Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Review
Two billion dollars on the strength of accumulated franchise capital. Forty characters, the Snap that wasn't depicted, and structural failures.
Genre: Superheroes (Page 3)
SuperheroesCaptain America: Civil War (2016) Review
The Phase 3 inflection point where moral clarity became moral confusion. Spider-Man and Black Panther's introductions as franchise expansion vehicles.
SuperheroesDoctor Strange (2016) Review
Cumberbatch 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.
SuperheroesThor (2011) Review
The MCU mythological foundation. The 8 reflects honest evaluation of the film that gave the MCU its mythological foundation and the entry that Kenneth Branagh directed with sustained Shakespearean theatrical attention.
SuperheroesThe Incredible Hulk (2008) Review
Edward Norton, Louis Leterrier, and the most underrated MCU film. Norton's psychologically committed Bruce Banner.
SuperheroesThor: The Dark World (2013) Review
Christopher Eccleston wasted as Malekith. The first MCU film that feels like industrial franchise routine.
SuperheroesIron Man 3 (2013) Review
Shane Black's buddy-comedy direction, Downey's strongest character work, and the Mandarin twist Marvel spent eight years correcting. The 5 reflects honest evaluation of the Phase Two opening film and one of the more divisive entries in the MCU's first decade.
SuperheroesIron Man 2 (2010) Review
Robert Downey Jr.'s strongest moments buried under franchise machinery. Black Widow's intro, War Machine's recasting, and Whiplash wasted.
SuperheroesAvengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Review
James Spader's exceptional voice performance carrying an uneven ensemble film. The Vision's introduction and Sokovia's destruction.
SuperheroesIron Man (2008) Review
Robert Downey Jr., Jon Favreau, and the cave construction sequence that built a franchise. The casting decision that built Marvel Studios.
SuperheroesEternals (2021) Review
The Celestials are cosmic-scale beautiful. The rest of the film fails under decorative diversity and two-and-a-half hours of incoherent narrative.
SuperheroesCaptain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) Review
The Russo brothers' 1970s political thriller in superhero clothing. Robert Redford, Chris Evans, and the MCU's peak film.