Marvel's Movies Rated (So Far)

   My friends were debating how we rate the Marvel movies. We never agree with the posted lists (and on the Internet, there are many lists to choose from), so we decided to make our own lists - and here's mine. 

   Your mileage may vary, but here's how I rate the Marvel Studios movies: 

17. The Incredible Hulk - Shaky CGI, a blah story and a mindless slugfest at the end. Not terrible, but not great.

16. Iron Man 2 - This one had lots of potential and some nice moments, but the resolution was weak.

15. Iron Man 3 - Only marginally better than the second IM film. As much as I like Ben Kingsley, he was largely wasted here for a gag.

14. Thor 2: The Dark World - Pretty bleak, with some solid Thor / Loki moments. The bad guy was forgettable (and a waste of a terrific actor).

13. Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 - Its only real sin was not being as good as the excellent first film. And Mantis was largely wasted.

12. Ant-Man - I enjoyed this one a lot - the second-funniest Marvel film yet. 

11. Doctor Strange - Again, I liked it a lot, but it suffered a bit from origin-itis. Lots of ground to cover.

10. Spider-Man: Homecoming - Love Holland in the role, it was lots of fun, but maybe needed a little less Tony Stark content.

9. Thor - This one has some shaky moments, but seeing the pantheon brought to life (including Odin, the Warriors Three, Sif, Loki and the Destroyer) and the redemption / resurrection sequence - all added up to a solid favorite for me.

8. Avengers: Age of Ultron - There's a lot to like here, but it was a just a bit too bloated and dark to meet expectations. Still, lots of awesome.

7. Thor: Ragnarok - A fun romp but a lot of death for a movie that's supposed to be funny.

6. Captain America: The First Avenger - A terrific period piece and a really strong film. Loved it, and whooped aloud when the Howlers appeared.

5. Captain America: Winter Soldier - A heck of a political thriller - a solid story and some great twists. Shows why Cap is Marvel Studio's greatest hero.

4. Iron Man - A wonderful self-contained gem that gave the whole Marvel movie monster its start. (If you love Marvel's movies, remember this: if this film had flopped, we probably wouldn't have seen any more of them.)

3. Captain America: Civil War - Heroes duking it out (with good cause), some genuine surprises and Ant-Man turning into Giant-Man (which also got a whoop out of me). 

2. Guardians of the Galaxy - Just a heck of a romp from beginning to end - you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll believe a raccoon can fly! Great soundtrack!

1. The Avengers - A near-perfect superhero film, with amazing battles, lots of humor and action, characters you care about, and a powerful finish. Best use of the Hulk (although Ragnarok may get the title now) - love the "I'm always angry" sequence - and the final confrontation with Loki and the Hulk. 

Posted in: Reviews