Worst MCU movie?

[Kahran Ramsus]

Meh.....I would like to see all this portrayed in a different manner. Maybe using an entity like the black order. All Im saying is using another generic alien army/robot drones for a big battle would be redundant. I expect Thanos to be far more powerful and intriguing than anything we got with Ultron so that should be the big payoff anyways. Especially with Infinity stones and other alien super villains being involved in this story. Its going to help that we get other powerful foes before the showdown with Thanos hopefully.

Sitting through AOU climax of battling weak cyborgs led by a weak generic villain was vastly underwhelming. They got to come big and different for IW.

I definitely agree that Thanos needs to be a much better villain than Ultron. But the Avengers beating up on a bunch of aliens/robots/mutants/demons/etc. is a staple of the franchise and I really don't see it going away.

 

[marcvader]

I enjoyed AoU. Was it perfect? Not even close but I enjoyed it due to not having unreasonable expectations. Age has taught me to go in with an open mind and not expect a film to be the next best thing ever.

 

[Flint Marko]

I enjoyed AoU. Was it perfect? Not even close but I enjoyed it due to not having unreasonable expectations. Age has taught me to go in with an open mind and not expect a film to be the next best thing ever.

Age and Spider-man 3 taught me that

 

[First Avenger]

Long story short I think there are areas where it genuinely improved upon the first, but it also felt like a retread and didn't quite capture lightning in a bottle like it's predecessor so I understand mild disappointment even though it's still a really good movie in it's own right. I just think it's an easier movie to pick apart given that it's flaws are more readily apparent.
The only problem I had with Ultron is that he comes out of nowhere. There's no backstory, no exposition to set up what exactly Ultron is so his turn towards evil feels rushed and unearned. Tony just says, "this might be the first step in creating Ultron" and we're supposed to just go with it. I liked what they did with him the rest of the movie, and I didn't mind him being quippy either, but a little bit more time spent setting him up would've gone a long way.
The Thor hot tub scene was also problematic and rushed. Within the context of the movie it didn't really make a whole lot of sense.
However, I must stress again that I still think it's a really good movie that's smart, sincere, and self-aware. People knock Quicksilver saying that he was uninteresting and almost a non-entity, but I'd argue that his arc with Hawkeye was extremely satisfying. "Bet you didn't see that coming" is a great line, a great resolution for that character, and a nice wink to the audience.
The Vision is the money-shot. Not only is he one of my favorite characters from the comics, but I love the journey that "Jarvis" has taken in the MCU. This might have nothing to do with AoU, but it's an extremely satisfying through-line that hits all my fanboy sweet spots. Edwin Jarvis was Howard Stark's butler and is brilliantly cast in Agent Carter, who served as the inspiration for Tony's AI system. Now "Jarvis" is a superhero in his own right, and the Vision more than lived up to this legacy in what little we saw of him.
I also did like the often-maligned Black Widow/Hulk romance. It was out of left field but the movie presented it in a way that made sense and they ended it as they should. Overall I'd say that I think it isn't one of Marvel's finest (Avengers, Iron Man, Guardians, TWS, and I'd even argue Ant-man) but at some point "good" is an inevitably with a franchise as prolific and expansive as the MCU, so the disappointment shouldn't be overstated.

Got it.

 

[Flint Marko]

Got it.

Earlier you said you get more out of AoU than the first. What exactly do you think it did better than Whedon's first outing, and where would you rank it amongst the rest of the MCU? Sorry if you've previously answered this elsewhere, I'm curious to hear your two cents.

 

[Micromind]

Iron Man 3 was the most underwhelming movie for me, looking at it's trailers.. I expected a real deep and dark movie which would give depth to Tony Stark's character and give us a great villain, doing justice to a villain like Mandarin, instead what we got was a mess.

 

[DieSmiling]

You really think there are no redeeming qualities outside of Pena? I have to wrack my brain to find a movie that I truly believe to have only one redeemable quality. Even ones I dislike with a passion have something I can look at and go "that works".

Eh, hyperbole. Obviously it wasn't the only redeeming quality... There were a few things that worked. It was just so... Corny. I was expecting something really clever and funny with some really cool sequences and I just didn't think it delivered.

On the flip side I'm in the minority that really likes the Thor solo films, particularly TDW. I'm always surprised when people list that as the worst -- parts of it are pretty spectacular.

 

[DieSmiling]

Iron Man 3 was the most underwhelming movie for me, looking at it's trailers.. I expected a real deep, and dark movie which would give depth to Tony Stark's character and give us a great villain, doing justice to a villain like Mandarin, instead what we got was a mess.

I hated Iron Man 3 when it first came out but I've enjoyed it more on subsequent viewings. A lot of my criticisms still stand but I think it was just very different from what I was expecting -- I agree on that point.

 

[First Avenger]

Earlier you said you get more out of AoU than the first. What exactly do you think it did better than Whedon's first outing, and where would you rank it amongst the rest of the MCU? Sorry if you've previously answered this elsewhere, I'm curious to hear your two cents.

I just felt it was a deeper and more interesting experience than the first.The Avengers had a very simple story perfectly told; Age of Ultron I felt was more ambitious,the story was more complex,big-scale while delving deeper into the character's minds(we literally get in their minds). The characters beats are still fantastic. Scenes like the dreams,the farm segments,Ultron and Vision's POVs on humans and life I found more powerful than anything in the first movie. I also felt the last battle,while rehashing some of the first movie's beats,was better because of the character moments(Clint and Wanda for example) and how Whedon in some spots focused more on the character's faces rather than their actions. I also liked the cinematography and costumes more. It has a disjointed feel in some parts and suffers of the middle-chapter syndrome,but I absolutely loved what I got.

 

[Flint Marko]

Eh, hyperbole. Obviously it wasn't the only redeeming quality... There were a few things that worked. It was just so... Corny. I was expecting something really clever and funny with some really cool sequences and I just didn't think it delivered.

On the flip side I'm in the minority that really likes the Thor solo films, particularly TDW. I'm always surprised when people list that as the worst -- parts of it are pretty spectacular.

Understood. I figured it was hyperbole but just wanted to clarify.
I'm also pretty partial to the Thor films. I think they're on the lower-end of the spectrum, but Loki and Thor's relationship keeps those movies afloat, as well as the pure visual splendor.

I just felt it was a deeper and more interesting experience than the first.The Avengers had a very simple story perfectly told; Age of Ultron I felt was more ambitious,the story was more complex,big-scale while delving deeper into the character's minds(we literally get in their minds). Scenes like the dreams,the farm segments,Ultron and Vision's POVs on humans and life I found more powerful than anything in the first movie. I also felt the last battle,while rehashing some of the first movie's beats,was better because of the character moments(Clint and Wanda for example) and how Whedon in some spots focused more on the character's faces rather than their actions. I also liked the cinematography and costumes more. It has a disjointed feel in some parts and suffers of the middle-chapter syndrome,but I absolutely loved what I got.

Agreed. You're definitely right about it being both a bigger yet more personal movie than the first. That's a key strength to the film's success.

 

[DieSmiling]

Understood. I figured it was hyperbole but just wanted to clarify
I'm also pretty partial to the Thor films. I think they're on the lower-end of the spectrum, but Loki and Thor's relationship keeps those movies afloat.

I just love the fantasy/sci-fi mash up of Asgard. I love the Dark Elves attack on and Frigga's death/funeral. And anything with Loki is Grade A.

 

[Greens]

I really liked the first Thor movie. Just a very solid story.

The Dark World made me want to slap Kat Dennings in the face. The humor was cringe worthy, the movie looked bland and generic. The only part that somewhat entertained me was the final fight between Thor and Malekith.

 

[CB Fan]

TDW nothing else even comes close.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I enjoyed AoU. Was it perfect? Not even close but I enjoyed it due to not having unreasonable expectations. Age has taught me to go in with an open mind and not expect a film to be the next best thing ever.

I saw it a few weeks after it opened so after seeing the reviews my expectations were tempered quite a bit. I was far from expecting it to be the best thing ever, I was expecting a good sequel that didn't match the first movie, and I still found it disappointing.

I really liked the first Thor movie. Just a very solid story.

The Dark World made me want to slap Kat Dennings in the face. The humor was cringe worthy, the movie looked bland and generic. The only part that somewhat entertained me was the final fight between Thor and Malekith.

Agreed, the first Thor was great. And actually made me a fan of the character when I previously thought he wasn't a very good one. The sequel was a big disappointment though.

 

[Mjölnir]

I saw it a few weeks after it opened so after seeing the reviews my expectations were tempered quite a bit. I was far from expecting it to be the best thing ever, I was expecting a good sequel that didn't match the first movie, and I still found it disappointing.

You sure you had reasonable expectations? You gave it an 8 and still you've talked about it for quite some time like it's a terrible disappointment. I'm not trying to argue for the movie here, I'm just not certain that your stance on expectations seems logical from the outside eye.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

You sure you had reasonable expectations? You gave it an 8 and still you've talked about it for quite some time like it's a terrible disappointment. I'm not trying to argue for the movie here, I'm just not certain that your stance on expectations seems logical from the outside eye.

I have since told you that rating has gone down, I tend to be overly generous towards CBMs on my first viewing, I also gave IM3 a 9 on first viewing and that has gone down a lot. AOU has just got more disappointing to me over time.

And I'm 110% certain I had reasonable expectations. As I said I saw it a few weeks after it came so saw the critic score on RT and saw the mixed fan reviews on here. The friend I went with had also seen it and said it wasn't as good as the first. Do you really think I thought it was going to be something amazing after all of that?

 

[Mike5575]

I know one thing.....battling another army of aliens/robots/clones etc better not happen in IW1/2. That felt so boring and redundant sitting through the climax of AOU. Lead by a weak villain.

Eh. Infinity War won't be about 4 hours of the heroes fighting Thanos and the weaker ones won't stand much of a chance against The Dark Order. There's nothing wrong with having an alien army. I think the Kree could make their presense known in Infinity War. They're a much more prominent race than the Chitauri and have a long standing history in the Marvel Universe. They also have ties with the Captain Marvel and The Inhumans. Introducing the Kree in Infinity War would only seem natural and would make sense.

 

[KDM1986]

The Incredible Hulk was my least favorite of the MCU films. I still enjoyed it but it's my least liked of the MCU to date.

 

[The_Manhunter]

Iron Man 3, and easily. It's not a bad movie, but it's the only one where I was wishing for a different movie after I had seen it.

 

[Wildcard]

I honestly can't vote. While I do wish entries like Iron Man 3 & Thor: TDW had done certain things a little differently, I can truly say I still highly enjoy each of the MCCU movies that have been released thus far.

 

[Mjölnir]

I have since told you that rating has gone down, I tend to be overly generous towards CBMs on my first viewing, I also gave IM3 a 9 on first viewing and that has gone down a lot. AOU has just got more disappointing to me over time.

And I'm 110% certain I had reasonable expectations. As I said I saw it a few weeks after it came so saw the critic score on RT and saw the mixed fan reviews on here. The friend I went with had also seen it and said it wasn't as good as the first. Do you really think I thought it was going to be something amazing after all of that?

The post I responded to certainly looked like it was referring to your first viewing (also the only case that makes sense in terms of expectations, since on further viewings that's not an issue), in which case it doesn't matter that the rating went down later.

Of course it could also be that we use grades differently (a pretty common thing) and that it skews judgement, as for me 8 is a great score for a movie.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

The post I responded to certainly looked like it was referring to your first viewing (also the only case that makes sense in terms of expectations, since on further viewings that's not an issue), in which case it doesn't matter that the rating went down later.

Of course it could also be that we use grades differently and that it skews judgement, as for me 8 is a great score for a movie.

Well as I have said previously. I tend to be overly kind with CBM movie scores as I am a fan. I gave TDW an 8 on first viewing as well but would now say its the worst MCU movie. Once I think about the movie more the score tends to go down. But I try to give them the benefit of the doubt at first.

 

[Rowsdower!]

Thor: The Dark Turd. Nothing else even comes close to that pile of sh**.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Iron Man 2, the only MCU film I consider genuinely bad. RDJ's charisma made it pleasant enough to watch the first time, but any amount of reflection shows what a mess it is, both plot-wise and in terms of character development. Marvel hadn't quite figured out how the whole cinematic universe thing was going to work in practice at that point.

 

[DrCosmic]

Some choices I am seeing feel odd. I can't see ANT-MAN being bad at all. It may not be what some wanted but there is a difference between that and a film I find "bad". And that difference is THOR: THE DARK WORLD. After passing a high hurdle in adapting Thor for the big screen in his first film I just feel on almost every level they dropped the ball in TDW. The best thing I can say is that the money is up on the screen with that film for the most part though if they could have put more resources into the fight Thor has with Kurse. No, the issue with TDW is all the damned unsuccessful gags, unnecessary after the first film characters, mishandling the relationship stuff, again pulling focus from Asgard, undermining it's finale, terribly bland villains that are underwritten and a disservice to the good actors they got in the roles and to be honest an overall lackluster plot to begin with. As I have said before, the story we are told of what Thor has been doing before the film starts: Thor traveling from realm to realm with the Warriors Three, Sif and an army of Asgardians quelling the chaos put into motion by the destruction of the Bifrost in the first film, acting as an emissary of the All Father, would have made a better film than the actual story we got. A disappointing waste of everyone involved's talent. They hopefully can make a film as least as dramatic and satisfying as the first one with RAGNAROK.

Here here.

Thor 2 was the biggest disappointment by far. To me, it felt genuinely unfocused. The first film had a singular focus: Make Thor awesome, the hard way. And everything, from Darcy to The Odinsleep funneled into that. I had hoped that Thor 2 would double down on that and make Thor even MORE awesome, but I felt like it was doing to much. I'm honestly convinced it was trying to service Loki, because Loki's awesome, even though a Loki movie would not really be that awesome, especially when it is ostensibly a Thor movie. I think that split, trying to make Loki awesome is what drove a lot of the worst calls on that film, undermining the villain and thus the finale (which is saying a lot for an MCU flick). I remember feeling so salty when they put this big decision between Thor and Jane as the climax of Thor's arc... because we still haven't seen these two's relationship actually develop outside of the "science and magic are one and the same" scene from Thor 1. Which should disqualify it from being a major motivator/crisis-creator for Thor, but... Thor 2 seems convinced that we care about Thor and Jane's relationship more than it does.

I feel like they learned their lesson though. Ragnarok is a story that actually works/makes sense for Thor with a Loki focus. Hela is a villain that makes sense for Thor with a Loki focus. It demands the kind of focus on Asgard that Asgard deserves. Should be a blast.

Incredible Hulk was lackluster, Iron Man 3 was off putting in places, Ant-Man was a small story in a big world, but Thor 2 definitely is the worst Marvel film. Which is saying something. I'd watch it over most Spider-Man films, X-Men films, all Fantastic Four films. It's a decent flick. But it was quite disappointing in the context of the MCU and Thor 1 especially.