CaliforniaCumberbatch as a specifically arrogant intellectual protagonist, Tilda Swinton's Ancient One, reality-folding combat. The 8 reflects honest evaluation of one of the more successful Phase Three MCU entries and the entry that introduced the franchise's mystical-arts dimension.
British ColumbiaEdward Norton, Louis Leterrier, and the most underrated MCU film. Norton's psychologically committed Bruce Banner.
CaliforniaRobert Downey Jr.'s strongest moments buried under franchise machinery. Black Widow's intro, War Machine's recasting, and Whiplash wasted.
CaliforniaThe 1940s adventure that built the franchise's moral foundation. The 9 reflects honest evaluation of the most disciplined origin film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the entry that gave the franchise its moral center.
CaliforniaJoss Whedon's ensemble breakthrough, Tom Hiddleston's Loki, and the film that proved interconnected superhero cinema could function at scale. The 8.5 reflects honest evaluation of the film that proved interconnected superhero cinema could function at scale and the entry that…
CanadaA father in 1969 talks to his son in 1999 through a ham radio during an aurora. The film works on a viewer who comes to it cold.
New YorkJackson, John McTiernan returns to direct, Jeremy Irons as Hans Gruber's brother. It is the best Die Hard sequel and the closest the franchise ever came to matching the original.
CaliforniaTim Curry at the Plaza, the Pigeon Lady, and the rare sequel that surpasses a very good original. It is the rare sequel that is better than a very good original.
New YorkThe Adjustment Bureau earns its 9 by doing something most high-concept films fail at completely: it makes the concept personal without letting the concept. The idea, that a bureaucracy of angelic agents manages human fate, adjusting events whenever people deviate…
CaliforniaStanley Kubrick developed the project for years before his death; Steven Spielberg completed it as a tribute. The first act honors the premise.
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