I think I was always aware of the Marvel hype in the media as movie after movie came out and posters filled the grocery stores. But I never actually watched any of the movies until last summer, when I immediately realized "wow these are actually really good" and commenced to watch all but three of them since July 2018...
After watching all of those, I have finally now decided to give each of them a little mini-review, but keep all the reviews in this one post covering the movies from 2008-2018 (except for The Incredible Hulk and the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies; I have not seen those so naturally they are excluded). I'm rating each film based on QUALITY (my reaction to the film) and CONTENT. For content, I would suggest you check the IMDb parents' guide, since my memory is faulty and that way you know exactly what is in it, but I am just giving a general idea of how old I would recommend viewers to be in order to see these without Clearplay or another filtering service. The titles are all linked to the IMDb pages for each respective film.
And so...in what (I think) is chronological order, here we go!
Quality:
I loved this one. The WWII context was really well portrayed, and, as we are first introduced to Steve, Bucky, Peggy, and the Stark family, I think they did a great job of helping us really get to know the characters and the historical context behind some of them. Also, Small Steve is quite amusing...or at least I thought so! I enjoyed the friendship between Steve, Bucky, and their other buddies...though soldier buddies always make me happy...
Content:
This is a war movie. It feels more like a World War II film than a superhero film at some times, but the two meld together pretty well. Since it is a war movie it gets a little intense at times, but I would probably rate it age 16+
Quality:
This...has to my my favorite Iron Man film. As much of a terrible playboy self-centered jerk Tony Stark is, I cannot help but love his character and constantly root for him. I think that part of why I like Tony/Iron Man so much is because his powers didn't come from a serum, or a radioactive accident, or were magically granted him--he needed that arc reactor to keep his heart going and stay alive, and used his brain and his imagination to save his life and then turned right back around to try and help the people that he had previously been hurting. There is something of an underdog story in Tony, even though he's a famous, genius billionaire. Also, Robert Downey Jr...is SUPERB in this role. I know it's been said thousands of times already, but he was absolutely perfect as Iron Man. He portrayed a character who should never be likeable (based on his attitude and actions) as someone that everyone adores, which, I imagine, is hard to do. Anyway. It was a great film.
Content:
This one I watched with someone who knew where the *one ubiquitous scene that must be skipped to preserve decency* was, so we skipped that. Check out the IMDb page to get the details on content, but personally I would prefer not to watch that 10-second scene that they HAD to put in there to depict what a womanizer Tony is (was), and I don't think it is necessary to include. However, this was the start of the franchise, and, unfortunately, adding that scene sells the movie to some people. Aside from that scene, I would say probably 16+ for this film.
Quality:
I did not enjoy this one as much as IM1, but it was still decent. It addresses the question (for Tony) "what would you do if you had only a week to live?" Naturally, he lives it up, being a billionaire with a special flying suit that he can play with whenever he wants. Also, he eats lots of doughnuts, apparently. (Because, honestly, how else do you cope with a bad chemical spreading throughout your body and slowly killing you?) Naturally, this movie deals with the aftermath from the first one, now that Tony is Iron Man and has to keep up appearances while he is actually dying. He doesn't tell anyone (not even Pepper) that he is dying, and it takes a visit from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents (Nick Fury and Natasha Romanoff) to get him to stop flying around and sitting in giant donuts. Although Tony is a little bit (again) of a jerk in this one, he does turn things around once again at the end. And he saves the world again, as well as finding a way to save his own life, so that's good.
Content:
My biggest complaint is the way that Tony "lives it up," so to speak. He knows he's dying, so he throws a huge party in which he 1. abuses his use of the Iron Man suit and makes it into entertainment. 2. doesn't listen to Pepper or to Rhodey, who know that he needs help and try to stop him from shaming himself so publicly. 3. is rather drunk. 4. has a lot of women around in this party. I felt that there were a bit too many women in this film, and they all seemed to be very flirty and seductive. I don't think that's right. In one way, it does serve to characterize Tony and is (thankfully) not portrayed as a good thing, but really? The audience doesn't need to see all this. Also, Natasha's character is MUCH more flirty in this than in any of the Avengers films, which was disappointing to me. I liked her alright in the rest of the films, but in this one she didn't have as fleshed out of a character. I would say maybe 17+ for this one.
Quality:
Now, while the Iron Man and Captain America franchises are good because of the story and the plots, the characters and stuff, the Thor films are just plain FUN. They have a much more fantasy/sci-fi feel to them, much less realistic and maybe easier to just sit back and relax, enjoy the ride, if you know what I mean. I absolutely love the sibling (well...adopted sibling) dynamic between Thor and Loki, in all 3 films. I think that's my favorite part. They hate each other (well, Loki hates Thor), they fight and yell and scream at each other, but at the end of the day? You know they'll end up helping each other out.
Content:
I felt like the only thing that kind of annoyed me was that they HAD to get a shirtless scene in where Thor's amazing muscles are somewhat objectified.
*grumbles*
*stands on soap box*
THIS IS UNNECESSARY
*jumps down*
Age? I would say maybe 14+
Quality:
This is one of my favorites. The solo movies of different heroes are good, but when they're all together??? That's the best. They save the world through the power of friendship. (Well, not really...) But I just like this one a lot; it establishes characters and themes, introduces us to people, and really sets up way more of the universe than we have seen in the previous films. The interaction of a team of such different people is amusing, I think, and the villain is convincing (well, most of Marvel's villains are convincing, but that struck me the first time I watched it).
Content:
Personally, I don't feel like there's too much that anyone 14+ could not handle. Again, check the IMDb parents' guide for details.
Quality:
So...this is mainly a movie about Tony dealing with the PTSD from what happened in The Avengers, and, in my opinion, they did a great job of showing that on film. I really appreciated his friendship with Rhodey and how everyone is TRYING to help him--even the little boy Harley, who he befriends while stranded in the middle of Tennessee. This movie kind of took Tony back to the beginning--stranded alone with hardly anything to get himself out of a jam, until Harley says "why don't you just build something?" and Tony finally gets himself together and goes to face the Mandarin (a terrorist-like villain), reclaim Pepper, and stop the bombs that are detonating across the country.
Content:
The whole "terrorist" and bombing stuff is a little dark and disturbing. Trying not to give much away, it turns out that the true mastermind is someone experimenting with turning human beings into explosives--human bombs with bodies that rebuild themselves eventually. These human bombs are a little gruesome to watch, and there's a lot of death and exploding stuff in this one. There are still girls running around suggestively in this, although THANK GOODNESS Tony has FINALLY got himself together and doesn't seem distracted by them, with eyes only for Pepper, though they still aren't married, which is a little frustrating. Check the IMDb page--I would say 17+ for this one.
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| (So what's the deal, there are countless memes about this, but this scene isn't even in the movie is it?) |
Quality:
I did not enjoy this as much as the first Thor movie. It was decent, and entertaining, but it just seemed very predictable in plot. Also, I am not a fan of Natalie Portman (there, I said it...an unpopular opinion but I DO NOT like her acting! I've seen her in several films and didn't like her in any of them), and she's a HUGE part of this film, which annoys me. SHE annoys me. *grumbles* However, this was still worth watching. There are some hilarious bits, mostly when Thor and Loki are bantering--honestly, they could do away with all the evil threats and Jane's sciency stuff, just give me a movie which is entirely the brothers bantering and bickering, and I'd watch it gladly!
Content:
YES we get it...Thor is one muscular dude! NO we do not need another shirtless scene to verify that!
Actually it's not as objectifying as the first movie, I'm just fed up with it. Ahem. Anyway, aside from that, a news report plays on the TVs throughout the movie of a crazy man who runs around without clothes--it's censored/pixelated like you would see on TV but kind of an "eye-roll they didn't really need that" moment. I would say 15+ on this one--Jane's (intern? friend? distant cousin?) Darcy is a bit of a potty-mouth, but in her defense there are portals appearing between different worlds, which I'm sure is shocking.
Quality:
This...this was sad. I LOVED IT. I thought it was VERY good, probably better than the first Captain America movie. I thought that the return of Bucky was pretty amazing, and giving insight to his captivity and the way that he was tortured/brainwashed into submission...VERY poignant, or at least I think so. (But then again I have a soft spot for characters like Bucky Barnes. Always have...)
Content:
This one is a bit more violent than most of the other Marvel movies. It's not gory, but the sheer amount of hand-to-hand, close range combat (as well as the ruthless, silent violence that The Winter Soldier and his men inflict) is pretty intense. Natasha (who is MUCH better in this than she was in IM2) and Steve don't seem to try to spare anyone pain, they just bash their way through in whatever way possible. There is a very emotional death scene that takes place during an emergency surgery, which was very stressful--not graphic, just stressful. Natasha kisses Steve (which was WEIRD for everyone but okay) in order to provide a disguise, and teases him about finding him a girlfriend, but I think that the thing to take into consideration the most is the sheer violence. I would say probably 17+ on this one.
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| Quite possibly my favorite lines.... |
Quality:
I don't remember this one as well as I would like, actually. I remember liking it but being VERY frustrated with both Tony Stark and Bruce Banner for creating Ultron. "Oh there's no way this could go wrong." COME ON GUYS. Aside from that, I liked it. I liked Hawkeye's family/home a lot and it made me happy to see that he actually has a wife and kids, cause when are there actual superheroes who have a wife and kids? Anyway, I liked that. Also, the new characters of Pietro and Wanda are really cool, and Vision...well...he's basically just Google as a person. He's okay. But I think this was a great follow-up to the first Avengers film.
I saw this one with Clearplay, so check IMDb for content.
Quality:
Meh. This was my least favorite. It was "okay" but not that great, I could take it or leave it. Very predictable. I did like Scott's relationship with his daughter Cassie, that was very sweet. But Hope's HAIRCUT! Ugh...I'm sooo glad they changed that in the second one.
There was a bit too much casual language in this for my taste. I get that the main characters were mostly in jail for a time and lived a rough life, but still...anyway, I don't really know what age I'd recommend this for...maybe 16+?
Quality:
This is a very frustrating and irritating movie, but I still loved watching it. I know there are LOTS of people who hate it, and yeah, the whole "two superheroes fighting each other" isn't my favorite thing, but you know, I still liked the movie. We got to meet T'Challa (aka Black Panther), who was super-cool, we brought Bucky back, and we met Spiderman as well! I am still torn between Team Cap and Team Iron Man...I have always liked Iron Man better than Captain America, but the thing is that with this particular argument I fall somewhere between the two. I don't want them to sign the Sokovia Accords (and thereby side with the UN, which lots of people hate, though I'm not going to start any political discussions here), and I don't want them to run around like vigilantes, but I want them to be able to go on a quest to bring Bucky back and stay superheroes...so yeah, I'm in the middle. Spiderman was HILARIOUS and very well portrayed, and I thought that even though it was kinda sad to have all the friends teaming up against each other, the movie itself was really well done and worth watching.
Content:
This one I also saw with Clearplay...so I leave it to your discretion.
Quality:
Okay, so my family and I were on a kick of watching the animated Spectacular Spiderman series, which was really cheesy but really fun...watching this as a follow-up to that was interesting, just to compare the different incarnations of Spiderman. We had also just seen Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and that is honestly one of my favorites, but I will say that Tom Holland's Spiderman is a really good version. He did a great job portraying a superhero who is also a believable teenager, who does stupid things and doesn't really know what he's doing. It was very fun. And of course, since I'm a sucker for father/son relationships (or father figure taking a son figure under his wing), I loved the interaction that Spidey had with Tony Stark. Very nice.
Content:
Well, all I can say is that they portrayed high-schoolers decently well. They talk trash about each other, tease Peter Parker and the most rude (and somewhat inappropriate) way they can think of, without being particularly clever, and talk amongst themselves about which girl they should ask to homecoming..which one, which one...I would give this a 16+ I think.
Quality:
The thing that made me sad while watching this movie is that Dr. Strange is a surgeon who loses the ability to use his hands. This does result in a learning curve (since he was really quite a jerk beforehand) and he kinda figures out how to not be a terrible person. It was fun, and the visual effects are really quite amazing, when you think about how much work went into them! I was impressed. I was NOT impressed with Benedict Cumberbatch's American accent though...he should be British. I don't care what role he's in, his voice just sounds like it wants to be British. No offense. But it's true. (Also, the cape/cloak thing? That reminded me of the blanket in Brave Little Toaster...for some odd reason.)
Content:
Dr. Steven Strange is a neurosurgeon. If you're like me, a bit squeamish during any surgery/hospital events, then let me reassure you that this does not get graphic at all. The camera is present while he is operating on people and nurses/doctors rush around, handling nasty-looking tools, scalpels, etc., showing each other the X-rays of awful wounds, but there is no actual "surgery" shown. There is an intense car crash, but you totally see it coming beforehand. And if you're sensitive to "voo-doo" stuff, I would say that there are parts of this movie that seem very New Age-y and kinda weird, but it doesn't get too sketchy. There's a bit of language as well, not a lot but a couple strong words. I would say 17+
Quality:
Okay, so remember when I said that I would totally watch a movie based off the sibling snark between Thor and Loki? Well, Marvel basically made that movie. Ragnarok is...well...it's in a class of its own, I think. It was absolutely hilarious, but at the same time I came away feeling like I wasn't sure exactly WHAT I had just watched. Was it a comedy? A drama? An action movie? I'm still not quite sure, but I enjoyed this one a lot. I loved the sibling dynamic, as I always do, and the fact that Bruce Banner was there (he's great), and of course Korg was phenomenally hilarious. Very funny, entertaining, interesting--plus they use the "Pure Imagination" song from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in the soundtrack so that earned some bonus points for me. This was definitely one of my favorites. I saw Infinity War BEFORE this one, which was a mistake...definitely watch this one first; it leads perfectly into Infinity War.
Content:
There was a little more "casual" language in this one, but nothing worse than the other films, I don't think. A couple suggestive moments but nothing explicit. Lots of the violence is almost comedic, and again, is more of a fantasy-type violence than the "ninja" stuff in lots of the other Marvel films. Thor does lose an eye, which is a little gruesome but happens very quickly and is not graphic. ONCE AGAIN he has no shirt for a few scenes, but doesn't seem as objectified as in the other two movies, I didn't think--it didn't annoy me as much. Also, The Hulk has no trousers on in one scene but is shown only from behind and very briefly. Hela (who Cate Blanchett did a fantastic job of portraying) is an extremely evil woman/demoness/goddess of death and some folks might find her disturbing. I would say 17+ for this one.
Quality:
I enjoyed this one a LOT more than I thought I would! To be very bluntly honest, I was expecting a lot of sort of "black lives matter and white folks are bad" propaganda, and, though there was a little of that, it didn't bother me too much at all, which was nice. Now, I'm not saying that "black lives don't matter," because I believe that they definitely do, ALL lives matter the SAME no matter what color your skin is, and we don't need to put any race above any other. YES slavery was bad and white people were cruel to enslave people of another race, but that was ages ago and the people alive now are not the people who were part of the slave trade. It's over and we can't change history.
Anyway, I was glad that there was a GOOD, POSITIVE white male role model (who was superbly played by Martin Freeman and was also my favorite character) who could get along with the Wakandans and wasn't portrayed as a total jerk. *thumbs up* The soundtrack was great, the characters were very fun, and it was overall a very enjoyable film! Also, Shuri and T'Challa's sibling dynamic is awesome!
Content:
Not bad at all. There are some pretty intense moments of hand-to-hand combat/dueling determining the future kind of Wakanda, but nothing too gruesome or disturbing. Andy Serkis plays a very detestable villain (he's good at that I think) who is a little crude, but there is nothing explicit. Shuri gives T'Challa a rude gesture, which is very brief and for which her mother admonishes her. I would say maybe 14/15+
Quality:
Definitely improved from the first Ant-Man. Still kinda predictable, but much more funny and interesting to watch, I thought. Cassie was still adorable and had a slightly bigger part, which was great, and Hope finally lost the awful haircut! The villain seemed a little feminist-propaganda-ish to me, but not too much, thankfully.
Content:
Better than the first Ant-Man as well, some of the same stuff, but not so much I didn't think. 17+
Quality:
When a main character dies in the first 10 minutes of the movie, you know that bad things are gonna happen. This movie is no exception. It is VERY sad, and kills just about everyone who shouldn't have died (naturally they're coming back in Avengers: Endgame or at least I expect they will somehow). It was a very sad movie, though there are quite a few lighter, funnier moments. I thought it was great. The scene *SPOILERS, THOUGH IT'S BEEN OUT FOR LIKE A YEAR AND I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW* when Peter dies...that hurt to watch. It was so sad and emotional, and wooooow the acting on both Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr.'s parts...whew. Painful. Though I didn't need emotional counseling afterwards (it's JUST A MOVIE, it's not REAL), it was a very tragic and sad film. Well done though. Very well done.
Content:
Infinity War is...intense. Characters are tortured, stabbed, have their necks broken, are turned to dust...you name it. It's tragic and dark at times, and although the violence isn't super grotesque, it is very intense. There's a little more language than most in this one (thanks to Chris Pratt and his Guardians of the Galaxy; apparently, though he is a very funny person, he likes to make slightly off-color jokes), and it is implied that a couple is living together unmarried, though nothing explicit is spoken of or shown. I'd say 17+ for this. Really lovely movie. Just really intense as well.
A Final Note About the Use of Crude Language In Film: I am in no way encouraging this. Yes, I watched these. Yes, I enjoyed the films immensely despite the language. No, I am not condoning or excusing the characters from speaking that way, just because I watch it doesn't mean I like that particular element of the movie. The (sad) thing is, I have become much more "desensitized" to somewhat rude language in my time of attending a public university, and these movies, well, what you hear in them is cleaner than what I hear at school all the time. Now, it's still not a GOOD thing, and it still makes me a little disappointed, but, with a mature and discerning audience, I personally don't have any serious problems with watching these movies or movies like them. It's up to your discretion and personal convictions, however. The age ratings I gave these are from my personal perspective, and naturally many of you are going to think differently than I do, and that's totally fine. But this post is my personal response to and thoughts on the films.
All right, that's it--now that I FINALLY got that post out after like three weeks of drafting and procrastinating, I feel much better about life...:P Now I shall leave you...
What are your thoughts on the Marvel movie franchise?
