Alrighty- I’ve finally come to the end of MARVEL PHASE 3. And I think it’s safe to say, after all my endeavours in this field that while I may not be a comic book expert, I am most definitely a connoisseur of superhero movies 😉 And to prove just how much of a boffin I have become, I figured now would be the best time to… piss everyone off by sharing my personal rankings for the movies 😉 Okay, obviously I think you all know that these are my personal opinions and not indicative of how good they are (except the one at the bottom- it’s definitely the worst- you can fight me on that 😉) but just in case you don’t *shocking* disclaimer: this is entirely subjective, informed by my own ratings and based on which ones I’d most like to see again. Without further ado, here are the Marvel movies ranked from “ugh I hate it” to “yayyyy let’s rewatch it”:
Hulk– my rating: 2/5 bananas– there were actually parts of this (like Norton’s performance) that meant this movie had some real potential… it’s never lived up to that potential though and it’s a lousy movie I’m afraid.
Captain Marvel– my rating: 2 bananas– I just have zero desire to watch this again or see anything with this non-descript character in it. An utterly forgettable movie.
Iron Man 2– my rating: 2.5 bananas– I seriously struggle to remember this movie. It wasn’t good. At all. But one thing it has over the two below it is that it has Downey Jr’s Iron Man.
Iron Man 3– my rating: 2.5 bananas– another poor instalment in the Iron Man franchise #sorrynotsorry
Doctor strange– my rating: 3 bananas– I didn’t think much of this movie either- but at least I had a good time while I was watching it, which is more than I can say for the ones I’ve ranked lower.
Avengers Age of Ultron– my rating: 3 bananas– this is my least favourite Avengers movie. I found the structure messier than the other two and I didn’t enjoy watching it much.
Ant Man and the Wasp– my rating: 4 bananas– I mean, I had no problems with this movie, but I don’t really want to rewatch it?
Thor: the Dark World– my rating: 3.5 bananas– okay, I’ve had fun every time I’ve watched this, but that doesn’t make it a good movie. It’s the kind of shovel-popcorn-in-your-mouth-till-your-sick movie- I may be happy at the time but I’m gonna regret it after.
Thor– my rating: 4 bananas– this was a great attempt at making a superhero movie with some really deep themes (I say attempt, cos as entertaining as it all is, there are some serious vulnerabilities you could smash to bits with Thor’s hammer).
Ant Man– my rating: 4 bananas– this movie surprised me as an origin story and turned out to be pretty awesome.
Thor Ragnarok– my rating: 2.5 bananas– I had legit NO IDEA where to rank this one?!? I didn’t entirely enjoy this for lots of reasons and my rating and review reflected that- but on reflection, I’d kinda be happier rewatching it than some of the other movies on the list. It’s a bit different to some of the origin stories, a bit funnier than some of the others and has some interesting character (*coughs* Loki *cough cough*)
Captain America Civil War– my rating: 3.5 bananas– I actually gave this a lower rating than the last three, but it’s a better movie. Plus, it had Spider Man- and, as you’re about to see, I have a soft spot for the old webslinger!
Spider Man Far From Home– my rating: 4 bananas– what did I tell you? Of course, this was gonna rank highly for me, just by virtue of having Holland’s Spider Man. Granted, it’s not the best instalment for the character and there were aspects I wasn’t keen on… buuut it made me laugh out loud and I’d happily rewatch it (well, just as long as I don’t have to watch those end credits again!)
Spider Man Homecoming– my rating 4.5 bananas– this was a seriously fun Spider Man movie. No, I don’t think it’s the best Spider Man movie ever- but it gets pretty darn close.
Iron Man– my rating: 4.5 bananas– I reckon I’d get called a fake fan if I put Stark’s opening movie any lower on the list 😉 Downey Junior’s performance was incredible and he really did a lot to prove that Tony Stark does indeed have a heart!
Avengers Infinity War– my rating: 4.5 bananas– I did enjoy this film, but the reason it’s a little lower on the list than some might expect is cos I really do feel, even after watching Endgame, that this is a lot of setup and incomplete on its own.
Black Panther– my rating: 5 bananas– yep, told you I was a sucker for origin movies. I did warn you. I had a real fight with myself over where to put this on the list cos I had a helluva time watching it, but ultimately there’s a few movies I’d rather rewatch.
Captain America: The First Avenger– my rating: 5 bananas– errmmm so I really like Captain America? I know a lot of people will wonder why this is so high, but for me, as a fan of origin stories and this hero, it’s one I love to rewatch.
Avengers Assemble– my rating: 4.5 bananas– yeah, this might be a little dated, but it has a great premise, good cast dynamics and a fantastic villain. For me, this will always be an epic superhero movie.
Guardians of the Galaxy– my rating: 4.5 bananas– this is possibly the most fun movie in the franchise. It’s like the best kind of music- it’s the kind of film I’d gladly put on repeat 😀
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2– my rating: 5 bananas– woweee this one really hit me in the *feels*- speaking of emotional movies…
Avengers Endgame– my rating: 4.5 bananas– this was a great movie- period. It rounded off so many storylines in the perfect way and did not pull its punches. A very satisfying conclusion to the saga.
Captain America Winter Soldier– my rating: 5 bananas– this is hands down my favourite. Partly for all the “aww poor Bucky” moments, but mostly cos every time I watch it I’m completely absorbed by it!
So do you agree or (more likely) disagree with my rankings? What’s your favourite and least favourite? Let me know in the comments!
Death Comes to Pemberley– if I had to describe this in a couple of words, I’d sum it up as enjoyable fanfic. I won’t be pretending this is in any way highbrow, when in fact, it is so very, very silly. Personally, the sole reason I picked this up was that I’ve been in the mood for a lot of Austen lately and can’t seem to get enough of what actually exists in canon (anyone fancy building a time machine and fetching Austen from the past so she can write at least one more book?). So, naturally, what was I to do but check out a murder mystery set in Austenland? 😉 Nonetheless, one of its biggest failings is not that it insists on putting the characters of Pride and Prejudice in the most ludicrous of circumstances, but that it recaps the original so frequently and unnecessarily that the point is a little laboured. I confess, I have very little knowledge of fanfic, so perhaps someone can answer in the comments if characters excessively recalling the events of their past is a common theme in the genre? Regardless, I did have a bizarrely enjoyable time with this, mostly thanks to the atmospheric hold of the author and the rather pleasant reading from the audiobook narrator.
