My Ranking of All Post-2000 Live-Action Marvel Films (19-13)

Hello all!

As promised, here is the next part of my Marvel movie ranking!





19. X-Men : The Last Stand

Another ruined 3rd installment gone wrong! Now, with an unpopular opinion, this movie actually, I think, is not that bad. Don't get me wrong, this X-Men : The Last Stand is in no means a good movie, but I think it gets a lot more hate from fans than it deserves. Clearly, X-2 and X-Men were far superior, but c'mon, others are worse. Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, and Ian McKellan are all great in their respective roles, and the action is all entertaining. But frankly, the other mutant characters are uninteresting, and the script is just really bland at times. The deaths of so many characters were handled really badly, and many characters who were introduced felt as if they had no purpose. Overall, I think this movie is enjoyable, but later and previous installments of X-Men movies are just much better.

18. Thor

Here is where the good movies actually start! I really enjoy Thor, and whenever it is on cable, I'll sit down and watch. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston are instrumental in their leading roles, and their brotherly banter is interesting. Hiddleston especially shines as the best Marvel villain we had yet. His emotional reasons for doing what he does are relatable to the audience, and he truly believes he is doing the right thing, which is makes for a great villain. The action scenes with the frost giants are well executed and very entertaining, and the humor is also there. However, the romance with Jane and Thor was just not there, and the chemistry was off. Also, there was a short, about 15 minute slump in the middle where not much happened. Overall, Thor was a satisfying movie experience.

17. Captain America : The First Avenger

Captain America : The First Avenger was taking a pretty big risk in being made. This film is essentially a World War II action/drama. It is unlike any of the other superhero films we get every other month now, and I do respect it for being very different.

I did enjoy this movie quite a bit, and it is true entertainment. Chris Evans is a fantastic Captain America. . . in other movies. Red Skull is a very underrated villain in my opinion. Sure, he may be a one and done villain, but his presence in this movie was truly ominous and the threat was felt by the audience. The war action scenes are very well shot, and the origin story was handled well. However, after re-watching this film, Evans's acting is not very convincing, but it is great to see that in other movies where he was played the same role, there are much better displays of Evans's talent. 

Also, similarly to Thor, this film suffers from about a 20 minute long slump of where pretty much nothing happens. I believe that in film, there should not be a single second wasted where nothing of significance is happening. In the end, Captain America : The First Avenger handled the origin story well, and set up for a great addition into the Marvel universe, and does it while being a very enticing film.

16. The Amazing Spider-Man

Somehow I keep ending up talking about Spider-Man here, but bare with me, for this, and two more to come (there's five of 'em!). The Amazing Spider-Man has gotten more and more hate since it's 2012 release, when it was raved by many, being called much better than any of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies (which I humbly disagree to). Let's start with whats good.

 Same as it's sequel, the shining stars of this film are it's two leads. Garfield and Stone act very well and their romantic chemistry seems legitimate. While Garfield may not look like the nerdy outsider that Peter Parker is written to be, his acting capabilities embody this character, and I am sad that he could not be included in the MCU, because he is exceptional. (Side note : Garfield is actually a very underrated actor. I was astounded that he did not receive the nomination for Best Supporting Actor in The Social Network, and he is absolutely marvelous in 99 Homes, which deserves much more attention.)

The action was all great, and the Lizard was a serviceable villain. I really love the web shooters too, over the natural webbing in the original films. Also, this Spidey outfit is just so sleek and smooth, it is probably my favorite. However, this film follows so many of the similar beats as the 2002 Spider-Man, that it just feels like a worse version with a better look. It just focuses too much on setting up a franchise, with it's ending, than actually telling a compelling story. But this movie is still entertaining and I do enjoy watching it every now and then.

15. Iron Man 3

A large improvement over Iron Man 2, I actually enjoy this movie a lot more than others. A huge chunk of fans were severely disappointed at Iron Man 3 because of the twist that Ben Kingsley was not actually the Mandarin, and he was just a ploy. I thought it was a great twist and I was laughing really hard in the theater, but I can understand how some fans were really turned off because the trailer was very misleading. I think that Iron Man 3 is RDJ's best performance as Tony Stark, because it truly brings us to a new emotional level with the character who we know to be making jokes often. Guy Pearce, a surprise villain, was not terrible, but he was very forgetful, because everyone just remembers that we didn't get the Mandarin. The airplane sequence is one of my favorites in the Iron Man trilogy, and also the cream colored armor is my personal favorite armor. As funny as usual, as action-packed as usual, yet surprisingly emotional, Iron Man 3 is a true sequel to 2008's Iron Man. 

14. The Wolverine

I sometimes forget this movie exists, which is kind of strange, because it's pretty good. The art direction of this film is stunning, and the Japan setting works really well. Hugh Jackman is once again, to nobody's surprise, marvelous as Logan/Wolverine. The action is probably my favorite in an X-Men universe film, especially with the train sequence, which was shot impeccably in my opinion. The plot is something that I have never seen in a comic book before, but I am sure it is in one, because it is very unique from other films in the genre. I also surprisingly found myself laughing through out this film, due to some pretty comical writing (intentionally!). The Japanese actors used in this movie are also very well utilized and really add to the film. My only real complaint with The Wolverine is it's final half hour. It is incredibly cheesy, and adds a really strange villain which sort of messes up the whole emotional impact. It felt slightly cartoonish compared to the rest of the dark tone.

13. Avengers : Age of Ultron

I had a blast watching Avengers : Age of Ultron in theaters, so much that I did so twice. This movie is pure entertainment and I have watched it about five times now. I have not met many people who dislike this movie, but it has it's issues, nonetheless. First, let's do talk about the positive things here. 

To repeat myself, this movie is just so. much. fun. It has infinite rewatchability and almost anyone can enjoy at least some part of it. Second, the cast, not surprisingly. The stellar cast has great cohesion, and with such a large number of characters, I don't feel as if a single character was ignored heavily. Next, the humor. This movie is absolutely hilarious, as are most Marvel movies, but the scene involving the hammer lifting contest left me dying. 

Lastly, the character development for all the main Avengers, especially Stark, Banner, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, was surprising, considering the slightly overstuffed plot. With Stark, he is realizing the cost of the actions that heroes do, and he deeply regrets it, as we see a new layer from Stark, fresh off of Iron Man 3's surprising emotional pull. This was subtle yet well utilized set-up for Civil War. Banner and Widow both have nearly lost the ability to love due to the events of their past, and seeing two broken people learning to love each other was a nice addition, all be it a little cheesy. Hawkeye, the Avenger who is the target of most jokes, actually served a purpose, and seeing him as a husband and father was a novel idea that I commend the writers for including. Also, the CGI on Ultron-Bots looked far better than the Chitari army from the first movie. 

Speaking of Ultron, here we begin with the bad. Ultron in the (really freakin' good) trailers looked to be the most menacing villain the MCU has seen so far, with his Pinocchio references and such. But he fell flat to pretty much being a sassy robot with a big army, and I felt as if he was really under used. As you can see, starting from here, are not just the good movies, here begin the great movies!



Thank you if you actually read through this extremely wordy post!! Next week on Tuesday and Wednesday I will finish this list. Tomorrow I will try my best to get a "Trailer Talk" done, but I will be busy. It will likely be for "Sausage Party" or "Now You See Me 2"