MCU Movies to date

Nervous Wreck · 13-01-2017 12:20am #1

Thread for discussion of MCU movies that have already been released.

Thread will contain spoilers for every MCU movie up to and including DOCTOR STRANGE.

For anyone unsure, MCU movies (in order of release date) are:

(Phase One)
Iron Man
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man 2
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
The Avengers

(Phase Two)
Iron Man 3
Thor: The Dark World
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man

(Phase Three)
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2

Have at it, folks!

Penn · 13-01-2017 12:41am

Going to go out on a limb here...

Age of Ultron is my favourite of all the MCU films to date.

It took a while to get there, and faced stiff competition, and I fully accept it might be because I'm a whore for Joss Whedon, but every time I watch it I love it a little bit more. It has so many great moments, is hilarious throughout and has some of the best performances (Ruffalo, ScarJo, Spader and Olsen are just terrific). Both Vision and Ultron are fantastic, and the final scene between them is incredible.

The action is great if a little disjointed in the final battle. The extended scene of Banner and Natasha should have been in the final film as the ending of it is crucially important. And the film doesn't really have that "big moment" equatable to "I'm always angry" or some from the other films.

But still, Avengers 1 is an incredible amount of fun, but Avengers 2 just has that little bit more character work and is just that bit deeper that for all its flaws, it's the MCU film I watch and think about the most.

Slydice · 13-01-2017 2:51pm

The fun of the Thor smashing more coffee cups and demanding more isn't there as much as it used to be. So I have it in my head that Brannagh must have brought that element to the table.

pixelburp · 13-01-2017 3:11pm

I think it simply boils down to the reality that those early MCU films had demonstrably better talent at the helm than they do now; and while it's tempting to dismiss criticisms that they've become bland & a bit samey as the mere ranting of haters, or those who aren't "true fans", the aggressive pursuit of that shared universe has come at the cost of directors who might otherwise have injected a little panache or sparkle in the films. Watched a few clips from Thor on YouTube and that extra dazzle from Branagh just shines through, the smallest scenes elevated by a camera trick here or there.

As great as Civil War was, and it's easily one of the better MCU films in recent years, IMO it was despite of the direction by the Russos, not because of it. There were plenty of great moments, but while the big showdown in the airport had a lot of geeky wish fulfilment, it was lensed with all the excitement and energy of a tax audit.

Side note: how weird is it watching Agent Coulson swanning in Thor though? He's so ... restrained & a bit dour, compared with his chattier, later, post-death self

Agent Coulson · 13-01-2017 4:39pm

I know they have tv series now but I'd love to see them make a few more One-Shots.

I still get a kick out of Dum Dum sitting beside Howard saying Bikini from the stinger in Agent Cater One-Shot.

Nervous Wreck · 13-01-2017 9:26pm

Dudes, I tried to merge posts from the other thread and made a bit of a hames of it. Apologies for the awful syntax in this thread so far!

Nervous Wreck · 13-01-2017 11:19pm

Penn wrote: »

Going to go out on a limb here...

Age of Ultron is my favourite of all the MCU films to date.

It took a while to get there, and faced stiff competition, and I fully accept it might be because I'm a whore for Joss Whedon, but every time I watch it I love it a little bit more. It has so many great moments, is hilarious throughout and has some of the best performances (Ruffalo, ScarJo, Spader and Olsen are just terrific). Both Vision and Ultron are fantastic, and the final scene between them is incredible.

The action is great if a little disjointed in the final battle. The extended scene of Banner and Natasha should have been in the final film as the ending of it is crucially important. And the film doesn't really have that "big moment" equatable to "I'm always angry" or some from the other films.

But still, Avengers 1 is an incredible amount of fun, but Avengers 2 just has that little bit more character work and is just that bit deeper that for all its flaws, it's the MCU film I watch and think about the most.

I'm the biggest Whedon fan I know and a huge fan of AoU but this still surprises me! I think it's a great movie but, particularly compared to the first movie, I can feel JW being a little jaded in it. I'm also more than a little bothered by the sound design in the opening scene, which sounds like a silly comment but it really felt like a detractor...

For me, my favourite MCU movie (probably my favourite movie overall) is The Avengers. Partly because of how excited I was the first time I saw it to actually see an Avengers movie and partly because it's just fantastic. And it's just full of such amazing moments!

"That's my secret, Cap... I'm always angry."
"And Hulk...... smash!"

Nervous Wreck · 13-01-2017 11:58pm

pixelburp wrote: »

I think it simply boils down to the reality that those early MCU films had demonstrably better talent at the helm than they do now; and while it's tempting to dismiss criticisms that they've become bland & a bit samey as the mere ranting of haters, or those who aren't "true fans", the aggressive pursuit of that shared universe has come at the cost of directors who might otherwise have injected a little panache or sparkle in the films. Watched a few clips from Thor on YouTube and that extra dazzle from Branagh just shines through, the smallest scenes elevated by a camera trick here or there.

As great as Civil War was, and it's easily one of the better MCU films in recent years, IMO it was despite of the direction by the Russos, not because of it. There were plenty of great moments, but while the big showdown in the airport had a lot of geeky wish fulfilment, it was lensed with all the excitement and energy of a tax audit.

Side note: how weird is it watching Agent Coulson swanning in Thor though? He's so ... restrained & a bit dour, compared with his chattier, later, post-death self

While I agree that Branagh was a shining light, I don't think I can accept the assertion that the directors being hired are trending downwards.

In phase one, Branagh and Whedon are great but I think Favreau is just decent and happened to deliver the movie of his career with Iron Man. Louis Leterrier was, again, fine but I think Joe Johnson ruined The First Avenger.

Phase two had much stronger direction overall. Shane Black put a great spin on Iron Man, Whedon returned for AoU and James Gunn shook things way up with Guardians. Peyton Reed surprised with the amazing fun of Ant-Man but the letdown of the phase was the bland work of Alan Taylor in Thor 2. While the Russo bros may not have the flare some people are into, they're fantastic story-tellers, with Winter Soldier being, imo the standout film of phase two, GotG notwithstanding.

We're just two movies in to phase three, with the Russos returning and, though I didn't have a huge amount of anticipation for Scott Derrickson, he did super work with Doctor Strange. We've got Gunn coming back and, most excitingly Taika Waititi.

I've gone on longer than I meant... but yes anyway... I think the ratio of good to average directors for these movies has remained somewhat consistent since the beginning of the MCU. They may be somewhat more restricted in what they're doing but still, the talent is there.

Penn · 15-01-2017 12:37am

Nervous Wreck wrote: »

I'm the biggest Whedon fan I know and a huge fan of AoU but this still surprises me! I think it's a great movie but, particularly compared to the first movie, I can feel JW being a little jaded in it. I'm also more than a little bothered by the sound design in the opening scene, which sounds like a silly comment but it really felt like a detractor...

Can't say I ever really noticed anything in particular about the sound design in the opening scene to be honest.

It's definitely not a film without its flaws. The dialogue falls completely flat in a few areas, particularly Quicksilver and SW telling Ultron about their history, and Klawe with his cuttlefish thing. Plus I disliked how they killed off Strucker completely in the background.

To be honest, a lot of what I love about the film centres around The Vision. His creation amidst the fighting, his "Maybe I am a monster..." speech, his speech with Ultron at the end, saving SW before the city explodes... And most of Ultron's scenes in general are great too. Hulkbuster fight, the shot of all the heroes in the church battling all the Ultrons, Cap/Thor/Widow's nightmares, Hawkeye getting to actually do stuff, SW (just in general, I love how they used her powers and abilities throughout the film, and how she became an Avenger after Hawkeyes speech), and that shot of the helicarrier rising out of the clouds is just terrific.

It just has so many great moments, but also in between is some terrific performances, dialogue and character moments that ties it all together so well. I can see why it gets blasted but it's just so damn watchable.

Doctor DooM · 16-01-2017 12:38pm

It's not just me then, I've softened on AoU over time too (although I do still think the Thor pool scene is crazy disjointed and stops the films momentum dead).

I thought it was because I was a big Avengers West Coast fan as a kid though (which prominently featured Iron Man, Hawkeye, SW and Vision scrapping with Ultron, so I get serious wish fulfilment out of it

)

Nervous Wreck · 19-01-2017 8:51pm

I'm currently rewatching The Incredible Hulk and I still really like it. I know it's the MCU's black sheep but there's a lot of good to it. I was really happy to see Thunderbolt Ross return in Civil War, particularly because it showed that they're not ignoring TIH. I really liked Norton as Banner, though I do much prefer Ruffalo. That scene from Hulk Gray was really nice to see on film too...!

Agent Coulson · 19-01-2017 9:32pm

I enjoy the film every time I see I just never bought into Norton at all even though I am a fan of his early work.

Nervous Wreck · 19-01-2017 10:57pm

Agent Coulson wrote: »

I enjoy the film every time I see I just never bought into Norton at all even though I am a fan of his early work.

Yeah, even though I liked him in the role, I couldn't see me getting on board with him long term in the universe. I'm also really glad that plans to reuse The Abomination were scrapped...

Doctor DooM · 20-01-2017 10:45am

I thought it was as good as any of the b listy Marvel films really, but I far prefer Ruffalo and the direction they took.

Nervous Wreck · 04-07-2017 9:50pm

Currently rewatching Iron Man and it really is no wonder the MCU has done so well. It's fun and flashy with a lot of heart, comedy and some really great action. Plus a great performance from RDJ.

Doctor DooM · 05-07-2017 8:09am

I'm considering going back and watching the MCU from the start. Was considering podcasting it too.

If you did films alone there's enough for nearly half a year now, if you include netflix and ABC there's enough to keep going for years probably... guess you'd have to take the TV 2-3 episodes at a time.

By the time you got through all of that you'd have the first seasons of Inhumans, Cloak and Dagger, the Defenders, Punisher, and whatever films would be out by then...

Nervous Wreck · 05-07-2017 9:17am

Doctor DooM wrote: »

I'm considering going back and watching the MCU from the start. Was considering podcasting it too.

If you did films alone there's enough for nearly half a year now, if you include netflix and ABC there's enough to keep going for years probably... guess you'd have to take the TV 2-3 episodes at a time.

By the time you got through all of that you'd have the first seasons of Inhumans, Cloak and Dagger, the Defenders, Punisher, and whatever films would be out by then...

Woah, the whole universe?! That'd be something alright! Would you consider the tie-in comics as well? Fair amount of them at this stage but some are adaptations of the movies so they could be left off...

Intriguing idea either way!

Penn · 05-07-2017 9:20am

Doctor DooM wrote: »

I'm considering going back and watching the MCU from the start. Was considering podcasting it too.

If you did films alone there's enough for nearly half a year now, if you include netflix and ABC there's enough to keep going for years probably... guess you'd have to take the TV 2-3 episodes at a time.

By the time you got through all of that you'd have the first seasons of Inhumans, Cloak and Dagger, the Defenders, Punisher, and whatever films would be out by then...

Do you mean all Marvel movies/shows (eg. X-Men, Blade, F4 etc) or just the MCU ones?

Doctor DooM · 05-07-2017 12:44pm

Nervous Wreck wrote: »

Woah, the whole universe?! That'd be something alright! Would you consider the tie-in comics as well? Fair amount of them at this stage but some are adaptations of the movies so they could be left off...

Intriguing idea either way!

I think I'd leave the tie in comics until I ran out of other stuff to do...

Penn wrote: »

Do you mean all Marvel movies/shows (eg. X-Men, Blade, F4 etc) or just the MCU ones?

I was thinking MCU, mainly because I think if you started from Blade and worked on there's probably more than you could reasonably do in a lifetime based on Marvel alone. Also it'd be very like Hero Movie podcast (which I'd recommend, btw, if anyone is looking for a wholesome funny comic book movie podcast!)

MCU Movies to date

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