MCU Movie Ranking (Phase 1)
MCU (Phase 1) Movie Ranking
The MCU is another series I enjoy. Almost every movie is good, containing great stories and excellent characters, both heroes and villains. However, instead of the characters this time, I'm gonna be ranking the movies themselves.
At first, I had planned to rank all 23 movies at once. But as I continued writing it out, I figured out that, unless I want an extremely long post, I wouldn't be able to properly explain I rank those movies the way I did. So instead, I split ranking, into phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3. That way, I can better explain why each movie earned the rank they have.
Like with previous rankings, I'm gonna try to be as objective as possible. The ranks will be based on the characters, the plot, and the action, with things like visuals, setting and music being secondary.
Also, spoiler warning. This will contain spoilers, so if you didn't watch these movies, click out of here if you don't to be spoiled. If you don't care, or already watched them, then enjoy.
At first, I had planned to rank all 23 movies at once. But as I continued writing it out, I figured out that, unless I want an extremely long post, I wouldn't be able to properly explain I rank those movies the way I did. So instead, I split ranking, into phase 1, phase 2, and phase 3. That way, I can better explain why each movie earned the rank they have.
Like with previous rankings, I'm gonna try to be as objective as possible. The ranks will be based on the characters, the plot, and the action, with things like visuals, setting and music being secondary.
Also, spoiler warning. This will contain spoilers, so if you didn't watch these movies, click out of here if you don't to be spoiled. If you don't care, or already watched them, then enjoy.
6. Iron Man 2
So the most obvious choices for last place would either be Iron Man 2 or the Incredible Hulk. After a bit of a debate with myself, I chose Iron Man 2.
The main reason is how bloated the plot is. It got several things happening, from Tony's heart problem, to Vanko's revenge scheme, to Hammer's suit scheme, to government issues, to daddy issues. A lot of stuff is happening, and almost none of it is given proper attention.
If it would've been fine if just two, possibly three, of these plot-lines were used, but all of them? That's just too much. The only story that is given full attention is Tony's heart problem, but it doesn't really add much to some of the others, nor is it all that exciting by itself as an action movie.
As for the characters? Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, is as good as ever. While the movie doesn't really do much to evolve his character, it doesn't diminish it either. The supporting cast (Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Nick Fury, Happy Hogan, Natasha Romanoff, etc) were good too, but again, not much evolving.
The villains, Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer, however, wasn't so good. Vanko has a strong enough motivation to want to take down Tony, but we don't see him be much of a threat to the billionare. He only fights him twice, once with his electric whips, and another with an army of bots, along with a suit of his own. Him having his own suit takes out any originality for Tony's list of personal bad guys.
Justin Hammer, meanwhile, is just a Tony Stark wannabe. Not bad in-and-of itself for the weapon maker, but when you're used by another villain that isn't really good, then what does that say about you?
The action isn't bad. Whiplash vs Iron Man, Iron Man vs War Machine, and the War Machine and Iron Man team up were pretty good. But it doesn't really save the movie from the bottom of the list.
Overall, the entire movie just felt bloated and unimportant (If it wasn't for the introduction of the Black Widow and War Machine, it would've been). So unfortunately, it will have to be placed last on the list.
5. The Incredible Hulk
After thinking about the Incredible Hulk for a bit, I concluded that the movie isn't as bad as people say. It's actually close to being a decent movie.
The plot of the movie is something good, having Bruce Banner search for a cure while running and hiding from the military. The characters, in writing at least, are at least decent. The music for the film fits and the Hulk action we get is entertaining. Even the villain, Abomination, is a serviceable villain for the movie.
What kills the movie is the execution of it. Much of the movie is just really bland, except for the action scenes with the Hulk. Bruce Banner and most of the supporting casts feeling like emotionless husks for most of it. An exaggeration, I know, but that's the only thing I could think of describing them.
I don't know if it was the script itself or the acting that caused the movie to feel so bland, but either way, it will have to settle for 5th place.
The plot of the movie is something good, having Bruce Banner search for a cure while running and hiding from the military. The characters, in writing at least, are at least decent. The music for the film fits and the Hulk action we get is entertaining. Even the villain, Abomination, is a serviceable villain for the movie.
What kills the movie is the execution of it. Much of the movie is just really bland, except for the action scenes with the Hulk. Bruce Banner and most of the supporting casts feeling like emotionless husks for most of it. An exaggeration, I know, but that's the only thing I could think of describing them.
I don't know if it was the script itself or the acting that caused the movie to feel so bland, but either way, it will have to settle for 5th place.
4. Thor
I feel Thor is one of the underrated MCU movies among the lot. While it does got some flaws, and it can't compare to more high tiers MCU movies, there's also plenty of good things in it that you can't just simple write it off as a boring, D-tier film.
Let start with the good things: For one, Thor and his character arc throughout the movie. At the start, he was an arrogant, bloodthirsty prince that thinks might will always make right. Then, as the story progress, he transforms into a more humble, mature, and selfless warrior. One that will go up to an enemy, powerless, and offer his own life to spare several others.
The villain, Thor's adopted brother Loki, was also great. He's someone that wants to prove himself as equal as his brother, that he's worthy of the throne as well, and will go to great lengths to do so. Where Thor develops into the ruler Odin wants him to be, Loki descended to the path of villainy. And it's not because he wants the throne to himself; he just want to prove to Odin, to his father, that he can be as good a king as Thor.
The movie hold several powerful moments, from Loki lashing out on Odin, to Thor's attempt to lift up the hammer. The music fits well with the tone and setting of the movie. Plus, the film was a nice bit of world-building to the universe of the MCU.
What keeps it from going any higher is one, the next three movies are just better. And two, the supporting cast aren't as good as they could've been. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif are the obvious examples, with them barely having any focus or development. Odin was fine in his role, as was Jane, Selvig, and Darcy; but nothing great.
Other than that, I would rank this movie as a fairly solid one, one that's among greater films. So for that, it gets 4th place.
The villain, Thor's adopted brother Loki, was also great. He's someone that wants to prove himself as equal as his brother, that he's worthy of the throne as well, and will go to great lengths to do so. Where Thor develops into the ruler Odin wants him to be, Loki descended to the path of villainy. And it's not because he wants the throne to himself; he just want to prove to Odin, to his father, that he can be as good a king as Thor.
The movie hold several powerful moments, from Loki lashing out on Odin, to Thor's attempt to lift up the hammer. The music fits well with the tone and setting of the movie. Plus, the film was a nice bit of world-building to the universe of the MCU.
What keeps it from going any higher is one, the next three movies are just better. And two, the supporting cast aren't as good as they could've been. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif are the obvious examples, with them barely having any focus or development. Odin was fine in his role, as was Jane, Selvig, and Darcy; but nothing great.
Other than that, I would rank this movie as a fairly solid one, one that's among greater films. So for that, it gets 4th place.
3. Captain America: The First Avenger
The First Avenger is another film that I feel is underrated by MCU audience. And, after looking back at the film, I can even say with confidence that it can tie up with Iron man.
Why's that? Well, let start off with the protagonist, Steve Rogers. His transformation from the sickly Brooklyn kid, to his nation's symbol, was excellent. He had to prove himself time and time again to get where he was, never wavered from the path he put himself in, and at the end, sacrificed himself to save countless lives.
The villain, Red Skull, is a solid villain to pair against Captain America. They're both antithesis to each other, from their values to their personalities. Where Skull is arrogant, Cap is humble. Where the German commander is power hungry, the kid from Brooklyn merely want to serve his country to his best ability. While they don't have much screen-time alongside each other, it's clear that two are parallels to each other.
The supporting cast are solid characters as well, with Bucky and Peggy having great chemistry with Steve. Each character stood out as their own, with even some minor characters standing out a tad bit.
Captain America's WWII origin story was the best way they could introduce the character, and they pulled it off incredibly. The music fitted the character, as well as the timeline, and there's a good portion of war action to watch. Plus, they ended the movie perfectly, with Cap waking up in the 21st century and with his last line, "I had a date".
So yeah, a lot of good stuff was in the movie. And because of that, it gets a respectable 3rd place.
2. Iron Man
It's probably no surprise that Iron Man is this high on the list. The first MCU film received high praises overall, and it earned that. There are many good things about the movie, from the characters, to the arc, to the villain.
Tony Stark had an amazing journey on his path to becoming Iron Man. From escaping that cave, to him announcing "I am Iron Man", his arc was excellent. He started off as an ignorant party boy, never taking anything he's doing seriously and just going along with things. When he nearly dies, when he figures out what he's really a part of, he started making changes, especially to himself. Start thinking about "the next mission", instead of the next party.
The supporting characters was great as well, all having excellent chemistry with the billionaire. The music was great for the film, the suits were stunning, and every action moment felt like a blast.
And remember when I said that Captain America: The First Avenger can tie up with Iron Man? Well, instead of making it a tie, I manage to find one thing that gave the genius billionaire's movie an edge against America's golden boy's film. And that thing is... the villain.
Now, like the Red Skull, Obadiah Stane parallels with Tony. Where the Iron Monger is a greedy business man, Iron Man is a selfless inventor. Where Stane doesn't care about who he sells the weapons to, Stark takes fully responsibility of his negligence. Plus, the business man is both cunning and ruthless, with a small jealousy streak that started up Tony's hero journey.
What sets him apart from Skull, and what makes Iron Man slightly better than the First Avenger, is that Obadiah is a more personal villain for Tony. Not only is he a part of Stark Industries, but a friend to both Tony and his father, Howard. Not only has Tony interacted with him on a personal basis, but also knew him for a long time.
So, for having that slight edge against Captain America: The First Avengers, Iron Man gets 2nd place.
Tony Stark had an amazing journey on his path to becoming Iron Man. From escaping that cave, to him announcing "I am Iron Man", his arc was excellent. He started off as an ignorant party boy, never taking anything he's doing seriously and just going along with things. When he nearly dies, when he figures out what he's really a part of, he started making changes, especially to himself. Start thinking about "the next mission", instead of the next party.
The supporting characters was great as well, all having excellent chemistry with the billionaire. The music was great for the film, the suits were stunning, and every action moment felt like a blast.
And remember when I said that Captain America: The First Avenger can tie up with Iron Man? Well, instead of making it a tie, I manage to find one thing that gave the genius billionaire's movie an edge against America's golden boy's film. And that thing is... the villain.
Now, like the Red Skull, Obadiah Stane parallels with Tony. Where the Iron Monger is a greedy business man, Iron Man is a selfless inventor. Where Stane doesn't care about who he sells the weapons to, Stark takes fully responsibility of his negligence. Plus, the business man is both cunning and ruthless, with a small jealousy streak that started up Tony's hero journey.
What sets him apart from Skull, and what makes Iron Man slightly better than the First Avenger, is that Obadiah is a more personal villain for Tony. Not only is he a part of Stark Industries, but a friend to both Tony and his father, Howard. Not only has Tony interacted with him on a personal basis, but also knew him for a long time.
So, for having that slight edge against Captain America: The First Avengers, Iron Man gets 2nd place.
1. The Avengers
And here's the number one movie out of the phase one listing: The Avengers. What I'm gonna say has probably already been said by a number of people, but I'm gonna say them anyway.
The Avengers did nearly everything right. It has a great cast of heroes, some nice supporting characters, a fantastic villain, impressive action scenes, very memorable moments and a theme song that has now become iconic to the franchise.
All of the heroes are great in this film. Each of them has a role in it, each had their own arc, and they all give something to the table. Even Hawkeye, who was brainwashed by Loki most of the time, contributed to something in the third act, plus was a major headache to the heroes during his time brainwashed.
The supporting cast, while small, was fairly good. Fury was the best out of the bunch, where you can argue that he's at the same level as the six heroes. Hills is Fury's right-hand woman while Coulson got some good scenes whenever possible.
The villain was once again Loki, and he was as great as ever. He's both compelling and menacing, had nice interactions with most of the characters, and felt like a looming threat. While his motivations aren't as strong here, he makes up for it with his theatrical approach to his goal.
The story is simple, being about six heroes joining together to take out a threat they cannot hope to beat alone. But because of that simplicity, it left room to flesh out each characters and give them a lot of good moments throughout the movie. There are lot of iconic scenes in the film, especially in the third act, and again, the Avengers theme was very memorable, to the point of becoming iconic to the entire MCU.
This movie needed to everything right, and it did. The movie was great, from beginning to end, to the point that it'll probably be remembered as a classic. So for that, it gets 1st place.
All of the heroes are great in this film. Each of them has a role in it, each had their own arc, and they all give something to the table. Even Hawkeye, who was brainwashed by Loki most of the time, contributed to something in the third act, plus was a major headache to the heroes during his time brainwashed.
The supporting cast, while small, was fairly good. Fury was the best out of the bunch, where you can argue that he's at the same level as the six heroes. Hills is Fury's right-hand woman while Coulson got some good scenes whenever possible.
The villain was once again Loki, and he was as great as ever. He's both compelling and menacing, had nice interactions with most of the characters, and felt like a looming threat. While his motivations aren't as strong here, he makes up for it with his theatrical approach to his goal.
The story is simple, being about six heroes joining together to take out a threat they cannot hope to beat alone. But because of that simplicity, it left room to flesh out each characters and give them a lot of good moments throughout the movie. There are lot of iconic scenes in the film, especially in the third act, and again, the Avengers theme was very memorable, to the point of becoming iconic to the entire MCU.
This movie needed to everything right, and it did. The movie was great, from beginning to end, to the point that it'll probably be remembered as a classic. So for that, it gets 1st place.
Conclusion
So, that is my ranking for phase 1 of the MCU. Do you agree with the placement of these movies? Do you disagree? Let me know in the comment section on what think of this rankings, as well as the other posts.
Next up will be phase 2. Be on the look for that ranking, along with any other posts I decide to do. Until then, I'll see you guys later.
Next up will be phase 2. Be on the look for that ranking, along with any other posts I decide to do. Until then, I'll see you guys later.
Comments
Post a Comment