Ira’s guide to the Marvel Cinematic Universe:
Iron Man – **** – we start off with an instant classic. Robert Downey Jr. is inspired casting. He’s instantly captivating. The storytelling is top notch, too.
The Incredible Hulk – ** – Edward Norton is an interesting Bruce Banner, and the Hulk on the run is fun, but Tim Roth is wasted, and after Iron Man, the tone is tragically out of touch with where the MCU is about to go. They made the right choice to move on from this one.
Iron Man 2 – ** – a dud. Mickey Rourke is a snooze festival.
Thor – *** – Chris certainly LOOKS and TALKS the part of Thor and Tom Hiddleston is inspired casting as Loki. Plus, Renee and Anthony as mom and dad. It works. Not great, little small-feeling, but it works.
Captain America: The First Avenger – **** – the first excellent film after Iron Man. Chris Evans is a revelation, and Cap’s origin story is arguably the strongest. Suffers slightly from a cartoonish villain and I wish we had more time with the OG crew, but it’s an excellent film.
Avengers – ***** – the standard. All those hit films that came after owe it to this one. It’s a goddamn masterpiece.
Iron Man 3 – *** – a lot of people hate this one. I don’t. It’s far more entertaining than Iron Man 2, anyway. Love Tony and the kid. Ben Kingsley is hilarious.
Thor: Dark World – ** – this film isn’t terrible, but it is boring. Highlights include more fun with Loki, mom stuff…and that’s about it.
Captain American: The Winter Soldier – **** – the Russo’s know how to make a fracking action film. The action sequences and fight scenes are jaw-dropping. An underrated top-tier film in the MCU.
The Guardians of the Galaxy – **** – probably a top 3 or 4 MCU film. I’d give this another half star if I could. The entire cast is perfect. The storytelling is spot-on. The COLORS are breathtaking. Never seen anything like it. It’s excellent.
Avengers: Age of Ultron – * – it’s probably more like a two-star film, but for whatever reason, each time I watch it, it gets worse. It’s cringeingly bad, particularly the main villain. Ouch.
Ant-Man – **** – another spectacular origin story. Paul Rudd is a national fucking treasure, and we don’t deserve Michael Pena. As soon as those two hit the screen together, this film takes off. Plus, the ending fight sequence is hilarious and spectacular all wrapped into one.
Captain American: Civil War – **** – Ultron aside, this is the MCU’s best run. This felt like a return to Avengers, what Ultron should have been. It’s *technically* a Cap film, but really, it’s the whole team. I’ll say it again: it’s what Ultron should have been. Fantastic.
Doctor Strange – *** – it’s bumpy, but it works. The Mirror Dimension effects are fun, even if they’re an Inception rip-off, and Bennie Cumberbuns is a great lead. Not perfect, but it works.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 – ** – a dud. Clunky. Very, very clunky. One of the worst of the lot, for sure.
Spider-Man: Homecoming – **** – holy crap do I love this film. Surprises me every time, actually. It’s fantastic. As amazing as Marvel’s casting is all over, Tom Holland might be their crowning achievement. Many people have played Peter Parker. Tom does it the best. And they nail the high school plot line. Masterful.
Thor: Ragnarok – **** – pure joy. A weak villain is absolutely overshadowed by how fun and funny this movie is. Finally, Hemsworth shines as brightly as he deserves too in his own film. The got him pitch perfect here, and Loki, and Hulk. Plus, Jeff Goldblum!
Black Panther – ** – oof. Wakanda is the fucking coolest place, and the casting is, again, inspired, but the plot is a mess. Too much doesn’t make sense, and too many missed opportunities.
Avengers: Infinity War – ** – the only thing this movie gets right is the ending. Everything else is rooouuuggghhhh. Mostly a mess.
Ant-Man and the Wasp – ** – the only thing saving this movie is a DOPE car chase and fight scene to end the film. Otherwise, this is a really, really bad film. Villain makes no sense, and the romance plot between Rudd and Lily is all over the place. Paul Rudd saves the day. And not enough Michael Pena!
Captain Marvel – ** – it’s truly angering that we got an all-black superhero cast and a badass female character, and both of their standalone films were fumbled. Carol’s arc is absolutely mystifying. Nothing pays off. The only thing to like is that Fury and Danvers are good together.
Avengers: Endgame – ***** – after four straight below-average films, most worrisome being part 1 to this whole story, the cracks were starting to show in the Marvel magic…and then they nailed the landing like Kerri goddamn Struggs. This film is astonishingly good. The kind of good where you find yourself thinking about it for days and weeks afterwards, getting emotional all over again. One of the best endings ever.
Spider-Man: Far From Home – ** – look…I think they were tired. Tom is wonderful yet again, but the film is not. There’s stuff to like. The villain turns out to be surprisingly fun, Peter and Ned are wonderful as always, as are the teachers, and the Happy romance is delightful. But…damn. It’s b-team execution.
My top 10:
1. Avengers
2. Avengers: Endgame
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming
4. The Guardians of the Galaxy
5. Captain America: Civil War
6. Thor: Ragnarok
7. Iron Man
8. Ant-Man
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
10. Captain America: The First Avenger
What do YOU think???