MCU Phase 1
My thoughts on the films that make up the Marvel Universe's Phase 1. These will be listed in order of preference. I do reference some spoilery info, so be warned if you haven't seen these films.
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- DirectorJoss WhedonStarsRobert Downey Jr.Chris EvansScarlett JohanssonEarth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.This film rates high just for the sheer spectacle of it being the first theatrical superhero team up. That the film is also highly entertaining is an almost obscene amount of riches. Wheadon expertly weaves in a ton of characters and for the most part, gives all equal amounts of attention. I do have some gripes with the film; Thor's helmet is still MIA (OMG how much cooler that shot of all of them together in battle would have looked had he worn it) his powers are once again muted, Hulk is not able to play with others then all of a sudden he can play with others, horrible Cap suit design, Hawkeye a zombie for most of the movie and often used ID4 alien Achilles heal story-line is employed. For those uninitiated, I am referring to all ships are rendered ineffective when mother ship is blown up. This was famously used in the film Independence Day and many high profile films have since employed this weakness. Those nitpicks aside, a ton of fun. To that point, the best yet rendering of the Hulk as a CGI character, all of the charisma one movie could possibly hold at one time and just an overall smile inducing event of bringing multiple heroes together for one film. A well earned 9 out of 10 stars. For the shear weight the film carries, it just edges out Iron Man for my #1 spot for the Phase 1 films.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsRobert Downey Jr.Gwyneth PaltrowTerrence HowardAfter being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.If there ever was a convergence of perfect artist and project, this was it. It is hard to imagine any other actor who could pull off the pre and post injured/captured Stark better than Downey. The real-life checkered past and redemption permeates his performance. A smart thing that the MCU did was go outside the normal action director list and get someone like John Favreau who, an actor himself, was known more as a character-first director. It is hard to believe now that at the time, Iron Man was a bit of a risk, it was not a sure bet anyone but comic book readers would be interested. There had been a long history of actors attached and studios interested and then not so interested. But Marvel finally had three key elements; RDJ, ILM and Sam Winston's Studio. Between the believable CGI of ILM, the fantastic craftsmanship of Sam Winston Studio's practical suits and RDJ's performance, Iron Man came to life. It stands as the standard bearer of the MCU Phase I universe and for good reason. The film would introduced signature elements for future MCU films (credit stingers) and more importantly, dazzled both comic fans and general audiences. Most definitely a solid 9 star out of 10 rating. An "iron" #2 on my list of Phase 1 films.
- DirectorJoe JohnstonStarsChris EvansHugo WeavingSamuel L. JacksonSteve Rogers, a rejected military soldier, transforms into Captain America after taking a dose of a "Super-Soldier serum". But being Captain America comes at a price as he attempts to take down a warmonger and a terrorist organization.If I was worried about Thor, I was petrified of what would be done with Cap/Steve Rogers. He is a character who needs to be earnest, loyal and 100% red blooded patriot. That is not something Hollywood likes to showcase in films. Wisely, they set the film in the proper time period rather than showcasing the post-WWII Cap. Much to my surprise, Cap was wonderfully brought to life by the deft directing of Joe Johnston and wonderful performance of Chris Evans. An equally well rounded supporting case was brought on and right alongside the first Iron Man, one of my favorite MCU films to date. Johnston wonderfully captures the time period, which helps the film to stand alone in the MCU. I am rarely surprised by a film, but this one did a wonderful job of presenting a character who is rather unique in the superhero genre given he wears his allegiance squarely on his chest. IMO, one of the major successes of the MCU, solid 9 out of 10 stars. A strong #3 on my list of Phase 1 films.
- DirectorLouis LeterrierStarsEdward NortonLiv TylerTim RothBruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government, must find a cure for the monster he turns into whenever he loses his temper.The smart thing done with this "reboot" of the Hulk character was going back to the formula of Banner on the run which made the TV series popular. Personally, I still prefer Norton as Banner rather than Ruffalo. I know that is blasphemous, but alas, I am not known to go with the popular opinion all the time. Nothing wrong with what Ruffalo has done in his two outings as Banner, I just think Norton had a better read on the character. They let Hulk smash here, which ultimately is what you want to see the big guy do. This film seems to get lost in all of the talk about the resurgence of the Marvel brand. I thought it was a huge improvement over the Ang Lee film. Ultimately, I think it was the prickly Norton, who ended up feuding with the producers over cuts made to the final film that kept the film from breaking out. Norton was allowed to do a pass on the script to develop the character more. When they cut back on these character elements and pushed more of the action to the front in the final cut, Norton refused to promote the film. His lack of enthusiasm ultimately hurt the film IMO. He didn't return for Avengers so the movie has this cloud over it. I really like the film and can't help but wonder what could have been had Norton just embraced the universe like RDJ did. A solid 7 out of 10 stars from me. An "incredible" #4 ranking on my Phase 1 films.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsChris HemsworthAnthony HopkinsNatalie PortmanThe powerful but arrogant god Thor is cast out of Asgard to live amongst humans in Midgard (Earth), where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.I was worried about Thor. In my opinion, the only actor who could have ever played the character was Vladimir Kulich. Of course, he is way too old for the character, but damn, he would have been so good. At any rate, I was worried. But Chris Hemsworth has filled the role quite nicely. It was smart to get Kenneth Branagh as director as Thor needed to be in the hands of someone who understands period characters, because in the end, Thor is much like the Shakespearean stage characters Branagh is adept at directing. The film is impeccably cast, one of the best in the MCU. The film does falter a bit when we move to the confines of earth, but Branagh keeps things moving and ultimately the film entertains. One of my pet-peeves with these films in regard to Thor is the inconsistent display of Thor's powers and the lack of seeing him in battle with his helmet. I know that is a silly thing to bring up, but the biggest draw of the Thor character for me as a kid was him in battle with his helmet on. There was something about that image which stuck with me. The helmet makes a cameo in this film during Thor's coronation ceremony at the beginning of the film and that is all we have seen of it. Don't get me started on his power fluctuation, it is an even more egregious slight to the character. Helmet being MIA and power fluctuation aside, another solid 7 out of 10 stars. A mighty #5 on my list of Phase 1 films.
- DirectorJon FavreauStarsRobert Downey Jr.Mickey RourkeGwyneth PaltrowWith the world now aware of his identity as Iron Man, Tony Stark must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father's legacy.I don't get the hate of this film by some in the fandom. Is it as good as the first one? No, but it definitely is not a lackluster entry. Definitely nothing wrong with RDJ here, as always, he owns Stark/Iron Man. We get the introduction of Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, which she owned from the first frame. We got our first substantial presence of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Rhodey officially becoming War Machine, Mickey Rourke whipping around the scene, Sam Rockwell hamming it up and all kinds of humor and action. What isn't to like about all of that? Complaints about Rourke's character being blase, Happy being in the film too much and just an overall too corporate vibe on display seem to be the crux of the complaints. I think Favareau maybe was not as enthusiastic given he had to jump right into making this faster than he wanted to. My one complaint about the film is that the score music lost the industrial element that the first employed effectively. They went with a more generic sounding score that lost some of the personality that the first film help to create. I am not sure if they went that route due to the AC/DC tie-in songs, but for me, it was a noticeable missing element. Ultimately I enjoyed the film and have no major problems with it. For me, a fun 7 out of 10 stars. No slouch, but in a top-quality filed, gets a #6 ranking of the Phase 1 films from me.