The Infinity Saga
Rating: 8.2
1. Ironman
Minor Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Solid Character Design
Ironman's Mark 1 Armor
Ironman's Mark III Armor
Ironmonger
-Solid Superhero Origin Storytelling
Tony Stark
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Captain America Shield Easter Egg
Nick Fury Post Credit Scene
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Standout Performance
Robert Downey Jr.'s Performance As Tony Stark/Ironman
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Exceptional Character Debut
Tony Stark/Ironman
-Highly Climactic Ending
Tony Stark's Public Identity Reveal
Minor Negatives:
-Underwhelming Villain
Obadiah Stane (Primary Villain)
-Terrible Villain
Raza (Side Villain)
Major Negatives:
N/A
2. The Incredible Hulk
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Lou Ferrigno Cameo
Tony Stark Cameo
Hulk Yelling "Hulk Smash"
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
Major Positives:
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Highly Entertaining Action
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
Abomination
-Shaky Production Values
A few scenes where the CGI animation on the Hulk and Abomination didn't quite look as consistently good
-Underwhelming Conclusion To A Character
Abomination
Major Negatives:
N/A
3. Iron Man 2
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Nick Fury's Teases of Other Characters
Thor's Hammer Post Credit Scene
-Soundtrack
-Solid Character Design
Ironman's Mark IV Armor
War Machine Armor
Whiplash's Monaco Battle Attire
Whiplash's Final Armor
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
Ironman Suitcase Suit Transformation Scene
-Solid Performance
Sam Rockwell As Justin Hammer
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Black Widow
-Entertaining Character
Justin Hammer
Major Positives:
-Exceptional Character Design
Ironman's Mark V Armor ("Suitcase Suit")
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Standout Performance
Robert Downey Jr.'s Performance As Tony Stark/Ironman
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Fan Service
Captain America Shield Easter Egg
-Key Action Scenes Cut Too Short
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
Tony Stark's Alcoholism
Major Negatives:
-Disappointing Fight Scene
Ironman & War Machine Vs. Whiplash
-Underwhelming Conclusion To A Character
Whiplash
-Underwhelming Villain
Whiplash
-Disorderly Storytelling Direction
-Below Expectations
4. Thor
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Infinity Gauntlet Easter Egg
Hawkeye Cameo
Stan Lee Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Thor Battle Armor
Loki Battle Armor
Odin
Heimdall
Fandral
Destroyer
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Solid Performance
Tom Hiddleston As Loki
-Solid Villain
Loki
-World Building
Major Positives:
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
Asgard Sequences
Jotunheim Sequences
Minor Negatives:
-Weak Visual Direction
Mostly Everything Taking Place On Earth
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
-Cringeworthy Comedy
-Forceful Romance
5. Captain America: The First Avenger
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Stan Lee Cameo
Nick Fury Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Captain America's War Suit
Red Skull
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
Period Piece Invoking Visual Direction
-Solid Performance
Dominic Cooper As Howard Stark
-Solid Character Debut
Steve Rogers/Captain America
-World Building
-Solid Superhero Origin Storytelling
Steve Rogers/Captain America
Major Positives:
-Highly Climactic Ending
Steve's Sacrifice Ends The War & Is Remembered
Post Credit Scene: Steve Rogers' Modern Day Revelation
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Hydra
Major Negatives:
N/A
6. The Avengers
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Thanos Post-Credit Scene
Stark Tower Later Only Sporting An "A" In The Name Teasing Avengers Tower
Stan Lee Cameo
-Soundtrack
-Solid Character Design
Ironman's Mark VI
Ironman's Mark VII Armor
Thor Battle Armor
Loki Battle Armor
Chitauri Leviathan
-Horror Visual Direction
Bruce Transforming Into The Hulk & Chasing Natasha
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Performance
Tom Hiddleston As Loki
-Entertaining Character
Loki
-Solid Villain
Loki
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Previous Movie Characters Crossing Over & Interacting For The First Time
Entire Battle of New York Segment
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
Chitauri Entering Through Wormhole
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
The Avengers Vs. Loki's Army
-Standout Performance
Robert Downey Jr.'s Performance As Tony Stark/Ironman
-Strong Cast Overall
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Exceeding Expectations
Action & Crossover Elements
Successfully Establishing The Concept of A Cinematic Universe
-Gold Standard Comic Book Movie
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
Captain America Suit
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Chitauri
Major Negatives:
N/A
Phase 2
Rating: 9
7. Iron Man 3
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Bruce Banner Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Ironman Mark XLII Armor
Iron Patriot Armor
Iron Legion Armors
-Solid Cinematic Direction
-Creative Battle
Tony's Final Battle With Aldridge Killian
-Decent Comedy
-Decent Romantic Component
Tony Stark & Pepper Pots Relationship
-Solid Performance
Ben Kingsley's Performance As The Fake Mandarin
Major Positives:
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Tony Stark Vs. Aldridge Killian
-Standout Performance
Robert Downey Jr. As Tony Stark/Ironman
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Highly Entertaining Character
Tony Stark/Ironman
-Excellent Character Writing
Tony Stark/Ironman
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Tony Stark's PTSD From The Avengers Events Leading To His Obsession-Centered Downfall & Self-Discovery Rebirth
Minor Negatives:
-Underwhelming Villain
Extremis Soldiers
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Villain
Aldridge Killian
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
A villain identity plot twist reveals Ben Kingsley's Mandarin to be a goofy actor decoy resulting in Aldridge Killian being the true main villain. This was essentially a subversion of expectations gag that lead to an awful villain replacement as opposed to what could've been a highly impactful dramatic twist.
8. Thor: The Dark World
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Loki Turning Into Captain America As An Illusion
-Solid Character Design
Thor Battle Armor
Loki Battle Attire
Odin
Heimdall
Asgardian Soldiers
Dark Elves
Fandral
-Overall Solid Action
-Entertaining Character
Loki
-World Building
Major Positives:
-Exceptional Character Design
Kursed Dark Elf Warrior
Kurse
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Standout Performance
Tom Hiddleston As Loki
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
Thor & Loki's Interaction
Minor Negatives:
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
-Slightly Forceful Romance
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Villain
Malekith
-Forgettable
9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Stephen Strange Namedrop
Bruce Banner Namedrop
-Solid Character Design
Captain America's New Suit
Captain America's Old War Suit
Winter Soldier
-Strong Cast Overall
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Sam Wilson/The Falcon
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
Winter Soldier Theme
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Captain America Vs. The Winter Soldier
-Excellent Character Writing
-Exceptional Villain
The Winter Soldier
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Strong Storytelling Elements
-Exceeding Expectations
Cinematic Action Direction
Dramatic Plot Twists
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Tonal Direction
Arnim Zola's AI Interaction
-Slightly Wasted Potential
Presenting Winter Soldier History Flashbacks
Major Negatives:
N/A
10. Guardians of the Galaxy
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Cosmo the Space Dog Cameo
Howard the Duck Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Star Lord
Groot
Rocket Raccoon
Thanos
-Solid Performance
Josh Brolin As Thanos
-Solid Superhero Origin Storytelling
The Guardians of the Galaxy
-Solid Ending
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Comedic
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Exceptional Character Debut
The Guardians of the Galaxy
-Highly Entertaining Character
Star Lord
Rocket Raccoon
Groot
Drax
-World Building
Minor Negatives:
-Underwhelming Villain
Ronan The Accuser
Major Negatives:
N/A
11. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Ensemble Hero Shot During Von Strucker Base Attack
Wakanda Namedrop
Stan Lee Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Ironman Mark XLIII Armor
Ironman Mark XLV Armor
Ironman "Hulkbuster" Armor
War Machine Armor
Thor Battle Armor
Captain America's New Suit
Ultron's First Physical Body (Broken Form)
Ultron Sentry
Vision
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Performance
James Spader As Ultron
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Wanda Maximoff
Vision
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Previous Movie Characters Crossing Over & Interacting
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
Tony's Nightmare Vision
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Standout Performance
Robert Downey Jr.'s Performance As Tony Stark/Ironman
-Strong Cast Overall
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Highly Entertaining Character
Tony Stark/Ironman
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Creative Writing
The Vision & Ultron's Final Interaction About Mankind
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
Ultron's Final Form
-Disappointing Fight Scene
Hulkbuster Armor Vs. Hulk
Avengers Vs. Ultron (Final Battle)
-Underwhelming Conclusion To A Character
Quicksilver's Anti-Climactic Death
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Ultron
-Questionable False Advertising
Impactful Trailer Moments & Lines That Felt Jarringly Absent From The Movie
-Below Expectations
Highly Advertised Fight Scene (Hulkbuster Armor Vs. Hulk)
Major Negatives:
-Lackluster Storytelling
Ultron's Grand Agenda
-Questionable Tonal Direction
Ultron's Sinister Presence From The Marketing Vs. The Movie's More Sarcastic, Quippy Version
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
Ultron's Formidable & Menacing Character Evolution In Addition To His Global Threat Direction
12. Ant-Man
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Yellowjacket Suit
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Performance
Paul Rudd's Comedic Performance As Scott Lang
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Scott Lang/Ant-Man
-Entertaining Character
Luis
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Falcon Cameo
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Creative Visual Direction
Miniature Action Scenes
Subatomic Scene
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Creative Battle
Ant-Man Vs. Yellow Jacket (Final Battle)
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Forceful Romance
-Underwhelming Villain
Yellowjacket
Major Negatives:
N/A
Phase 3
Rating: 8.4
13. Captain America: Civil War
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Comic Book Visual Easter Egg: Ant-Man Hanging Onto Hawkeye's Arrow
-Solid Character Design
Ironman Mark XLVI Armor
War Machine Armor
Captain America's New Suit
Falcon New Suit
Black Panther Suit
Wanda's Battle Attire
-Strong Cast Overall
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Previous Movie Characters Crossing Over & Interacting
Comic Book Visual Easter Egg: Ironman Blasting Captain America's Shield from Marvel's Civil War
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Steve & Bucky Vs. Tony
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Exceptional Character Debut
Black Panther
Spider-Man
-Entertaining Character
Spider-Man
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Strong Storytelling Elements
The Past Actions of Heroes Coming Back To Haunt Them
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
A Couple of Ironman & Spider-Man CGI Suit Scenes Looked Inconsistent In Quality From The Others
-Disappointing Fight Scene
The Airport Battle
The big airport battle scene between the heroes, though as highly entertaining as it was on the surface to see these characters clash onscreen, felt severely lacking in its dramatic impact. Considering the monumental stakes that are supposedly involved surrounding these characters' objectives and motivations, this felt more like a light disagreement or a sparring match as opposed to a "civil war". A watered down version of how things reasonably should've played out.
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Zemo
-Questionable Tonal Direction
Airport Battle Conflict
-Lacking In Dramatic Impact
Airport Battle Conflict
Major Negatives:
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
Marvel's Civil War
14. Doctor Strange
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Stan Lee Cameo
Post-Credit Thor Ragnarok Tease
-Solid Character Design
Doctor Strange Sorcerer Attire
-Overall Solid Action
-Creative Battle
Astral Projection Battle In Hospital
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Performance
Benedict Cumberbatch As Stephen Strange
-Solid Character Debut
Stephen Strange
-Solid Superhero Origin Storytelling
-Creative Writing
Doctor Strange Using Time To Defeat Dormammu
Major Positives:
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
Doctor Strange's Dimension Hopping Experience
Mirror Dimension Imagery
Dormammu's Design
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Creative Battle
Mirror Dimension Chase
Time Reversal Battle
Doctor Strange Vs. Dormammu
-World Building
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Kaecilius
Dormammu
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
-Lacking In Dramatic Impact
Stephen Strange & Christine's Romantic Drama Story
15. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Watchers Cameo With Stan Lee
Howard The Duck Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Star Lord
Rocket Raccoon
Ayesha
-Creative Battle
Battle With Abilisk
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Comedic
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Highly Entertaining Character
Star Lord
Rocket Raccoon
Groot
Drax
-World Building
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Ego
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
-Questionable Tonal Direction
A Few Comedic Bits That Felt Unnecessarily Inserted Contrasting With Strong Dramatic Moments
16. Spider-Man: Homecoming
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Ultron Head Easter Egg
Prowler & Miles Morales Easter Egg Via Aaron Davis
Iron Spider Suit
Scorpion Easter Egg
Comic Book Visual Easter Egg: The Amazing Spider-Man #33 Cover
-Solid Character Design
Ironman Mark XLVII Armor
Vulture Suit
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Overall Solid Action
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Performance
Tom Holland As Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Michael Keaton As Vulture
-Solid Character Debut
Vulture
M.J.
-Solid Villain
Vulture
-Creative Writing
Using leftover tech from the Chitauri invasion in the first Avengers movie to be retrofitted weapons and gear for Vulture's team is a brilliant way to create some of this universe's Spider-Man rogues gallery.
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Captain America PSA Videos
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
A Couple of Spider-Man's CGI Suit Scenes
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
N/A
17. Thor: Ragnarok
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Beta Ray Bill Easter Egg
-Soundtrack
-Solid Performance
Cate Blanchett As Hela
-Entertaining Character
Thor
Korg
The Grand Master
-Solid Villain
Hela
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Thor Vs. Gladiator Hulk
Thor Fully Embracing His Power To Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
Doctor Strange Cameo
-Exceptional Character Design
Hela
Surtur
Fenris
Army of the Dead
Asgardian Suits
Champion Hulk
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
Valkyrie's Flashback Imagery of Hela's Attack
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Comedic
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-World Building
Minor Negatives:
-Disappointing Fight Scene
Thor Vs. Hulk
As much fun as it was to see these heroes clash it out in a coliseum off world, I did find it a bit disappointing that they had to make the Hulk cheat in order to win. Knowing what we do about the Hulk's general nature at that point as a raging monster powerhouse and Thor's god-like power, this should've been one of Marvel's most extensively intense and epic battles to date that should've stretched out each hero's capabilities like never before. Instead, they just smack each other around with inserted humor then the Grandmaster tasers Thor leading to Hulk's victory. It just felt a little underwhelming with that being the conclusion.
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Surtur
Major Negatives:
-Questionable Tonal Direction
Fully Comedic Narrative of Sakarr w/ Dramatic Narrative of Asgard
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
Planet Hulk
-Lacking In Dramatic Impact
Thor's Confrontation with Hela & The Ragnarok Event
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
1. Hela Representing Thor's Dark Family History & Surtur Representing Asgard's Doom
2. Thor Ragnarok could have been two separate movies. One being an epic sci-fi/fantasy drama Thor sequel leaning on Asgard's apocalypse & Thor's family history controversy. The other movie could've been a fun & vibrant Planet Hulk movie set primarily on Sakarr building up Banner and Hulk's relationship dynamic while showing him survive and gradually rise up as a champion on this alien world embracing a new home.
18. Black Panther
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Bucky Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Black Panther's 1st Suit
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Overall Solid Action
-Strong Cast Overall
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Villain
Erik Killmonger
-Solid Ending
-Solid Character Debut
Shuri
Okoye
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Exceptional Character Design
Wakandan Resident Outfits
Killmonger Suit
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Wakandan War
-World Building
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
Final Battle Between Black Panther & Killmonger
CGI Rhinos
-Underwhelming Fight Scene
Final Battle Between Black Panther & Killmonger
Major Negatives:
N/A
19. Avengers: Infinity War
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Red Skull Cameo
Stan Lee Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Thanos
The Black Order
Ironman Mark L Armor
Ironman Mark XLVIII Armor (Hulkbuster 2.0)
War Machine Armor
Iron Spider Suit
Captain America Suit
Falcon's Suit
Vision
Black Panther's Suit
Doctor Strange
Wanda
-Entertaining Character
Drax
Peter Parker/Spider-Man
-Solid Villain
The Black Order
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Previous Movie Characters Crossing Over & Interacting
Steve Appearing In Train Station With Avengers Theme
-Soundtrack
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
The Avengers & Wakandans Vs. Thanos & His Army
-Creative Battle
Thanos Vs. Doctor Strange
-Highly Comedic
-Strong Cast Overall
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Exceptional Villain
Thanos
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-World Building
-Strong Storytelling Elements
-Highly Climactic Ending
-Exceeding Expectations
Action, Villain Establishing, & Crossover Elements
-Gold Standard Comic Book Movie
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
Thanos & Ironman Looks Slightly Artificial During Only A Couple of Moments
-Underwhelming Conclusion To A Character
Ebony Maw
-Questionable Character Absence
The Hulk
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
Star Lord messing up the team’s grasp on Thanos as they attempt to remove the gauntlet despite it supposedly being his master plan to strategically trap Thanos and disarm him. Meanwhile Doctor Strange never attempts to simply use his sorcery to chop off Thanos's hand while he's under Mantis's trance. I think this could've been avoided with a few little changes such as Thanos, showing formidable willpower still managing to use one of the stones while under the trance to keep Strange at bay as the team struggles to pull it off and Mantis's grasp loosening much more quickly without Star Lord's mistake playing into it.
-Questionable Tonal Direction
A Few Comedic Bits That Felt Unnecessarily Inserted Contrasting With Strong Dramatic Moments
-Questionable False Advertising
A Couple of Trailer Moments & Lines That Felt Missing From The Movie
Major Negatives:
N/A
20. Ant-Man and the Wasp
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Ghost Suit
-Overall Solid Action
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Performance
Paul Rudd's Comedic Performance As Scott Lang
Major Positives:
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Creative Visual Direction
Miniature Action Scenes
Ghost's Phasing Condition
Quantum Realm Imagery
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Ghost
-Terrible Villain
Sonny Burch
-Slightly Lackluster Storytelling
Major Negatives:
-Forgettable
21. Captain Marvel
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Coulson's Guest Appearance
Avengers Initiative Easter Egg
-Solid Character Design
Captain Marvel's 1st Time Binary Form
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-World Building
Major Positives:
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
Minor Negatives:
-Lackluster Action
-Underwhelming Fight Scene
Final Confrontation Between Carol & Yon-Rogg
-Questionable Performance
Brie Larson As Captain Marvel
-Slightly Underwhelming Character Debut
Captain Marvel
-Terrible Villain
Yon-Rogg
Super Intelligence
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
1. It would've benefited to see more Kree missions with Danvers in the beginning taking on various Skrulls in different scenarios before she crashes down to Earth. Carol's mission with Starforce was the most engaging part of the film as it completely immersed the audience into this new world and conflict and could've expanded more on Carol's life as a super weapon Kree soldier.
2. Shapeshifters, government conspiracy, memory manipulation, character moral dilemmas, and alien faction wars are all compelling individual elements that can be found in this movie and yet the movie as a whole still falls a little flat which is baffling.
22. Avengers: Endgame
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Jarvis Cameo From Agent Carter
Younger Hank Pym Cameo
Peggy Carter Cameo
-Soundtrack
-Solid Character Design
Ironman Mark LXXXV Armor
War Machine Suit
Iron Spider Suit
Captain America Suit
Falcon
Black Panther
Doctor Strange
Wanda
Thanos
The Black Order
Rocket Raccoon
-Decent Romantic Component
Tony Stark & Pepper Pots
Steve Rogers & Peggy Carter
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Solid Villain
The Black Order
-Solid Enough Storytelling Elements
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Captain America Lifting Mjolnir
Portals Scene & Final Battle Against Thanos & His Army
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Avengers Vs. Thanos & His Army
-Strong Cast Overall
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Highly Climactic Ending
-Exceeding Expectations
Scope of Action
Crossover Elements
-Gold Standard Comic Book Movie
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
A Rat Accidentally Rescues Scott From The Quantum Realm?
Time Heist Fails Due To A Hulk Staircase Gag
All Female Heroes Line Up Together For No Apparent Reason Once Captain Marvel Acquires The Gauntlet
-Slightly Lackluster Storytelling
Time Travel Heist
-Questionable Tonal Direction
A Few Comedic Bits That Felt Unnecessarily Inserted Contrasting With Strong Dramatic Moments
Major Negatives:
N/A
23. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Mysterio's Ironman Illusion
Peter Improvising Weapons That Reflect The Avengers
Skrulls Cameo
Jonah Jameson Cameo Post Credit Scene
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Horror Visual Direction
Zombie Ironman Illusion
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Performance
Tom Holland As Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Jake Gyllenhaal As Mysterio
-Solid Villain
Mysterio
-Creative Writing
Retrofitting the therapy hologram tech that Tony Stark presented in Civil War as Mysterio's illusion tech in addition to bringing back an ex Stark employee from Ironman 1 was a clever way of creating the MCU's Mysterio. Having it be a team of people who are against Stark that creates this villain together as a high-tech production crew is quite imaginative.
Major Positives:
-Exceptional Character Design
Mysterio Suit
-Creative Visual Direction
Spiderman's First Fight With Mysterio's Illusions
-Creative Battle
Spiderman's First Fight With Mysterio's Illusions
Peter Using Spider Sense To Fight Through Mysterio's Final Illusion
Minor Negatives:
N/A
Major Negatives:
N/A
The Multiverse Saga
Rating: TBA
Phase 4
24. WandaVision
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Even Peter's Initial Guest Appearance As Pietro
Comic Book Accurate Costume Easter Eggs (Scarlet Witch, Vision, Quicksilver)
Various MCU References
-Solid Character Design
Vision
Ep. 9 - Scarlet Witch Outfit
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Decent Romantic Component
-Solid Performance
Kathryn Hahn As Agatha Harkness
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Agatha Harkness
-Entertaining Character
Agatha Harkness
-Solid Villain
Agatha Harkness
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Creative Visual Direction
Sitcom TV Visual Influences
-Creative Battle
Vision Vs. White Vision
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
Ep. 8 - Wanda and Vision Talk About Grief
-Excellent Character Writing
Ep. 8 - Wanda's Journey Towards Becoming The Scarlet Witch
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Ep. 8 - Wanda's Journey Towards Becoming The Scarlet Witch
-Creative Writing
Sitcom TV Influence Parallels
TV Commercials That Insert Hidden Narrative Meanings
Ep. 5 - Agatha Asking Wanda If She Wants To Redo A Scene
Ep. 5 - Wanda Using Closing Credits To Avoid An Argument With Vision
Vision Vs. White Vision
-Gold Standard Episode of Comic Book TV Series
Ep. 8
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Fan Service
Pietro Casting Twist Eventually Being A Simple Comedic Subversion Gag
-Slightly Wasted Potential
Injecting More Horror Into The Series Via Cthon Or Any Other Logical Evil Entity From Marvel Comics
Major Negatives:
-Disappointing Fight Scene
Wanda Vs. Agatha
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
Ep. 9 - Wanda Leaving Town With A Lacking Sense of Consequence
25. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Zemo Briefly Wearing His Comic Book Mask
-Soundtrack
"You're Free"
-Solid Character Design
Zemo's Full Masked Attire
Sam's Captain America Suit
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Solid Villain
Baron Zemo
Major Positives:
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Excellent Character Writing
Sam Wilson
Bucky Barnes
-Strong Storytelling Elements
The Legacy of Captain America's Shield & The Super Soldier Serum
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
The Flag Smashers
John Walker
-Questionable Tonal Direction
A Few Scenes Where The Comedic Banter Felt Forced In
Major Negatives:
-Disorderly Storytelling Direction
The Flag Smasher's Agenda & Power Broker Narrative
26. Loki Season 1
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
All Comic Book Easter Eggs Showing Up In The Void
-Solid Character Design
Loki Variants
Miss Minutes
-Overall Solid Action
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
TVA Design
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Standout Performance
Tom Hiddleston As Loki
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Excellent Character Writing
Loki
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-World Building
-Strong Storytelling Elements
-Creative Writing
Loki & Mobius's Deep Discussions About His Character
-Highly Climactic Ending
Ep. 6
-Gold Standard Episode of Comic Book TV Series
Ep. 1
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
Timekeepers Interaction Scene
-Questionable Performance
Jonathan Majors As He Who Remains
Major Negatives:
N/A
27. Black Widow
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Taskmaster's Mimicry of Avengers-Related Moves
-Solid Character Design
Taskmaster
-Overall Solid Action
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Red Guardian
Yelena
Major Positives:
N/A
Minor Negatives:
-Lackluster Action
-Underwhelming Villain
Taskmaster
-Terrible Villain
General Dreykov
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
Taskmaster's Characterization
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
Taskmaster Is Never Fully Utilized To Their Full Potential Ability-Wise For Action Scenes
The Black Widow Program Lore & Family Circle History Felt Watered Down
28. What If...? Season 1
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Ep. 1 - Captain Carter
Ep. 1 - Hydra Stomper
Ep. 2 - The Collector
Ep. 4 - Mystical Creatures That Strange Supreme Absorbs
Ep. 5 - Zombie Thanos
Ep. 9 - Gamora
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Character Debut
Captain Carter
Strange Supreme
-Solid Villain
Ep. 2 - Collector
Ep. 3 - Hank Pym
Ep. 8-9 - Infinity Ultron
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
All MCU Canon References & Multiversal Twists
-Exceptional Character Design
Ep. 4 - Strange Supreme's Final Form
Ep. 5 - Zombie Captain America
Ep. 8-9 - Infinity Ultron
Ep. 9 - Sakarr Ironman
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Ep. 9 - Guardians of the Multiverse Vs. Infinity Ultron
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-World Building
-Creative Writing
Ep. 3 - Murder Plot
Ep. 4 - Doctor Strange Split Timeline Villain Arc
Ep. 5 - Zombie Virus Apocalypse Concept
Ep. 6 - Rewrite of Ironman 1 To Create A Killmonger Villain Story
-Highly Climactic Ending
Ep. 4 - Strange Supreme Ending
Ep. 7 - Ultron Infinity Ending Tease
Ep. 8 - Ultron's Victory Over The Watcher Forcing The Watcher To Seek Strange Supreme's Help
Minor Negatives:
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
-Underwhelming Fight Scene
Ep. 8 - Ultron & Thanos' Encounter
-Episode(s) Cut Too Short
Major Negatives:
-Questionable Tonal Direction
Ep. 5 - Comedy Clashing With Compelling Zombie Horror Story
-Lacking In Dramatic Impact
Ep. 4 - Strange's Relationship With Christine
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
Ep. 9 - The villain betrayal plot twists feels like a downgrade to what could've been an exciting continuation of Ultron Infinity
29. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Abomination Cameo
Wong Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Abomination's New Design
Mystical Creatures In Ta Lo
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-World Building
Major Positives:
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Exceptional Villain
Wenwu
Minor Negatives:
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
The Ten Rings Artifacts
-Hurts A Previous Movie/TV Series
Wenwu's exceptional character, as presented in this movie, highlights the disappointment of Ironman 3's villain twist and the fact that Tony Stark will never get to encounter the real "Mandarin"
Major Negatives:
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
A dramatically lacking CGI kaiju battle takes the place of what could've been an extensive, emotionally powerful father-son conflict in the end.
30. Eternals
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Celestials
The Eternals' Attire
-Overall Solid Action
Major Positives:
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-World Building
-Creative Writing
A story of cosmic beings facing existential conflicts about their objectives
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
Deviants
-Slightly Wasted Potential
The Eternals' history could have been fleshed out more
Major Negatives:
-Forceful Romance
Ikaris and Sersie’s romantic build up scenes
31. Hawkeye
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Ronin
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Character Debut
Kate Bishop
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Vincent D'Onofrio Casted As Kingpin
Pym Tech Arrow
Rogers Musical
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Excellent Character Writing
Clint Barton/Hawkeye
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-World Building
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Wasted Potential
Not enough Kingpin scenes such as him commentating on the Avengers, MCU events, and/or at the very least having an encounter with Hawkeye. The fact that your titular hero has zero interactions with the main villain (especially when it's a huge fan desired casting/character debut for the villain) is a bit of a waste.
Major Negatives:
N/A
32. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Thomas Haden Church's Sandman Appearance
Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock/Venom Cameo
Rhys Ifans's Lizard Appearance
Electro's Comic Book Mask Easter Egg
-Solid Character Design
Iron Spider Suit
Green Goblin's Initial Full Armor & Final Design
-Creative Battle
Mirror Dimension Chase
-Strong Cast Overall
-Solid Villain
Green Goblin
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Toby McGuire's Spider-Man Appearance
Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man Appearance
Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin Appearance
Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus Appearance
Jamie Foxx's Improved Version of Electro Appearance
Charlie Cox's Matt Murdock Cameo
Nods To Previous Spider-Man Movies
Spider-Men Interactions & Team-Ups
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Creative Visual Direction
Peter's Spider Sense During Apartment Scene
Mirror Dimension Imagery
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Spider-Man Vs. Green Goblin
-Standout Performance
Willem Dafoe As Green Goblin
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-Exceeding Expectations
Spider-Man Movie Crossover Elements
Minor Negatives:
-Underwhelming Villain
The Lizard
Sandman
-Slightly Wasted Potential
There is a lack of any connectivity towards the finale of Loki setting the foundation for the multiversal events of No Way Home. Having a moment where Doctor Strange realizes that something has happened to the cosmic order of things being the flow of time or the universe during the movie would've been an effective way to tie in He Who Remains's death in Loki unraveling the multiverse.
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Storytelling Elements
Having the foundation for which this epic multiverse story takes place be a simple case of Peter messing up Doctor Strange's spell by talking too much was terribly underwhelming. This is especially due to the fact that you had a clear connection to the events of Loki's finale that you could have utilized in some manner as the reason for other universes merging in catching Strange by surprise and messing up his initial spell.
33. Moon Knight
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Marc and Steven's Moon Knight Suits
Khonshu
Ammit
Taweret
Layla's Avatar Suit
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Horror Visual Direction
Ep. 4
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Villain
Harrow
-World Building
Major Positives:
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Ep. 6 - Moon Knight Vs. Harrow & His Group
-Creative Battle
Ep. 6 - Moon Knight Vs. Harrow & His Group
-Standout Performance
Oscar Issac As Marc Specter & Steven Grant
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Excellent Character Writing
Marc Specter
-Exceptional Superhero Origin Storytelling
-Strong Storytelling Elements
-Creative Writing
Ep. 5 - Marc & Steven's Origins
-Highly Climactic Ending
Ep. 5
-Gold Standard Episode of Comic Book TV Series
Ep. 5
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
Just A Couple of Episodes Had This Issue
-Lackluster Action
Just A Couple of Episodes Had This Issue
-Questionable Tonal Direction
A Few Scenes Where I Felt The Comedic Inserts Should've Been Replaced With More Dramatic Beats
-Slightly Wasted Potential
Khonshu & Ammit's Interactions About Their History/Lore Could Have Been Fleshed Out More
Major Negatives:
N/A
34. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Ultron Bots
An Alternate Thanos Death on Titan
-Soundtrack
"A Cup of Tea"
-Solid Character Design
Scarlet Witch
Captain Carter
Main Doctor Strange Attire
Gargantos
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Horror Visual Direction
-Solid Performance
Elizabeth Olsen As The Scarlet Witch
-Entertaining Character
The Scarlet Witch
-Solid Villain
The Scarlet Witch
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Captain Carter
Patrick Stewart As Professor X
Anson Mount As Black Bolt
John Krasinski As Mr. Fantastic
WandaVision Musical Cue
90s X-Men Theme Musical Cue
Bruce Campbell's Cameo & Post-Credit Scene
Professor X's Psychic Wave Effect
-Exceptional Character Design
Doctor Strange's Possessed Corpse Form With Demon Forged Cape
-Creative Visual Direction
Wanda Being Trapped In The Mirror Dimension
Doctor Strange's Multiversal Hopping Scene
Sinister Strange's Obliterated World
Professor X Entering Into Wanda's Mind
Doctor Strange's Possessed Corpse Form With Demon Cape
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Creative Battle
Strange Trapping Wanda In The Mirror Dimension
Doctor Strange Vs. Sinister Strange
-World Building
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
Wanda Crawling Out of the Mirror Looks A Bit Shaky CGI-Wise
-Occasionally Weak Visual Direction
Some of the Opening Monster Battle Looked A Little Overly Saturated In Its Color Scheme & Direction
The Transition Editing From Wanda's Dream Walking Scene To Wong Walking Into Frame
-Slightly Underwhelming Character Debut
Reed Richards
Black Bolt
-Questionable Character Absence
Vision
Mordo From The Mainline MCU Universe
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Sinister Strange
-Slightly Wasted Potential
1. Instead of the dull love story that we focused on in the movie, Stephen Strange's arc could've leaned on his sister's death driving his ambitious to desperately fix things resulting in his tendency to reach moral shattering heights
2. Sinister Strange's Narrative Longevity
Major Negatives:
-Problematically Fast Pacing
-Lacking In Dramatic Impact
Doctor Strange's Conflict of Happiness & Shoddy Sense of An Arc Didn't Land Too Strongly
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
1. This movie was narratively questionable as a connective sequel to WandaVision's conclusion and could've leaned heavier on its possession horror themes with the Darkhold being the real antagonist.
2. Multiverse of Madness could have been two separate movies with one being a Doctor Strange sequel leaning on Sinister Strange as the main villain as we get a deeper character analyzing view of Stephen's sensibilities. The other movie could've been a supernatural horror with Wanda following WandaVision called The Scarlet Witch. This could've acted as a direct sequel to the Disney+ series where Wanda fights with her psychological inner demons losing her family while fighting with her literal inner demons with the Darkhold trying to fully possess her.
35. Ms. Marvel
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Kamala's Comic Accurate Costume In The End
The Lamp Post Sitting Shot Mirroring The Comic Book Cover Art
-Solid Character Debut
Kamala Kahn
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
AvengerCon Easter Eggs
90s X-Men Theme Musical Cue After The Word "Mutants" Is Mentioned
-Creative Visual Direction
Animated Premiere Opening Detailing Avengers Endgame Events
Blending of Animation Into Live Action To Express Kamala's Mindset
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Creative Writing
Ep. 5 - Period Piece Sci-Fi Origin Love Story
-Gold Standard Episode of Comic Book TV Series
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Lackluster Storytelling
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
Ms. Marvel's Body Stretching Ability
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Villain
Najma & Sadie Deever
36. Thor: Love and Thunder
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Thor's Fur Cape Suit
Thor's New Gold & Blue Armor Without Helmet
Amatsu-Mikaboshi
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Sci-Fi Fantasy World Building
Major Positives:
-Exceptional Character Design
Falligar the Behemoth
Bast
Ninny of the Nonny
Aztec God
Isis
Celestials
Eternity
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
The Shadow Realm's Imagery
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
The CGI occasionally ranges from below average to laughably terrible
-Slightly Underwhelming Villain
Gorr
-Underwhelming Villain
Zeus
Major Negatives:
-Questionable Tonal Direction
The movie shifts back and forth between a fully comedic narrative of Thor and his team's interactions to an emotional, dramatic cancer narrative with Jane to a fantasy/horror tale with Gorr. It struggles to balance the tones thereby making certain scenes feel either jarring or watered down due to the tonal sensibilities clashing.
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
1. Thor: Love & Thunder could have been two separate movies with one being a horror centric sci-fi/fantasy drama sequel leaning on Gorr's existential killing of the Gods alongside Jane's cancer dilemma & Thor's identity crisis. The other movie could've been a Disney+ movie short chronicling the fun and vibrant Asgardians of the Galaxy ventures prior to Thor's departure into his darkest chapter yet.
2. Since Love & Thunder tried to juggle so much while having tonal issues, Gorr's tragic villain origin story centering on rejection towards the Gods for abandoning him leading to his galactic killing spree felt severely watered down. You also have Thor being a God that feels hollow inside struggling to find himself which also felt watered down in its narrative and character development potential due to the movie's clashing comedic sensibilities.
37. I Am Groot
Minor Positives:
N/A
Major Positives:
N/A
Minor Negatives:
N/A
Major Negatives:
N/A
38. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Potential Wolverine Easter Egg Via News Article
Eternals Easter Egg Via Frozen Celestial News Article
Wong's Guest Star Appearance
Tim Roth Returns As Abomination
Clever Black Panther Music Cue
X-Men Namedrop
-Solid Character Design
Abomination
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Daredevil's Appearance
Ep. 9 - Opening Scene Homage To The Classic Incredible Hulk TV Series
-Creative Visual Direction
Ep. 9 - Opening Scene Homage To The Classic Incredible Hulk TV Series
-Creative Writing
Ep. 6 - Jennifer breaks the fourth wall inserting commentary on wedding episodes feeling inconvenient which parallels her feelings towards the actual episode's wedding being an inconvenience to her
Ep. 9 - Jennifer breaks the 4th wall frustratingly commenting on the distractingly absurd spectacle & cliches of the episode's final battle. She then exits her series by breaking through the Disney+ menu screen and decides to enter into a behind the scenes documentary series to confront the writers. She then meets K.E.V.I.N. who is an in-universe robotic personification of Marvel president Kevin Fiege and gives clever self aware commentary on the fandom's perspective towards the MCU's formulaic creative sensibilities. Afterwards, she decides to make changes to the episode's storyline in order to fit what she believes should be the focus counteracting fan complaints.
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
She-Hulk's CGI Character Model Looked Off At Times
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
Abomination Revealed To Be A Motivational Speaker Doing Gigs For Money
The Finale's Story Conclusion Felt Rushed To The Side After The Fourth Wall Break
-Questionably Handled Adaptation Of The Source Material
Intelligencia
-Slightly Wasted Potential
The series could've included a larger focus on entertaining and compelling court cases involving various characters that connects to the MCU's established world building.
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Villain
Todd
39. Werewolf By Night
Minor Positives:
-Creative Visual Direction
I appreciated the mostly white and black color palette and film grain aesthetic to imbue elements of classic horror cinema. This is accompanied by a creative choice to use color sparingly to invoke the likes of Wizard of Oz (another artistic choice that I enjoyed).
-Solid Character Debut
Elsa Bloodstone
Jack Russel
-World Building
-Solid Enough Storytelling Elements
-Creative Writing
The main narrative surrounds a well intentioned “monster” (our werewolf) hiding amongst monster hunters in order to rescue another creature. Only, once he succeeds, he himself gets trapped and forcefully transformed leading to an inventible carnage and escape. It's a nice twist on what you'd expect from the story initially.
Major Positives:
-Strong Cast Overall
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
The titular werewolf itself (was kinda hoping for something more frightening or beastly)
-Shaky Production Values
Some of the CGI FX work on the creatures looked a little off.
-Occasionally Weak Visual Direction
Despite the clear inspiration of classic films being present, I do wish that more attention was given to the visual details and FX work of certain creatures perhaps leaning on a more practical style as opposed to shoddy CGI. It almost feels like a film that wants to look and feel like a monster movie from the classic Universal Monsters golden age and yet still wants to utilize glaringly modern filmmaking components. I personally would’ve liked for them to lean more heavily on the retro aesthetics (a practical costume or animatronics for all creature scenes)
Major Negatives:
N/A
40. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Minor Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Solid Character Design
Attuma
Namora
Wakandan Resident Outfits
Shuri's Black Panther Suit
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Character Debut
Namor
-Solid Villain
Namor
-Solid Ending
-Meeting Expectations
Major Positives:
-Exceptional Character Design
Wakandan Resident Outfits
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Standout Performance
Angela Bassett As Queen Ramonda
Letitia Wright As Shuri
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-World Building
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
Namor
Although I was completely sold on how the movie took his classic look from the comics and made it work naturally overall, I still think they should've opted for the more armored up aesthetic from his later comic book appearances.
-Underwhelming Fight Scene
There’s your traditional superhero movie final battle set piece that takes place here that honestly didn’t have the impact that it should've. It’s a solid scene overall, but considering how Coogler and the production team built up the action elements prior with some great individual fight scenes and atmospheric elements, I was expecting something much more memorable and spectacular with the final action heavy set piece.
-Underwhelming Character Debut
Ironheart
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
Scenes like an ex couple having awkward comedic exchanges or a new supporting hero reacting to her current situation just stood out as feeling like less of a Black Panther addition and more like an obligatory MCU franchise advertisement.
Major Negatives:
N/A
41. Guardians of the Galaxy Christmas Special
Minor Positives:
N/A
Major Positives:
N/A
Minor Negatives:
N/A
Major Negatives:
N/A
Phase 5
42. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Xolum
Veb
Floating Electrical Creature
Giant Sentient Towers
Broccoli Head Creature
Kang's Suit (Unmasked)
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Performance
Jonathan Majors As Kang The Conqueror
-Solid Villain
Kang The Conqueror
-World Building
-Solid Enough Storytelling Elements
Major Positives:
-Creative Visual Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Creative Battle
Scott Undergoing A Probability Storm During A Heist
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
Kang's Holographic Blue Mask
-Shaky Production Values
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
-Questionable Performance
Jonathan Majors As The Council of Kangs
-Underwhelming Conclusion To A Character
Kang's Defeat
-Slightly Wasted Potential
1. You don't actually get to see what the Quantum Realm's world was like for the rebellious inhabitants before Kang arrived which would have given us a deeper context as to what these people are fighting to take back. This is one of those situations where "show and tell" should've been implemented rather than just speaking about it.
2. Quantummania would have been more dramatically rich in its family themes had it contained more tender scenes with Scott trying his earnest to be a good parental/mentor figure to Cassie.
3. A scene with Janet just before the quantum realm adventure struggling with an unspoken internal trauma would have ramped up the sense of stakes with Kang's reveal in addition to an extensive flashback showing just how the Quantum Realm got "conquered".
4. Kang has such a rich backstory of taking over and wiping out entire worlds and timelines for ages while also fighting with multiversal doppelgängers. Unfortunately, most of what we see of Kang in Quantumania is just his time with Janet building a battery in the past and threatening our heroes to obtain and fix said battery in the present before he eventually has to fight them. Everything that's immensely compelling about him is presented through a piece of dialogue which feels a bit watered down. Another example in the movie where a "show and tell" approach should've been extensively implemented.
5. A much more interesting and entertaining sequel that would've better served both Kang as well as the Ant-Man franchise's identity could've been to have Kang as a background piece of mythology for the Quantum Realm. Have it be that when Scott and the crew get there, Kang already left with most of his army to wreak havoc elsewhere leaving an entire world in disarray with a current rebellion and power vacuum conflict. This is where Bill Murray could be your corrupted politician figure trying to take over with remaining Kang soldiers that he bribed into being his security force. Having a rebel organization working to take him down in order to brings things back to a more peaceful and harmonious place could've been a more fun and focused storyline with time to flesh out characters and the world building aspects.
You can have your entertaining comedic villain with Bill Murray's politician (and even throw M.O.D.O.K. in the mix who would tonally fit better minus the terrible CGI face) while also teasing the mythology of the outsider that came, conquered, and left on a mysterious mission. You could've used visual storytelling with statues of Kang just as we saw at the end of Loki Season 1 in addition to characters speaking of the "all powerful terrifying conqueror". Scott and his family would have this mysterious threat to worry about needing to warn the Avengers while dealing with the chaotic aftermath of said apparent conqueror's escape. With this acting as your foundation, you can now go as crazy as you want with the sci-fi/comedic elements without compromising Kang's presence since he's not present in the movie while also effectively building up his threat for future movies.
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Character Design
M.O.D.O.K. (Unmasked)
-Terrible Character Debut
M.O.D.O.K.
-Terrible Villain
M.O.D.O.K.
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
M.O.D.O.K. offers absolutely nothing substantial and was a character insert that felt completely unnecessary to the grander narrative. It annoyingly took up time that could’ve been spent on diving deeper into Kang’s character or even the rebellion story.
-Questionable Tonal Direction
M.O.D.O.K. scenes that are clearly played for draw out comedy gags distractingly contrasts with the dramatic stakes of the larger story at hand.
43. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Rocket Raccoon
Ayesha
-Solid Performance
Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon
-Solid Villain
The High Evolutionary
Major Positives:
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-World Building
-Exceptional Superhero Origin Storytelling
Rocket Raccoon
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Rocket Raccoon's Origins Connecting To The High Evolutionary's Agenda
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Character Design
The High Evolutionary
-Slightly Underwhelming Character Debut
Adam Warlock
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
On one end you have a well constructed and meticulously handled character journey with the Rocket Raccoon flashback story. On other end, you have the present day Guardians of the Galaxy story which mostly felt like vibrantly displayed noise half of the time with some great character beats occasionally sprinkled in. Feels like two movies of competing tones and direction competing against each other.
-Slightly Wasted Potential
Fans expected something special to be revealed after Vol. 2 teased Adam Warlock’s cocoon in the Sovereign’s lair. An although he's not necessarily a bad character in his debut here, he's certainly a little disappointing considering the potential built up. It honestly felt like the MCU didn’t really know what to do with him and just turned him into a recurring gag in the movie as opposed to making him something more substantial and interesting with his "early birth" characterization.
For a movie revolving around experimental beings dealing with existential crises of sorts, Adam Warlock could've been a compelling character study being this "genetically perfect being" that ended up birthing too soon and having defects. How such an outcome could affect this character's sense of identity would've been interesting to explore alongside Rocket's story and the High Evolutionary's agenda. Instead, they made him a simple minded buffoon as if we didn't already have one with Drax.
Major Negatives:
-Forceful Dramatic Character Interactions
Scenes of characters constantly yelling at each other with insults and complaints got exhausting pretty quickly. You could’ve easily conveyed the idea of this dysfunctional family with individual emotional baggage overlapping each other with less amped up verbal assaults through screaming and instead more thoughtful and clever dialogue.
44. Secret Invasion
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Multiple Character Easter Eggs From The "Harvest" Project In The Final Battle
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Creative Writing
1. Secret Invasion gives the Skrulls a strong sense of identity and purpose within the MCU's history by linking their species's time on Earth with Nick Fury's rise to power in SHIELD as the perfect covert operatives.
2. The series introduces an intriguing idea of a secret program called "The Harvest" initiated by Nick Fury that involved the gathering of DNA of both superheroes and villains after the final battle in Endgame. Having this program be one of his previous Skrull operations coming back to haunt him through the main villain was a pretty solid concept. It cleverly shines a spotlight on the fact that all of these giant battles and spectacles that we see throughout the years have ramifications if something were to get left behind in the aftermath and placed into the wrong hands.
Major Positives:
-Strong Cast Overall
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
G'iah Vs. Gravik
Some of the green screen work and CGI FX surrounding the body morphing abilities looked a little shoddy.
-Lackluster Action
-Underwhelming Fight Scene
G'iah Vs. Gravik
-Terrible Villain
Gravik
-Below Expectations
Major Negatives:
-Underwhelming Villain
The Skrulls
-Lackluster Storytelling
-Monumentally Wasted Potential
1. A Better Final Battle
Instead of the show leading up to some cheap, generic CGI battle between two Super Skrulls where our villain just gets taken out unceremoniously and disregarded by an equally overpowered side character, we could've had something more interesting and engaging to watch. You could have easily just made Gravik be the only Super Skrull present unleashing a disastrous wave of carnage in a crowded area in America once the secret of the Skrulls being amongst humans was starting to get leaked out escalating their invasion.
This would've made the idea of a Super Skrull feel much more unique to the villain and made for an even more compelling and scary confrontation. The final battle wouldn't be a moment of typical explosive superhero spectacle but instead Nick Fury having to rely solely on his ingenuity as a non-powered Avenger taking on arguably the most powerful villain to date. The concept of Gravik having the culmination of all the powers of the very same superhero team that Fury created (the Avengers) as well as being a villain in his own making due to past mistakes would've been both dramatically poetic, tension packed, and highly entertaining.
Remember that throughout the series, everyone kept telling Fury that he wasn't the competent spy and fighter that he used to be? Well, this could've been the big confrontation that was necessary for him to fully re-establish his position using his skills of exploitation and spy trickery to strategically defeat a seemingly impossibly powerful antagonist.
2. A Better Secret Invasion
The episodes building up to the big climactic finale could've been the invasion slowly escalating as Skrulls are being gradually established into places of power successfully setting up strategic movements of mass manipulation and global conflicts. You could have the first 3-4 episodes of Fury and his team struggling to keep up with what's going on as wars are being broken out around the world due to peace treaties being crushed uncharacteristically by certain politicians while certain organizations are rising up in power bizarrely fast.
That feeling of something being amidst due to the type of world events all of a sudden sequentially taking place in rapid motion as if everything is ramping up to something massive. That could've been at the heart of your Secret Invasion build up. A conspiracy, mystery, sci-fi thriller with strong cinematic direction surrounding our heroes trying to follow a bread crumb trail of national paranoia that leads them to shocking identity swapping revelations. Later on, prior to the finale, you could have the Skrulls be exposed due to a news leak about ship shifting aliens being amongst us leading to widespread conspiracy and pandemonium where no one knows who to trust anymore leading to thrilling scenes of explosive vigilante shootouts and explosions in government places.
This would have forced Gravik to acquire the "Harvest" Super Skrull DNA collection sooner transforming himself into the only Super Skrull since Fury and his team was able to stop him from getting enough to build an army. Cue your terrifying Super Skrull final confrontation scene after all of the edge of your seat build up from the identity swapping conspiracies and global conflicts. This could've been the MCU Secret Invasion narrative as opposed to the highly forgettable version that we got.
-Forgettable
45. I Am Groot Season 2
Minor Positives:
N/A
Major Positives:
N/A
Minor Negatives:
N/A
Major Negatives:
N/A
46. Loki Season 2
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Miss Minutes
Loki's Final Form
-Solid Performance
Jonathan Majors As He Who Remains
Major Positives:
-Soundtrack
-Strong Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
TVA Design
Loki Creating A New Loom With His Powers
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Impactful Dramatic Character Interactions
-Excellent Character Writing
Loki
-World Building
-Strong Storytelling Elements
-Creative Writing
Loki Travels Back To Get Advice From Mobius About Burdens
-Highly Climactic Ending
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Performance
Jonathan Majors As Victor Timely
Major Negatives:
N/A
47. The Marvels
Minor Positives:
-Overall Solid Production Values (CGI & Practical FX)
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Overall Solid Action
Major Positives:
-Creative Visual Direction
Opening Kamala Animated Sequence
-Creative Battle
Every Fight Scene Involving The Marvels Position Swapping
-Entertaining Comedic Character Interactions
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies/Shows
-World Building
-Creative Writing
Connecting the larger franchise's history of space travel to Ms. Marvel's source of power is one of the coolest things that they've done character-wise in the new Phases.
Minor Negatives:
-Forgettable
Major Negatives:
-Terrible Performance
Zawe Ashton as Dar-Benn
-Terrible Villain
Dar-Benn
48. What If...? Season 2
Minor Positives:
-Solid Character Design
Captain Carter
Ep. 4 Gamora
Hydra Stomper
Ep. 7 Odin
Ep. 7 Hela
Ep. 8 Captain Carter Armor
Ep. 8 Rogers Hood
Ep. 8 Bucky
Ep. 8 Ant-Man
Ep. 9 Captain Carter Upgraded Arsenal Form
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Solid Villain
Hydra Stomper
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
All MCU Canon References & Multiversal Twists
-Exceptional Character Design
King Thor Odinson
Wanda Merlin
The Royal Yellow Jackets
Ep. 8 Destroyer
Ep. 9 Upgraded Rocket Raccoon
Ep. 9 Hulk-Thor Combination
Strange Supreme's Final Form
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Ep. 5's Captain Carter Vs. Hydra Stomper w/ Black Widow Fighting Widow Operatives
Ep. 7's Hela & Wenwu Vs. Odin
Ep. 9's Captain Carter & Kahhori Vs. Strange Supreme
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies/Shows
-World Building
-Creative Writing
Ep. 8's Creative Medieval Spin On The MCU’s World Via An Infinity Stone Incident
Minor Negatives:
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
Multiple Instances of Killing Thanos In Anti-Climactic Ways
Major Negatives:
N/A
49. Echo
Minor Positives:
-Overall Solid Action
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Daredevil Cameo
-Standout Performance
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
-Exceptional Villain
Wilson Fisk/Kingpin
-Strong Storytelling Elements
The manner in which Maya's origins and story arc is dramatically woven into Wilson Fisk's character was very well orchestrated.
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
The supernatural angle, although does work in the show's family culture sections, felt a little jarring as it contrasted the overall refreshingly grounded and gritty narrative direction.
Major Negatives:
N/A
50. Deadpool & Wolverine
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Tyler Mane's Sabertooth Cameo
Toad Cameo
Azazel Cameo
Jennifer Garner's Elektra Cameo
Wolverine Comic Book Adapted Variants
Dafne Keen's X-23 Cameo
Deadpool Corp
Ant-Man's Corpse Easter Egg
Punisher Name Drop
Daredevil Name Drop
-Solid Character Design
Main Wolverine's Costume
Main Deadpool's Costume
Zenpool
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Henry Cavil Wolverine Variant
Wesley Snipes' Blade Cameo
Channing Tatum's Gambit Cameo
Chris Evans Human Torch Cameo
The TVA & The Void
Wolverine Finally Getting The Yellow & Blue Costume
-Strong Production Values (Stunt Work, Fight Choreography)
-Highly Entertaining Action
-Highly Comedic
-Standout Performance
Ryan Reynolds' Performance As Deadpool
Hugh Jackman's Performance As Wolverine
Minor Negatives:
Underwhelming Villain
Cassandra Nova
Paradox
Major Negatives:
N/A
51. Agatha All Along
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Ending Credits Footage of Classic Witch Related Movies & Shows
Mephisto Namedrop
WandaVision Easter Eggs
Avengers Namedrop
Ralph Bohner Cameo
Disney Witch Inspired Character Design Transformations
-Soundtrack
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Creative Visual Direction
Billy's Sigil Spell
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Horror Visual Direction
Ep. 2 - The Salem Seven Being Teased Through Animals Then Attacking The House
Ep. 3 - Death Appearing Behind The Maestra's Corpse In Lilia's Hallucination
Ep. 4 - Subtle Appearing & Disappearing Eyes Inside of A Hanging Mask
-Decent Comedy
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Character Debut
Death
Wiccan
-Improves A Previous Movie/TV Series
Ep. 6 - Ralph's perspective of what happened inside of Wanda's hex and the conspiracy speculations surrounding Vision's body and the twins' whereabouts helps to emphasize the impact of Wanda's actions. Doing this shines a much needed light on the citizens of Westview's traumatic experience and Wanda's crime during WandaVision which is something that the series had never fully confronted as much as it should've during its finale.
Major Positives:
-Exceptional Character Design
Death
-Strong Production Values
Ep. 4 - Set Design For House Setting
Standout Performance
Kathryn Hahn As Agatha Harkness
-Highly Entertaining Character
Agatha Harkness
-Excellent Character Writing
Lilia Calderu
-World Building
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Ep. 6 - William Kaplan's backstory reveals him to be Billy Maximoff after his soul was transferred from Wanda's Hex. This was a compelling way to follow up the WandaVision series with something surprising and thought provoking.
Ep. 7 - Lilian’s compelling time skipping journey leading to a full circle revelation about her previous outbursts as well as her conclusion. This was such a compelling individual character story that’s well thought out and beautifully presented.
Ep. 8 - Billy’s Revelation of the Witch’s Road Adventure Being His Reality Bending Creation
Ep. 9 - Agatha’s Backstory About Her Son & The Witch’s Road's Controversial Origins Leading To Her Revelation About Billy’s Powers
-Creative Writing
Ep. 7 - Lillian’s Time Skipping Journey
-Gold Standard Episode of Comic Book TV Series
Ep. 7
Minor Negatives:
-Shaky Production Values
Occasionally Shoddy Green Screen Work
-Questionable Performance
There are a few times throughout the series where Kathryn Hahn goes just a small touch too over the top in her performance during a couple of scenes.
Major Negatives:
N/A
52. What If...? Season 3
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service:
Ep. 1 - Opening “Go Avenger Heroes of the Gamma War” Anime Sequence
Ep. 7 - X-Men Inclusion Via Storm & Foosball Game Visual Easter Eggs
-Solid Character Design
Ep. 2 - Agatha's Cosmic Queen Form
Ep. 2 - Arishem the Judge
Ep. 4 - Dormammu
Ep. 7 - Nebula (Nova Prime)
Ep. 7 - Captain Carter
Ep. 7 - Storm: Goddess of Thunder
-Occasionally Strong Cinematic Direction
-Sci-Fi Fantasy Visual Direction
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Villain
Ep. 5 - Mysterio
Ep. 8 - The Order of the Watchers
-World Building
-Solid Enough Storytelling Elements
Ep. 2 - Agatha's agenda to use Hollywood production in order to guise a ritual that steals the cosmic powers of the Eternals and Tiamut.
Ep. 5 - Mysterio becoming an Avengers level threat after the Celestial emergence by taking over Stark tech and ruling over the shattered remains of Earth through manipulation
Ep. 6 - Shang Chi and Kate Bishop pursues "the Hood" in a western tale of revenge only to find a surprising twist with the elusive villain's identity. Having the cape of "the Hood" never be explained but merely alluded to as being supernatural was a nice touch of subtle mystery.
-Creative Writing
Ep. 2 - Having Agatha target Tiamut's celestial powers for herself by stealing the Eternals powers and enacting a big ritual through the guise of an old school Hollywood film production. This brilliantly merged Eternals lore with WandaVision's main villain, and a touch of Captain America: First Avenger's period piece elements.
Major Positives:
-Fan Service:
All MCU Canon References & Multiversal Twists
-Exceptional Character Design
Ep. 1 - Avenger Mechs
Ep. 1 - Sam Wilson's Pilot Suit
Ep. 7 - Infinity Ultron
Ep. 8 - The Order of the Watchers' Battle Armor
Ep. 8 - The Guardians of the Multiverse's Watcher Battle Armor
-Highly Climactic Final Battle
Ep. 8 - The Guardians of the Multiverse Vs. The Order of the Watchers
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies/Shows
-Strong Storytelling Elements
Ep. 7 - The Guardians of the Multiverse attempts to rescue the Watcher by entrusting the help of another variant of Infinity Ultron.
Ep. 8 - The Guardians of the Multiverse teams up with Infinity Ultron to take on the Order of the Watchers then later becomes Watchers themselves through a desperate impromptu oath in order to level the playing field.
Minor Negatives:
-Hit Or Miss Comedy
Major Negatives:
N/A
53. Captain America: New World Order
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service:
Celestial Island
Black Widow Movie's Red Room Program Utilization
Bucky Cameo
Isaiah Bradley's Guest Star Appearance
Post-Credit Potential Secret Wars Tease
-Solid Character Design:
Captain America
Red Hulk
-Overall Solid Production Values
-Overall Solid Action
-Strong Cast Overall
-Solid Character Debut
A Satisfying Adaptation of Red Hulk
Joaquín Torres As The New Falcon
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies
-World Building
The dead Celestial from the Eternals movie becoming the center of a worldwide resource claiming conflict between nations in addition to being the source of Adamantium.
-Engaging Enough Storytelling Elements
President Ross's misinformed use of gamma pills gradually poisoning him to become Red Hulk by the Leader
Celestial Island becoming a central landmark for a potential World War caused by the Leader due to resource mining and manipulated attacks
-Creative Storytelling
The dead Celestial from the Eternals movie becoming the center of a worldwide resource claiming conflict between nations in addition to being the source of Adamantium.
-Meeting Expectations
Major Positives:
-Fan Service:
Adamantium's Introduction To The MCU
Incredible Hulk Movie Tie-Ins (Betty Ross, Harlem Fight Scene Footage, Abomination Namedrop, The Leader, Mr. Blue Easter Egg Via Mind Control Music Choice, Hulk Hunter Label Given To Thaddeaus Ross)
-Highly Climactic Final Battle:
Captain America Vs. Red Hulk
Minor Negatives:
-Terrible Character Design:
The Leader
-Shaky Production Values
Occasionally shoddy green screen work, CGI (a couple shots of Red Hulk), and practical FX (The Leader's prosthetics)
-Weak Visual Direction
There's a great portion of this movie that looks like it would've fit better as a Disney+ series (a Season 2 of Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as opposed to a theatrically released MCU movie. There's just not a whole lot here that's worth seeing on the big screen cinematically speaking aside from the one big Red Hulk battle and maybe a few pieces of Captain America's aerial segments. For a premise as potential-filled as this, the semi-low scaled and slightly uninspired direction do a bit of a disservice to the story elements being explored.
-Questionable Character Absence
Bruce Banner is absent in a movie that is essentially acting as our first Incredible Hulk sequel.
Major Negatives:
-Underwhelming Villain:
The Leader was a character that I was personally excited for the MCU to finally bring into the fold since 2008's Incredible Hulk movie. Although the character is used decently enough for the overall narrative, his presence and character interactions left a lot to be desired especially due to the awful design work and slightly minimalistic feeling approach to the overall movie's direction.
54. Daredevil: Born Again
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Ep. 5 - Yusuf Khan Guest Appearance
Ep. 5 - Kamala/Ms. Marvel Namedrop (Costume Easter Egg Via Funko Pop)
Ep. 6 - Swordsman Easter Egg
Jacques "Jack" Duquesne Cameo
-Solid Character Design
Muse
-Overall Solid Action
-Creative Battle
Ep. 1 - Daredevil Vs. Bullseye:
There are some exceptional artistic intentions behind everything taking place onscreen such as Matt hearing Foggy’s heartbeat and Karen's anguish while fighting Bullseye, the show of tactical awareness between both fighters establishing their prior history, the brutality surrounding Bullseye's murderous rampage, and the lead up to Matt almost killing him with the cowl being dropped into the opening credits after Foggy's death. From a creative concept perspective, it's honestly one of the greatest fight scenes ever laid out for a comic book TV series to date.
-Solid Performance
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk
-Solid Dramatic Character Interactions
-Solid Villain
Kingpin
Bullseye
-Solid Enough Storytelling Elements
Ep. 3 - The trial of Hector was engaging to watch and the ending with the death of White Tiger alongside Kingpin’s closing lines about law prevailing was a bit gut wrenching.
-Solid Ending
Ep. 3 - The death of White Tiger with Kingpin’s closing lines about law prevailing leads into the ending credits having the sounds of the beach and frogs that Hector was fantasizing about. This was quite the gut wrenching closer for an episode.
Ep. 7 - Fisk having Puck kill the gangster who was going to assassinate him at the restaurant.
Major Positives:
-Fan Service
Ep. 2 - Punisher Easter Eggs
Ep. 2 - Spider-Man Easter Egg
Jon Bernthal's Punisher Appearance & Team Up
-Soundtrack
-Standout Performance:
Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher
Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil
Minor Negatives:
-Questionable Fan Service
Ep. 4 - Skrull Namedrop
-Shaky Production Values
Shoddy looking green screen work and CGI looking models of Daredevil and Bullseye can be notably observed during their first big action scene in the bar as well as a couple of other brief sections of Daredevil's acrobatics in the series. This is a major downgrade from the Marvel Netflix show’s practicality and incredible fight choreography in addition to the MCU’s incredible track record for visual FX spectacle and cinematic presentation.
-Occasionally Weak Visual Direction
-Disappointing Fight Scene
Ep. 1 - Daredevil Vs. Bullseye:
I'm honestly very torn on this scene since, conceptually speaking, it's the best that the Daredevil series as a whole (if we're including the Netflix run) has ever done, but the execution is what really matters at the end of the day. It baffles and pains me to say this about a Daredevil series fight scene, but I simply could not get pass some of the shoddy visual FX work presented during extensive segments of this battle. Just everything taking place inside of the bar looked like unfinished green screen and CGI work being shown off as a sample demo reel proof of concept of what the real fight would be.
Now, I will say that there are some exceptional artistic intentions and great visuals behind mostly everything taking place afterwards once we get to the staircase setting. This includes Matt hearing Foggy’s heartbeat and Karen's anguish while fighting Bullseye, the show of tactical awareness between both fighters establishing their prior history, the brutality surrounding Bullseye's murderous rampage, the chilling zoomed in shot of Bullseye's piercing eyes, and the lead up to Matt almost killing him prior to the cowl being dropped into the opening credits after Foggy's death.
It's such a jarring shift of quality being put onscreen from one setting to the next. This was clearly an action scene that needed much better production values to present its incredibly well thought out ideas.
-Underwhelming Conclusion To A Character
Ep. 1 - Foggy Nelson
This is primarily tied to the bigger issue of this series being that it's caught between a strange limbo state of acting a both a 4th season to the Netflix Daredevil series while also being a soft reboot for the MCU's iteration of the character. Because of this, it's challenging as an audience to see certain characters return or concluded while questioning what exactly we're supposed to consider as continuity for them. Foggy is the biggest victim of this getting killed off in the premiere since, as an MCU reboot, this character gets introduced without much to emotionally latch onto before getting killed off. As a 4th season, his death feels anti-climactic to the show. Kind of a lose-lose situation with Foggy here.
They should've given him more time onscreen as Matt's best friend before the big Bullseye moment allowing new fans who didn't watch the old show to connect with him while also allowing the old fanbase to be properly re-introduced. That being said, the weight of his death is eventually felt throughout the show later on.
-Slightly Lackluster Storytelling
There are a couple of storylines with this series that didn't quite hold up in the grand scheme of things for me given where the show eventually goes. Fisk and Vanessa's relationship issues and couple's therapy segments alongside the grocery thief who Matt was trying to represent and help felt a little time consuming. Not that these ideas aren't important to some extent for the characters present, but I do feel that we could have easily cut those out to allow more time for other arcs to be deeply enriched.
-Slightly Wasted Potential
Ep. 6-7 - Daredevil's Battles With Muse:
I'm kinda torn on this just as I was with the Bullseye fight in the premiere. Whereas the Bullseye segment left me feeling mixed due to some production hi-cups, the two fights that we get with Muse is more of a conceptual nitpick with solid production behind it. Given what we know of Muse in the comics as a super powered individual who can essentially absorb sensory information around him like a vacuum while also being slightly faster, stronger, and resilient to the average human being, I feel like Born Again questionably watered him down.
On the show, he's a normal (as far as having no superpowers that we know of) kid who is adept at taekwondo according to what the writing suggests in addition to being a deranged serial killer artist. Now I do like the creepiness that surrounds the character when the show gets to present him as this unique dangerous serial killer due to this trademark artistic angle, but as an opponent to Daredevil, I just never bought him lasting more than 20 seconds against Matt. The "taekwondo proficiency" characterization just felt shoehorned in to give some excuse for a fight scene to last longer than it needed to.
It just felt like they should've at least give him the sensory vortex ability making him hard for Matt to track giving him an unnerving edge during their confrontations. What if Muse was the first villain that gave Matt ("The Man Without Fear") actual fear because he's facing someone that he's can't perceive and feels entirely disabled against. Meanwhile you can direct those segments as almost horror scenes with Muse stalking and slowly playing with his prey carefully attacking Matt while Matt struggles to know where the threat is coming from.
-Below Expectations
Major Negatives:
N/A
55. Thunderbolts
Minor Positives:
-Fan Service
Sam Wilson Namedrop
Red Hulk Easter egg
Fantastic Four Easter Egg
-Solid Character Design
Taskmaster
Ghost
-Overall Solid Action
-Solid Comedic Character Interactions
-Character Writing Honors Previous Movies/Shows
-Solid Enough Storytelling Elements
The recurring theme surrounding these anti-heroes feeling empty and unfulfilled inside with their various mission objectives struggling to find a new meaning to life. I thought this was a refreshing direction to take in a superhero movie today.
Major Positives:
N/A
Minor Negatives:
-Slightly Underwhelming Character Debut
Sentry
Although there are some interesting things surrounding the character, the movie doesn't do the strongest job at building those elements up revolving around who and why he is the way that he is.
-Underwhelming Villain
The Void
This is largely due to the movie never explaining to any satisfying degree whatsoever where this entity comes from exactly and why it's here.
-Questionable Storytelling Elements
The Thunderbolts are able to somehow enter into the void, find each other, then team up to find Yelena. It's never explained how they were able to navigate a realm of sorts that's completely new for everyone.
-Slightly Wasted Potential
1. Taskmaster dies without any character building, standout action scene showing off her unique ability, or dramatic payoff. There's not even any hints of perhaps a more true to source material version of the character appearing to take the mantle which would've satisfied disappointed fans of the Black Widow movie's version of the character. They literally treat Taskmaster as a sidelined waste of time which is sad, but perhaps this could open the door to a better version down the line.
2. As much as I enjoyed the characters overall, I do wish each Thunderbolts member's current lives and sensibilities were dove into a bit more extensively. We do get scenes of this happening but to a smaller extent than I would've liked.
-Forgettable
-Below Expectations
Major Negatives:
N/A
56. Ironheart
Minor Positives:
Coming Soon
Major Positives:
Coming Soon
Minor Negatives:
Coming Soon
Major Negatives:
Coming Soon
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