DYLA's Top 10 Marvel Movies
Check out THE definitive Marvel movie ranking before you see Black Widow
After getting roughly two Marvel movies a year for a decade, it’s now been two full years since the last one. Well, the wait is finally over this weekend as Black Widow opens in theaters. And yet, it doesn’t feel like Marvel ever left our lives. With the Marvel TV shows that have debuted this year and people watching and rewatching all the movies on Disney Plus during quarantine, Marvel is still very much at the center of entertainment culture.
While there are certainly legitimate concerns that Marvel has become too dominant -- squeezing out smaller, non-superhero stories from the public consciousness -- it’s still impressive what they have built starting back in 2008. They just continually churn out an enjoyable product year after year, motivating both their rabid fanbase and casual moviegoers to pay attention.
With Black Widow finally arriving, it’s the perfect time to present our collective Top 10 Marvel Movies. You can find most of these streaming on Disney Plus. Also, check out our individual top 10 Marvel rankings, as well as a review of the new Steven Soderbergh movie No Sudden Move.
DYLA’s Top 10 Marvel Movies
Thor: Ragnarok
Drew: Marvel is so good at what they do because they keep a good amount of control over their projects. This means that there isn’t always room for filmmakers to put their distinct personal touch on these movies. Thor: Ragnarok may be the only exception so far. After two decent but fairly dull Thor movies, Marvel brought in idiosyncratic director Taika Waititi to shake things up. It was an unexpected and shrewd move, as Marvel allowed Waititi free rein over the Thor character. Chris Hemsworth, who has always shown surprising comedic timing, was finally allowed to be funny Thor. Mark Ruffalo makes for an excellent sparring partner as the Hulk, we’re introduced to Tessa Thompson’s alluring character Valkyrie, Cate Blanchett is having a campy good time as the villain, and Jeff Goldblum is here doing witty Jeff Goldblum things. Because of all this and more, Thor: Ragnarok feels fresh, loose, and wonderfully unique.
Avengers: Endgame
Billy: The culmination of it all ended in such a glorious way. Obviously Marvel would have never waited two years to release Black Widow after Avengers: Endgame if it weren’t for the pandemic, but having that time off allows this movie to breathe. We have already been inundated with constant Marvel for the past 13 years, but it is only going to get more insane. No matter how the future of the MCU progresses I will always have a fondness of this first era and I can’t imagine it ending in a better way.
Black Panther
Drew: I’ve always thought Marvel movies have a pretty high floor, but a low ceiling, meaning that even the worst of them are watchable but the best of them don’t separate themselves that much from the others in terms of quality. Black Panther changed all that. A massive success to the tune of $1.3 billion worldwide and seven Oscar nominations (including the first Best Picture nom for a superhero movie), this was also the first MCU movie centered around a Black superhero. But you knew all that. What sets Black Panther apart is the immersive world-building by director Ryan Coogler, the grounding presence of Chadwick Boseman, and the scene-stealing supporting characters played by Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Daniel Kaluuya, and Letitia Wright. Most importantly, this was an epic story told with true emotion and intimacy.
Iron Man
Drew: Here’s where it all began. The MCU has gone many different places since Iron Man debuted back in 2008, however it’s amazing that this is still one of Marvel’s best efforts. Not only did it set the template for the Marvel character origin story, but it also set the tone for the quippy, fast-paced fun of just about every Marvel movie that followed. Much of this is thanks to Robert Downey Jr., whose charming smartest-guy-in-the-room persona effectively launched the MCU. It’s worth shouting out director Jon Favreau, though, because it was his assured handling of Iron Man that kicked everything off with a bang.
Captain America: Civil War
Billy: We will call this one half of an Avengers movie. The reason I love this movie and it is my favorite MCU movie is because of how grounded it is compared to the other Avengers-type movies where most of the characters appear on screen. This movie is big and has all the special effects you want, but most of the conflict is between our protagonists. That decision brings so much more emotion into the story. By the end you feel a real division amongst the entire group, especially between Captain America and Iron Man. The next few movies cleans up this division quicker than I wanted it to, but it doesn’t hurt this movie on rewatches. This is consistently my favorite MCU movie from start to finish.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Billy: Before Thor: Ragnarok came out this was the most unique and fun MCU movie. An eclectic cast of characters is brought together in a story that has all the cliche mumbo jumbo you get from these movies, but it brings an edge that no other MCU movie has been able to match. Here we got the coming out party for Chris Pratt as a leading man when he was still rude and crude Chris Pratt. This was the MCU’s first real risk. A storyline even hardcore Marvel comic book readers don’t know much about with a leading actor who was never given this type of chance before. The risk paid off monetarily and in setting up the style of humor for the rest of the remaining movies. This is not the best MCU movie, but it might be the most fun.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Billy: Thank goodness for this movie. After the first Captain America movie Chris Evans was a complete miss for me as this character. With this one he instantly shot up to my favorite MCU character/actor. It may be the Russo brothers direction that actually made him a better character, but this movie is first and foremost an espionage thriller. One of the first attempts to bring a true genre movie into the MCU worked perfectly by bringing the character into the modern age.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Drew: With all due respect to the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies, the Tom Holland versions have been my favorite. Spider-Man: Homecoming successfully reimagined the Spider-Man universe we had become accustomed to while still playing the hits. This one is fleet and fun, lightweight and low stakes compared to an Avengers movie. Plus, Michael Keaton gives one of the best Marvel villain performances.
The Avengers
Drew: The Avengers was when everyone realized how world-conquering Marvel had become, both from a box office and cultural perspective. It was thrilling to see all of these larger-than-life characters team up in the same movie, whether you had seen all of the previous movies or not. The genius of this one is that not only did we get to see them battle Loki together, but we also got to see them just hang out and banter. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and all the rest only become more lovable when we got to see their personalities clash and mesh.
(tie) Spider-Man: Far From Home
Drew: Coming right on the heels of Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home could have easily been an afterthought. Fortunately, it ended up as a super enjoyable palette cleanser that also advanced the Spider-Man storyline. Bonus points for giving us more Zendaya as MJ and a standout villain in Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio.
Avengers: Infinity War
Billy: The quiet comprehending of the ending of it all. Going into this one I was hoping that we would get some bold choices and to my surprise we actually did! I was fully expecting way too much setup just to carry the audience into Endgame. There is a lot of bringing the characters that has become a little less organic on rewatch, but by the end battle scene I was completely hooked. Each character got their moment and characters that were in the background of a lot of previous movies were thrust into the forefront. Wanda, Vision, and Gamora being the main three characters bringing the brunt of the emotion. The ending ***spoilers*** where half of our characters die was mixed for some people. Not because they were killed off, but because we knew they had to come back in some capacity for the second film. That turned out to be true, but that decision to end the movie that way works for me still.
Drew’s Top 10:
Black Panther
Thor: Ragnarok
Iron Man
Avengers: Endgame
The Avengers
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Guardians of the Galaxy
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Captain America: Civil War
Iron Man 3
Billy’s Top 10:
Captain America: Civil War
Avengers: Endgame
Thor: Ragnarok
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Iron Man
Black Panther
Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers: Infinity War
Ant-Man
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Recent Release Mini-Reviews
No Sudden Move (streaming on HBO Max)
Drew: Even if No Sudden Move is good, not great, it’s refreshing for a couple reasons. First, it’s a return to form for Soderbergh, who is back in his beloved crime genre after his two most recent movies simply didn’t work. No Sudden Move isn’t as fun as Out of Sight or the Ocean’s trilogy, but it’s still a stylish period crime drama with backstabbing, corruption, and suitcases filled with cash, so I ain’t complaining.
It’s also refreshing to see an original film for adults that doesn’t hold its audience’s hand. No Sudden Move forces you to stay engaged throughout or you will likely get lost in the many schemes and shifting loyalties. And, Soderbergh keeps you locked in by parading through a mix of A-list names and compelling character actors. - 3.5 / 5 Apples
Billy: No Sudden Move is one of the more disorienting crime/heist movies that I have experienced in a while. The lens literally disorients the frame at almost every moment. Seemingly mirroring the often changing motives of our ensemble cast.
In typical Soderbergh fashion he keeps the story simple and beautifully paced. Unlike Soderbergh, though, this one is not at all flashy. A character driven story that actually has a “MacGuffin” that ties into Soderbergh’s ever growing skepticism of our capitalistic world.
It took me a while to get into this story fully because there was a lack of connection I felt with the cast. We spend the appropriate amount of time with them to build that connection, but nothing really grabbed me completely. I’m still so sad I didn’t have the option to see this in a theater. A story as disorienting as this would have been prime for a theater experience. Your complete focus will enrich the viewing. - 3 / 5 Apples
Links
If you noticed a pep in your step this week, it might be because of the season three trailer for HBO’s Succession. The Roy family is coming back this fall!
If you have ever been enamored with 90s neo-noir films like The Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, and Basic Instinct, The Ringer published an essay this week about the fascinating subgenre.
Two DYLA favorites, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain, will star in HBO’s limited series Scenes from a Marriage this September. Watch the trailer here.