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theantisocialcritic · 8 years ago

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This AntiSocial Life: Top 10 Marvel Movies/Shows!

2017 represents the 9th year of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. To date we’ve received 15 movies and 6 TV shows with 5 additional shows on the horizon and multiple movies in the works. In some ways this soon to be decade long project has been one of the most fascinating and ambitious blockbuster projects in decades. In others it’s been a cynical money making factory that has made Hollywood cling onto terrible ideas to graft onto other superhero franchises (I.E. Amazing Spiderman 2, Batman vs Superman, etc.). Thanks in part to a close collaboration between Marvel’s producing team and some incredibly talented directors they have miraculously managed to keep a standard quality to their films that largely dwarfs competing blockbusters. Not every MCU film is great but the worst films and shows they have put forward have still accrued more devotion than their rivals ever could hope for. At this point it’s hard to say what will happen when they finally screw up so royally that they finally produce an outright terrible movie.

With all that said, i’d like to offer my personal take on my own rankings for my Top 10 Favorite MCU properties that I have viewed in full. For that reason Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, Luke Cage and Iron Fist will not be making the list as i’ve only partially viewed those shows in question. Obviously non-MCU Marvel films such as Spiderman 2, Punisher: War Zone, Deadpool or Logan aren’t eligible as they aren’t produced by Disney and aren’t considered canon.

Starting out, lets knock out the seven runner’s up. None of these are bad films but they fail in basic functional ways that keep them from being remembered or enjoyed fully for what they’re intended to be. In ascending order of preference:

17. Iron Man 2

16. Avengers: Age of Ultron

15. Thor: The Dark World

14. Incredible Hulk

13. Captain America: Civil War

12. Thor (2011)

11. Doctor Strange

Those aside, here are your AntiSocial Critic’s Top 10 Marvel Movies and Shows!

10. Ant-Man

Who would’ve guessed Ant-Man would wind up being one of Marvel’s most watchable and fun origin story movies. Penned by Action-Comedy master Edgar Wright and sadly dropped due to creative differences the best version of this film we could have had sadly doesn’t exist. It’s a shame of course that Marvel’s producer control is so strong but the film we did get wasn’t half bad. It’s a sweet redemption story and it’s wonderful for that!

9. AKA Jessica Jones

Marvel-Netflix has not been known for it’s consistently in it’s short three year run of shows. It’s second series based on the critically acclaimed Brian Michael Bendis comic Alias was one of the most thematically interesting things to pop up out of the MCU to date. With complex themes surrounding sexual assault and grappling with trauma as it’s driving force it created a something new that stands as a thoroughly unique show and much needed expression of the pain real people suffer at the hands of monsters.

8. Iron Man (2008)

What can be said of one of the slickest and most beloved blockbuster films of the past decade at this point? It’s becoming popular for fans to take relatively extreme positions on this film given the amount of time that’s pasted since 2008. The ending doesn’t quite work as it doesn’t meaningfully resolve any of the interesting story threads the movie had set up and tonally it feels the least fanciful of all the Marvel movies. After all this time however thanks to it’s wonderful character writing and great performances it still holds up as the perfect introduction to one of cinema’s newest favorite characters.

7. Captain America: The First Avenger

I wish this film had received a better fan reaction than it has. Inspite of it’s corny story and reliance on CGI i’ve long felt that this underrated gem has been the great under appreciated film of the MCU. Even now as it’s sequels have gone on to become international record breaking blockbusters (in countries that should have no affection for a character called Captain America no less) I find this charming little war drama to be one of the most consistently watchable things Marvel has ever done.

6. Iron Man 3

To all the people who sincerely hated this movie I sincerely request you to reconsider this film. I don’t get it. People make excuses for less than stellar films all the time as movies that “do something unexpected” and here we have a movie that actually does that to improve the story it’s trying to tell and everyone hates it. I get that everyone wants Marvel to do The Mandarin and now with Space Wizards introduced into the MCU I wouldn’t be surprised if they finally pulled the trigger they hinted at in All Hail The King and actually introducing him in a future movie. Regardlesss of all that Iron Man 3 is a masterpiece of action and comedy by the god of action comedy Shane Black. This guy is responsible for Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys and this is the thanks we give him? Even if the film wasn’t a pitch perfect thematic send off that fits perfectly within the established tone and style of the preceeding Iron Man films i’d still be confused about the fan reaction.

5. Daredevil

There has been much criticism thrown as Marvel-Netflix for falling into the old traps of pre-MCU movies. The grim, down to Earth atmosphere and low budget feel for several of their shows evokes the sins of early/late Brian Singer’s X-Men or the original Daredevil movie. To some it suggested the same issues many of those films were faced with as producers didn’t take the material seriously and tried to adapt it in a “realistic” fashion while simultaneously throttling the budget. With Daredevil though that really isn’t the case. Evoking the grim, noir-ish atmosphere and ground level storytelling of Frank Miller’s legendary run on the character both seasons of Netflix’s Daredevil have been some of the most consistently interesting and fun shows to come out of the MCU. Drawing upon the traditions of martial arts cinema, courtroom drama and classic black and white detective thrillers the show weaves a tale of ethics, religion and poverty clashing as Hell’s Kitchen struggles to rebuild itself in the aftermath of the Battle of New York.

4. The Avengers

It’s strange how much this film at once retains one of the most respected heritages of any film in this franchise while still being close to falling into the reputation of a cliche as it’s brought up regularly. Five year’s after it’s insane opening that seemingly overnight shifted the gears in Hollywood that would change everything for better and worse that original film still holds up as a singular vision by legendary writer/director Joss Whedon. Even as it’s direct sequels Age of Ultron and Civil War struggle to maintain their reputations such a short time after their releases this original film ages with grace. This is a film I can stick on at any time and find myself engaged and drawn into. Who knows if the MCU will truly ever accomplish another team up movie as great as this one again but at the very least this first one is the best there is.

3. The Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Just three years after James Gunn’s wonderful little blockbuster hit theaters it remains one of the most quoted and beloved recent blockbusters to hit cinemas in years. I can’t count the number of references my friend and I have made from this film’s plethora of references. What else is there to say other than that this film is the miracle blockbuster that made a generation laugh and cry with just three words.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

There’s something to be said for a genre film that is embodies itself perfectly. For the last three years i’ve debates hard with myself over whether this or Guardians of The Galaxy is the best Marvel movie and for now i’m going to say it’s this one. Sometimes a film isn’t great because it transcends it’s genre or perfectly parodies something the way GotG or even something like Deadpool does. The Winter Soldier however is a by far the best solo Marvel movie to date. At once a perfectly tuned action film and a beautiful unifying statement about the cost of freedom, the film represents what it truly means to be Captain America.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2

I hate to be THAT GUY and immediately jump on this film as the best in it’s franchise given how new it is. Having seen it twice now though I feel as though this truly does represent one of the best, if not the best, films in the MCU to date. People always compare sequels to The Empire Strikes Back because of it’s ubiquity but unlike most franchises that don’t understand what it means to be a sequel that consistently excellent. Vol. 2 understands that great stories begin and end with great characters and it spends it’s considerable screen time growing and breaking the Guardians worse than before. What’s left is a fascinating exploration of each character’s broken internal lives as they grapple with incredible loss. The story around Peter Quill’s estranged father ends up being one of the most emotionally impactful deconstructions on absent father figures and critiques on the idealizations of what true fatherhood is i’ve ever seen. Both times i’ve watched the film the last 45 minutes have hit me like a brick and drawn out some of the deepest emotions i’ve felt for a movie in a long time. Vol. 2 may not be perfect but it’s beautiful.

Thank you all for reading! if you would like to see more reviews, articles and podcasts lemme know by tweeting me at @AntiSocialCriti or commenting below. Also be sure to check out my review show The Fox Valley Film Critics!

Live long and prosper!

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