Top 13 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies: Part 3

The Top 13 countdown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Movies continues with more entries! If you missed Part 1, click here to check it out and here for Part 2

6: Ant-Man

Showing a more lighthearted and fun side to the Marvel Universe, Ant-Man is the best origin film since Iron Man back in 2008. It introduced us to a character with numerous character faults, and yet Paul Rudd manages to make him one of the most grounded and lovable characters in the MCU. He is even a father; relatively new territory for superhero flicks. 

Upon later viewings, Ant-Man continued to grow on me as one of the best films of 2015 and one of Marvel’s most fun. Being such a small film in scale (pun intended), Ant-Man is able to focus solely on itself and what it wants to accomplish rather than what comes next, which is what hampered Age of Ultron. It is also a heist film, not just a superhero flick, which makes it even more fun. Of course, you cannot forget the humor because this is one funny movie!

Everything about Ant-Man should not have worked. Honestly, the fact that the film received so many positive reviews baffled me at first, but it is most definitely deserving of every positive thing said about it. Read my full review here.

5: Iron Man

Before The Avengers, Thor, and Captain America, Marvel studios made a film that would be the foundation for all other Marvel movies to build on in the future, and they could not have kicked off the franchise any better than with Iron Man.

Casting veteran actor Robert Downey Jr. in the role of Tony Stark, a relatively unknown character at the time, remains the best casting decision for any comic book film. From his chemistry with Paltrow to the adlibbed dialogue, Downey elevated every aspect of the film. Even after re-watching at least eight times, the movie never gets old, and that’s largely thanks to Downey.

Words cannot even express what it felt like to see Nick Fury stepping forward to say, “I am here to talk to you about the Avengers initiative.” At the time, it was only something that I could have dreamed of. As a geek, it was about as good as it gets. To this day, it remains one of the defining moments of my movie watching experience.

4: Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy defied all expectations. Not only did it become highest grossing film of the year domestically, it shocked both fan and critic alike with its complete disregard of the conventional.

James Gunn's writing and direction is bold. He did not care about what audiences expected or even wanted. He told us exactly we wanted, and we all loved every minute of it. His style is in-your-face and unforgivingly his own, and that is my type of filmmaking!

Thanks to the stellar chemistry between the cast and Chris Pratt's innate goofball charm, GotG assembles a team of misfits unlike any other. It is like a combination of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Mass Effect, and Firefly, packed full of 80s references, action, and absurdly lovable characters. Even if you have never seen a Marvel film, there is so little connection to the main universe that it does not matter, yet there are still plenty of Easter Eggs for the fans.

Guardians of the Galaxy is bold and audacious filmmaking at its finest with James Gunn's complete disregard of typical genre conventions that care more about making a unique film than a generic crowd pleaser, yet it surely does please. GotG is like a cult classic with lovable quirky characters and endlessly quotable dialogue, except with box office success and a big budget. What more could you ask for?! And honestly, GotG could easily rank even higher on the list depending on my frame of mind at the time of ranking.

What do you think of these picks? Please comment below and let me know!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.