Which MCU films do you think will age well? Which ones won't?

[The Batman]

Movie fans sometimes discuss whether or not a film ages poorly. I think this kind of discussion is interesting in the context of the MCU due to its interconnected nature.

In your opinion, which MCU films will age well? Which ones won't? Are there more divisive films that will get a positive re- appraisal?

 

[The Batman]

As much as online fans like to think the movie doesn't live up to the hype, I think Black Panther is likely to age well due to some of its political commentary, memorable supporting characters, and both Chadwick Boseman and Michael B Jordan.

The sequel, IMO, will likely be forgotten by and large. It's nowhere near as iconic as the first one, and Angela Bassett is the only standout performance.

 

[SPO2 Dalisay]

The Winter Soldier with its theme of beware the overreaching government will always be with us.
Fearing the technology taking us over from The Age of Ultron I hope will be a fleeting concern.

When Black Widow was afraid to show that beyond child soldiers, the corps of Widows were being used sexually to get towards the targets as on Agent Carter and Iron Man 2 an opportunity was missed.

 

[OrbOfConfusion]

Probably the first Iron Man. Not just because visually it still looks good in 2023, but even without the future films, it works on its own as a standalone. It also gave us a very flawed protagonist in Tony Stark having to grapple with his father's legacy of creating weapons of war, with Tony wanting to do better, despite how he himself made his fortune. It's a good redemption story with an, admittedly, very cliche antagonist who uses the hero's tech against them, but Jeff Bridges is so good in the role that I don't mind. Seriously, to this day Iron Man is maybe still a top 5 MCU movie for me.

 

[psylockolussus]

Infinity War and Endgame, to age like fine wine.

 

[Iceman]

Probably the first Iron Man. Not just because visually it still looks good in 2023, but even without the future films, it works on its own as a standalone. It also gave us a very flawed protagonist in Tony Stark having to grapple with his father's legacy of creating weapons of war, with Tony wanting to do better, despite how he himself made his fortune. It's a good redemption story with an, admittedly, very cliche antagonist who uses the hero's tech against them, but Jeff Bridges is so good in the role that I don't mind. Seriously, to this day Iron Man is maybe still a top 5 MCU movie for me.

Yeah, I was going to say the same. It has a vibe of its own and is less CGI heavy than many films that came after. I think it will always be a classic of the MCU.

 

[Venom 1988]

Iron Man, The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. I feel like these 4 movies are safe bets for aging well.

 

[Iceman]

Iron Man, The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther. I feel like these 4 movies are safe bets for aging well.

Nice picks. I’d agree with all of those.

 

[Dark Raven]

I don't know if Captain Marvel will age all that well. It already looks like something that was made in the 90s.

 

[Kane52630]

I know most fans won't ever revisit it and their opinions are sketched in stone, but Thor The Dark World has aged well compared to the recent MCU stuff. I've rewatched it before Endgame and I didn't have a bad time with it. It's also shot better than the recent stuff. And this movie's biggest complaint is the villain... which sure, but nobody ever cared to see all the other cool things this movie did. And honestly, we've had more boring villains since Malekith.

 

[NHawk19]

Improved with age is a funny thing.

Like many of you pointed out there are several films which will stand on their own years from now like Ironman or Black Panther or GotG. There are some though that are just improving because of the added lore built around them, like AoU. When AoU was released it was exciting, but not near as impressive as the first Avengers, and it was easily dismissed. Now though there have been call backs to it in several other properties which has made watching it better because you're looking for events to happen that lead to other things.

While the post EG era of movies seems to be struggling to find its footing, I do hope that subsequent better projects build on what's been released, to make the previous films enjoyable and less cringy. Thus making them more like a poor chapter in what is otherwise an overall great novel.

 

[BobJM]

I know most fans won't ever revisit it and their opinions are sketched in stone, but Thor The Dark World has aged well compared to the recent MCU stuff. I've rewatched it before Endgame and I didn't have a bad time with it. It's also shot better than the recent stuff. And this movie's biggest complaint is the villain... which sure, but nobody ever cared to see all the other cool things this movie did. And honestly, we've had more boring villains since Malekith.

Agreed; I was never as upset with The Dark World as other fans. It’s not my most favorite rewatch, but I would argue that it’s certainly not the worst. I thought there was a nice blend of humor and fantasy action/lore, the latter of which I hope Thor returns to in post-Waititi installments.

For me, one movie that I don’t think will age well is Spider-Man: No Way Home. Maybe Far From Home too, but definitely NWH. Yes, it was fun to see Goblin and Doc Ock in the trailers and, yes, it was great to see Holland acting alongside Maguire and Garfield but I’ve always found that film to be a mess and, overall, a disappointment. I think the movie really takes a nosedive after the Spider-Man & Doctor Strange fight, and doesn’t recapture it again (for me) until Peter meets up with MJ and Ned at the coffee shop where they can’t remember him & we get a glimpse of his new, lonely, life.

The driving plot/character motivations are a bit nonsensical to me, and characters end up standing around for a good portion of the film, doing very little. Only to arrive (for reasons?) at the Statue of Liberty for an Act III punch up.