
Story by Mark Beresford
Anticipation for the latest addition to the Marvel cinematic universe is reaching its peak, and with the release of Thor: Ragnarok just days away, we’ve decided to look back across the last decade or more of Marvel on the big screen and pick five of the best (with an honourable mention for Deadpool. We heart you Mr. Pool).
5. Captain America: Civil War
One of the red brand’s most beloved story arcs, Civil War was always going to be a difficult task to properly portray on film. Focusing on the team dynamics or justification of individuals, it lends a great deal to the characters emotions, more than most thought could be crammed into two hours. The Russo brothers ended up going above and beyond here, giving us the tension and animosity and bundling it into something more akin to an espionage thriller than a superhero blockbuster.
4. Guardians Of The Galaxy
Another feature that probably wouldn’t have worked had it not have been for the dedication of its cast and crew. Guardians were a second-tier comic that few outside of diehard readers paid attention to. The characters are some of the zaniest in the current universe and the offbeat humour could easily have polarised. With James Gunn at the helm, we ended up getting one of the most loved films of the year, jam packed with razor sharp humour and bursting with charisma, all backed by the absolute finest of ‘70s and ‘80s radio hits mixtape.
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming
The third solid Spider-Man reboot since 2002 and still under the ownership of Sony, Marvel Studios stepped in with the assist and finally gave us the scampy webslinger from Queens we’ve always wanted. Tom Holland gives the perfect portrayal of Peter Parker as we get to live out the red and blue suits establishing moments from the end of his appearance in Civil War. Avoiding the already well-worn grounds of the previous franchise films, Homecoming gave us a fresh perspective and instantly established itself as Alpha Spidey, leaving the door wide open to go back and have another sling at the favourite foes.
2. Logan
The only downside of Logan was the fact that it has taken until his final appearance as the mutant Wolverine for Hugh Jackman to get the story his performance deserved. Logan steps away from the unstoppable berserker and instead looks at the Old Man Logan story to show a grizzled, broken and lost former X-Men member. This vulnerability and conflict within Logan made his battle exceedingly more impactful as we watched the hero have to decide when to fight and when to run, as he tries to preserve what is important to him as well as himself.
1. Iron Man
The one that started it all and still the favourite for many, Iron Man showed us just what Marvel movies were going to be. It jammed itself with fan facing Easter Eggs, loaded up on explosive action and above all else, was non-stop fun! The Tony Stark origin piece was driven perfectly by Robert Downy Jnr and set the scene for what were still watching today. It has likely been rewatched by most a dozen times and will continue to do so with all the charm in the world.
Thor: Ragnarok is in cinemas this Thursday.
Pic via Marvel