Now we all know that the Marvel Cinematic Movies is one of the biggest movie franchises in the world, with 22 films in the saga and counting. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to rank my top 5 favourite, but as there are so many that I love, you can expect there to be at least two more parts to this list. Now I think it goes without saying there will be spoilers so take this as your spoiler warning!
Number 5
Thor: Ragnarok
At Number 5 is the 3rd film of the Thor trilogy. Released in 2017 it made $854 million at the box office, the most from any of the Thor films. The reason this film made its way onto the list is because it was as if we had been introduced to a whole new hero! Not only did it introduce us to some great new characters (Korg, Valkyrie I’m looking at you) but we also got to see Thor with a comedic side as well as see him unleash power he never had before, always hidden by Mjölnir. We see real growth and development, not only in Thor but in many of the side characters as well like Bruce Banner who embraced the hulk in the end to help save the day even though there was the possibility he would never change back and Valkyrie who at the start was a drunk scavenger living on Sakaar, in the end she remembered who she was and fought along side Thor and Bruce. I feel like this film was a good lighthearted way to end Thor’s solo story before Infinity War and was a good and needed addition to the MCU
One of my favourite scenes is the final battle, not only do we get to see Thor at his lowest, we get to see him have one final talk with his father and realise how powerful he can be. There are many elements from the scene that add up to make it brilliant; the fear in Hela’s eyes when Thor begins to grow stronger, when The Immigrant Song begins to play and the slow motion shot of Thor flying towards the enemy. As well as the quick, smart pieces of dialogue to add a bit of comedy to the scene, along with the shots of the individual main characters fighting. Overall it worked well together and is the perfect final battle scene.
Number 4
Black Panther
Black Panther came out in February 2018, bringing in a whopping $1.334 million worldwide. There are so many reason why it is one of my favourites. To start with it is the first time we have had a superhero who has been introduced in another film have one of their own. (Okay yes Tom Holland’s Spiderman did get a solo after appearing in Civil War but we’ve had Spiderman films before. This was the first time we had seen Black Panther in his home). I also think that the location of Wakanda being properly introduced as we had only previously heard a slight mention of it in Age of Ultron:
Therefore I think that is one of the superior locations of the MCU as it’s not most discussed but its fascinating and incredibly believable, not to mention visually stunning
I also loved the characters! There are so many strong female characters in the film that are all fierce and bad ass, the male characters are also some of favourite in the MCU. I like how not only do we get to see T’challa taking on the role Black Panther further after the death of his father but we also see him adapting to becoming King of Wakanda.
One of my favourite scenes has to be the car chase scene, I feel that Marvel really took a fresh take on a trope that has been done in films countless times before. Having the drivers who were doing the chasing to be solely women was a bold and powerful move which I thought was great as I love cars and never really get to see women represented in this role enough. I also love how they used Wakanda technology again with the car that Shuri used. It also showed T’challa’s new suit in use for the first real time. The music was also a really good touch as it was enough to add adrenaline to the scene but not enough to over power it.
Number 3
Avengers: Endgame
In at number 3 may be the most highly anticipated movie of 2019. After the cliff hanger we were left with in Infinity war the year previous, fans (myself included) rushed on opening night to see how The Avengers would fix the universal destruction Thanos caused. It made an incredible $2,797,800,564 in the worldwide box office, meaning it had beaten Avatar as the highest grossing film ever, after 10 years!
Now there are many reasons why this film has made the list. Firstly it was so interesting to see the immediate fall out of Infinity War as well as the post credit scenes in both Ant-man and The Wasp and Captain Marvel. I loved seeing how the different characters had adapted and changed over the five years post snap. I think chubby Thor and Professor Hulk were two of my favourites because it showed two different ways the snap impacted people. Bruce took the time to adapt and change to a form he was happy with, where as Thor was still clearly hurting from the loss of his home, his friends, his brother. I also like how we saw the “breakup” as well as the reunion of The Avengers I feel like the scenes where the team split up to retrieve the infinity stones were all interesting and necessary in their own individual ways and incorporated so many clever easter eggs that I for one appreciated.
One of my favourite scenes has to be the portal scene, where all hope is lost and we hear “On you left”. It’s that moment the audience are basically out of their seats, cheering and you fully feel part of the movie, which to me is what the cinema is all about. The way the music builds up as each character appears, we get a close up on all of our favourites returning and standing together, the reactions of Thor, Cap and Tony all mimic the audiences and the when Cap shouts “Avengers” then mjolnir fly’s into his hand and he whispers “Assemble” is now just iconic!
Now I’m not saying the film didn’t have its flaws, it was three hours long, of course it did but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was the first time I’ve ever cried at a film in the cinema so can definitely say it was an experience.
Number 2
Spiderman: Far From Home
The Spider Man franchise has and always will be one of my favourites, and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker makes me love it even more. Far from home quickly made its way to one of my favourites. It was the last film in the Infinity saga and followed on from Endgame, making $1.132 billion at the box office. I really enjoyed the way this film showed how people had dealt with “The Blip” and how the world was trying to go back to normal after Thanos had been defeated. It also dealt with some bigger issues such as coping with grief as we see Peter Parker struggle with the loss of his mentor and father figure, Tony Stark. We also see him struggle with the responsibility it takes to lead the life of Spiderman. You really sympathise with him, as he is also dealing with issues ever teenager does, first love, school work and just wanting to live their life before adult life really begins. We do see Peter go through a world of emotions and really feel for him, when he is betrayed by Mysterio it metaphorically and physically turn his world upside down (and then he gets hit by a train just to hurt him that bit more) and anyone who says they were heart broken but the shot of Peter crying to Happy about Tony on the plane is lying!
Beside Peter in this film I also love how they used to story to incorporate many different locations. I feel that they made the story far more interesting and added a bit of fun as some of the scene they achieved just wouldn’t have been the same if they had been set in New York, like the previous film. Another strong point in the film is the villain, “Mysterio” or Beck, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. We find out just after Peter hands over Tony’s glasses to him, that Mysterio is actually an illusion and it is all part of Becks plan to become the next great hero and be adored by the world to spite his old employer Tony Stark. I think having a villain who is human but uses his wits and technology to appear great is something that could very easily happen in this day and age, especially with the rapid improvements constantly happening to technology, was a smart choice and was a very big twist I for one didn’t see coming.
A scene really stand out to me in this film, is one I previously mentioned with Peter and Happy on the plane. I feel it is a pivotal moment in the film as it shows our hero at his lowest point, scared, confused, hurt and lost. The conversation between him and Happy really shows how much faith Tony had in Peter and encourages him to get back and save the day. (I’ll be uploading my full analysis of this scene soon, so look out for that)
Number 1
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Lastly at Number 1 is the second of the Captain America trilogy. It made $714.4 million at the box office . The story follows Steve Rogers and how he is adjusting to life in the 21st Century after being frozen in ice for 70 years. I feel like this film really humanises him, as yes he is a ‘Super Solider’ but at the end of the day he is still a kid from Brooklyn. I really enjoyed seeing his relationships develop with people like Nick Fury and Black Widow. As well as the introduction of Sam Wilson (The Falcon) who becomes a pivotal part in Caps story and someone he can rely on. This film makes room for a lot of character development, as I state previously this film shows Cap trying to figure out where he fits in the 21st Century as nearly everyone and everything he knew is now gone. We see his heartbreak when he visits an 80 year old Peggy, as well as when it is revealed that Bucky is alive and now has the persona of the Winter Soldier. As an audience we can tell how much it hurts Steve that the people he loved so much are so close to him yet so out of reach and both of them barley remember him. I feel Steves character really comes through in the final fight he has with the Winter Solider, he states “Please don’t make me do this” and it shows how much he doesn’t want to hurt his friend but he still completes his mission because he knows its the right thing to do and it really just reminds the audience why Steve Rogers was chosen to be Captain America. I do feel that this film has the best choreographed fight scenes. The first mission, to the introduction of the winter solider and particularly the lift scene.
My favourite scene is this film, is in fact the lift scene. It has been a scene that has always stood out to me, even the first time I watched it. I like the build up and how we can see Steve figure out what’s about to happen before it does, showing he is more than just muscles and punches. I also think it was so interesting how they managed to create a fight sequence with the same choreography and drama level as one would have in a usual space but they managed to do this is a tiny elevator with at least 10 people. I think it was a bold move that really paid off.
Overall this film is definitely a favourite and I highly advise anyone who hasn’t seen it to give it a watch.
So that’s it my Top 5 Marvel movies, let me know your opinions in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
Cinema & Chapters by Peggy 