget the movies, Marvel's Netflix series (No Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. does not count) are by far their greatest accomplishment. Daredevil and Jessica Jones are both excellent character pieces told over 13 episodes. Their stakes are considerably smaller than the movies, but the tension feels much greater because these stories are much more personal. Basically I'm just saying I'm halfway through JJ and I know that I prefer these series to those sugar coated fairytales that Marvel puts out twice a year. I'd rather see Daredevil beat the shit out of child traffickers or Jessica Jones and Luke Cage "super-fuck" than to watch (SPOILER FOR INFINITY WAR) Tony Stark braid Thor's hair.
Also Vincent D'Onofrio as the Kingpin and David Tennant as the Purple Man are two of the three best villains in the MCU. The other is Loki. There is no debate.
Are you liking Jessica Jones? Which do you prefer: Marvel TV or Marvel Movies? Sound off in the comments.
A full review of Jessica Jones will be up this week. For all my thoughts on comics, TV, movies, and various other bs follow me on twitter @cstrand73.
Check out the Merc With The Mouth work his magic in the first trailer for his feature length movie!
Goddamn beautiful! This movie is using it's R-rating to the fullest. This isn't your average mainstream superhero flick. It's a hard R action comedy with some crazy athletic sex scenes. Can't wait. Deadpool hits theaters in Feb. 2016.
Are you excited for Deadpool? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for our weekly Arrow,Flash, and Daredevilreviews.
Marvel Studios has released 12 comic blockbusters since 2008. Iron Man kicked off their interconnected universe with a bang and comic book movies have never been the same since. So now that Marvel has released one of it's best solo movies yet called Ant-man, the Informers decided to rank all 12 of the studios interconnected films. Let's get it going. 12. Iron Man 3 (2013)
Total garbage. The first Phase 2 movie takes Iron Man's greatest foe and turns him into a joke while placing Tony outside of his suit for 98% of the run time. Shane Black and Drew Pearce successfully took Jon Faveru's Iron Man saga and turned it into shit.
11. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013 was not a good year for Marvel. After the debacle that is Iron Man 3, Thor's sequel later in the year that wasn't that impressive either. At this point if Loki wasn't in this franchise would anyone care? Malekith was absolutely forgettable along with Thor's crew of human sidekicks. Natalie Portman is really just picking up paychecks in these movies as Jane Foster. Less of her and more Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three for Thor Ragnorak, please.
10. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Love both Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. Just not in this movie. Neither villain really stands out or has an interesting plan. One could say the real villain is Tony's alcoholism. But despite all it's faults, RDJ's charm combined with the addition of Don Cheadle as War Machine elevate this mediocre film to a decent one.
9. Thor (2011)
Not much to say here. Just an okay movie with some solid humor. It helps set up the Thor + Loki for The Avengers, but doesn't really do much else. The Frost Giant battle is fun though.
8. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The epic throw down between Abomination + The Hulk was the only reason I placed this film this high. Ed Norton makes for a convincing Banner/Hulk while on the other hand Liv Tyler is a pretty crappy Betty Ross. Mark Ruffalo has done a commendable job picking up Banner from Norton left off, but after seeing Norton put on an acting clinic in Birdman last year, I would have loved to see what he would have done with the character had he continued to portray the Green Goliath.
7. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
An interesting period piece about Steve Rogers and his transformation into this universe's first superhero Captain America. Loved the WW2 setting and Steve's motivations. What I didn't care for was a slow story that had a difficult time showing off Cap's abilities. If you used this film as a point of reference for Cap's superpowers you would have to assume his own ability is super leaping. He barely uses his shield in his opening appearance.
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Earth's Mightiest Heroes reunited for a second go around. This time against the evil AI Ultron. The same humor and action you loved from the first Avengers is here. Seriously they could make 20 movies just like this and I would love them all. In the MCU, I think there are 3 tiers in the hierarchy of the MCU. Those are Average, Good, and Great. I would say #12-9 are average, #8-7 are good, and here at #6 the great films begin. Which makes it hard to put this great film all the way down at 5, but with so many awesome films compromises needed to be made.
5. Ant-Man (2015)
The more I think about Ant-Man, the more I like it. It is a great palatecleanser from the recent massive Marvel movies. The stakes feel smaller and that makes the movie feel tighter. It really marks it own corner of the MCU. Paul Rudd is great as Scott Lang and Michael Douglas is even better as Scott's mentor Hank Pym. This heist adventure is humorous throughout and is Marvel's best first solo outing since Iron Man.
4. Iron Man (2008)
Speaking of Iron Man, it single handedly kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe and rejuvenated RDJ's career all at once. Iron Man is one of the most important superhero films of all time. Aided by RDJ's charm and Jon Farveru's slick visuals this movie presents an interesting origin for Tony Stark while creating a world that has allowed for all these incredible superhero films to exist. Also ACDC kicks ass!
3. The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers is the first ever giant superhero team-up on film. The final 45 minute battle alone could secure it a high spot on this list, but The Avengers has more going for it besides it's action. Joss Whedon expertly weaves in the each team members' different dynamics as the team forms to take down the villainous Loki (played by the great Tom Hiddleston). Solid performances across the board and hilarious moments make this movie a must for a superhero fans.
2. Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
When this film was initially announced, the general consensus was that it would be Marvel's first real flop. Introducing five relatively unknown characters that include the likes of a talking raccoon and a tree sounded like a major risk at the time. Well, James Gunn proved all those people wrong and these five "losers" won the 2014 summer box office. GOTG is packed with humor + heart that just fit it's tone completely. Not to mention the best soundtrack in ages. Also Chris Pratt is now the world's biggest star. GOTG, Lego Movie, and now Jurassic World have made this guy huge.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier(2014)
Perfection. This film is an excellent adaption of a classic Captain America storyline that is great at infusing both drama and comedy. Directors the Russo brothers understand Cap's Universe and utilize the additions of Falcon as a sidekick, The Winter Soldier as an adversary, and Black Widow as Cap's moral foil to propel this sequel way past it's predecessor. Best Marvel film period. Hail Hydra!
Thanks for reading! What's your favorite Marvel film? Which future movie are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for our weekly Arrow,Flash, and Daredevilreviews. You can also read my original rankings by clicking here.
P.S. These movies are dope and all, but Daredevil is the best thing Marvel has ever produced!
Hot off the heels of adding Jon Bernthal (Wolf Of Wall Street) as the Punisher, Marvel TV has announced that actress Elodie Yung (GI Joe: Retaliation) will also join the series as Matt Murdoch's ex-girlfriend Electra. The character was briefly mentioned in DD's tenth episode and it sure will be interesting to see how the show introduces both Electra and the Punisher. Source: Marvel
This chick ain't fucking around
What do you think of Elodie Yung? Can she be better than Jennifer Garner? Sound off in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for all our TV + moviereviews. as well as our editorials. P.S. Where the fuck is Bullseye?
Doctor Strange has found it's bad guy in the form of Chiwetel Ejiofor. The 12 Years A Slave actor will be suiting up to play evil sorcerer Baron Mordo. He joins an already impressive cast that includes Tilda Swinton (Snowpiecer) and of course Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock) as the titular hero. Source: Deadline
Ejiofor is a great actor and has played villainous parts before. Check out either Four Brothers or Serenity. He will be a great baddie.
I hope we see Baron's past that includes him attempting to kill Dr. Strange's mentor, the Ancient One. And if we do see that maybe Baron can help set up his bestie Dormammuu as the villain of the sequel. That would be badass. Doctor Strange hits theaters in November of 2016.
Thanks for reading! Are you a Chiwetel Ejiofor fan? Are you excited for more magic in the MCU? Let us know in the comments and make sure to check out all our articles and reviews about comic book movies.
Wait Baron Mordo? That means... #SpidermanConfirmed!
Chocolate + Peanut Butter. Corey + Topanga. Oreos and Milk (Also try it with American Cheese. Sounds gross, tastes awesome). These are all classic pairings that work perfectly together. Well be ready to add another pairing to that list because Marvel has just knocked it out of the park with it's latest casting decision for it's next season of it's Netflix hit Daredevil.
Way back in April, at the end of my review for the second half of Daredevil's first season I made a plea for Frank Castle/The Punisher to appear in next year's series of episodes. Wasn't sure it was actually gonna happen. Low and behold Marvel not only brings in Frank Castle for Matt Murdoch's second rodeo, but they also cast the perfect actor imaginable to play the hardened vigilante, Jon Bernthal. That's right. Shane, the world's most loyal best friend, from The Walking Dead is going to roam the streets of Hell's Kitchen looking for trouble. Now that is damn exciting. Bernthal is a damn fine actor and is sure to own this role.
So what will Frank Castle's role in the series be? Perhaps he'll be a comrade for Matt to help further each other on their vigilante crusades? Maybe he'll be a client for Nelson + Murdoch to defend? Or maybe he could be a straight up villain? All of those are certainly possible but what I think is going to happen is that Frank + Matt are going to have a conflict of ideologies. Throughout Season 1, Matt tried to not cross a line into killing bad people. There is no line for Frank Castle. He won't just beat the shit out of the bunch of dudes in a hallway. He'll beat them then put a slug through their fucking skulls. Frank isn't fucking around and if he is leaving a trail of bodies, Daredevil is sure to try follow the corpses to the source. If these two duke it out, expect a fight for the ages.
P.S. Now cast Bullseye!
Everyone's reaction to this news
Thanks for reading! Are you excited for Bernthal's Punisher? Will he and Daredevil butt heads? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for all our TV + moviereviews.
Marvel Studios has released 11 comic blockbusters since 2008. Iron Man kicked off their interconnected universe with a bang and comic book movies have never been the same since. So now that Marvel's biggest sequel yet Avengers: Age Of Ultron is tearing up theaters, the Informers decided to rank all 11 of the studios interconnected films. Let's get it going. 11. Iron Man 3 (2013)
Total garbage. The first Phase 2 movie takes Iron Man's greatest foe and turns him into a joke while placing Tony outside of his suit 98% of the run time. Shane Black and Drew Pearce successfully took Jon Faveru's Iron Man saga and turned it into shit.
10. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
2013 was not a good year for Marvel. After the debacle that is Iron Man 3, Thor got his sequel later in the year that wasn't that impressive. At this point if Loki wasn't in this franchise would anyone care? Malekith was absolutely forgettable along with Thor's crew of human sidekicks. Natalie Portman is really just picking up paychecks in these movies as Jane Foster. Less of her and more Lady Sif and the Warrior's Three for Thor Ragnorak, please.
9. Iron Man 2 (2010)
Love Mickey Rourke. Love Sam Rockwell. Just not in this movie. Neither villain really stands out or has an interesting plan. One could say the real villain could really be Tony's alcoholism. But despite all it's faults, RDJ and the addition of Don Cheadle as War Machine elevate this mediocre film to a decent one.
8. Thor (2011)
Not much to say here. Just an okay movie with some solid humor that helps set up the character for The Avengers. The Frost Giant battle is fun, but everything else comes off as alright.
7. The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Abomination vs. The Hulk is the main reason I placed this film at number seven. Ed Norton makes for a convincing Banner/Hulk while on the other hand Liv Tyler is a pretty crappy Betty Ross. Mark Ruffalo has done a commendable job picking up Banner from Norton left off, but after seeing Norton put on an acting clinic in Birdman recently, I would have loved to see what he would have done with the character had he continued to portray the Green Goliath.
6. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
An interesting period piece about Steve Rogers and his transformation into this universe's first superhero Captain America. Loved the WW2 setting and Steve's motivations. What I didn't care for was a slow story that had a difficult time showing off Cap's abilities. If you used this film as a point of reference for Cap's superpowers you would have to assume his own ability is super leaping. He used his amazing shield the least in his opening appearance.
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Earth's Mightiest Heroes reunite for a second go around. This time against the evil AI Ultron. The same humor and action you loved from the first Avengers is here. Seriously they could make 20 movies just like this and I would love them all. In the MCU, I think there are 3 tiers in the hierarchy of the MCU. Those are Average, Good, and Great. I would say #11-9 are average, #8-6 are good, and here at #5 the great films begin. Which makes it hard to put this great film all the way down at 5, but with so many awesome films compromises needed to be made.
4. Iron Man (2008)
Single handedly kickstarted the Marvel Cinematic Universe and rejuvenated RDJ's career all at once. Iron Man is one of the most important superhero films of all time. Aided by RDJ's charm and Jon Farveru's slick visuals this movie presents an interesting origin for Tony Stark while creating a world that has allowed for all these incredible superhero films to exist. Also ACDC!
3. The Avengers (2012)
The Avengers is the first ever giant superhero team-up on film. The final 45 minute battle alone could secure it a high spot on this list, but The Avengers has more going for it besides it's action. Joss Whedon expertly weaves in the each team members' different dynamics as the team forms to take down the villainous Loki (played by the great Tom Hiddleston). Solid performances across the board and hilarious moments make this movie a must for a superhero fans.
2. Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
When this film was initially announced, the general consensus was that this film would be Marvel's first real flop. Introducing five relatively unknown characters that include the likes of a talking raccoon and a tree sounded like a major risk at the time. Well, James Gunn proved all those people wrong and these five "losers" won the 2014 summer box office. GOTG is packed with humor + heart that just fit it's tone completely. Not to mention the best soundtrack in ages. Also Chris Pratt is the greatest.
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Perfection. This film is an excellent adaption of a classic Captain America storyline that is great at infusing both drama and comedy. Directors the Russo brothers understand the Cap Universe and utilize the additions of Falcon as a sidekick, The Winter Soldier as an adversary, and Black Widow as Cap's moral foil propel this sequel way past it's predecessor. Best Marvel film period. Hail Hydra!
Thanks for reading! What's your favorite Marvel film? Which future movie are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments or tweet at us @Caped_Informers or me @cstrand73. And make sure to tune in for our weekly Arrow,Flash, and Daredevilreviews. You can also read my original rankings from August by clicking here.
P.S. These movies are dope and all, but Daredevil is the best thing Marvel has ever put out!
