Reflecting On: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008-2018)

Reflecting On…

The Marvel Cinematic Universe

With the much-anticipated Avengers: Infinity War coming out at the end of this month, it is almost time to mark the end of a decade of films (!) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When I stepped into the theater to watch Iron Man back in May of 2008, I never could have guessed I was watching the first chapter in a sprawling series of films that have defied all the odds and become among the regular highest-grossing films of every year. 

As time has passed, we’ve had some great entries in the series, some poor ones, and many surprising ones, but it seems people are mostly just concerned with “what’s next?” instead of reflecting back on what has come to pass. That’s understandable, as it seems these movies just keep getting better and better (plus anticipation for Infinity War has everyone asking a lot of questions), but for the moment, I’m going to look back on all 18 films released as of writing this, mainly because what I thought of them when I first saw them isn’t what I necessarily think of them now. 

Iron Man (2008): Sometimes it feels weird to go back to this first MCU film, what with the lack of other heroes showing up and Rhodes being played by Terrence Howard instead of Don Cheadle. But, it remains my favourite film in the whole series. I’ve seen it more times than any other (not just because it was the first), primarily because of the conservative-but-creative action scenes, the dialogue, and Robert Downey Jr. This isn’t one of those roles where the actor had to play it a few times before he really got into the character. Right out of the gate, Robert Downey Jr. IS Tony Stark, and he hasn’t done a bad job yet. Sure, there are some elements that would go on to become MCU conventions, like the villain being an imitation of the hero and not being a particularly strong piece of the story and being killed off at the end, but I find it more excusable here in the universe’s beginnings than in later entries (more on that to come). I don’t usually do ratings, but what the heck, I will just this time, to make for an easier comparison of my feelings on these films in relation to each other without having to be too long-winded.

Rating: 10/10.

The Incredible Hulk (2008): This is another weird one to go back to for similar reasons as Iron Man, but unlike the aforementioned film, I never really loved Incredible Hulk to begin with, so I don’t feel the need to go back and re-watch it. It’s still the only good standalone Hulk film (not saying a lot, since there’s only one other option), but it doesn’t have a lot of memorable character moments or action. It’s OK, but sort of feels inconsequential to the rest of the series, and mainly just served to reboot Hulk, but then when the role was recast from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo, it didn’t really matter anymore, did it? I still like General Ross and the final action scene between Hulk and Abomination, but a lot of the movie is forgettable. 

Rating: 6.5/10.

Iron Man 2 (2010): Here’s another one that suffers from problems similar to Incredible Hulk: forgettable villain, forgettable action scenes, largely inconsequential to the overall universe of films. But, what saves it from being a totally inferior sequel to what was already such an incredible first film is, of course, Robert Downey Jr. He’s worth seeing even in an average MCU film like this, and it wasn’t completely inconsequential to future films, as it did introduce us to Black Widow. Again, not awful, but definitely below par. 

Rating: 6/10.

Thor (2011): I never thought a Thor movie could work, but the origin story for the God of Thunder turned out to be…decent. I was so surprised by it the first time that I found I really enjoyed it, but upon repeat viewings and comparisons to later Thor appearances, this first film is sort of average. Again, a less-than-compelling villain in the form of the frost giants and the destroyer, but we get our first look at Loki and the conflict he brings to the MCU—certainly a highlight of the film, among a few others. It has some fun moments, some decent action, and makes Thor surprisingly grounded. Well, as grounded as you can make a Norse God with a giant hammer who fights monsters, anyway. 

Rating: 7/10. 

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011): I’ve always felt pretty lukewarm on this one, but it actually held up better upon repeat viewings than I anticipated. Red Skull is an OK villain, but Chris Evans did a great job as Cap, especially considering he had to make us forget about him as another Marvel hero (luckily for him we all have forgotten by now). The World War II setting makes it feel different enough and stand on its own that while not especially unique as an origin story, it’s still reasonably entertaining, and sets up enough important characters and events for later films that it still feels relevant to revisit. 

Rating: 7.5/10.

The Avengers (2012): Unlike some other high-profile MCU entries, this one was great then, and it’s still great now. The storylines of all the heroes blended together to make a uniquely exciting, funny, and epic superhero film that was a serious game-changer. Watching it again today, it’s funny to find it weirdly slow-paced compared to later films, but I still love the story and the way the characters interact. The events, too, echo far into all future films to come, but seeing the events that really kicked off this universe of united heroes is still compelling. The Avengers never gets old. 

Rating: 9.5/10.

Iron Man 3 (2013): Coming off the huge success of The Avengers, it seemed the possibilities were endless for the MCU, and the trailer for Iron Man 3 made it look like it might actually be as good as the first Iron Man. Unfortunately, the trailer was a bit misleading. Iron Man 3 is a bit of an oddball film in the series. Is it better or worse than Iron Man 2? When I first saw it, I didn’t think it was as good, but upon repeat viewing, I admire some of the risks taken, such as making The Mandarin a red herring and featuring Tony Stark outside of his iron suit significantly more than on the inside. But, it still is inferior in comparison to Iron Man and The Avengers. It’s an alright sequel, but not something I want to go back and watch over and over. 

Rating: 7/10.

Thor: The Dark World (2013): When I first saw the second Thor film, I thought it was actually better than the first, because it was funnier and had less earthbound action. Oh, how my opinion has since changed. Thor: The Dark World is easily my least-favourite entry in the MCU so far. Almost nothing that happens in it has any consequence on future films. In fact, by the end, all that has been accomplished is establishing one of the infinity stones, and leaving Loki on the throne in Asgard to set up a sequel we wouldn’t get for four years. The visual effects are average, the story is blah, the Marvel tropes are in full force (trying too hard with the humour, utterly forgettable villain, a character dies but then isn’t dead by the end), and it’s mostly just boring. The only thing that saves it is Loki, but even he can’t bring this dull sequel to a place of re-watchability.  

Rating: 5/10.

Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014): By this point, Marvel’s Phase Two had to start stepping things up. After two sequels that had failed to live up to the originals, I was ready to be blown away by the second solo Captain America film, but while pretty much everyone else loved it, I found it was…OK. Strangely enough, it seems I like this movie more every time I re-watch it. I still have a couple fundamental problems with it, but generally speaking, just as an action film, it’s very well made. The action is swift, fun, and not overly cgi, the characters are all as interesting as they can be, and it has serious stakes. As more and more MCU films come out, some of the older ones become less relevant, but Winter Soldier remains one of the best.

Rating: 9/10.

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): Remember when everyone thought this movie was going to suck? A weird bunch of aliens and Chris Pratt bumbling about in space making a bunch of jokes? How could this team movie be anywhere as good as The Avengers? Well, I still think Guardians is better than The Avengers. I find it’s funnier, weirder, has even more heart, and there’s just something about it that I find comforting. Aside from the first Iron Man, I have watched the first Guardians more times than any other MCU film, and I still love it as much as I did the first time I saw it. 

Rating: 9.5/10.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): The second Avengers film will be remembered, I think, as one of the most-anticipated films of the decade. The trailers were bombastic, the villain looked terrifying, the number of characters was staggering, and the whole thing just looked poised to be one of those sequels that’s better than the original. I walked out of the theater certain Age of Ultron was as good as the original, with a tiny voice in the back of my mind telling me I was wrong. I went back and saw it again, and noticed a lot of things I didn’t like…then when I saw it a third time, I noticed many things I didn’t like. With movies (especially sequels) as big as these, fans can swing to great extremes with their reactions. “I love it, it’s the best MCU film ever.” “I hate it, it’s one of the worst Marvel films yet.” Now that all the dust has settled, I can safely say Age of Ultron is average. It has some really great action, some fun character moments, and plenty of important events that reverberate through Phase Three, but in the end, it’s just all too much for one movie. There are too many characters, too much cgi, and too much going on. Characters get short-changed, and too much time is spent in places we don’t need to be (ahem, the farm?) but the most disappointing thing for me was the waste of a great villain. Age of Ultron is adequate, but a far cry from the perfection that is the first Avengers team-up. 

Rating: 7/10. 

Ant-Man (2015): We go from the biggest Marvel movie so far to the smallest (in a sense). Ant-Man was, like Guardians of the Galaxy, seemingly destined to suck. But, the movie pokes fun at itself and has the typical good-natured feel to it, with that accessible humour and charming lead, so it was embraced. In the end, I found Ant-Man to be enjoyable enough. Sure, it stands well enough on its own, but when I think back to past MCU films, it really doesn’t stand out as one I want to watch again. The miniature action scenes are all worth seeing at least once, but the rest of it? Reasonably fun, I guess, but there are other Marvel movies I’d rather return to before this one. Still, it’s competent enough that, in the overall MCU, I’d give it a tiny leg up on its predecessor, Age of Ultron. 

Rating: 7.5/10. 

Captain America: Civil War (2016): Marvel’s Phase Two started the way Phase One started, with an Iron Man film, which was fine, but they weren’t messing around with Phase Three. This time, it was beginning with a film that was as much an Iron Man film as it was a Captain America film (which makes me still think they should have just called it Marvel’s Civil War instead but whatever). This was a very anticipated sequel—partly following up Winter Soldier, partly following up Age of Ultron—and unlike previously-anticipated MCU films, it actually delivered on what the trailers promised: seeing the avengers team pulled apart and heroes battling each other. The pace is quick, the action is epic and memorable, but it’s in the quieter moments between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers that really make the movie rise above just being another superhero team film. Somehow, it accomplished nearly everything, from rebooting Spider-Man (again) to introducing Black Panther to delivering a decent villain. 

Rating: 9.5/10. 

Doctor Strange (2016): The one thing Doctor Strange had going for it was it looked to be completely different from Civil War, so it wouldn’t be compared too closely to Civil War and therefore feel inferior to what had turned out to be one of the best MCU films yet. Doctor Strange was a visual feast of bizarre-but-fun action and special effects, and it had all the usual Marvel attractions: charismatic lead, humour, inventive action scenes. However, it went a bit far with the humour, and when I watched it again at home, it lost some of its grandeur being on a smaller screen, and not in 3D. The story is decent, but unfortunately, the visuals were the main attraction. It did a good job of setting up the character and a new corner of the MCU, but as a standalone film, it’s as close to being average as it is being great. 

Rating: 8/10. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): Based on all the promotional material, Guardians 2 looked like it had to be great. How could it not be? It was the same team as before, plus Kurt Russel was in it, plus there were even more crazy aliens and other planets (not to mention the character everyone was instantly in love with, Baby Groot). I like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But I don’t think there’s much to the argument that the first one is better, even though I highly debated which one was better when it first came out. Even though it kind of does what most great sequels do, which is go deeper into the characters, that only works to a point. The story is less interesting, and the humour feels too forced compared to the first time, where it felt funny without trying too hard to be funny. What ultimately saves it from falling into averageness like Age of Ultron, though, is the fairly tight focus on the characters throughout, and making us care about a blue-skinned alien with a Mohawk more than we should. 

Rating: 8/10. 

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): It had literally been years since a good Spider-Man film, and the trailers didn’t inspire much hope. But what did inspire hope was this: Spidey was finally home at Marvel, and if anyone could spin a good yarn about the web slinger, this was the best shot. And thankfully, Homecoming delivered. No, it’s not an origin story, nor is it a team film, it’s pretty much a high school teen comedy…but it’s also a Spider-Man movie. I wouldn’t say it’s better than Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man or Spider-Man 2, but looking at it in the context of the MCU, it’s definitely one of the best. I’ve seen it three times as of writing this, and it lost none of the entertainment value with subsequent viewings. Even outside of the context of MCU films, just looking at it as a superhero movie in general, it’s still exceptional. 

Rating: 10/10. 

Thor: Ragnarok (2017): Could it be, Marvel plays a perfect game in 2017, and delivers three home runs in one year? Well, Homecoming may have been, though I wouldn’t call Guardians 2 a homerun—a solid hit, sure—but the third Thor film was without a doubt a homerun. What an insanely fun, odd, and heartfelt space adventure. Thor came a long way from his first film. Is it an especially unique superhero film? Perhaps not. But it has so many memorable moments that I can’t fault it for much. Mainly, I just wanted to see a fun Thor movie that wasn’t dumb, and that’s exactly what it is. It builds so well on everything that came before it, that if you look at it in that way, it is actually pretty unique. 

Rating: 9.5/10. 

Black Panther (2018): At this point, everyone is just anticipating Avengers: Infinity War. But hey, Black Panther was cool in Civil War; a whole movie about him and his home country of Wakanda could be cool, right? Everyone else seemed to think so. But I thought Black Panther was incredibly average. It wasn’t bad—the villain was compelling, which is always a plus with Marvel—but the action was uninteresting, the characters were stoic and dull, the visuals were bland, and it didn’t have many memorable moments, for me. This is an early reaction, of course, but I doubt my opinion will change much in the future. I can’t see this being a movie I want to revisit.

Rating: 6.5/10. 

So there you have it, my own personal recap of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so far. Infinity War will arrive soon, and you can bet I’ll reviewing it as soon as I get a chance to see it, so stay tuned!