Best CBM of 2017

[CB Fan]

*Sigh
Q: How did I foresee these arguments before I clicked on this thread?
A: Because they happen damn near every year...

I’ll see myself out.

 

[Visualiza]

I actually really liked Homecoming a lot. I do think it is one of the top 5 or better MCU movies. But I remember arguing with folks guardians wasn't some great movie and being treated by insinuation, yes, to be a hater. Same with Doctor Strange, which is now widely regarded as a middling MCU movie, but if you pointed out it was an Iron Man clone one year ago from today, you were persona non grata to many posters.

So I am noting a trend that actually exists. I am really curious if Thor 3 will be considered some great movie in a year from now. Yes, I don't think it is. But I am more curious about what the fan consensus will be.

If you know that this trend exists, then are you really asking that question in earnest? Seems redundant if you already know the answer. Along with the snark that usually accompanies them, this is among the reasons why I say that such statements carry an air of spite behind them, because it seems less about making a salient point and more about taking a swipe at people.

Otherwise, I actually agree with you re: Guardians. I'd put both of those movies at the top of lower-tier MCU. In fact, I borderline hated the first one; James Gunn...just does not do it for me as a filmmaker. It still kinda boggles my mind that the whole world loves it so. More on that later. In any case, although you make plenty of well-reasoned arguments both for and against the MCU, you also do take a lot of shots at Marvel, so it's not a stretch to see why some would insinuate that (not saying it's justified btw). I'm not poking at you either, because I can sympathize, I'm just calling it like I see it. I was ran out of a CW thread or two for criticizing that film shortly after it hit theaters, and I loved that movie (although apparently not as much as most others). I'll also wear the badge of DCEU, Zack Snyder, and TASM hater all day, so again, I'd like to stress that I come in peace.

WRT Doctor Strange, what are you basing that off of? I'm asking in earnest. Whatever the case, I still see plenty of folks praising it for the third act, supporting characters, SFX, Cumberbatch, even the score gets higher marks than standard MCU fare. The criticisms are there, but they're the same ones that were noted since the movie released. Perhaps the bigger fans of that movie have either moved on from the forums, are preoccupied with the newer & upcoming movies, or some combination of the above. Is it also possible that you're projecting your own displeasure (or indifference; however it is you feel about it) when you assert that it's "widely regarded as a middling MCU movie"? The reason I ask that is because although I haven't enjoyed films like Guardians 1, Logan, and WW, I'm also not gonna sit here and try to downplay the impact they've had on people. GotG released 3 years ago now, and it's still pretty pervasive in pop culture. It may puzzle me to no end, but I regularly see that film in people top 5 MCU lists. To paraphrase the Ancient One, sometimes it's not about you or I.

 

[kedrell]

I miss the little pug that was peeing on her leg.

 

[kedrell]

HC was being called the best MCU movie ever when it came out by quite a few posters.

Not the best MCU movie ever(that's a high bar to meet and Thor3 ain't there either, IMO) but best Spider-man movie ever? Yeah, I could easily get behind that statement.

 

[DACrowe]

I miss the little pug that was peeing on her leg.

Classy.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Not the best MCU movie ever(that's a high bar to meet and Thor3 ain't there either, IMO) but best Spider-man movie ever? Yeah, I could easily get behind that statement.

Well it was getting called the best MCU movie ever just after it released, I remember specifically as it was what got me so excited to see it. Then it was a let down for me. Doesn’t compare to the first 2 Raimi movies IMO.

 

[DACrowe]

If you know that this trend exists, then are you really asking that question in earnest? Seems redundant if you already know the answer. Along with the snark that usually accompanies them, this is among the reasons why I say that such statements carry an air of spite behind them, because it seems less about making a salient point and more about taking a swipe at people.

Otherwise, I actually agree with you re: Guardians. I'd put both of those movies at the top of lower-tier MCU. In fact, I borderline hated the first one; James Gunn...just does not do it for me as a filmmaker. It still kinda boggles my mind that the whole world loves it so. More on that later. In any case, although you make plenty of well-reasoned arguments both for and against the MCU, you also do take a lot of shots at Marvel, so it's not a stretch to see why some would insinuate that (not saying it's justified btw). I'm not poking at you either, because I can sympathize, I'm just calling it like I see it. I was ran out of a CW thread or two for criticizing that film shortly after it hit theaters, and I loved that movie (although apparently not as much as most others). I'll also wear the badge of DCEU, Zack Snyder, and TASM hater all day, so again, I'd like to stress that I come in peace.

WRT Doctor Strange, what are you basing that off of? I'm asking in earnest. Whatever the case, I still see plenty of folks praising it for the third act, supporting characters, SFX, Cumberbatch, even the score gets higher marks than standard MCU fare. The criticisms are there, but they're the same ones that were noted since the movie released. Perhaps the bigger fans of that movie have either moved on from the forums, are preoccupied with the newer & upcoming movies, or some combination of the above. Is it also possible that you're projecting your own displeasure (or indifference; however it is you feel about it) when you assert that it's "widely regarded as a middling MCU movie"? The reason I ask that is because although I haven't enjoyed films like Guardians 1, Logan, and WW, I'm also not gonna sit here and try to downplay the impact they've had on people. GotG released 3 years ago now, and it's still pretty pervasive in pop culture. It may puzzle me to no end, but I regularly see that film in people top 5 MCU lists. To paraphrase the Ancient One, sometimes it's not about you or I.

Suffice to say being critical of Marvel does not make me spiteful or a hater or at least it should not. I like the first Guardians a lot and enjoy the second. But this year did surprise me as I thought Homecoming was really something special, and to see it passed over for Ragnarok by MCU devotees just reinforces, yes, a familiar commentary on fandom.

As per Doctor Strange, I see few raving that it was the best movie of that year or a great superhero movie. In fact, from admittedly anecdotal discussions here and on everything from Honest Trailers to regular entertainment journalism sites, the general consensus is that it was a rehash of Iron Man 1, and that Strange is not this amazing MVP in the MCU. It is treated as a good movie, but I never see it in discussions anymore for the MCU's top tier. But saying that last November? Tar and feathers, my friend.

 

[Snow Queen]

I'm fairly confident Justice League will be at the bottom of the year, so I don't feel bad jumping the gun a bit here.
1. Logan
2. Wonder Woman
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming
4. The Lego Batman Movie
5. Thor: Ragnarok
6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Love the first two, favourites for me, Homecoming surprised me with how much I enjoyed it because I was having none of it in the lead up.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Logan is easily the best for me, but outside of V2, I quite love all the others.

1. Logan
2. Ragnarok
3. Wonder Woman
4. Homecoming
5. Lego Batman
6. Guardians of the Galaxy v2

 

[Erzengel]

I might have to wait until next year to vote here. Try and rewatch almost all the movies again.

 

[Iceman]

I actually really liked Homecoming a lot. I do think it is one of the top 5 or better MCU movies. But I remember arguing with folks guardians wasn't some great movie and being treated by insinuation, yes, to be a hater. Same with Doctor Strange, which is now widely regarded as a middling MCU movie, but if you pointed out it was an Iron Man clone one year ago from today, you were persona non grata to many posters.

So I am noting a trend that actually exists. I am really curious if Thor 3 will be considered some great movie in a year from now. Yes, I don't think it is. But I am more curious about what the fan consensus will be.

Ragnarok will always be seen in the context of coming after TDW (a massive relief and improvement) and for being the first time we get to see Thor with his full powers on display and against a top MCU villain with an even higher threat level. I could maybe see it dropping a couple of places in rankings by fans over time but no way to a consensus approaching middling status unless future MCU releases are all world beaters.

 

[The Batman]

Agreed. These "every new MCU movie is the best evar!1!" comments are little more than a backhanded way for some folks to thumb their noses at Marvel. The resentment is almost palpable. It also seems to imply that the fans are fickle, which is probably true to an extent, but certainly not appreciably more than in any other fanbase.

We have indeed seen, especially lately, each new MCU release getting some sort of superlative praise, whether it's "funniest", "best yet", "most fun", or whatever. Thing is, you can't really cry foul if that isn't coming from the same exact people. Aside from the obvious fact that traffic always increases during the theatrical run of newer movies, the reason we see this sort of reaction is twofold imo.

1. Marvel has attained a wide-ranging and diverse fanbase. To that end, there's bound to be something for everyone to enjoy, so of course you're going to see different groups of people singing the latest MCU film's praises. That still doesn't necessarily mean that said praise is somehow undeserved, or that it can be attributed to recency bias, which brings me to my next point:

2. Their movies are usually of a higher quality than they have any business being (especially after 17 films), and they've only been getting better lately. It's obvious from this year's releases alone that they're addressing some of their most common criticisms, which they certainly didn't need to since their success makes it easy for them to rest on their laurels. Look at Homecoming. The second* reboot of a character that only made his debut in 2002, and it was cobbled together (& sandwiched right into Phase 3, no less) in the wake a deal made just 2 years prior. HC really should've been an unmitigated disaster, but Marvel turned it into a home run. It was entertaining, wasn't derivative of the previous franchises, and still managed to do the character justice. Compare that to recent reboots like TASM & MoS, 2 films that were beat for beat remakes of their own superior predecessors, but also managed to completely miss the mark, all while having bigger budgets and more time to plan. I don't even think HC is as good as Raimi's first two, but what it managed to accomplish is pretty astonishing considering the circumstances.

tl;dr - Combine a huge sea of potential fans with a substantial catalog of crowd-pleasing action movies and yeah, you're gonna get several different people calling different films superlative.



Personally, I think there's nothing but spite behind those kinds of comments.
You disagree with the poll results up to now. That's cool. What's not cool is insinuating that the people who voted for Thor are fickle.

Great post.

Nothing fickle about me choosing Ragnarok. I've spent a good chunk of the year believing that Logan, SM: HC, and WW were all overrated on one level or another. I've yet to feel that way about Ragnarok.

 

[Lantern Venom]

1. Justice League
2. Thor: Ragnarok
3. Spider-man: Homecoming
4. Wonder Woman
5. Logan
6.GotG2
.......

7. Smashing my finger
8. Vicious fever and projectile vomiting
9. Excessive car repair costs
10. Nauseating summer heat wave.



.........

.......Lego Batman.

 

[Finarfiniel]

Nothing fickle about me choosing Ragnarok. I've spent a good chunk of the year believing that Logan, SM: HC, and WW were all overrated on one level or another. I've yet to feel that way about Ragnarok.

Honestly, the mental gymnastics that some will undertake (including subtly insulting other posters' intelligence levels) to try and explain why a film that they personally don't rate as highly as others is winning the poll is funny to me. Different opinions sure are a pain, aren't they?

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Best year for superhero movies since 2014.

 

[Mandon Knight]

Justice League.

 

[StarLord]

Saw Justice League, so let's update my original post.

1. Logan
2. Thor: Ragnarok
3. Spider-Man: Homecoming
4. The Lego Batman Movie
5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
6. Wonder Woman
7. Justice League

 

[DACrowe]

Honestly, the mental gymnastics that some will undertake (including subtly insulting other posters' intelligence levels) to try and explain why a film that they personally don't rate as highly as others is winning the poll is funny to me. Different opinions sure are a pain, aren't they?

Why does everyone take everything so defensively? Noting an obvious trend is not mocking people's intelligence. It is the opposite of taking anything personally. Tell you what, after Black Panther comes out let's have a pre-IW Phase 3 poll. I will predict now without anyone seeing it, BP wins the poll. If I'm wrong, you get the bragging rights of pointing out how foolish I was.

 

[First Avenger]

Agreed. These "every new MCU movie is the best evar!1!" comments are little more than a backhanded way for some folks to thumb their noses at Marvel. The resentment is almost palpable. It also seems to imply that the fans are fickle, which is probably true to an extent, but certainly not appreciably more than in any other fanbase.

We have indeed seen, especially lately, each new MCU release getting some sort of superlative praise, whether it's "funniest", "best yet", "most fun", or whatever. Thing is, you can't really cry foul if that isn't coming from the same exact people. Aside from the obvious fact that traffic always increases during the theatrical run of newer movies, the reason we see this sort of reaction is twofold imo.

1. Marvel has attained a wide-ranging and diverse fanbase. To that end, there's bound to be something for everyone to enjoy, so of course you're going to see different groups of people singing the latest MCU film's praises. That still doesn't necessarily mean that said praise is somehow undeserved, or that it can be attributed to recency bias, which brings me to my next point:

2. Their movies are usually of a higher quality than they have any business being (especially after 17 films), and they've only been getting better lately. It's obvious from this year's releases alone that they're addressing some of their most common criticisms, which they certainly didn't need to since their success makes it easy for them to rest on their laurels. Look at Homecoming. The second* reboot of a character that only made his debut in 2002, and it was cobbled together (& sandwiched right into Phase 3, no less) in the wake a deal made just 2 years prior. HC really should've been an unmitigated disaster, but Marvel turned it into a home run. It was entertaining, wasn't derivative of the previous franchises, and still managed to do the character justice. Compare that to recent reboots like TASM & MoS, 2 films that were beat for beat remakes of their own superior predecessors, but also managed to completely miss the mark, all while having bigger budgets and more time to plan. I don't even think HC is as good as Raimi's first two, but what it managed to accomplish is pretty astonishing considering the circumstances.

tl;dr - Combine a huge sea of potential fans with a substantial catalog of crowd-pleasing action movies and yeah, you're gonna get several different people calling different films superlative.



Personally, I think there's nothing but spite behind those kinds of comments.
You disagree with the poll results up to now. That's cool. What's not cool is insinuating that the people who voted for Thor are fickle.

Great post is great. Spider-Man and Thor are my favourite comic book characters. I was basically in Heaven this year,why should I feel guilty or fickle?

 

[DACrowe]

Best year for superhero movies since 2014.

Yes. Five excellent movies, six if you count legos, and JL. Also it was year that had all the big names on screen, if even in supporting parts: Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, and Wolverine. Probably will not see that again for a long time if ever.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I dont think DAcrowe was insinuating anyone is fickle for picking Ragnorak, me neither for that matter.

When you have been in these boards a while, you notice trends, and it IS a trend on here that the newest hilghly rated CBM tends to get more votes as it’s fresher in the mind and people haven’t noticed it’s many flaws yet. I loved Ragnorak and have no problem with it winning. However, CBMs with a heavy dose of humour, for me, tend to lose their luster after a few re-watches. So IMO, something like Logan will have more staying power. But I could be wrong. It would be interesting to re-start this poll in a years time for that reason.

I think that’s all DACrowe was saying.

 

[Sithborg]

Why does everyone take everything so defensively? Noting an obvious trend is not mocking people's intelligence. It is the opposite of taking anything personally. Tell you what, after Black Panther comes out let's have a pre-IW Phase 3 poll. I will predict now without anyone seeing it, BP wins the poll. If I'm wrong, you get the bragging rights of pointing out how foolish I was.

As a fan of Apocalypse and Ghost Rider 2, I know taste is subjective, and to understand other's criticisms.

 

[OutOfBoose]

2017 is the most overrated CBM year. Every single CBM this year is overpraised to a degree.

 

[DACrowe]

I dont think DAcrowe was insinuating anyone is fickle for picking Ragnorak, me neither for that matter.

When you have been in these boards a while, you notice trends, and it IS a trend on here that the newest hilghly rated CBM tends to get more votes as it’s fresher in the mind and people haven’t noticed it’s many flaws yet. I loved Ragnorak and have no problem with it winning. However, CBMs with a heavy dose of humour, for me, tend to lose their ouster after a few re-watches. So IMO, something like Logan will have more staying power. But I could be wrong. It would be interesting to re-start this poll in a years time for that reason.

I think that’s all DACrowe was saying.

Thank you. I am going to leave this argument for now though, because people are getting angered, which isn't fun for anyone to discuss.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Wow, came back from Justice League and boy am I glad I didn't vote Logan. Because I think I just found my new favorite.


Justice League is so........just kidding, it's still Logan.