In any case, I figured now would be a good time to rewatch every single movie so far and really give a breakdown of how I feel about each one. Of course, doing this as one article would be too much, so this one is gonna be a four-part series! Let’s start off with the sequence that kicked the whole thing off: Phase One
The beginning! Even after all these years later, Iron Man mostly holds up pretty well. It is true that the third act and the final showdown do feel like afterthoughts, but when they set things up so well in the first and second acts, gliding through the third is mostly forgivable.
Of course, Robert Downey Jr. is doing most of the work, bringing Tony Stark to life in a way we’ve rarely seen with any character in any movie. The special effects still look good as well, with the Iron Man suits looking slick and powerful, even the janky Mark I that Stark builds in the caves is pretty cool!
While Marvel would only build from here, having this movie as such a good starting point certainly helped. And setting up the stinger scene after the credits to name drop the Avengers set a pattern that only provided more excitement for the future. Overall, still a solid movie.
Rating: B
Following up with The Incredible Hulk may have been the first major risk Marvel took with their multi-franchise continuity experiment. While it’s not a bad movie, it’s likely the weakest of the whole series, mostly brought down by sluggish down-time scenes, and a rather repetitive story flow (Banner tries to hide, gets found, gets chased, then turns green, then kills some people, then runs off; repeat until end of movie.)
Still, it does have it’s bright spots. Edward Norton plays a very tortured Banner, heavily inspired by some of the later comic books with the character. And while it does seem obvious that Norton’s version probably wouldn’t have gelled well once they got to Avengers, it fits better with the slightly horror tone they were going with here.
It should be noted that the Hulk does look pretty “incredible” here, especially when he’s taking on someone his own size with The Abomination. The impact of the blows really is tremendous. Otherwise, this movie is pretty skippable at this point, as everything you need to know about the Hulk gets covered later anyway.
Rating: D+
The sudden sequel of the blowout success of the first film! To be honest, I like this movie a lot, and while I do agree that this movie is kind of jogging in place, I think it has enough going on its own to be enjoyable.
Of course, RDJ is hamming it up as always, but he seems more comfortable in the role, allowing the rest of the cast and setting to catch up a little. However, for me, the best part is Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, a jaded Soviet scientist who sees Stark as a thief and a sham. He’s really the first MCU villain with a sense of humanity and gravitas, and I really like his scenes with Hammer, as they feel like a reverse of what one normally expects with team-ups between an American and a foreigner.
If there are any problems with the movie, it’s that there doesn’t seem to be that much new going on compared to Iron Man 1. Just more suits, more Stark, more quips, and more Shield kicking around. And more doesn’t always mean better. Still, I think it’s a decent sequel that has its moments and an underrated bad-guy.
Rating: B
While Iron Man was dealing with technology and The Incredible Hulk dabbled with biology and psychology, Thor was the next big leap in the series as it would be presenting something purely fantastical. To their credit, they dove right in and didn’t apologize for much, resulting in a movie that really sells the multi-genre experiment Marvel was attempting.
To be honest, I don’t know if Thor really holds up all the way through. It has a similar problem to Iron Man one where the fun is introducing all the crazy stuff and then gliding to a finish. While the dialogue is delivered in a pseudo-Shakespearean manner that lends well to the epic scope of the story (thanks to director Kenneth Branaugh), the characters do seem a little flat, overall. Upon rewatching this one, I found I didn’t care quite as much about the characters or their stakes.
That being said, they go all out with the set design and special effects, bringing the very Kirby-esque Asgard to life in a stunning manner. This is cosmic fantasy of the highest order, and as far as I’m concerned, I like it, as it helps make the MCU feel so broad and diverse.
Rating: B-
As far as I’m concerned, this the first great film in the MCU. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the others, but they have their flaws, but here, I think we have as near-perfect of a superhero move as we can get, and I think it has a lot to do with some of their foundational decisions.
First, they made sure that this movie was all about unironic heroism. Steve Rogers really wants to make a positive difference in the world, and Chris Evans sells every minute of it. Of course, going for a pulpy World War II epic does help set the right kind of tone and atmosphere for this kind of heroism, and bringing in director Joe Johnston with his classic cinematic sensibilities only added to the majesty of the work (to say nothing of Alan Silvestri’s old school soundtrack!).
Seriously, this might be my favorite film of the whole series. Something about seeing a hero step up just because it’s the right thing to do, especially in a world where that kind of behavior is rare, really thrills me. An incredible film that I’ll probably rewatch many times, just for its own sake.
Rating: A
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The AvengersWhat hasn’t been said about this movie already? This movie not only brought it all together, but did so with such authority that we’re still feeling its impact, and will likely continue to feel it for many years to come. A bizarre, genre-fusing epic that held together just well enough to feel like a triumph in the end.
Bringing Loki back was probably the best choice, as he was already popular and helped to establish the more cosmic stakes that the MCU would take from here. The rest of the cast also step up into their roles, and like I said earlier, recasting Banner with Ruffalo was a good choice, as his Banner fits better into the group’s dynamic.
Most of the credit, though, should go to Joss Whedon, who simply has a knack for handling groups of heroes in ways that feel entertaining without becoming unbalanced toward any given character. They all get their chance to shine, give great lines, and provide a great roller coaster of a film that will stand for a very long time. (Also, Silvestri does the soundtrack again, and that Avenger’s theme still gives me chills!)
Rating: A
So! That’s Phase One. It almost feels planned how they started off good only to ramp up towards great. While not perfect, it really is a satisfying stretch of films, with the little connections slowly growing into something spectacular. During this rewatch, I noticed that The Avengers really does have a lot of callbacks to the previous films, making it feel like the last puzzle piece of a masterpiece.
From here, we move on to Phase Two, where things get a little uneven.
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