MCU Movie Ranking (Phase 2)

MCU Movie Ranking (Phase 2)

Welcome to the next phase of the MCU movie ranking. Next up? Phase 2. Like before, I'm gonna be as objective as possible; the ranks being based on action, story, and characters, with visuals, music, and setting being secondary.

And again, spoiler warning. This will contain spoilers, so click out if you haven't watched these movies. If you did, or don't care, then enjoy.

6. Thor: The Dark World

So, it's obvious that Thor: The Dark World is gonna be at the bottom of this list. The main reason being is that the movie is just overall boring to watch.

The biggest problem with the movie is the villain, Malekith. He's just a forgettable character, having no personality, no arc, and no strong motivations. He's not a strong or intimidating threat, nor is he compelling in any way. There's nothing about him that makes him interesting to watch or a credible threat to Thor.

Speaking of Thor, the character wasn't that good in the movie either. He got a few arcs, mainly his decision to whether or not he wants to become king, and his relationship with Jane; but they weren't explored fully and near the end, most of the focus is on stopping Malekith (And you can guess how that went for the film's quality). The only thing was properly developed was the relationship between Thor and Loki.

Speaking of Loki, he was probably the best character out of the film. He's as witty and mischievous as ever, with that same level of complexity in his personality. His interaction with his mother, his reaction to her death, his banter and argument with Thor; every scene he's in is excellent, and help give a bit of life to the film. Probably one of the few, if not only, good thing about it.

The rest of the supporting wasn't that good, however. Both the science team on Earth, and the Warriors Three and Sif, were given little to no development throughout the movie. Odin felt out-of-character, especially in the beginning, during Loki's trial. There wasn't much of Frigga before her death. And while Handel was decent, there wasn't much of him either.

The action is nothing to write about. There's no memorable fighting scene, aside from a few clips, and the third act just felt... messy and confusing.

Overall, the movie was just boring, with little good character development, a very forgettable villain, and non-memorable action scenes. The only good thing about it is Loki, but the trickster alone can't save the film. So it have to take last place on this list.

5. Ant-Man

This movie, meanwhile, is a fairly entertaining heist film. While it isn't as good the MCU's best films, it's a fairly good one for what it is.

The story itself is solid and well executed. It's not just a heist film, but also one about family; about trying to become the thing that those close to you can look up to. It got some great emotional moments, as well as some pretty hilarious scenes.

The protagonist, Scott Lang, is a good character with a good arc. He's a very funny guy, with a serious side to him; someone that tries to do good, but struggles with how to do so, and that does land him into trouble. And that's what his arc is about; becoming that hero that his daughter, Cassie, would be proud of.

The supporting cast are also well done. Hope and Hank Pym have solid arcs as well, with their father-daughter conflict, while Luis and his crew are a fun, comedic support crew. Cassie, meanwhile, is a lovable little girl, with a strong bond with her father.

The villain, meanwhile, is a serviceable one. He isn't really a rival to Scott, but is one to Hank and Hope. We get a fair bit of complexity with him, in that he had wanted to prove himself to Hank in the past. But other than that, he's a fairly generic business man type villain.

And the action is some of the most creative stuff to come out of the MCU. Seeing Ant-Man constantly shrink down as he beats the living crap out of the security guards, as well as the fight between Ant-Man and Yellow-Jacket, is some of the best action scenes in the series. While all of it came from the third act, the development to that arc made it even better, seeing Scott developing his skills with the Ant-Man tech.

So we got some creative action scenes, solid characters and arcs, and great development to the heist itself. Adding the memorable Ant-Man theme, and we get a solid movie. Unfortunately for it though, the other movies are just better, so it will have to settle for 5th place on the list.

4. Avengers: Age of Ultron

I know that some of you reading this will think that Age of Ultron should be switching places with Ant-Man on the list. And while I admit, the second Avengers movie does have its flaws, and is the weakest of the four Avengers films, it isn't as bad as people say it is.

For one, most of the Avengers are as great as ever. Each one have their own arc that expands on their characters, as well as set things up for their continuing stories (With the exception of Thor). All of them have great chemistry with each other, and none of them felt unnecessary in the movie.

The side characters were good as well, though it's mostly Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, as well as Vision. The Maximoff twins started off as villains, wanting to get revenge on Tony Stark for his weapons being on their home and family; but then they developed into heroes, with Wanda's development being the most noticeable. Vision, while showing up late in the movie, was integrated very well in the film and got some good scenes, especially at the end.

Ultron, meanwhile, was a pretty good villain. While he wasn't the cold, menacing machine in the comics, he still had some complexity within him, along with the charm he gain from his creator, Tony, and the genocidal logic he concluded to after looking into Earth's history.

And much of the action in the movie is pretty good too; from the intro taking down of a Hydra, to the fight with Ultron at the party, there was some pretty good action scenes to witness. The same with the more quiet scenes, with hilarious banter, character conflicts, and a few speeches here and there.

So what's keeping this movie from being in the same level as the other three Avenger movies? A few things really, but those things does make a difference.

One, Thor's development (Or lack thereof, as I've said before) and the Natasha/Bruce romance subplot. The former merely gets an exposition dump, as oppose to getting an arc of his own. With Natasha and Bruce, while the two have their own, separate arcs that are pretty good, their romance was just thrown in there, and didn't feel natural. It would've been better if they developed their relationship during the movie, but instead, they try to throw it in with little buildup to support it.

And two, the third act. While there isn't much wrong with act itself, it could've been much better. It's just the Avengers saving the day once again, with little to no tension once all of them gathered together. Not really sure what exactly they could've done to make it better, but ending it with a more darker tone would've probably been better than a happy one. Having Ultron's impact pack more of a punch, making him much more difficult to take down, would've also improved the movie.

So, while not the worst movie of the MCU, it flaws keeps it from being as good as it's predecessor and successors, and makes it the weakest out of the four Avengers movie. For that, it gets 4th place.

3. Iron Man 3

Now we come to one of the most divisive movie out of the MCU list. People either hate this movie, love it, or is in between. However, just because it's decisive, doesn't mean it's bad, and I find Iron Man 3 a really good movie.

One of the factors is obviously main character, Tony Stark. Like in his previous films, the character was played wonderfully. Even better, he got a great arc here, about learning not to rely on his suits, that he's more than the Iron Man suits. We see him struggle to recover from the Battle of New York, his obsession over his suits, and slowly overcoming that obsession. We even see him infiltrate a mansion with hand-crafted equipment.

The action scenes was pretty good too. The helicopter surprise attack, a suitless Tony against two Extremis soldiers, Iron Man's rescue of falling civilians, and the final third act were all great, with some of them showing off Tony's ingenuity much more.

Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper are good in there roles as well, though none of them were really prominent here. The kid, Harley, was a serviceable support character, but nothing to really to write about. And the music was pretty good too.

Finally, there's the villain, the main cause of the division (From what I gathered). Either people think that it was a genuinely good plot twist, or something that spit on the Mandarin in the comics.

And while can understand the latter side somewhat, I have to go with the former. Having the Mandarin, and terrorism itself, basically become a marketing strategy to take over the world is a great plot twist. And Aldrich Killian is a good villain himself, being the creator of the Mandarin, as well as one of the many demons Tony created. So, while it would've been interesting to fully go with the Mandarin being a terrorist himself, the twist created here is a genuinely good one.

So, despite the complaints many have with the movie, it is a really solid film. It has great development for Tony Stark, a solid supporting cast, great action pieces, a creative twist, and a good villain. So for that, it gets a respectable 3rd place.

2. Guardians of the Galaxy

Now here's a ranking that I think we can all agree on. I don't think anyone will argue when I say that Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the MCU's best films.

The best thing about is of course, the Guardian team. Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot are all great characters, with some of them having great arcs. All of them have impactful moments, as well as incredible chemistry with one another.

There are some iconic action scenes, with one example being the prison breakout; the music is great, both the 70s songs and the Guardian's theme; and there are plenty of memorable moments, some funny and some emotional.

The villain, however, wasn't that good. Ronan the Accuser wasn't really a deep character; he's just a terrorist with an extreme hatred for the Kree. Though the reason for that is because the movie had to focus on the Guardians mainly, so it can be forgiven for having a flat villain. Plus, he got a memorable look, attitude, and felt like a physical threat, so he had that going for him.

Most of the supporting cast wasn't as good either, with the only notable ones being Yondu and Nebula. But again, can be forgiven due to the need to focus on the main cast.

As for the plot itself? Well, I would say that this is a more character-driven movie, more so than any of the other films. We see these five bunch of misfits come together, to at first fill their own, personal desires. Then we see them care for one another, and then take the chance to do something good for once in their lives. See them form into a team, into the Guardians of the Galaxy.

So, while the villain and supporting cast aren't the greatest, the action, the music, and the Guardians themselves makes up for it plenty. For that, it gets 2nd place on the list.

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I think generally everyone can agree that out of the phase 2 listing, the Winter Soldier is the best film. It got a great cast, incredible developments and arcs, impressive antagonists, and an excellent plot, all wrapped up into one, complete package.

Captain America is once again excellent. He's the man out of time, trying to adapt to the modern world and serve his country, yet keeping his moral compass throughout it all. We see him hold on to the things of his own time, in conflict with SHIELD and how they do things, and struggle with what he actually want to do.

The villains, meanwhile, are equally good. Alexander Pierce, the Winter Soldier, and Hydra as a whole are the most impressive set out of the phase 2 lineup of villains. Where Pierce is the mastermind and represent the moral conflict of the film, the Winter Soldier (Aka, Bucky Barnes) is the physical and personal threat for Steve Rogers. And having Hydra infiltrate SHIELD ever since it's formation was an excellent twist.

The supporting cast held up on their owns, especially Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, and Sam Wilson. Those three stood out in the films, with Natasha having a small arc of her own, and all of them had excellent chemistry with Steve; Cap and Fury's dispute with one another, the soldiers' budding friendship, and the captain and the spy's platonic relationship in formation.

The action is top-notch in the film, from the hand-to-hand combat to the chase scenes. The music was great for the film, and there a lot of poignant scenes in the film, such as the face off between Steve and Bucky.

There's a lot of great things about Captain America: the Winter Soldier. I could talk about it more, but then this section of the ranking would be way too long. So I'll end it by saying that overall, this movie got several high bars. The heroes, the villains, the plot, the action, the music, all of it are A to S-tier level good. So for that, it gets first place on this list.

Conclusion

That's the end for my phase 2 ranking list. Next up, is phase 3. However, instead of ranking them all at once, I'll pull an Infinity War, and split the phase into two parts. Like I said before in the phase 1 ranking, it gives me a chance to articulate my point better without the post getting too long.

So, be on the lookout for the next ranking. Until then, I'll see you later.