My rankings of the Marvel Studio films

The descriptions will be brief, but the possibility exists there may be spoilers ahead.  I will start at the bottom, and build to #1. 

I hope you enjoy, and load the comments section up!!!

I WOULD LIKE A REFUND

9.         Iron Man 3 (2013)

This movie disappointed me on so many levels. The handling of REDACTED merely scratches the surface.  Everything in IM3 felt off.  Pepper Potts, Rhodey, and especially Tony all seemed inconsistent with prior movies. At least Happy Hogan felt right, for what that’s worth.  The post credits scene was entertaining, though, with a fun cameo.  I was really bummed walking out of the theater on this one.  I had high expectations, which is why this is at the bottom.

8.         Thor: The Dark World (2013)

I am going to admit this is the only one on the list I didn’t see in the theater.  I feel vindicated in making that choice.  Unlike Iron Man 3, I had low expectations for this movie, mainly because it just seemed bland in the previews, and it was even more so when I watched the whole movie.  What strikes me most, as well as in the original “Thor”, is that Natalie Portman is wasted.  I feel the women in the Marvel movies are, for the most part, poorly realized characters, and when an actress of Ms. Portman’s talents decides to perform in your film, you should give her a quality role.  Of course, no less than George Lucas failed her, so I shouldn’t expect much from these folks.  At least Darren Aronofsky did right by her in Black Swan.

ADEQUATE

7.         Iron Man 2 (2010)

This should work.  Same team behind the first one. RDJ is still excellent as Tony Stark, the casting of Sam Rockwell is great as Justin Hammer, and Don Cheadle is an upgrade over Terrence Howard as James Rhoads. Still, if I had to really boil it down, I think IM2 suffers from bloating. Too many moving parts, without a strong focus in any one area, brings it down for me.  I find that the loud noises and special effects overshadow in a lot of places, where there could have been more character moments.  The ending has always left me flat as well.  To go out on a positive, the movie does introduce us to the Marvel movie-verse’s best female character, Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, so there’s that.

6.         Thor (2011)

When I first saw “Thor” in the theater, my initial reaction was enjoyment.  That feeling has been tempered somewhat in additional viewings. There’s nothing inherently wrong with the movie, but there’s a disconnect, in my opinion, to the rest of the Marvel universe in the “Thor” films.  This one takes place more on Earth than the sequel, but even with the introduction of Hawkeye (briefly), it just seems to exist in its own universe.  The movie itself is well cast and acted, and Kenneth Branagh brings his Shakespearean sensibilities to the table in an effective way.  Chris Hemsworth is a perfect Thor, Tom Hiddleston is Loki to a T, and Sir Anthony Hopkins seems to be enjoying himself as Odin.  The supporting players are all fine, with Lady Sif rising to a solid level for a Marvel movie female. Overall, “Thor” really just serves as an introduction to Thor and Loki, so fans are comfortable with them when they see them in Avengers. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that.

PRETTY DARN GOOD

5.         Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Now we get to have some fun! Captain America is probably my favorite Marvel superhero, mostly because he reminds me of the DC heroes I grew up with.  His sense of good rises above anything in his world, and his willingness to sacrifice for his country is something we all can admire.  The movie that introduces Cap to the theatergoers can be a little slow at times, but in a way it works for the World War II setting, as movies in that era were a little slower.  The tale is pretty straightforward, and Chris Evans shines as both “weak” Steve Rogers and “Super Soldier” Captain America.  The casting is top-notch, with Hayley Atwell (a solid female character, Peggy Carter) and Tommy Lee Jones holding it down for the good guys, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, who is lost to Cap “forever”, and Hugo Weaving, chewing scenery as the Red Skull.  For my money, however, the best performance is the always delightful Stanley Tucci as Dr. Erskine, but I am totally biased when it comes to Tucci.

Putting it all together is the fantastic directing of Joe Johnston.  You may remember that Johnston directed 1991’s “The Rocketeer”, which also took place in a similar time period.  His obvious love for the era really shows through every scene of this film.  Overall, “Captain America” did a great job of establishing the character, but also gave us a pretty good movie that stands on its own quite well.

4.         The Incredible Hulk (2008)

I’m sure this will be the choice that is disagreed with the most here.  I have a soft spot for this movie. Honestly, I like the Ang Lee “Hulk” even more, but that isn’t a Marvel Studio film, so it won’t be listed here. Edward Norton as Bruce Banner is a great choice here, and Liv Tyler as Betty Ross plays her part perfectly.  Even though this technically was the first “official” Hulk movie in the universe we are dealing with, the movie didn’t spend much time on the origin story, moving quickly to “5 Years Later” and our “hero” living down in Brazil, searching for the cure to his condition.  I think it was a smart move to get to the story they wanted to tell.

While “The Incredible Hulk” was probably the most serious of the Marvel films, I really had a lot of fun with this movie.  I loved Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky, who becomes the Abomination, and William Hurt is pitch perfect as Betty’s father Gen. “Thunderbolt” Ross, who is Banner/Hulk’s true nemesis, primarily due to the love for his daughter.  The biggest improvement in this movie from the Ang Lee film was the Hulk itself.  While that movie’s Hulk looked facially like Eric Bana , who portrayed Banner, this Hulk blended on-screen much better than that one, and was voiced by Lou Ferrigno, well known from King of Queens (jk).  Also, kudos to Robert Downey, Jr.’s cameo in the credits, which goes a long way in establishing that a team is being put together.  I think we all know who that team is…

CREAM OF THE CROP

3.         Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

Here’s the tricky part.  I believe all three of the remaining films could be on top, but a tie really wouldn’t be right now would it?  “The Avengers” is a fun film in every way, driven by both its clever dialogue and well filmed action sequences.  Even though it is a team-up movie, it sometimes feels a little like “Iron Man 2.5”, but it doesn’t take too much away from the team.  The characterizations are phenomenal, with the Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner standing out to me.  I loved Edward Norton as Banner in “The Incredible Hulk”, but Ruffalo seemed to fit more in the group setting.  The rest of the team was great as well, with the possible exception of Hawkeye being wasted with mind-control early on.  Clark Gregg’s Agent Coulson, however, was the MVP of the movie.  He was the heart and soul of S.H.I.E.L.D., and his “interaction” with Loki drove the story home and gave Samuel L. Jackson’s Director Fury the impetus to unite the team toward their goal of defeating Loki.

Joss Whedon was the creative force behind the film, and it showed, especially through the aforementioned dialogue. The movie’s ending was everything you could ask for in a summer blockbuster, and the post-credit sequences were fantastic, showing us that Loki was not acting alone, and introducing us to something none of will forget...shawarma.  All in all, “Marvel’s The Avengers” was what is was supposed to be.  It was the culmination of the “Phase One” movies, and a heck of a lot of fun to watch!

2.         Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Possible because I just saw it, but for my money this is the only sequel worth a damn from the studio. “The Winter Soldier” works because they didn’t get any characterization wrong, and the adaptation of Ed Brubaker’s creation of the title villain was almost perfect.  Because we are so close to release, I will not delve into any details of the story, but I will say I bought into all the twists and turns put in front of me, even when I knew they were faking us out.  That, to me, is the mark of a great film.

The casting, once again, is fantastic.  Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson all reprise their roles from previous Marvel films, and the newcomers are great, too.  Anthony Mackie brings Sam Wilson, a/k/a the Falcon, to the screen in a fantastic way, and Robert Redford lends a legitimacy to his role as Alexander Pierce, which needed the validation to avoid being too cliché. Other returnees will remain nameless in case you aren’t familiar with the source material.  I wish I could discuss things more to justify my selection of the film as #2, but I feel good about placing it here.

1.         Iron Man (2008)

The “Gold Standard” of Marvel’s “comic book” movies.  (I will always say that I prefer Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies to anything here, but to me those are films that happen to be based in a comic book setting, rather than “comic book” movies. Feel free to disagree.)  “Iron Man” does everything well. Normally, I have a tough time being patient for origin stories, but the tale of Iron Man’s genesis is so necessary to Tony Stark’s growth as a human being that I lapped it up here.  The pacing throughout the movie was always solid, and Robert Downey Jr. just owned us as Tony/IM.  The supporting cast was solid here, even Gwyneth Paltrow, who is usually unbearable in my view.  Terrence Howard was fine as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, even though Don Cheadle was better in the sequels (the only thing better in those movies). Jeff Bridges was excellent in the role of Obidiah Stane, Tony’s right hand man that goes terribly wrong.

That is the only un-comic-y part of this movie-the lack of a big villain.  Stane is fine as the eventual main bad-guy, but the main focus of this film is Tony Stark.  Director Jon Favreau (great in acting as Happy Hogan) and Downey are great in evolving Stark from the egomaniacal billionaire without a care for his fellow man, to the egomaniacal billionaire that understands the need to be so much more.  He, however, never loses that which makes him the most entertaining hero in any comic book movieverse-his sarcastic sense of humor. Tony Stark may become the hero “Iron Man”, but he stays the lovable rogue that makes this movie much more than the sum of its parts.  Take a bow Mr. Downey!

So that’s my ranking of the Marvel Studios movies.  I’d love to hear from you.