Worst MCU movie?

[Mad Ones]

TDW and AOU were both disappointing but I think they are very (re)watchable. They just both fumbled a huge amount of potential.

My least favourite MCU movies are The First Avenger, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, and Ant Man.

 

[DACrowe]

The bad MCU movies (IMO) in descending order.

-Captain America: The First Avenger (6/10)
-Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/10)
-The Incredible Hulk (5/10)
-Thor: The Dark World (5/10)
-Iron Man 2 (4/10)

I imagine I am harsher than most around here. But still I rank all of those above the truly worst movies at every studio (X-Men: TLS, XOW, Elektra, and all of the Fantastic Four movies at Fox; The Amazing Spider-Man 1&2 and the Ghost Rider movies at Sony; and a list that is too long to name at WB but suffice it to say that Batman v Superman is on there).

Also that is 5/13. So they do have a remarkable consistency even for one who I imagine some here would roll their eyes about.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

The bad MCU movies (IMO) in descending order.

-Captain America: The First Avenger (6/10)
-Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/10)
-The Incredible Hulk (5/10)
-Thor: The Dark World (5/10)
-Iron Man 2 (4/10)

I imagine I am harsher than most around here. But still I rank all of those above the truly worst movies at every studio (X-Men: TLS, XOW, Elektra, and all of the Fantastic Four movies at Fox; The Amazing Spider-Man 1&2 and the Ghost Rider movies at Sony; and a list that is too long to name at WB but suffice it to say that Batman v Superman is on there).

Also that is 5/13. So they do have a remarkable consistency even for one who I imagine some here would roll their eyes about.

I'm not calling you out specifically because that's probably about the average opinion for Iron Man 2 around these boards, but as someone who's liked the film a lot since it came out, I think Civil War should have gone a long way to change people's opinions.

Iron Man 2 is indeed a setup film. And, in my opinion probably does just as much setup for CW as TWS did. I feel like CW does a better job of continuing/concluding Tony Stark's story than IM3. And in that sense, I feel like IM3 is a more expendable film than IM2.

Iron Man dealt with a lot of daddy issues in IM and IM2. Cap dealt with a lot of Bucky issues in TFA and TWS. Cap and Stark butt heads with each other in Avengers and AoU. All of those issues come to a head in CW. If you take out Thor, Thor 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy, You could look at CW as the finale in a ten movie franchise.

Anyway, point is, I think IM2 is woefully underrated. It's got genuine emotion and humor just like its predecessor and better action than IM1.

 

[DACrowe]

I kind of understand your point--although for me it is not quite perfect since IM2 shows Tony is not a team player who distrusts the government while he is the complete opposite in CW--but I think you are mostly proving to me why CW is again so good. It took what came before and made it more special.

But that does not help or excuse Iron Man 2. A movie should be able to stand on its own and shouldn't have to rely on a sequel--much less what is kind of the fourth sequel a whopping 6 years later--to justify its existence or storytelling prowess. Iron Man 2 is just a mess, almost as much as Spider-Man 3 is for me, because it was too busy setting up Avengers to bother telling its own story.

With that said, Downey and Paltrow are great in it.

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

I kind of understand your point--although for me it is not quite perfect since IM2 shows Tony is not a team player who distrusts the government while he is the complete opposite in CW--but I think you are mostly proving to me why CW is again so good. It took what came before and made it more special.

But that does not help or excuse Iron Man 2. A movie should be able to stand on its own and shouldn't have to rely on a sequel--much less what is kind of the fourth sequel a whopping 6 years later--to justify its existence or storytelling prowess. Iron Man 2 is just a mess, almost as much as Spider-Man 3 is for me, because it was too busy setting up Avengers to bother telling its own story.

With that said, Downey and Paltrow are great in it.

Very true.

Regarding the point about Tony distrusting the gov't, I actually went into CW with that mindset too. It even convinced me otherwise with that one too. Just proves how amazingly poignant a film it is.

I saw Cap go from trusting the gov't in TFA and The Avengers (to Stark "yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around.") and working for the gov't in TWS finally deciding it wasn't who he was anymore.

I saw Stark go from not caring to not trusting the gov't in IM, IM2 and The Avengers, to finally seeing the gravity of his world with the death of Coulson/Chitauri portal/Maximoff vision/Hulkbuster battle/Sokovia/etc.

So like, they moved right past each other on the spectrum. Cap grew to distrust the powers that be, while Tony grew to feel it was the only way to have true accountability. They both grew tremendously since their respective origins. But yet retain the same base foundation. Cap is unwilling to yield to the things he knows are wrong, once he knows the truth. And Stark is unable bear the burden of responsibility on his own when it gets to be too much. (This even helps IM2 in my opinion too, considering a lot of people complain that Stark's relapse is one of the major problems with the film. When in actuality, it's just part of his character in this universe.)

All that combined with the fact that Bucky, Steve and Howard were basically war buddies, makes the moment, the film, and basically the entire franchise for me. Feels like they'd been planning it all since the beginning (though i know they probably weren't lol).

 

[Doctor Octopus]

The bad MCU movies (IMO) in descending order.

-Captain America: The First Avenger (6/10)
-Avengers: Age of Ultron (5/10)
-The Incredible Hulk (5/10)
-Thor: The Dark World (5/10)
-Iron Man 2 (4/10)

I imagine I am harsher than most around here. But still I rank all of those above the truly worst movies at every studio (X-Men: TLS, XOW, Elektra, and all of the Fantastic Four movies at Fox; The Amazing Spider-Man 1&2 and the Ghost Rider movies at Sony; and a list that is too long to name at WB but suffice it to say that Batman v Superman is on there).

Also that is 5/13. So they do have a remarkable consistency even for one who I imagine some here would roll their eyes about.

6/10 is score for bad movie?

 

[Victarion]

It comes out to a 60, so that is pretty iffy if you're on that scale. I don't get the dislike for TIH, though. Its pretty straightforward in what it is, and Blonsky was a great villain there.

 

[Lantern Venom]

It comes out to a 60, so that is pretty iffy if you're on that scale. I don't get the dislike for TIH, though. Its pretty straightforward in what it is, and Blonsky was a great villain there.

Unfortunately, Blonsky often gets overlooked. His characterization was even more impressive in light of Abraham Erskine asserting that the SSS amplified the test subject's essence. Blonsky was definitely creepy and monstrous before he turned into the Abomination, so that transition worked out well in continuity.

 

[Raiden]

Gonna have to go with Thor The Dark World. It's frustrating because the first half of the movie was actually decent, and the death of Frigga was handled well. But the second half degenerated into a comedic train wreck, when Thor abandoned his Asgardian comrades and joined up with Darcy and her intern to get rid of those supposedly deadly Dark Elves with very simple solutions, and ruined any tension in the climax. Merekith was going to be a very effective villain, but they neutered him into a weak character with one-note personality who lacks any punch even when he has one of the Infinity stones.

The only positive I hope will come out of it is for Marvel to make sure Ragnorak will redeem all the sins from TDW and give us a truly great Thor movie (first movie came close but not quite).

 

[wampa1]

Iron Man 3 worse than The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2, really?

I despair sometimes, I really do.

 

[wampa1]

Heck if they needed to do a twist, then making Maya Hansen the main baddie would have been far more interesting/unexpected I think.

That's what Shane Black wanted to do but got the ol' shake of the head from the studio fat cats.

 

[Loki882]

Which was stupid (how many Aldrich Killian toys were there anyway, I cannot recall seeing even one at my local stores). But hopefully casting Cate Blanchett as the big bad (or at least I think that she'll be) in the next Thor movie signifies a change in that philosophy.

Oh and yes, I feel like IM3 is worse than TIH.

 

[DACrowe]

6/10 is score for bad movie?

It is at least pretty meh.

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

IMO Marvel hasn't made a bad film yet. But personally I would say my least favorite are the Iron Man films with Iron Man 3 being the so called "worst". But I still think Marvel's "worst" film is a good movie.

It kind of saddens me to see so much hate for TDW and AOU. And yet both of these films are rated higher than most other studios' efforts in the genre. I happen to enjoy those films immensely. I recognize the flaws but don't lose sleep over them. To me the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I also enjoy the humor in the MCU but I guess that makes me an outlier.

 

[daddydivine]

Iron Man 2. It hurt itself by trying to broaden the MCU. But after BvS I kind of appreciate Iron Man 2 more. The world building in Iron Man 2 felt more organic.

 

[OcStat]

IMO Marvel hasn't made a bad film yet. But personally I would say my least favorite are the Iron Man films with Iron Man 3 being the so called "worst". But I still think Marvel's "worst" film is a good movie.

It kind of saddens me to see so much hate for TDW and AOU. And yet both of these films are rated higher than most other studios' efforts in the genre. I happen to enjoy those films immensely. I recognize the flaws but don't lose sleep over them. To me the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I also enjoy the humor in the MCU but I guess that makes me an outlier.

I do as well, and it does seem we are outliers. People seem to want their comedy from comedies, and these movies need to stay away from it. But even the Marvel movies before the MCU had a decent balance that most MCU films strike as well.

If you open any Marvel comic you will find humor, action, drama. The humor isn't just in Spider-Man each month. But still people seem to think it doesn't belong in Marvel's films.

Unfortunately, Blonsky often gets overlooked. His characterization was even more impressive in light of Abraham Erskine asserting that the SSS amplified the test subject's essence. Blonsky was definitely creepy and monstrous before he turned into the Abomination, so that transition worked out well in continuity.

Very true, I was thinking about this the other day. Kind of neat that Blonsky showed us the negative effects of the SSS quite a while before we would see it as intended. 2008 seems like a long time ago now.

 

[Erzengel]

I just watched over 42 minutes of deleted scenes as well as an alternate opening for the Incredible Hulk.

I think I would put it on the end of the 2nd tier of Marvel movies after TFA, Thor, IM3, AOU, Ant-Man.

I know it's a matter of semantics between adding it to the top of IM2 and Thor: TDW but it really did a lot of setup and characterization for Banner/Hulk and even Ross.

 

[spider-neil]

Incredible Hulk is the worst MCU movie IMHO.
I checked out completely in the third act with the fake as **** CGI fest. I thought I was watching Tekken. Definitely the Marvel movie I watch least (along with IM3).

Next is IM3 which seriously angered me. Nothing to so with Mandarin in the comics. I don't read IM comics. It was a betrayal of the character you set up in THE MOVIE.
I wanted an epic climax but instead got a cruel 'twist' that left me seething in my seat.
Only reason I don't put it dead last is the airplane/skydive rescue was pretty exciting.

TDW is next. Way too much comedy.

IM2 is next. Not because I hated it, I was entertained but it is simply the next movie on the list.

AoU. After Whedon's character assassination of one of the most fearsome villains I am glad he is gone. Should be lower but the set pieces put it above the likes of TFA and Thor.

My MCU list ranks like so;
1) CW
2) WS
3) IM
4) Guardians
5) Avengers
6) AoU
7) Ant Man
8) TFA
9) Thor
10) IM2
11) Thor: TDW
12) IM3
13) Incredible Hulk

 

[spider-neil]

Why do people keep going on about the way Mandarin looks? Or the Mandarin in the comics? Who the **** cares? The way they set him up IN THE MOVIE and pulled the rug from under him was a ********* disgrace!

Imagine if they did that with Joker in TDK in the third act. The character you are following all along, who is a threat, who is intimidating is revealed to be a has been actor.
**** IM3!

 

[Mad Ones]

I love Iron Man 3 and all of that anger lol. Boldest thing Marvel has done.

 

[Flint Marko]

The Mandarin is not anywhere near the same level as the Joker.
Also count me as someone that loves the twist. It worked very well in the context of the movie.

 

[Unbreakable Lex]

I too enjoyed the twist on the Manderin. The real villains of the movie is what turns me off completely. It got pretty dumb with those guys abilities.

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

I do as well, and it does seem we are outliers. People seem to want their comedy from comedies, and these movies need to stay away from it. But even the Marvel movies before the MCU had a decent balance that most MCU films strike as well.

If you open any Marvel comic you will find humor, action, drama. The humor isn't just in Spider-Man each month. But still people seem to think it doesn't belong in Marvel's films.

Totally agree with everything you just said. It's a difficult balance to obtain though which explains why a lot of these kinds of films have not succeeded. Plus everyone's sense of humor and tastes vary so greatly that getting a broad level of acceptance is very difficult. I think the first Avengers did it the best but other people disagree.

It's not always true but personally I have found that my favorite comic book films tend to be the ones that have a healthy amount of humor and "heart" along with action and drama. Movies like Donner's Superman, Raimi's Spider-Man and now many of the Marvel films. Even the X-men films have done a good job of balancing humor at times. Whereas although I greatly enjoyed the Nolan Batman films, the attempts at humor did not hit home. In fact none of the humor in the newer DC films has ever really worked for me. It just falls flat and feels out of place. I don't think DC has found the proper balance yet.

Not to say you can't have darker subject matter. Variety is healthy. I mean the Russos for instance really have been a breath of fresh air for the MCU. And if that's what people want more of then I imagine it will sell. But a lot of times it's not done well. Instead of being dramatic - it's too heavy handed or dreary or just plain not entertaining. Personally I can't do dark all the time. That's not what keeps me coming back to the movies.

 

[spider-neil]

Humor has its place. But sometimes in Marvel movies they go too far;

Ultron the killer death robot is quipping up a storm. In not other incarnation is Ultron this light or flippant. In Avengers EMH, Ultron is truly terrifying. That is the version I wanted to see on the big screen. Which should flippant bad guy the movie (for me) had no weight or stakes. Also, Ultron intent on wiping out the entire human race keeps BW alive and makes alliances with the Maximov twins. Top to bottom AoU make NO SENSE.

TDW
Kat Dennings is comic relief. She is the side kick. Well, the side kick had a side kick.

IM3
The main bad guy is revealed to be a has been actor for a punchline, throwing the dramatic tension the movie had been building out the window.
Potts seemingly dies in a ball of fire and Stark (LITERALLY) makes a quip a few seconds later.

There are other instances but these are the ones that truly annoyed me.

 

[Ragnaroknroll]

I personally enjoyed Whedon's take on Ultron but I also understand why some people were disappointed. He certainly was not what a lot of comic fans expected. I would very much like to see an evolved more vengeful Ultron return but a lot of folks think he already burned his 15 minutes of fame. Considering Hydra's unexpected resurgence I'm holding out hope that it might happen someday. Would like Spader to have a shot to really scare the pants off of us.

I'm probably one of 3 people on the planet that actually liked Darcy and thought she was funny. She won't be back though for Ragnarok and I have high hopes that Waititi will bring us something special for Thor in perhaps his last outing.

I can't remember that quip. I have to watch IM3 again. It's been awhile since I've seen it.