On August 11, Disney+ starts streaming the animated series "What If...?" The title references a comic book series that tells alternative versions of comic book events. The animated series will do the same for the cinematic universe. Before its release, I decided to refresh my memory of the Marvel films and tell how they look now. Here's a small retrospective for you in chronological order of the universe.
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
As it did 10 years ago, "The First Avenger" feels old-fashioned. A gallant hero, a symbol of America, a living embodiment of the American flag. Just what you need for the harsh times of World War II. And here for Captain America everything is simple — there is a clear enemy to fight, friends and partners ready to help in a difficult moment. No doubts, grab the shield and go.
It's interesting how organically Chris Evans fits into this role. It's hard to imagine now that someone else could have played Steve Rogers. But it's an ideal choice, at least externally: the tall and stately Evans is the perfect super-soldier. The same can be said about the rest of the cast, but why it was necessary to take such an interesting actor as Hugo Weaving for the role of Red Skull is still a mystery. He spends half the film in makeup, and that's a shame.
On my first viewing, I noticed various awkward moments. Either the camera would catch Cap pompously throwing his shield, or explosions in ridiculous slow-motion. Now these moments look even stranger and overly pompous. On the other hand, a war film cannot do without pathos. But it could be made less pronounced.
Captain Marvel (2019)
A warrior from the special forces of the Kree empire ends up on Earth. Here she must uncover the details of the Skrull conspiracy and understand what connects her to Earth.
On my first viewing, it was clearly noticeable that the authors made the film through the lens of fem-optics. Moreover, somewhat strained: the techniques they used looked bravura and pretentious. But now it is perceived normally. Maybe times have changed and attitudes have changed, but now there is no problem in this.
And although this is the first Marvel film about a superheroine, it is still perceived as another "Marvel solo film." This is a problem for most MCU films, which many rightly call a conveyor belt. The formula is simple: take a hero, tell about his formation in a separate piece of the Marvel universe, add references, details of the atmosphere, and voila! The solo film is ready, consume it with cola and popcorn.
Captain Marvel is interesting in this respect because, due to memory loss (oh, that favorite cliché!), the heroine reinvents herself. It is not the viewer who gets acquainted with the mysterious world of the Kree, but Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) gets acquainted with the Earth and tries to understand her place on it. And in the end, she does not find it, heading off to the far corners of the galaxy.
Speaking of Earth, you can't help but mention that the 90s are recreated here solidly. The scenery and little details that made up everyday life then look convincing. The de-aging of the actors also did not disappoint, Samuel L. Jackson looks about the same as in the days of "Pulp Fiction." By the way, a couple of amusing moments are associated with his character.
In "The Avengers," Fury says S.H.I.E.L.D. began studying the power of the Tesseract after Thor's arrival on Earth. People realized they were not alone in the universe and began preparing a response to a possible invasion. But if aliens appeared on Earth back in the 90s, and even with warships, why did no one worry about that? Either this is a script oversight, or Fury is not telling the whole truth.
And the second moment. In the film "Captain America: The Winter Soldier," Fury says that the last time he trusted someone, he lost an eye. Fans wondered for a long time what it could be, and here in "Captain Marvel" it became known. Fury was scratched by a cat! Okay, technically it's a Flerken, very dangerous creature that can eat both a person and the Tesseract, but still. This, by the way, is a favorite trick of Marvel, which they have used in films and series at least three times — to pique fans' interest, and then turn everything into a joke and deceive expectations.
Iron Man (2008)
A brilliant inventor is captured by terrorists. Having thus experienced a catharsis, he decides to radically change his life. And not only his own.
The first film of the full-fledged Marvel cinematic universe and their first truly successful solo film. If it had not been successful back in 2008, the other 23 films would not have happened. Apart from that, this is one of the most important roles for Robert Downey Jr., which relaunched his career and later made him one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. It's no wonder that for Downey Jr., this role is almost autobiographical, because he was out of the game for many years due to drug problems. After "Iron Man," they were no longer afraid to cast him.
How it looks now: surprisingly, just as good. "Iron Man" has a perfect balance of dialogue and action, jokes and drama. Some directors who worked for Marvel said that they were guided specifically by "Iron Man," director of "Guardians of the Galaxy," is an example. But here again the problem of solo films and the conveyor belt arises. If we take "Iron Man" as a starting point, you can notice that many Marvel films are made according to a similar pattern, which I wrote about in the essay on "Captain Marvel." This is not good, but not so bad either, and why, we will figure out later.
On August 5, the film "The Suicide Squad" is released. In the director's chair sits James Gunn. Read about Gunn's creative path in our article.
Open materialIron Man 2 (2010)
The sequel starts six months after the events of the first part. Tony has a new opponent from Russia ( Mickey Rourke , speaking terrible Russian), problems with the arc reactor heart and alcohol. This used to be my favorite early Marvel film. But now it causes bewilderment in some episodes. Overloaded dialogues, banal script errors, disrupted narrative rhythm. The script was rewritten right during filming, and if the first part benefited from it, here the result is the opposite. Especially now, the overly sexualized image of Black Widow is striking, which is being teased in her .
We tell why "Black Widow" turned out to be not the film everyone was waiting for.
Open materialBut there are bright moments here too, some jokes are good, the action is inventive (though not always) and there are interesting secondary characters. Marvel, use Justin Hammer in new films or series already, Sam Rockwell is wonderful in the role!
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Bruce Banner, after the gamma radiation incident, hides in South America. His measured life and search for a "cure for Hulk" are disrupted by special services and General Ross, who is hunting the Hulk.
The only appearance of Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. But what everyone remembers is that this is the least favorite film of fans and critics of the cinematic universe. But it's not that bad.
Yes, the plot holes in it compete with each other for the title of the worst. Yes, Edward Norton is a bit of a strange choice for the role of Banner, Mark Ruffalo looks much better in it. On the other hand, given Norton's "explosive" character, maybe he could have revealed himself better in a hypothetical sequel. This circumstance and cheap graphics made the film an outcast of the cinematic universe.
But besides that, there's a wonderful Tim Roth, and overall the ensemble cast is interesting. The plot is not inventive, but it fully fulfills the function of a "solo film" — it introduces a new character into the universe. It's hardly worth a rewatch, but it shouldn't be completely discounted.
Thor (2011)
The mighty and vain god of thunder, as punishment for a misdeed, loses his powers and is exiled to Earth.
On my first viewing, it seemed strange. The gleaming gold Asgard, representatives of different races among its inhabitants, elaborate costumes. This is not how I imagined the Scandinavian gods when I read myths about them as a child. But this is a comic book movie, and the depiction of the characters here is in the spirit of a comic book. So it's all logical, and with the release of subsequent films, I got used to it.
It's interesting to see the evolution Thor went through from his first film to "Avengers: Endgame." Here he appears as a simple but good-natured hero, whose simplicity sometimes borders on stupidity. And that's his charm.
Overall, the first Thor leaves a pleasant impression. Its director, Kenneth Branagh, a big fan of Shakespeare, brought an element of high style and drama to the story, not forgetting the comic book roots of the story. The result was an unusual fusion of a comic book movie, a Shakespearean play, and heroic fantasy. Nothing like this has been or will be in the Marvel cinematic universe.
The Avengers (2012)
The first, and one of the most important, Marvel crossovers. The Avengers assemble to fight Loki and his Chitauri army.
Joss Whedon, whose reputation is now severely tarnished, managed to gather very different heroes in the film and tell a good story. It has no outstanding details, but everything works as it should. Different heroes, like parts of a flywheel, latch onto each other and set the film's mechanism in motion. Yes, perhaps the team members are the most important part of the film. The only thing that still raises questions is the questionable reason for the team's assembly. The death of Phil Coulson, a charming but not too important character for the others, seems a debatable reason for unification. But it happened and led to Marvel's total dominance at the box office.
Iron Man 3 (2013)
When an enemy takes away his home and most of his technological toys, Tony Stark has to remember that even without the suit, he is still a hero.
The director of the first two Iron Man films declined the director's chair for the third part. His place was taken by Shane Black, who had only directed "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" with the same Downey Jr. by that time.
On my first viewing, I was delighted. Now the delight has subsided, but it is a good and solid film. Although in some moments it is very strange. Tony's new suit, which constantly falls apart, PTSD (which, by the way, was easily forgotten in subsequent films). Finally, the fake Mandarin, which caused comic book fans to turn on the film's creators. This somewhat ironic approach would later be repeated in the "Thor" threequel. And here Tony makes half a hundred suits, only to set off a fireworks display with them at the end of the film. Why? The samurai has no goal, but there is a lot of money.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Learning of Jane's disappearance, Thor returns to Earth and finds the Infinity Stone.
One of the most disliked Marvel films by critics. Kenneth Branagh was replaced in the director's chair by Alan Taylor, who directed several episodes of "Game of Thrones." And Taylor brought at least a few details from the series. The color correction became darker, Thor loses two close people and makes fewer silly jokes. And perhaps this would have worked in the film's favor, but the downsides slightly outweigh the merits. A bland villain, strange actions of secondary characters, banal logical errors prevent this part of Thor's adventures from being called successful. But Taika Waititi will come soon and put things in order.
Worth a rewatch? Only for Loki.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Captain America tries to adapt to life in the modern world.
It's interesting how our distributors each time played with the titles of the Captain America films. The Russian title "Another War" more accurately conveys the events of the film for our audience than the unfamiliar "Winter Soldier." Captain America really ends up in another war, where it is unclear who can be trusted. This forces him to look for a new foothold, but there is none. And then there is the return from oblivion of an old friend who does not remember him, which does not add joy.
Now, in the era of COVID restrictions, this film looks even more relevant than 7 years ago. The film shows what total control can lead to. Coupled with a solid soundtrack, excellent fight choreography, and the overall atmosphere of a political thriller, it does not let you get bored even on a third viewing.
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
A couple of aliens, a raccoon, a talking tree, and a man end up in prison because of a MacGuffin that turns out to be an Infinity Stone.
The most screwball team in the galaxy left few people indifferent. Although few believed in their success, the hooligan James Gunn managed to make a film that is pleasant to rewatch. His characters, though scum, find a real family in each other. Yes, the same one that Vin Diesel talks about in his line of most famous films. But if in "Fast & Furious" it is about a traditional family, then in his film Gunn found the pulse of the future trend of a non-traditional family. No, it's not about LGBT, but about a family in the form of non-relatives who became very close by fate. This idea will be used by many filmmakers more than once in the future. One recent example is our good series "".
"Vampires of the Middle Strip" changed the lead actor during filming, and perhaps won people's love thanks to this decision.
Open materialGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
The five screwballs from the first part get into trouble again and find out that Peter Quill's father is a planet.
Here Gunn kept the formula for success from the first part. But he made this film more personal, adding the theme of fathers and children. Coupled with an excellent soundtrack, jokes, and action, the film turned out wonderful and interesting after many years.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Tony Stark, experimenting with artificial intelligence, creates Ultron, who, like Skynet from another sci-fi action film, immediately decides to destroy humanity.
In the sequel to "The Avengers," Joss Whedon promised to make a sequel like the second "Godfather." Not just to expand the universe and show large-scale action, but to make a darker picture. This partially succeeded, but as usual, something went wrong.
Now it seems a bit strange that the team assembled in the first part began to fall apart so easily. There are reasons for this in the form of the newly appeared Scarlet Witch, but still. By exposing the fears of each of the Avengers (except Barton), she prepared them for a future split.
Other oddities are more related to the script and some action scenes. To diversify the geography, the Avengers were sent to different parts of the planet, but such jumps are more annoying than interesting. New York, Eastern Europe, Africa, South Korea. What was all this for is unclear, given that most of these locations get 10 minutes each. And the bland villain and overly serious atmosphere do not make the film better. But I didn't regret rewatching it.
Ant-Man (2015)
Ex-convict Scott Lang wants to start a new life after prison. But one brilliant inventor has other plans for him.
Director Edgar Wright was attached to this film 8 years before filming began. Who knows what the film would have been like if he hadn't left the project a few months before filming started. Perhaps much better.
This fun heist story fits perfectly after, for example, "Ocean's Eleven." Otherwise, it's a standard Marvel solo film, which stands out perhaps only for its predominant comedic part. And that's about it. Standard Marvel film: origin story, action, jokes, bland villain. Nuff said. No need to rewatch.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
After the events of Age of Ultron, the government decides to legally regulate the actions of superheroes. This splits the Avengers team and leads to its downfall.
Here again, our distributors successfully chose a title for the Captain America film. In the original, it had the subtitle "Civil War," but if in the comics the Civil War truly was that, because dozens, if not hundreds, of superheroes clashed there, here it merits the title "Confrontation." And even then, it is more of a family brawl where they want to rough each other up, but not kill.
Over time, you realize that it would have been better if such a film had come out not as a threequel to the Captain America story, but as a separate story. After all, Cap is the main character here, and you involuntarily take his side. Although it's not so clear-cut.
Although the directors of "The Winter Soldier" were again at the helm, the action here is no longer as impressive. In some episodes, an annoying shaky camera appears. But otherwise, watching the Avengers beat each other up is still interesting.
Black Widow (2021)
"Black Widow" begins where "Civil War" ends. Natasha Romanoff goes on the run and encounters ghosts of her past.
"Black Widow" is "Jason Bourne" + "James Bond" + MeToo. And a little bit about family. From Bourne, there are cool fights with an operator suffering from a tremor. From Bond, the rest of the action and a villain suffering from megalomania. And the MeToo story — a white cisgender man of age forces women to act against their will. If that doesn't look like Weinstein, then I don't know anything.
With family, it's a bit more complicated. Can you consider as family people who raised you for 3 years and considered it only an assignment to be completed? At the end of the film, Natasha will answer this question.
The result is a good film that doesn't reach for the stars. And one that could easily have been skipped in the cinema.
Black Panther (2018)
A journey to the amazing African country of Wakanda. With guide T'Challa, the crown prince of Wakanda and Black Panther, by extension.
What I didn't expect was that "Black Panther" would become more interesting a few years later than the first time. Maybe it's due to the death of Chadwick Boseman and the fact that we won't see him in this role again. Maybe I myself have changed, but this is the most interesting solo Marvel film after "Iron Man." It opens up a truly new world, the details of which are so interesting to examine. Afrofuturism, wonderful music, colorful villains. It's just a pity that Ulysses Klaue was killed, Andy Serkis is completely crazy and wonderful in this role. Against his background and that of the villain, the main character looks less interesting. But maybe that's not a downside.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Peter Parker tries to help his hometown as much as he can. But he wants more.
The title speaks for itself — Marvel's main comic book superhero got his first film in the cinematic universe. And he was finally played by a teenager, not a thirty-year-old man. But here immediately arises the problem of his independence. It is clear that Stark involuntarily became a mentor to Peter, but Spider-Man tries to imitate him in too many ways. Previous versions of Spidey were much more independent. But in the end, Peter finds his own path, earns Stark's respect, and… still looks at him with admiration. Oh, this new generation…
And by the way, there's a great villain here. More of such villains, please, no world domination plans, just simple human concepts like the need to feed a family. By dubious methods, of course, but Walter White didn't just cook meth for fun either. It's worth a rewatch and you won't regret it.
Doctor Strange (2016)
Stephen Strange tries to heal after a terrible accident. But different treatment methods have different consequences.
Another film that only got better on rewatch. "Doctor Strange" opens a new dimension of the cinematic universe, adding magic and the flavor of old, psychedelic comics to the overall canvas. Astral projections, Himalayan mantras, bald Tilda Swinton — all this weaves into an amazing story, at the center of which is an outsider. He didn't seem to want any of this, but it was written in his destiny to become a sorcerer and perform enchantments.
Combined with other typical Marvel details, watching it a second and third time is interesting. If only they had fully used the talent of Mads Mikkelsen, the film would have been priceless. But as it is, he spends the whole film with a menacing look shining glitter under his eyes and delivering pompous speeches.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Thor searches for the Infinity Stones and finds a brother thought to be dead.
There it is, the best Thor film! Who would have thought that the then little-known Taika Waititi would make a perfect film about the god of thunder. Although evil tongues say that Waititi vulgarized everything and made Thor a fool. But let's be honest: Thor has always been a fool. On Earth, he was definitely not taken seriously. And here he seems to have become better at understanding his role in history and at least laughing along with everyone.
And in general, if it weren't for Waititi's reckless style, the film would have been much darker. Judge for yourself: first Thor loses his father, then his hammer, most of his friends, his beautiful hair, and finally Asgard. Where can you get by without humor here?!
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)
Scott Lang spends his days waiting for his house arrest to end. But old acquaintances show up at his doorstep, and he has to put on the superhero suit again.
The perfect sequel. Everything that was in the first part is here in greater volume, and it works! The most interesting thing is how ingeniously the authors approached the shrinking/enlarging of all sorts of things. I hope that in the third film they will let loose completely, and there will be much more of this. On my first viewing, it seemed like a passable film, but a rewatch gave a lot of pleasure.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Thanos takes the stage and inflicts a crushing defeat on the Avengers.
We were being led up to this film for a very long time, and when it came out, for some it was a small cultural shock. How could the heroes lose? And so brutally. It still feels similar now. Though a little less. But when Thanos snaps his fingers, and the heroes begin to disintegrate… It's like watching the death of characters from a favorite series again — it hurts just as much.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
The Avengers have an opportunity to reverse Thanos's actions, and they decide to fix everything. At any cost.
A film that some call a beautiful conclusion to the Infinity Saga, while others call an excess of fan service. Regarding fan service, it's fair, but this is precisely a film dedicated to the fans. Those who have seen all the previous films and can almost quote them. It's an amazing thing to gather such a huge number of characters on screen, spice up the action with a hundred references, and manage to emotionally engage the viewer. Even 2 years after the first viewing, you get involved and experience the strong moments. Though to a lesser extent due to the lack of novelty.
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
Starting a film with the song I Will Always Remember You is a terribly cheesy idea. The only justification could be that it plays during the intro to a school presentation about fallen Avengers.
So, Peter Parker goes to Europe on a school trip. Here again we have a teen comedy combined with a road movie and a touch of romance, which is a bit oddly defined. In the first film, Peter liked one girl, but nothing worked out with her for known reasons. Here, Parker spends the entire film trying to confess his feelings to another heroine, but it's never explained to the viewer why exactly she became his chosen one. He just likes her, that's it.
At the same time, Peter desperately needs a father figure. He saw one in Tony Stark, but Tony is no more, and now there is also a big responsibility in the form of combat drones inherited from Tony. Naturally, the guy got scared and offloaded this responsibility to Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was just waiting for that.
Beck is associated with another classic Marvel trick I already mentioned. In the promotional materials for the film and its beginning, Quentin claims he is from another version of Earth. Fans immediately hoped for the Multiverse, but no, it was just a deception on the part of Beck. And Marvel. Not for the first time.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about this film is the meta-commentary. The main villain walks around in a motion capture suit, just like many actors on Marvel film sets, as if telling us, "We have already reached that level of irony where we don't need additional means to make films. A regular mo-cap suit will do."
It's a colorful and beautiful film, it was interesting to rewatch and notice small details. Like Beck dressed as a tourist. And Mysterio's illusions are still scary, just one Stark crawling out of the grave is worth it.
Which MCU film is your favorite? Write in the comments.
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