2105 Marvel Film Rankings - A look back and prediction

Posted by Jeff Labels:

Avengers: Age of Ultron Concept Art courtesy of Marvel Studios
When I did my first ratings, eons ago, it was simply based upon my viewpoint.  The first ratings generated a fairly large amount of discussions in my small group and lead to looking at three criteria for my second annual review.  With each passing year I added more criteria and used more sources to create averages for audience and critic.   This year I used 22 different criteria and I thought I had nailed down exactly what I wanted to do; next years will have 33 so I let you guess how nailed down this years was.
 

More criteria does not ultimately change many movies placement, rather in most cases it solidifies
their position.  This year 18 movies changed positions; 15 of the 18 changed one or two positions up or down, and only 3 movies made larger jumps.
The biggest mover this year was 1998's Blade starring Wesley Snipes helped by the more detailed look at the financials moved up 5 spots.   The Wolverine  dropped 4 spots, which is kind of a head scratcher as it merely the number of critic ratings increased and its position there dropped.
 
I am not shocked that X-Men continues to hold the top spot, its low budget and fairly decent box office give it solid financial numbers, it did will with critics, audience and myself.  
 
It is however a battle between the X-Men and The Avengers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is financially a better box office draw, but audience (including passion) and critics have preferred the X-Men universe.   Even looking at the statistics on my little blog hold that to be true, my posts about the X-Men generally have twice the number of hits and twice the number of +1 on google. 
 
As much as I am still amazed by another statistic I shouldn't be shocked, my writings on the so called bombs (i.e. X-Men: Last Stand, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Fantastic Four (2005)) also drive my hits on the blog.   It may be I track like minded people together or simple my viewers are matched in the broader sense by a fairly large audience.   Well many people still take Brett Ratner's name in vain audiences do not appear to hate the movie he directed, X-Men: Last Stand, in the way many people believe.
 
Next Year's ratings will have four new movies added Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Fantastic Four (2015) and Deadpool before the release of Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse in may 2016.   I have my suspicions on where those four movies will end up on the list but the placement of three of the four is pure speculation at this point.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - X-Men - Number 1

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Film Poster courtesy impawards.com
X-Men
Released 2000
Final Score: 33/34
Jeff: 33/34
Critics: 24/34
Audience: 27/34
Rating 1/34

Two mutants come to a private academy for their kind whose resident superhero team must oppose a terrorist organization with similar powers.

What the critics said: Faithful to the comics and filled with action, X-Men brings a crowded slate of classic Marvel characters to the screen with a talented ensemble cast and surprisingly sharp narrative focus.

What I said: A very sharp film that had me hooked from the first trailer.

Many people are shocked that again X-Men stands on top of the movie rankings, but I am not own of those.   It is important to remember that the formula doesn't just look at 4 items and determines an average but 22 items with a few giving varying weights.  This year I changed how my formula worked to lessen audience passion and X-Men still comes out on top, primarily because how passionate its supporters are in comparison to the other Marvel Films.  You would need to remove passion as any kind of multiplier in the formula to drop this movie down.  In simple terms if you like this film, you really like this film. 
Another point that I want to bring up about X-Men is how well this movie has stood the test of time.  I would add it isn't just X-Men but a goodly number of films from 2000 look better today than say films of 1999 or 2001, there must have been something in the water that year.     
 

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - The Avengers - Number 2

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Movie Poster Courtesy of impawards.com
The Avengers
Released 2012
Final Score: 32.5/34
Jeff: 34/34
Critics: 30/34
Audience: 33/34
Rating 33/34

Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

What the critics said: With a script that never forgets its heroes' humanity and no shortage of superpowered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype -- and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies.

What I said: Hulk Smash, Smash Records

If you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, on the eve of the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron, you are probably questioning my rankings for not having this on top.   Personally I believe this is, so far, the best film, and if you remove my personal ranking of the film as number 1 it drops to 4th, yes FOURTH on the list.  The Avengers smashed multiple box office records, it is one of the largest selling DVD/Blu-Rays in history, and so on and so forth.   Here is the deal, it is not the Audience most liked film (Guardians of the Galaxy is), it not the critics most liked film (Spider-Man 2 is) and those two factors kept it from the top spot.      
 

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - X-Men United - Number 3

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Movie Poster Courtesy of impawards.com
X-Men: United
Released 2003
Final Score: 31.5/34
Jeff: 30/34
Critics: 28/34
Audience: 28/34
Rating 32/34

The X-Men band together to find a mutant assassin who has made an attempt on the President's life, while the Mutant Academy is attacked by military forces.

What the critics said: Tightly scripted, solidly acted, and impressively ambitious, X2: X-Men United is bigger and better than its predecessor -- and a benchmark for comic sequels in general.

What I said: I should really like this movie more.

This is a movie you really wonder how it gets such high ratings across the board and is able to maintain its place in the rankings.   I think that is a credit to Bryan Singer direction of this film.  You are not inundated with special effects, you have a solid story line and the audience becomes invested in the characters on the screen.   It doesn't hurt that this film has a lowly $110 Million Dollar budget so the use of every dollar mattered.
 

First Look at Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler

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An image has been released with Kodi McPhee as Nightcrawler, Kurt Wagner.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - X-Men: Days of Future Past - Number 4

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X-Men: Days of Future Past
Released 2014
Final Score: 29.5/34
Jeff: 32/34
Critics: 32/34
Audience: 33/34
Rating 31/34

The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

What the critics said: X-Men: Days of Future Past combines the best elements of the series to produce a satisfyingly fast-paced outing that ranks among the franchise's finest installments.

What I said: Bryan Singer return to the X-Men Universe is thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a film that domestically did not produce at the box office they way many of would have like to seen it do, not that predictions were that far off, we just hoped we were wrong in the correct direction.   From the financial aspects had this film done 15% better in the Box Office it would of had the chance to be the top movie on our list.  
People that like this movie, really like this movie, it has the second highest grade in that regard, critics thoroughly enjoyed this film, only Iron Man and Spider-Man 2 were rated higher.
My biggest problem with the Movie are a couple of story line issues that are supposedly addressed in the Rogue Edition being released later this year.  
 

2015 Marvel Film Rankins - Spider-Man 2 - Number 5

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Movie Poster Courtesy impawards.com
Spider-Man 2
Released 2004
Final Score: 29/34
Jeff: 30/34
Critics: 34/34
Audience: 26/34
Rating 30/34

2014 29/32 - Stayed the Same

Peter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a brilliant scientist named Doctor Otto Octavius.

What the critics said: Boasting an entertaining villain and deeper emotional focus, this is a nimble sequel that improves upon the original.

What I said: A better movie than the first one, but I do not understand the critical acclaim of this film.


Spider-Man 2 was the first movie with a super-hero sized budget and the quality of the film in comparison to the original Spider-Man film released just two years before.  However in adding 75% additional money to the budget the film made slightly less money than the original and it financial hurt because of it.  Making less money also set the stage for issues in the third film in Sam Raimi's trilogy.
In the eyes of the audience this film has not aged well, its rating with Audiences has slipped a little each year, not enough to drop its place, for the time being, but continued slippage will result in this film dropping in the rankings in the years to come.
 

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Iron Man - Number 6

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Iron Man
Released 2008
Final Score: 27.5/34
Jeff: 21/34
Critics: 33/34
Audience: 31/34
Rating 29/34

2014: 28/32

After being held captive in an Afghan cave, an industrialist creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight against evil. This leads him to conflict within his own company

What the critics said: Director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey make this smart, high impact superhero movie one that even non-comics fans can enjoy.

What I said: Good Film, but I am still not a Tony Stark Fan

Call it my personal bias, but I am not a big fan of Tony Stark and it shows in my rankings, but not necessarily in it overall position in these rankings.  I would have had to rank this film 8 places higher to have it climb to number 5 and 13 (top spot) to get to number 4, but that's as high as this movie could go.       
 
 

Ant-Man's future in the MCU

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I will be linking together a number of stories here to I hope tell a coherent story.
 
It appears that when Edgar Wright was brought on bored to write and direct Ant-Man the film was originally intended to be a one off, stand alone film or if it was successful a stand-alone universe.  That was way back in 2008/9 pre release of Iron Man 2.   The success of the MCU films put pressure on Marvel Studios to continue with the single universe strategy. 
 
Here is my take, if you look at the Film Thor, released in 2011.  From the decision to move ahead with the project and its release is under three years.   Thor is pretty good stand alone film with enough elements of the MCU to be appreciated both as a part of the whole and by itself.   Marvel Studios clearly wanted that approach.  Edgar Wright was firmly against it.  
From my perspective Ant-Man should have gone into production in 2014, not 2014, but Marvel still was taking the stand-alone approach at the time.  
When plans were finalized for Phase 2, its pretty clear the frustration with the delays were starting to pile up at Marvel.   After a third (fourth/fifth) draft of the script was turned in, Marvel had its in house script writers make "suggestions" with plans to get it done.  
 
As work on the film continued Marvel put more and more pressure on Edgar Wright to make changes to his script and plans to incorporate the Marvel Cinematic Universe.   No one is talking about what the final straw was, but in May 2014 Marvel and Edgar separated.
 
Adam McKay was brought in to replace Edgar Wright, but with Marvel unwilling to change the production schedule (again) he had to back out before signing the contract, in steps Peyton Reed.   Except Adam McKay didn't walk away, he locked himself in a hotel room with Actor Paul Rudd, who plays the lead in the movie, and rewrote the script. 
When asked about this process Paul Rudd answered "The idea, the trajectory, the goal, and the blueprint of it all, is really Edgar and Joe. It’s their story. We changed some scenes, we added new sequences, we changed some characters, we added new characters. If you took the two scripts and held them up together they’d be very different—but the idea is all theirs."
 
Peyton Reed stepped in and filmed the project, with Adam McKay on speed dial I am sure.  
 
The film is now considered a part of Phase 2, and if you read between the lines of what Kevin Feige has said or Josh Whedon, or ... its clear they wish Edgar Wright would have completed the project and that it would have been done before Avengers: Age of Ultron.  
 
Paul Rudd has made it clear with an interview with MTV that Ant-Man is no firmly in the MCU and he has had discussions on reprising his role as Scott Lang (Ant-Man) in future films. 

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/joss-whedon-ant-man-edgar-790740
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/01/08/ant-man-paul-rudd-edgar-wright
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=119418

Doctor Strange - to appear in Netflix's Iron Fist

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Our friends over at Bleeding Cool are suggesting that Doctor Strange will make an appearance in Iron Fist TV/Netflix Series before appearing on the big screen.
 
According to sources details are still being worked out and from what I have read we are talking a cameo appearance, but time to wait and see.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Guardians of the Galaxy - Number 7

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Guardians of the Galaxy
Released 2014
Final Score: 27/34
Jeff: 31/34
Critics: 32/34
Audience: 34/34
Rating: 27/34

2014: New

A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.

What the critics said: Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect -- as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor.

What I said: A Great way to expand the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Guardians of the Galaxy highlights the extreme challenges in making a "space based" science fiction film.   Not only does it cost a lot of money but there are challenges in dealing with physics that a earth based film does not encounter.   Guardians of the Galaxy truly excelled at dealing with the physics and suffered in the rankings due to its cost to produce, an estimated $230 Million dollars; while the movie did extremely well domestically its international totals pale in comparison.
 
 

Spider-Man Cameo - Faked?

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There is a purported cameo at the end of the Avengers: Age of Ultron involving a window washer and your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.   The scene has long been rumored to exist and we have footage.
 

The problem is every one involved in the film has categorically denied that it is real and is a "fake".   Josh Whedon, Director of Avengers Age of Ultron, recently spoke with Flicks and the City and attempted to clear it up.

"We wanted to be clear that there was no tag scene at the very, very end of the film. Because after sitting through 40 minutes of credits and not seeing anything, we thought people would become irate. [Laughs] So no, I don't know where that started."
So if it is a fake, its a pretty good fake, which leads to the question what is it?

Well I have it on good authority that is leaked test footage of Freddie Highmore (Bates Motel) from his trial as the Spider-Man.    
I'm told that Freddie Highmore was an early candidate to replace Andrew Garfield; however Marvel executives were worried about his age (23 at the time) being to old to tell a young teenagers story.

By Grabthar's Hammer

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Movie Poster courtesy impawards.com
Paramount Television has begun work on creating a TV Pilot based on the Galaxy Quest, the 1999 Film.

Galaxy Quest centered around the cast of a TV show cancelled years before and the alien race who saw the "historical documents", aka reruns, and decided to use them a blue print to save their race.

Many view Galaxy Quest as a parody of the Star Trek shows and films and the phenomenon that are a part of its culture; so much so that Galaxy Quest was voted by Star Trek convention goers as the seventh best Star Trek Movie in 2013. 

No further details have been released nor a broadcast partner announced. 

Daredevil second season ordered

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Marvel announced this evening that Netflix has ordered a second season of the original series Daredevil.   


More details to follow as they become available.

AoS spinoff - Mockingbird and Hunter

Posted by Jeff

I will type more in the morning.  Deadline is reporting that Lance Blood and Adrianna Palicki are negotiating contracts to start in a spinoff of agents of shield.

Captain Marvel Writers

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Captain Marvel - Carol Danvers
From the official Marvel Twitter Account.

Nicole Perlman is a co-writer of the Guardians of the Galaxy and was originally hired by Marvel Studios to write a treatment (pre-script) for a stand alone Black Widow movie that has not gone anywhere.

Meg LeFauve wrote the screenplay for the forthcoming Pixar Animation release Inside Out

Simon Kinberg on the X-Men Universe

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In an interview with IGN at the Star Wars Celebration Simon Kinberg, Writer and Producer on several X-Men films spoke about the future of the X-Men Universe.


That has the same kind of integration. It's a smaller group. All of the films [Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse and Gambit] are aware of each other. I know what's happening in each story, of each of the movies and they certainly acknowledge each other. Things that happen in one film are acknowledged by the other movies. The result of the aftermath of [X-Men:] Apocalypse is something that will impact the course of history in the world in much the same way that the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past did. From 1973 forward, the world knew about mutants. A mutant took a football stadium and dropped it on the White House. That's not the history we were raised on. So, instead of ignoring it, all of the movies that come after that in the timeline acknowledge it and embrace it, and it becomes part of the complicated reality of X-Men history on film. The films are all going to be informed by one another.

Star Wars: Rogue One - The story of stealling the Death Star plans

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At the Star Wars Celebration a few details about the forth comings Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One movie were revealed.   The official Star Wars twitter account tweeted:

A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans in Star Wars anthology film, Rogue One.
The movie will be set between the end of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: A New Hope and will star Felicity Jones and be directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla).

Trailer - Fantastic Four Trailer #2

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John Ridley - Tapped to reinvent a Marvel Superhero for the Small Screen

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John Ridley at the 2014 Oscars
Novelist and Oscar Winning Writer, John Ridley has been tapped by Marvel to help reinvent a superhero for a potential ABC series.

John Ridley won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay with his script for 12 Years a Slave and is working with ABC on the Drama Series American Crime.

The rumor mill is working overdrive as Marvel has announced that John Ridley is working on reinventing, their word, a Superhero for the small screen however no additional details have been announced thus far.

This is not the TV show in development for ABC that has links to the marvel Cinematic Universe, about two weeks ago new broke that Jeffrey Bell (Angel, The X-Files) and writer Paul Zbyszewski (Lost, Hawaii Five-0) have been handed the assignment to create the spin-off of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Marvel has used an interesting choice of words to describe the project "reinventing an existing superhero" and his made me think about how to read this.    In drawing up a list of potential superheroes that could be reinvented I had to cross many off the list.   Miles Morales / Spider-Man wouldn't need reinventing but could be an interesting show.   The Punisher is too dark for broadcast TV.  Ghost Rider, well Marvel doesn't currently control his rights.  Cloak and Dagger has been rumored for several years.  The return of the Incredible Hulk.

The one Marvel hero that really sticks out for me, Blade.   In 1998 Blade sprang onto the big-screen and the success of Wesley Snipes starring as the Day Walker (a vampire who could stand sunlight) lead to two sequels and a short lived TV Series.   

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Incredible Hulk - Number 12

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Incredible Hulk
Released 2008
Final Score: 22/34
Jeff: 23/34
Critics: 21/34
Audience: 18/34
Rating: 22/34

2014: 20/32 - Up 2

Bruce Banner, a scientist on the run from the U.S. Government must find a cure for the monster he emerges whenever he loses his temper. However, Banner then must fight a soldier whom unleashes himself as a threat stronger than he.
 
What the critics said: The Incredible Hulk provides the action and excitement to please comic book fans and re-ignite this fledgling franchise.

What I said: It just doesn't work and I cannot tell you exactly why.

The Incredible Hulk failed at the box office, only earning 120% its cost to make in its world wide theatrical release.  The fifth lowest earnings of all Marvel Films. 
There is an old saying close only counts in Horse Shoes, Hand Grenades, but not Hulk Movies.   The movie has a decent story, an interesting villain(s) and okay effects; and while audiences gave the Movie an A- rating in CinemaScore it was a one and done movie for attendance.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Thor: The Dark World - Number 13

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Movie Poster Courtesy impawards.com

Thor: The Dark World
Released 2013
Final Score: 22/34
Jeff: 24/34
Critics: 16/34
Audience: 24/34
Rating: 24/34

2014: 24/32 - Down 2

When Dr. Jane Foster gets cursed with a powerful object, Thor must protect it before an army and its ruthless leader try to get their hands on it to take over the remains of Earth.
 
What the critics said: It may not be the finest film to come from the Marvel Universe, but Thor: The Dark World still offers plenty of the humor and high-stakes action that fans have come to expect.

What I said: A decent film that could have been a lot better.

Over the past year the overall professional critics dropped their average rating of both Thor and Thor: The Dark World by several points.    I was going to dig into this more, but haven't so I apologize for not being able to do so.   All of the other metrics put this movie constantly at number 11 in the rankings.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Thor - Number 14

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Movie Poster Courtesy impawards.com
Thor
Released 2011
Final Score: 21.5/34
Jeff: 27/34
Critics: 21/34
Audience: 19/34
Rating: 21/34

2014: 23/32 - Down 2

The 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.
 
What the critics said: A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, Thor is mighty Marvel entertainment.

What I said: A Very Good Stand-Alone movie that will be judged harshly by how it compares to the others.

Here is a movie that gets a lot negative feed back from the fan base for reasons that I do not truly understand.  I always felt that the movie was missing something, like a word that is on the tip of your tongue, but you cannot remember. 
As for the metrics they all score between 18 and 21 (with the exception of my personal ranking) so its placement is not far out of line with where most people put the movie.  

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

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Cobie Smulders and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel live Cobie Smulders confirmed that she will be appearing on an episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the near future as (former) Agent Maria Hill.

Chris Hemsworth confirms his contract.

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In a recent interview Chris Hewsworth, who plays Thor in the Marvel Cienmatic Universe, acknowledges that he has three more films on his current contract, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and  Avengers: Infinity War Part 2.   After which he plans on returning to cleaning Breast Pumps.

Chris Hemsworth also answers for Chris Evans that he has three movies left on his contract [Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 and  Avengers: Infinity War Part 2].

What is interesting to me, beyond the running joke about cleaning breast pumps, is that both Actor signed initial contracts for 7 movies, that means Marvel Executives planned for this for over a decade. 

Patty Jenkins to Direct Wonder Woman

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Two days after Michelle MacLaren backed out of directing Wonder Woman over creative differences with Warner Bros and DC Entertainment Patty Jenkins has signed on.

Patty Jenkins burst onto the scene with her directorial debut in 2003 with Monster the story of Prostitute turned serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, in Daytona Beach.  Charlize Theron won an Oscar for he portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in the film.

At one time Patty Jenkins was attached to direct Thor: The Dark World however left the project over creative differences with Marvel Studios in 2011. 

Several sources have suggested that Payty Jenkins was the second choice to replace Michelle MacLaren.  The sources indicate that Angelina Jolie was offered the directorial chair first, but turned it down due to other potential commitments.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - The Wolverine - Number 15

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The Wolverine
Released 2013
Final Score: 21/34
Jeff: 29/34
Critics: 21/34
Audience: 15/34
Rating: 20/34

2014: 24/32 - Down 4

When Wolverine is summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance, he is embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons.
 
What the critics said: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.

What I said: This Movie grows on you.

The scoring of this movie within the rankings is all over the board, it's world wide audience and financials place it in the top 5, its domestic audience barely make 20th, box office 10th, critics either loved or hated the movie, and so on and so forth.   Without my like for this film it would end up in the 19 to 22 range.
Many of the complaints from the fan base are actually address in the extended version as it really helps fill in the story but adds a childish fight with a snowblower.    

Why no stand alone Hulk Movie?

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Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
According to Badass Digest the problem is that well Disney has the rights to use Bruce Banner and his Alter Ego, the Hulk, the actual rights to a stand alone film still are controlled by Universal Studios.

Their Source - Mark Ruffalo
As far as a Hulk movie, a standalone Hulk movie, Marvel doesn’t really have the rights to that yet. That’s still Universal’s property, so there’s that issue. That’s a big impediment to moving forward with that. Now I don’t think that’s insurmountable, by the way, but I don’t know where it’s going from here for me.

Well simply put that sucks...

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - The Amazing Spider-Man - Number 16

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Movie Poster courtesy impawards.com
The Amazing Spider-Man
Released 2012
Final Score: 18.5/34
Jeff: 8/34
Critics: 23/34
Audience: 22/34
Rating: 19/34

2014: 18/32 - Down 1

After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to solve the mystery of his parent's mysterious death.
 
What the critics said: A well-chosen cast and sure-handed direction allow The Amazing Spider-Man to thrill, despite revisiting many of the same plot points from 2002's Spider-Man.

What I said: This Movie Spells Doom for Sony's Spider-Verse.

With the recent announcement of Spider-Man reboot and working agreement between Sony and Marvel Studios I feel like Nostradamus in calling the end of the Sony's Spider-verse as we now know it.   If it wasn't for my great dislike hate of this version of the film it would have scored much higher on the rankings, as in top 5. 

Has Spider-Man been cast?

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Rumor mill will be heating up in the next 48 to 96 hours I understand.  

With Captain America: Civil War to begin shooting in 13 days Marvel may not be able to keep this a secret for long.   I am assuming that Marvel wants to keep Avengers: Age of Ultron front and center in the media tour as the films release approaches however the cat may be out of the bag.

Another rumor suggests Marvel may have a "Short" list they are working on and may give Actor Jake Short a screen test some time this week. 

 

Avengers - Family Fued

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Vin Diesel confirmed for Guardians of the Galaxy 2

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Groot - Courtesy Marvel Studios
Vin Diesel has confirmed he will voice everyone's favorite, walking house plant, Groot in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy 2. 
 
He joins Karen Gillian who has previously confirmed that she is reprising her role of Nebula in the second film.  It is widely assumed the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy gang will be announcing their return in the near future.

Wonder Woman Director steps down

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Wonder Woman courtesy of DC Entertainment
Yesterday The HollyWood Reporter broke the story that Michelle MacLaren is leaving the upcoming Wonder Woman movie.

Michelle MacLaren the Emmy award winning Director and Producer has worked on numerous hit shows including Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and X-Files.

MacLaren cited "Creative Differences" between herself and leadership at Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment.

A report surfaced this morning that MacLaren wanted to change some of Wonder Woman's backstory and add a animal side kick that Wonder Woman could talk to.   If true such changes would have very much alienated the fan base and potentially hurt large amount of revenue such a movie could earn.

Gal Gadot has signed on to play the Amazon Princess in several upcoming films including her first appearance in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice currently scheduled for release in March 2016.   The Wonder Woman film is currently on track for release in June 2017.

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Spider-Man 3 - Number 17

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Spider-Man 3
Released 2007
Final Score: 18.5/34
Jeff: 15/34
Critics: 17/34
Audience: 10/34
Rating: 18/34

2014: 18/32 - Down 1

A strange black entity from another world bonds with Peter Parker and causes inner turmoil as he contends with new villains, temptations, and revenge.


What the critics said: Though there are more characters and plotlines, and the action sequences still dazzle, Spider-Man 3 nonetheless isn't quite as refined as the first two.
 
What I said: Too many characters and story lines not enough room for their stories.

Made bucket's of cash, the critics placed this right in the middle, the audience (me too) hated it.  A successful flop?


 
 

 

Psylocke comes to X-Men: Apocalypse

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Bryan Singer announced via twitter that Olivia Munn has signed on to play Psylocke in the forth coming X-Men: Apocalypse. 

Avengers - Sneak Peak

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Trailer - Ant-Man

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2015 Marvel Film Rankings - X-Men: Last Stand - Number 18

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X-Men: Last Stand
Released 2006
Final Score: 18/34
Jeff: 18/34
Critics: 15/34
Audience: 13/34
Rating: 17/34

2014: 16/32 - Up One

When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men, led by Professor Charles Xavier, and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organized under Xavier's former ally, Magneto.

What the critics said: Director Brett Ratner has replaced the heart and emotion (and character development) of the previous X-Men films with more action and explosions. The film should still provide ample entertainment, but viewers may truly wish this to be the Last Stand.

What I said: Not a great end to a trilogy of films.

Of all the films the final placement of this film caught me off guard, hard to believe this film actually ends in the positive territory on the chart.  This film has moved up slightly this year in both Audience Ranking and Critic Ranking, which usually indicates a typo.
I have written about X-Men: Last Stand several times including here and here


 
 

 

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Captain America: The First Avenger - Number 19

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Captain America: The First Avenger
Released 2011
Final Score: 18/34
Jeff: 22/34
Critics: 26/34
Audience: 17/34
Rating: 16/34

2014: 18/32 - Down 2

Steve 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 war monger and a terrorist organization.

What the critics said: With plenty of pulpy action, a pleasantly retro vibe, and a handful of fine performances, Captain America is solidly old-fashioned blockbuster entertainment.

What I said: I so wanna like this film more, but can't.

<sigh> There are parts of this movie I love and enjoy and other parts I cannot stand to watch.   I feel that many people agree with my sentiments.  This movie has the lowest score of audience passion of all 34 movies,  financially speaking its a border line success, not that a return of investment of 185% in its theatrical run is bad by most measures it just average in terms of Marvel Films.


 
 

 

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Halfway Mark

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With ranking X-Men: First Class number 20, it marks our 15th movie ranked this year. 

It also marks a couple of turning points in the rankings.

  • From a score perspective we have crossed the halfway mark, even though we have two more movies to go to reach the halfway mark in the count.   
  • We have also reached a point where for the most part the financials, critics, audience and myself agree that remaining movies all belong in the top half (there is one exception in each category). 
  • There are smaller variations between the differences in opinion moving forward.  I, for the most part, don't believe I have to justify the critics and audience rankings with how I ranked the rest of the films in the list, The Amazing Spider-Man is yet to come, which is still a head scratcher to me. 
  • Financially the remaining films were clearly a success, with one exception, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men: Last Stand is a border line success.  Only Blade II, Iron Man 2 and the Fantastic Four from the first 15 movies ranked are above the line in terms of how successful they were financially.

The Movies Ranked so far:
  • Elektra
  • Daredevil
  • Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
  • Punisher: War Zone
  • Ghost Rider
  • Hulk
  • Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
  • Blade Trinity
  • X-Men Origins: Wolverine
  • The Punisher
  • The Amazing Spider-Man 2
  • Fantastic Four
  • Blade II
  • Iron Man 2
  • X-Men: First Class

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - X-Men: First Class - Number 20

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Movie Poster courtesy of impawards.com

X-Men: First Class
Released 2010
Final Score: 14.5/34
Jeff: 16/34
Critics: 17/34
Audience: 29/34
Rating: 15/34

2014: 15/32 - No Change

In 1962, the United States government enlists the help of Mutants with superhuman abilities to stop a malicious dictator who is determined to start world war III.

What the critics said: With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise.

What I said: The Critics and I disagree.

The people that liked this movie really liked this movie, there are however far fewer people that like this movie than almost any Marvel based property, only Captain America: The First Avenger has fewer ratings, reviews, social media hits than X-Men: First Class.  
X-Men: First Class is financially one of the worst performers of all the Marvel Films, ranking 9/34 in terms of money made, it also has some of the lowest sales totals of DVD/Blu-Ray (not used in Rankings) and as one DVD reviewer suggested little if any rewatch value. 


 
 

 

First Look at Ant-Man villian - Yellow Jacket

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In a day filled with release of images Peyton Reed, director of the forth coming Ant-Man film gives an interview with Entertainment Weekly addressing a couple of minor issues and gives us our first look at the films antagonist Darren Cross AKA Yellow Jacket in full costume.

Image Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly
Peyton Reed indicates there will not be extensive reshoots, rather the usual case of minor additional photography to complete a few shots.   “We are going to do a little bit of additional photography, but we have not done any yet. It’s minor stuff.”

2015 Marvel Film Rankings - Iron Man 2 - Number 21

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Movie Poster courtesy impawards.com
Iron Man 2
Released 2010
Final Score: 14.5/34
Jeff: 10/34
Critics: 18/34
Audience: 21/34
Rating: 14/34

2014: 14/32 - No Change

With 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.

What the critics said: It isn't quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot.

What I said: Universe building at it worst.

I am not personally a big fan of the stand alone Iron Man films, and probably have all three ranked a little lower than many others out there, that being said I am going to say something crazy.   Out of the three Iron Man stand alone films this film has the most potential to be the best film; however it gets caught up in the Universe Building for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and splats like a Hammer Missile.


 
 

 

Rumor - ABC TV preping Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spin off

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Clark Greg as Phil Coulson carving on the wall.
Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Marvel TV Studios are preparing a spinoff of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  

Rumors suggest that executive producer Jeffrey Bell (Angel, The X-Files) and writer Paul Zbyszewski (Lost, Hawaii Five-0) have been handed the assignment to create the spin-off.  It is an interesting pairing to say the least.

Well we don't know any details beyond it is in the early stages of development it hasn't stopped the rumor mill from cranking up.   So I will add mine.

Currently we have two S.H.I.E.L.D.s in play, one lead by Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the other by Robert Gonzales (Edward James Olmos) that are diametric opposites in nature.  I have complained (whined incessantly) that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  needs to have this dichotomy to be successful almost from day one.   I think this situation is going to continue, with Gonzales' team working on the "ordinary" threats and Coulson's team working the "extra-ordinary" threats in season three.

I am guessing the new team will have Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) partnering with a new character cough Agent Abigale Brand cough investigating extra-terrestrial threats. 

X-Men: Apocalypse - Angel Concept Art

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Bryan Singer has provided some concept art and confirmation to Empire that Ben Hardy will indeed play Warren Worthington III in the forth coming X-Men: Apocalypse.

What is interesting about the artwork is that the images detail metal wings, as opposed to the feathery wings in the concept art released last month.   Should we take this as confirmation that Angel will be tortured and his wings removed and replaced with the metal wings, thus becoming Archangel?

Fantastic Four - New Images

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20th Century Fox released three new images from the forthcoming Fantastic Four (2015) film including the first clear shot of The Thing.

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox