MCU movie ranking, analysis, discussion and more!

This thread is set up to discuss which MCU movies you like and dislike... and why!



Here is my complete list, ranked from best to worst...

 

I'm definitely in the minority when it comes to Guardians #1 vs. #2. As to why, here goes...

• Drax and Mantis: Drax is already a hilarious character, but when coupled with Mantis, they leave me in stitches. Drax is typically the most oblivious character in the room, but in #2 they brought in Mantis who is completely innocent and even less aware of the world at large. Their dynamic together is absolutely fantastic; the blind leading the blind.
• Baby Groot: In #1, we are introduced to the lovable Groot. Who knew that a character of only 4 words could be so well executed and beloved. In #2, they decrease his size and increase his cuteness... hilarity ensues! Baby Groot is an even better version of Groot and they use him to great effect.
• Gamora and Nebula: A simple story arc but one that I enjoyed. Nebula was really great in this film and she was well set up for her role in Infinity War and Endgame.
• Rocket and Yondu: Rocket is my favourite MCU character by a very large margin (which is surprising, as I didn't even know the character existed before the release of the first Guardians film). He was extremely funny in the first movie and may be even slightly funnier in the second. More importantly, the emotional connection that they made between Rocket and Yondu towards the end of the film is simply wonderful. I think they make a great pairing on screen. I like the emotional depth it added to Rocket.
• Yondu and Quill: The way they bring their story arc to an end is heartfelt and brilliant. Everything set up in #1 is masterfully continued and ended in #2. Yondu was a cool character in #1, but is much more multifaceted and well-developed in #2. The whole Ravager funeral scene at the end is awesome. Basically, Guardians is fun, silly and lighthearted; #2 managed to maintain these underpinnings from #1 while creating some really great emotional scenes during its conclusion. The father-son story arc between Yondu-Ego-Quill is very well done. I love the way that #2 is able to intermix its comedic elements with its emotional ones. Of all the reasons I like #2 more than #1, this is probably the most significant one.

I personally feel that #2 added quite a bit to the Guardians of the Galaxy as a whole. However, it is in its ability to take and utilize character arcs and story arcs from the first one and bring them to heartfelt conclusions is what really seals the deal for me. The progression from one movie to the other seems well thought out and executed (which is one of my biggest criticisms of the Star Wars ST, which feels poorly planned and disjointed). Yondu's death and funeral is right there with the Thanos-Gamora Infinity War scene as the most emotional of the MCU for me.

Spoiler: Endgame spoiler

Compared to those two, the death of Iron Man seems completely flat in End Game

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I obviously cannot claim objectively that #2 is better than #1 because the numbers simply aren't on my side. Everyone I have talked to liked the first better than the second. However, those are some of the key reasons why I personally like the second film better.

 

Thank you sir. To be fair, I can't (nor would I intend to) make the statement that it is the better of the two movies, only that I liked it more. I fully accept that most people like the first one better. I do love both of the movies, I just like the second one a touch better.

So why do you feel the first one is better? I do like the "origin" story aspect of it; it is immensely fun watching each of the characters get to know one another. The prison break sequence is extremely well done, one of my favorite scenes in all of the MCU. I can definitely see an argument in favor of the first movie.

Which is pretty funny because it comes from one of the more light-hearted and comedic entry of the MCU.

That's true, but it did make the Ravager funeral sequence all the more emotional in the end. A bit of a trade off.

Fair enough. I felt it to be perfectly in line with his character. He loves to steal and he doesn't seem to have too much respect for the Sovereign race anyways.

There are even memes about it...

 

I thought the Thor + Guardians interaction was far better in Infinity War.

That makes sense, us liking opposite things and all (except Iron Man 1 which we both seem to rate highly)

 

Not only can he keep up, but often he leads the way!

Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark portrayal is incredibly good. I thought Iron Man 2 was a lot weaker and 3 seemed like a complete flop.

 

That's because his companions were poorly developed. That does not mean that they could have worked exceptionally well if the film focused on it.

Thor and Peter Quill have a great dynamic. Thor and Rocket in Infinity War are great together.... sweet rabbit.




Thor's best work occurs when he is working alongside of others. Ragnarok, Infinity War and Endgame are all much better appearances of Thor than his solo work in Thor 1 & 2. I think he functions much better when he has someone to play off of.

Baron Zemo from Civil War was absolutely fantastic. I know he is not a traditional villain in the MCU (lacking any super powers), but he did manage to overcome individuals far stronger than him and attain his goal (at least for a while) through careful planning and intellect. A man claims "victory" against the gods. He may not be as memorable because he doesn't have a costume and powers, but he is unique among the MCU villains.

 

He is more forgettable, by design... but how can he not be, existing in sea of superheroes and villains. He is supposed to fade into the background, that is the only way he can function. I love how he recognizes that greater men have failed to bring down the Avengers, so he does the only thing he can... he sets them against one another.

As for the third party manipulating them, he only gave them a push in the right (or wrong) direction.

This is true... but at least we can agree that Captain Marvel sucks! That is all that is needed.

 

From my perspective with the Guardians debate, I would say that as a stand alone film, the first film is probably better but I think I enjoyed the second one more. I think it plays into something that I find an awful lot in movies, TV and even music. The original is probably the best, but provided you’ve seen it, you’ll probably get more satisfaction from having it referenced in an awesome way in a later film than you do watching it the first time. To give an example, one of the best parts of the Transformers film series in my opinion (and indeed possibly the only part that is actually good, and extremely good at that) is Steve Jablonsky’s soundtrack. There are numerous themes in the original soundtrack, all of which are extremely good, such as this one:



However, assuming you’ve already heard that theme and have the personal connection to it, I would say that you will probably get more satisfaction from hearing it repeated again in the later films in a big satisfying way, as here:



Than it is hearing the original. If you were to take the two songs by themselves, the first is probably better and stands on its own two feet more, but when you have that history and association, you will probably enjoy the second more.

I’d say that Avengers Infinity War and Endgame are probably the two biggest examples of this - I think it’s fair to say that your enjoyment of them is probably equal to the product of the amount of MCU films you’ve seen beforehand. On their own, they’re perfectly good but probably not as good as, say, Civil War. But, having seen Civil War, that scene near the end of Endgame (I won’t go into detail but if you’ve seen it you know the one I mean) becomes far more satisfying and powerful than what features in Civil War precisely because you have that pre-existing connection with it.

This concept is probably part of the driving force behind the whole “cashing in on nostalgia” thing we’ve had going, and I personally find it an interesting one, and definitely one with truth behind it in my opinion (Rogue One is a good film but it probably wouldn’t be my favourite if it wasn’t for all the other satisfying nods to the others!). Certainly though, I think it provides a good explanation on how the first Guardians can be seen as perhaps a better film but the second one ending up as your favourite!

 

That's a good point. I agree with you that there are major moments in the second movie that were setup by the first movie.

 

To be honest, I think Endgame takes a bit away from it. I still like Endgame, but I like Infinity War much more!

So why haven't you gotten around to watching Endgame yet? You've clearly seen most of the MCU movies, have you gotten bored with them?

 

Yep, everyone defiantly has their own opinions

Here is my list (borrowed your format @NIGHTBRINGER) :



Favorites: I had no expectations going into that first Iron Man movie. Even though the villain is rather flat (and monologues too much) that movie is still my favorite.

I will never forget how the first Iron Man movie ended and how I felt in the theaters leaving. Me and the other dudes I was with all immediately wanted to go build our own iron man suites.



Kinda wish they had snuck the black sabbath into the endgame credits... oh well! ​

Favorites Continued: Also really liked that first Avengers movie; after Iron Man I didn't enjoy any of the other movies that much until it came out. Also loved Doctor Strange, and I definitely viewed Infinity War/Endgame as the same movie and enjoyed them as a fitting send-off to the universe. I have watched these a few times and have enjoyed them every time so far.

Liked: Iron Man 2 was fun, not as much as the first but I really enjoyed it (especially more than #3). Guardians of the Galaxy was unique at setting up the world. Black Panther was also a fun romp, probably the weakest one in this category for me as the second time I watched it, it felt bland. I actually enjoyed Captain Marvel (am I the only one on this forum who did?). I felt the only reason it worked was setting up the space universe from Guardians of the Galaxy. And I don't think it telegraphed nearly as much as Guardians of the Galaxy 2 did. Captain Marvel herself wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be; main character played it straight, basically female superman. I definitely enjoyed her movie way more than ANY movie with Superman in it that I have seen (Batman v. Superman doesn't count, it was trash). Also the cat in the movie looks like mine and is equally evil

Neutral: Apathetic on the Hulk movie (the first Hulk movie I did like Jennifer Connelly, she is my favorite ) but it was forgettable. I enjoyed Captain America 1 the first time I watched it, but with subsequent viewings it has slide down the roster for me. Already talked about Iron Man 3; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 was kinda lazy in my opinion, like has already been stated by others. I felt it was super telegraphed, to the point the ending fell completely flat to me. Beautiful colors in both this movie and Thor 3. I thought this Thor movie was the best of the three (which was sad, I was looking forward to this character on the three) but I didn't like Valkyrie at all, I really wish World War Hulk had gotten its OWN MOVIE, and there are only so many times I can stand to hear "the devil's anus" being played for laughs (see: none) and it just being really awkward in the theater for everybody being involved. Felt like they may have slid too far down the Guardians spectrum and missed what made that movie fun, don't think Thor was supposed to be that funny (but then again, see the next two).

Did Not Like: Thor 1 and 2 were boring, especially compared to #3. Everything about the movies, from the set design (lazy norse-in-space) to the characters who played in it. Couldn't have had the universe without him, and Avengers would not have been set up so well, but just plain boring. Also I did not like the other two Captain America Movies and Age of Ultron; they mostly congeal together into one in my mind (see: bland) with forgettable villians, forgettable plotlines, and lots of characterization that definitely changed the characters between the first Avengers movie and Infinity/War Endgame but didn't work for me as movies. Especially Ultron, that one is the bottom of my list for me.

Did Not Watch: Never got around to it, and frankly not interested. Sorry Ant Man I owe it to you at least, he seems like such a nice guy. Not interested in the Spider Man movies either; I wasn't really a fan of the last few generations of spider man movies either (except the very first one with the Green Goblin).



Other thoughts: I know X-Men doesn't count on this list because those movies technically aren't part of the MCU, but my favorite was Days of Future Past . Great to see the old cast and new cast work together, it was the Wolverine movie I was hoping for.

I also liked X-Men First Class and Logan. Didn't care for either Deadpool or Last Stand, haven't seen the last two. Worst was still the Wolverine movie (which is so sad considering he is my favorite character , and the opening credits of that movie with him and his brother fighting all those wars was so amazing!!!).

 

I doubt it.

I've spoken to a few people who have enjoyed it, so I can only assume that you'll find some fellow fans on LO as well.