IRON MAN (2008)
“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” Tony Stark gets captured and makes a suit of armour to escape. He decides to keep the suit to help fight evil. This film set the ball rolling for Marvel Entertainment. And Iron Man was not even an A-lister in the comic book world!
What worked: Robert Downey Jr. He owns the character of Tony Stark, so much so that it is difficult to understand where Stark ends and RDJ takes over. It was a new kind of superhero with a film that was sleek, fun, smart and in tune with the modern world. Jon Favreau adds just the right amount of directorial swag needed to appeal to GenY.
What didn’t: Nothing that is worth mentioning.
Favourite moment: The cave escape sequence in Afghanistan; the first flight.
What it gave the world: The taste of the end-credit scene and the promise of more thanks to the mention of the Avenger’s initiative.
Box office: $585.1 million
IRON MAN 2 (2010)
Tony Stark is a star and uses his suit to help fight evil but attracts the attention of Ivan Vanko (Whiplash), a Russian, who has a personal score to settle with the Starks.
What worked: RDJ was brilliant as usual. And then there was Scarlett Johansson’s red-hot kick-ass Black Widow.
What didn’t: Everything else. The jokes and the one-liners felt stale. Mickey Rourke with his garbled dialogue delivery failed to make an impression as a baddy. And it lost focus in trying to set up the Avengers.
Favourite moment: The fight scene at the Monaco race track where Stark suits up.
What it gave the world: A peek into what was up next via that glimpse of Mjolnir, mighty Thor’s hammer, in the post-credit scene.
Box office: $623.9 million
THOR (2011)
On Asgard, Thor is stripped of his power and banished to Earth along with his hammer Mjolnir, which he can’t use because an enchantment says only the worthy can wield it. While Thor tries to get used to life in Midgard or Earth, his brother Loki is up to mischief as usual.
What worked: Kenneth Branagh turned a film that could have looked silly into one that was all-out fun, especially the fish-out-of-water sequences with Chris Hemsworth. If Hemsworth looked dishy, Tom Hiddleston as the naughty (you can’t call him evil) Loki stole the show.
What didn’t: Natalie Portman as Thor’s romantic interest was wooden and felt like the only bit that jangled.
Favourite moment: Thor walking into a pet store and asking for a horse, regal as you please.
What it gave the world: The hitherto unknown Hiddleston. Not just the looks, his acting chops as Loki cast a shadow over all the villains in the MCU.
Box office: $449.3 million
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011)
Steve Rogers wants to enlist in the army but is too scrawny. He undergoes an experiment that turns him into a super-soldier with powers stronger than the ordinary human. He is the only one who can stop the evil Johann Schmidt from using the Tesseract for world domination.
What worked: Earnest and cheesy, it hit the right note for the comic book fans, especially with Chris Evans’s note-perfect rendering of the character.
What didn’t: It wasn’t the flashy, swaggering blockbuster that Marvel had honed our palate with, so many were disappointed. This Marvel fan wasn’t.
Favourite moment: The train sequence where Cap secures Zola but loses Bucky.
What it gave the world: A chance to forget the hunky Chris Evans as the cocky and insufferable Human Torch from Fantastic Four.
Box office: $370.6 million
THE AVENGERS (2012)
Loki has got his hands on the Tesseract and is going to use it to destroy Earth and a motley group of heroes — Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hawkeye and The Hulk — have to learn to work together to save the world.
What worked: Everything! It isn’t easy to put a bunch of high-profile actors in one place, get them to play off each other and make all of them shine, but Joss Whedon did it to perfection. From the friction of guys used to working alone to the camaraderie when they finally start working as a group, it was one crazy ride. And there was the sheer delight of Loki, the villain we love.
What didn’t: There was nothing that didn’t work. No wonder it is still the fifth-highest grossing film in the world [after Avatar, Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurrasic World] and the highest for Marvel. Only one Marvel film since then has been able to match the perfection that was The Avengers.
Favourite moment: It is hard to choose one. Captain America asking Hulk to “smash”; Hulk bashing Loki and calling him “Puny god”; the Avengers standing in a circle in all their mighty glory; the Avengers chomping silently on shawarma in the post-credit scene.
What it gave the world: A multi-starrer blockbuster that ticks all the right boxes.
Box office: $1.518 billion
IRON MAN 3 (2013)
Tony Stark is suffering from PTSD after the events in New York (The Avengers) and has built a number of Iron Man suits that he can control by remote. He goes up against a terrorist with a connection to his past.
What worked: The sharpness and wit of the original was back for this third instalment of the man in the red suit. And we got a better look at the man behind the suits.
What didn’t: Making Mandarin a football-loving slob, who is a cover for the actual terrorist, is just not done. Even though Ben Kingsley was delightful! And what was with the Pepper Potts climax? Nuh-huh!
Favourite moment: The mid-air rescue of the Air Force One and that Ben Kingsley monologue over a cold beverage. And that howlarious post-credit scene where Bruce Banner nods off while Tony narrates the story.
What it gave the world: More reason to love Tony Stark and, by extension, Robert Downey Jr.
Box office: $1,214.8million
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THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013)
Thor takes his brother Loki out of captivity to save the Nine Worlds from Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves.
What worked: Loki, Loki and Loki. Hiddleston does a fab job, again. The chemistry between the two brothers is electric. The Thor-Loki show occurs only in the second half and is over too soon, but what a show. Kat Dennings as Darcy Lewis needs a mention here too.
What didn’t: Why is Natalie Portman even there? She has zero chemistry with Hemsworth, and has nothing to do apart from talking in scientific jargon and, oh, fainting! They had Christopher Eccleston and they wasted him as one of the dullest villains of the MCU.
Favourite moment: Every scene between Thor and Loki, but especially the one in which Thor shoves Loki out of a speeding spaceship.
What it gave the world: The first Marvel film that broke the heart, when Loki dies, till you realise, it is not all as it seems! And of course we learn about the Infinity Stones.
Box office: $644.6million
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014)
While the other Avengers are taking a break from saving the world, Cap is busy going on missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. with buddy Natasha Romanov aka Black Widow. But an old enemy organisation is back and is working within S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus, there is the threat of the mysterious Winter Soldier.
What worked: Everything. An extremely nuanced film with a taut script and lots of suspense. Time and care goes into developing each character, including Natasha and S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury. The action set-pieces, despite the cut-down on CGI, are incredible. It is also the first superhero film, since The Dark Knight trilogy, to take into account and give a commentary on the events affecting the present world.
What didn’t: Can’t think of any.
Favourite moment: Without doubt the elevator scenes where Cap takes on and defeats at least 10 Hydra goons inside the confines of a tiny lift!
What it gave the world: Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier, turning him into the Internet’s boyfriend! Also a mid-credit glimpse of two new characters, who later turn out to be Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver.
Box office: $714.3million
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014)
Marvel steps into space with this motley crew of criminals — a green-skinned assassin, a red-skinned killer, a talking racoon, a walking tree and an Earthling smuggler — becoming the unlikely saviours of the galaxy.
What worked: Everything. From the characters to the tone of the film to the action and, for the first time, the music! It was fun from the word get go and it didn’t let you down. Who thought people would get behind a talking racoon with an attitude and a walking tree who can just say “I am Groot”?!
What didn’t: Nothing if you aren’t nitpicking and we ain’t.
Favourite moment: The prison escape scene most definitely, and the climactic dance-off, and baby Groot dancing to I Want You Back, and... you get the drift.
What it gave the world: Swag-king Chris Pratt and the confidence that Marvel can make anything work, even when it is a film about a bunch of misfits that comic book fans hardly know.
Box office: $773.3 million
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015)
The Avengers find Loki’s sceptre on a mission in Sokovia. Bruce Banner and Tony Stark use the sceptre to power Stark’s Ultron programme and all hell breaks loose.
What worked: The team is as much fun as it was in The Avengers. It is big and bold and crackling with action and tension, even between the Avengers. James Spader as Ultron is great but the film missed Loki, or we did!
What didn’t: Tries to do too much in too little a time, thanks to the pressure of launching the next phase for MCU. A lot of important moments for the MCU were blink and you miss.
Favourite moment: The Avengers gathered around Thor’s hammer and trying to lift it while trading insults and Thor’s face when Captain America almost manages to move it.
What it gave the world: A big-budget spectacle like never before. Another Infinity Stone and the revelation of Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet.
Box office: $1,405.4 million
ANT-MAN (2015)
Scientist and erstwhile Ant-Man hires a petty thief to don the suit and save the formula from the greedy Darren Cross.
What worked: There was Paul Rudd as the unlikely hero and the impeccable humour, especially of Michael Pena, a revelation. The heist formula and the focus on the micro was a welcome change.
What didn’t: It takes time to get into the tempo and that can be a drag. Hope (Evangeline Lilly) is underutilised but hopefully that will change.
Favourite moment: The narration sequences by Michael Pena; Ant-Man’s race with the ants.
What it gave the world: The idea that something small can also pack a solid punch.
Box office: $519.3 million
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016)
The world wants to hold the superheroes accountable for all the collateral damage that has happened from New York to Sokovia. And the Avengers are torn down the middle over the Sokovia Accords. Cap’s belief that Bucky can be changed adds to the tension.
What worked: The film has 12 superheroes and not one of them feels underplayed, forced or discordant. Every single one has their moment in the spotlight. Even though you take sides, you understand why everyone has chosen their own. The climactic battle between Cap and Iron Man leaves you moist-eyed. The newcomers T’Challa/ Black Panther and the new Spider-Man are better than you even expected.
What didn’t: Nada. Unless you are one of those fanfiction lovers who’d like to see Bucky and Cap get together romantically.
Favourite moment: The airport tarmac fight which not just leaves you cheering and grimacing but also laughing till your ribs ache. It is a comic book fight come to life.
What it gave the world: The funnest Spider-Man, ever! We can’t wait to see the standalone Spidey film in 2017.
Box office: $773.3 million
DOCTOR STRANGE (2016)
An ace neuro-surgeon who has very little time for anything ordinary loses the use of his hands in a car accident and travels to Kathmandu for healing and more.
What worked: Benedict Cumberbatch of course, with his impeccable comic timing and erm, more. It is a visual treat with the psychedelic muti-dimensions, folding cityscapes and fights in the astral forms.
What didn’t: Both Mads Mikkelson as the villain and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Mordo are wasted and the origin story format now feels done and dusted.
Favourite moment: The climactic battle in which the fighting happens in a time reversal loop.
What it gave the world: Benedict Cumberbatch as a superhero, and someone who like Tony Stark can thread Phase Three and beyond together. And, the promise of more Doctor Strange in the coming years. [Honest confession, .5 was added to the score just for Benedict]
Box office: $500.4 million [still playing]
PS
Technically, Doctor Strange is Marvel’s 14th successful venture as The Incredible Hulk (2009) was the second film in the MCU with an Iron Man tie-in in the post-credit sequence to boot. But because Edward Norton got written out and Mark Ruffalo gave it a new spin in The Avengers, we have kept it out of the picture. Plus it earned a puny $263.4 million compared to what is Marvel’s usual rake-in.
Chandreyee Chatterjee
Which is your only 10/10 Marvel film and why? Tell t2@abp.in
