Is Marvel Mid?

Hello movie and superhero lovers,

A friend posted this meme:

Two panels one on top of the other. First panel says, “You thinking the MCU is dead after Endgame and hating everything.” with a ninja turtle drinking a soda and looking sad. Second panel says, “Me knowing the MCU has always been mid and still enjoying it.” with the same ninja turtle looking smug.

It got me thinking, and I realized I class Marvel movies (all superhero movies really) into 5 categories: Excellent, Okay, Forgettable, Didn’t Age Well, and Bad. I’m adding Didn’t See Yet as a category too.

So here is my non-definitive ranking of Marvel MCU movies. Note that within the categories, they’re by release date not preference.

Excellent

These are the movies that balance fun, character growth, and a good story.

Fun

These movies aren’t great but they certainly are a lot of fun to watch.

Forgettable

These are the movies that didn’t do anything terrible, but didn’t do anything memorable either.

Didn’t Age Well

Both of these were in my top tier for a long time, but rewatching them made me very uncomfortable. They have some great moments, but the jokes and treatment of women and minorities is not great.

Bad

Some of these movies are good except for something that really brings down their quality, and others are hot messes all the way through.

Didn’t See Yet

Not much explanation needed. I’m not a big fan of the Guardians and haven’t seen the third. Everything I’ve heard leads me to think it’s a little too heavy and dark for my taste. The Marvels just came out, but I’m hoping to see it soon.

Obviously, tastes are subjective.

What do you think?

Éric

2019 Movie Rankings

Hello Cinephiles,

This year was a pretty good year for movies. Some fantastic action offerings and absolutely amazing animated films.

I saw 22 movies and for the first time in a long time I didn’t see anything that I hated.

This is the fifth year that an animated film is my highest ranked and the second that it’s not a Disney movie.

This is the ranking of movies I saw in theatres (or rented) that were released in 2019. This doesn’t include Netflix originals, made for TV Movies, or straight to DVD releases.

These are ranked by how much I enjoyed them and not their quality as “Films”.

Absolutely Loved

  1. Abominable
  2. Frozen II
  3. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
  4. Captain Marvel
  5. Spider-Man: Far From Home
  6. Spies in Disguise
  7. Shazam!
  8. Men In Black: International
  9. Pokemon Detective Pikachu
  10. Happy Death Day 2U

It was good

  1. The Kid Who Would Be King
  2. Hobbs & Shaw
  3. Jumanji: The Next Level
  4. Charlie’s Angels
  5. Knives Out
  6. Aladdin (Live Action)

Meh

  1. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
  2. How To Train Your Dragon: Hidden World
  3. Dora and the Lost City of Gold
  4. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
  5. Avengers: Endgame
  6. Toy Story 4

Looks like 2020 will be eclectic and interesting.

What was your favourite movie this year?

Éric