Part Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe retrospective. Click here for Part One and here for Part Two.
While Phase Two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe still had some hiccups, Phase Three was when they hit their stride. The days of a Marvel unsure of what they were going to do next, such as in Phase One, were long behind them, and they had a clear, consistent path in front of them. Many of the tonal inconsistencies that plagued earlier entries no longer were an issue for the company, and each film - while having their own distinct identities - maintained a consistent feel, balancing brilliant visuals, emotional weight, and plenty of humor to make for well-rounded superhero films. The company continued to take risks, introducing even more heroes that have yet to see the light of day on the big screen. While each of these films have varying degrees of success, nearly all of them rank among some of Marvel’s finest works.
Captain America: Civil War
Kicking off Phase Three was a Captain America film that made for a better Avengers movie than Age of Ultron did. What Ultron and Iron Man 2 did wrong - which was the conflict between fellow superheroes - Civil War got right, and was able to effectively tell an engaging story because of it. While the film does dive into soap opera territory once in a while, for the most part, the rising tension between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers made for some really tense, highly emotional character drama. While it featured nearly all the Avengers - sans Thor and The Hulk - who all play a huge part of this, the journey that Cap started in First Avenger still continued here, and the struggles that Steve and his usual supporting characters faced in earlier films were a driving force behind much of Civil War’s story.
This saw the return of Winter Soldier directors Anthony and Joe Russo, and like Winter Soldier, contained some excellent action sequences, including the opening fight against Crossbones in Lagos, as well as many of the much-advertised superhero-on-superhero battle scenes in the second half of the movie. Though like Winter Soldier, there’s also an underlying political conspiracy story going on once again, as all the other conflict arises. It can be a bit too dense from time to time, and the villain - played by Daniel Bruhl - isn’t exactly one of the most interesting villains around, which was a problem Marvel still had a hard time shaking. Despite this, the movie had plenty else going for it, such as introducing Black Panther, finally incorporating Spider-Man into the MCU, and getting Ant-Man - fresh off his own solo movie the year prior - in on the Avengers action.
Civil War is easily the best of the three Captain America films. While an ensemble film, this still does a great job continuing Steve Rogers’ journey with some great emotional payoffs. The action is top-notch, the new characters are welcome additions, and the story well-layered, Civil War is a triumphant way to start a new phase for Marvel.
Doctor Strange
Despite introducing a slew of new heroes in the last few team-up movies, Marvel’s next feature decided to focus on someone who has yet to find his way onto the big screen. Doctor Strange - like Ant-Man or Guardians of the Galaxy - was nowhere near as big of a name prior to this like Captain America or Iron Man. And when trailers were released, the film was compared to being visually in line with Inception, with bizarre ventures into other dimensions that saw characters bending the rules of reality. While fans weren’t so much skeptical, this was still once again a risk for Marvel, as they prepared to put one of their more obscure characters into the forefront. And like with many of the other risks they took, they were once again successful.
Despite being a movie focused on ancient mystic arts and cryptic sorcerers, Doctor Strange was still an absolute blast. The film features a fine performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, who for once gets to show off his more comedic side, with the once-arrogant Strange firing off many great one-liners, and using some of the film’s driving plot points as a source of some great jokes. The film also has easily one of the best supporting characters in the form of Wong, who provides his own share of comedic relief and has great chemistry with Cumberbatch. And the film is visually very appealing, with the journeys into the Mirror Dimension making for some fantastic action scenes.
Though in comparison to many of the other Phase Three movies, this is one of the weaker entries, once again containing a lackluster villain in Mads Mikkelson, while also disregarding many of the characters previously in Strange’s life, such as Rachel McAdams’ Christine Palmer, about halfway through the movie after devoting a decent amount of scenes to these characters that essentially go nowhere.
Despite some notable issues, Doctor Strange is a funny, visually fantastic journey into the unknown, and once again proves that there’s something to love even in Marvel’s more relatively obscure heroes.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
The second Guardians installment, while not critically derided, is typically seen as one of the weaker Marvel entries. And it’s easy to see why. The titular heroes are kept apart for a good chunk of the film, losing the team element that many fans were treated to in the first film, and causes some minor pacing issues here and there. And many of the things that fans enjoyed about the first one are kicked up a notch here. Baby Groot gets a slew of cutesy moments after his breakout moment at the end of the first film, while Drax’s oblivious, yet blunt, deadpan one-liners are heard constantly throughout the movie, with many scenes of him cracking jokes and laughing hard at the other characters. Despite the direction the movie went, it’s actually a very strong addition to the MCU.
While fans knocked the film for trying too hard at being funny, most of the humor does stick. The jokes can miss every so often, but this is actually one of the funniest MCU films, and the humor makes for a nice palette cleanser. Also, the film contains a lot of excellent character drama for Peter Quill, as the film keeps diving into much more of his backstory that make for some truly heartbreaking moments. Also, for the first time since The Avengers, the film actually has a great villain. Kurt Russell is absolutely incredible as Ego, being charismatic, funny, as well as totally menacing when he needs to be. And the character actually has much more depth to him rather than just being a one-dimensional evil overlord bent on world domination. While he’s not someone that one necessarily agrees with, his own motivations heavily fuel Quill’s story and the dynamic between the two is easily one of the strongest elements of the film.
Guardians 2 is not just one of the most underrated entries of the MCU, but one of the strongest. It hits a couple of small bumps in the road, but it has an excellent story, plenty of charm, and is full of laughs, as it continues to expand the Guardians’ universe to fantastic results.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
“Another Spider-Man movie? After having just rebooted the series a few years ago?” Despite many fans complaining about another reboot of Spider-Man, this is the first time it was done under Marvel’s direction. While Sony still has the rights to the character, a deal was finally worked out so that Marvel can produce the character’s solo efforts and incorporate him into the MCU. And it was a good thing this happened, as this version of Spidey is easy a welcome addition to the Marvel family.
As far as superheroes go, Spider-Man is about as relatable as it can get, as the character originated as just an average teenager who aspired for greatness while still trying to maintain a balance in his every day life. And this version of Spider-Man conveys this element of the character better than any other iteration of the character (sorry, Tobey Maguire). Unlike many other superhero films, Peter Parker doesn’t immediately get it right here. He actually doesn’t even really hit his stride by the middle of the movie. No matter how many small victories he may have, and despite taking part in a big superhero brawl in his previous Civil War appearance, Peter still has the mindset of an easy-going teenager who finds issue with always making the most rational decision. He still thinks and acts very much like a real person, and that’s a driving force behind why much of the drama here hits as hard as it does. Just about all of his problems stem from many things audiences can relate to, and that makes this version of Peter one of the greatest MCU heroes.
And to counter one of the greatest heroes is easily the MCU’s greatest villain. As of this writing, Michael Keaton’s Vulture is hands-down the best MCU villain. Once again, it stems from just how relatable he is. Prior to his criminal life, he’s an average New York City worker who was just trying to make ends meet, and his decision to go to a life of crime was simply meant as a means to help his family out. And he always maintains that element about him. He’s not out for world domination, and while he will kill those who gets in his way, it’s not his first instinct. While he makes it clear he will do anything to ensure his family’s well-being, in a way it almost pains him to take such an extreme measure.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is one of the finest MCU entries, and does a great service to one of Marvel’s most beloved characters. Not only is it just as funny and action-packed as other MCU entries, it also contains some of the most relatable characters in their filmography to date, both good and bad.
Thor: Ragnarok
Both Thor and The Dark World are easily two of the weaker MCU entries. Plagued by being too serious for their own good and corny dialogue, they have both can be fun at times, but these moments don’t come as consistent as they should. Ragnarok, however, is the antithesis of both those movies. And it even establishes itself as its own identity by either dropping or downplaying many of the characters prominent in the first two movies, such as Jane, Selvig, Odin, and the Warriors Three. Gone are the exposition-heavy scenes and corny dialogue.
Instead, audiences are treated to bombastic action, tighter storytelling, and above all, laughs. This film does not even attempt to take itself more seriously than it needs to. Sure, the stakes are high, and they’re felt all throughout the movie. But whereas the first two films needed to lighten up big time, Ragnarok is non-stop hilarious, with Hemsworth finally being at his most relaxed as Thor. He’s clearly having an absolute blast, as is Tom Hiddleston, who cranks up the Loki’s trickery to a whole new level. The film also finds welcome additions in Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, director Taika Waititi as one of the funniest MCU supporting characters Korg, as well as Mark Ruffalo reprising his role as The Hulk in what’s easily his best outing as the character.
And once more, the film continues Marvel’s growing trend of finally having notable villains. Cate Blanchett excels as Hela. While she’s not as heavily layered as Ego or The Vulture, she does have a distinct, vibrant personality that makes her a lot of fun to watch as she wreaks total havoc in Asgard. Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum gives a hilarious performance as the film’s minor villain, The Grandmaster. The film allows him to just be him, filling each of his scenes with many of his trademark quirks and offbeat one-liners that make for once a purely entertaining villain.
Thor: Ragnarok is a mighty improvement over its predecessors. Not only is it a cohesive, highly engaging story, it has plenty of grandiose action and contains a much needed dose of fun that the previous Thor films lacked. Not only the best Thor entry, but one of the greatest MCU entries.
Black Panther
One of the most recent MCU entries, this one was a cultural phenomenon, and rightfully so. The first Marvel film to feature a predominantly black cast, the film made extensive use of African-American culture and proves how important of a part it plays in today’s culture. The film is highly political in nature, and draws upon many real-world influences to tell its story, mirroring many of the horrors that shaped Africa’s relationship with the West. It’s one of the more serious entries into the Marvel entries, and while it can be a tad repetitive at times in conveying some of its ideas, at its core it tells one of the most emotional stories in all the MCU that feels all too real.
Despite its more serious nature, it’s not all doom-and-gloom, and is nowhere near as dour as The Incredible Hulk and to an extent, the Captain America movies. Despite its heavy political analogies, it’s still a superhero movie, and a fun one, at that. The film still contains all the usual top-notch action, and is once again a visual spectacle, with Wakanda truly being a sight to behold. And it still has plenty of the infamous Marvel humor, just to a slightly lesser extent, with Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, and Andy Serkis all providing some of the film’s funnier moments.
And the film contains another top-notch villain in the form of Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger. Similar to Michael Keaton’s Vulture, much of Killmonger’s frustrations and decisions stem from a relatable backstory. While he isn’t someone that audiences can necessarily root for, they can at the very least understand him, as he feels incredibly like a real person, and it makes the struggles between him and T’Challa even more engaging to watch.
Black Panther is another stunning achievement for Marvel that’s not just an extremely entertaining superhero movie, but also a well-done political statement that does a great job celebrating an honoring the culture that influenced it. The first superhero movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, and is completely deserving of it.
Avengers: Infinity War
Thanos has arrived and all of Marvel’s finest have teamed up to try and stop him. Infinity War is the first of two movies that the entire MCU has been building towards. At this point, it was the largest superhero team-up movie of all-time, and one of the biggest ensemble pieces to date, seeing the Guardians of the Galaxy team up with members of the Avengers, with newcomers like Black Panther and Doctor Strange joining the action. The film had plenty of characters to focus on and had many stories to tell in the span of two and a half hours. And the film mostly succeeds at telling most of these stories. While nearly all the characters involved get one stand-out moment, some stories aren’t necessarily fully developed, the runtime can be felt at certain points, and some characters tend to disappear for a good chunk of the movie and aren’t as heavily involved as one would think they would be. Also, whereas many of the MCU’s films - despite setting the stage for future installments - have a grounded beginning, middle, and end, Infinity War suffers just a bit from introducing a few plot points and concepts that aren’t meant to be fully realized until Endgame, and when viewing it in its own right, can seem slightly frustrating.
Despite all this, it’s still a very good movie. Nearly everything else that has worked for Marvel, especially in their last string of films, works just fine here. As per usual, there’s plenty of funny moments, stand-out visuals, and fantastic set pieces. And while the film contains a wide array of protagonists, their stand-out character is their antagonist. This is really Thanos’ movie, and much of his backstory is at the forefront of this movie. And despite the fact that he’s a chaotic madman, he’s once again a well-developed villain, as he has a clear set of ideals and he honestly believes he’s doing the right thing. And with each step he takes towards realizing his goals, he does have moments where he seems truly pained to make certain decisions. He’s an intriguing villain to watch, and his story is just as developed here as many of the protagonists’ were in other installments.
Infinity War isn’t at the top of the list as far as MCU films go, but it’s definitely another winner for the company. While its ensemble nature leads it to feeling a bit too long at times and not completely developed in some areas, it’s still a fun time, with plenty of the signature Marvel humor, top-notch action, and fun first meetings between some of their most beloved characters.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Once again, Ant-Man is the at the forefront of the film immediately following an Avengers movie. Though considering the grim, catastrophic events that occurred in Infinity War, this was a much-needed change of pace. Taking place between Civil War and Infinity War, the film is another light-hearted venture with - both figuratively and literally - much smaller-scale stakes for Scott Lang and company. Like its predecessor, the film is very funny, though the laughs don’t hit as hard as they did in the first film, and the film’s attempt at the Thor: Ragnarok formula at introducing a minor villain in Walton Goggins’ Sonny Burch - while entertaining in its own right - does tend to cause some pacing issues for the movie and bog it down from time to time.
Despite the film being called Ant-Man and the Wasp, much of the character development is focused on the Wasp, as well as Hank Pym. The film expands on the backstory of Pym and Hope, with much of the story focusing on trying to locate Pym’s long-lost wife Janet. While the film provides some great material for Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly to work with, Michelle Pfeiffer does feel criminally underused here, and not much really ends up getting done with her character.
Also, while the film does continue Marvel’s new trend of well-developed villains, this one isn’t as strong as say, Ego or Hela. While Ava Starr does have an emotional, heartbreaking backstory, the character doesn’t have the same unique personality as some of the latest villains had, and can be as overly serious as some of the earlier Marvel villains had, despite a solid backstory. This causes the very occasional jarring tonal shifts from light-hearted comedy to emotional drama. Also, Hannah John-Kamen simply isn’t as strong of an actress as Cate Blanchett or Kurt Russell, and some of her delivery tends to dive into some of the soap opera territory that plagued weaker Marvel villains.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is the weakest of the Phase Three movies but it’s still a very enjoyable time, and still light years better than many of the weaker Phase One and Two movies. Despite some missteps, it does provide some great backstory for some of its supporting characters, and still has plenty of the charm and laughs that made the first film such a hit, even if it doesn’t hit as frequently.
Captain Marvel
I’ll refrain from going on too much about this one, as I already did a full review when I first saw the movie. But Captain Marvel is another worthy addition to the Marvel canon. The film is a subversive take on many of Marvel’s other origin stories, this time with an already extraordinary character discovering their supposedly ordinary background story. And despite the fact that it seems to tread familiar territory, it’s actually a nice breath of fresh air to see Marvel put a new spin on their well-known formula.
The film is visually spectacular and has plenty of excellent character drama for not just Carol Danvers, but for Ben Mendelsohn as Talos and Lashana Lynch as Carol’s friend Maria, with many of the big revealing moments surrounding their characters showcasing Marvel (the company) at its finest. The film also finds Samuel L. Jackson at some of his most fun in years as a young Nick Fury. The film also works as a fun, light-hearted tribute to the 90’s, with plenty of cheeky references and a throwback soundtrack that’s used to highlight some of the film’s grander moments.
The villain is once again the big complaint here, though it’s nowhere near as weak as early Marvel villains. I’ll refrain from spoiling who the villain is since the movie’s still out in theaters (though if you haven’t seen it by now, shame on you), but the issue with the villain isn’t so much a bad backstory, but not exactly much time is spent with them as one would like, harkening back to a similar issue faced with Mickey Rourke’s Whiplash in Iron Man 2. Between this villain and Ant-Man and Wasp’s villain, it’s a step down from the string of great villains that preceded them, though they’re not a total let down the way many Phase One and Two villains were.
While Captain Marvel feels similar to a Phase One movie, it’s very much a product of Phase Three, with a unique and fresh take on the typical origin story. It may not have as stellar as a villain as other Phase Three villains, but it has plenty of fantastic action, emotional weight, and laugh-out-loud humor to make it another worthy addition to the MCU.
Overall Thoughts
Phase Three is by far the best of the Marvel phases and showcases a company that now has a clear path and an excellent set of characters to choose from, introducing plenty of new characters and injecting new life into beloved older characters. Gone are many of the issues that plagued early Marvel productions such as tonal inconsistencies, grim settings, and poor villains. Instead, many of these productions are among some of the greatest in the Marvel canon, with each containing a well-balanced dose of comedy, tragedy, and action that make for a string of memorable, and enjoyable superhero films.
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