I've been summoned, but honestly, I already had this thread on watch, 'cause it's pretty entertaining... I thought the OP was some sort of hyper-ironic joke, but it's sparked some serious posts, so here are some thoughts.
I like fun action movies with one-liners aplenty. Not everything has to be (insert acclaimed Serious film/director here). That said, I am not a big fan of the MCU overall. It almost never breaks beyond being barely more than decent, and often drags and panders.
I don't dislike most superhero movies because they are superhero movies - that would be monstrously hypocritical of me. Genuinely great superhero movies can and do exist, and many of them are more than just popcorn entertainment. However, most of the time, such movies are not good, because they are watered down in every aspect - themes, violence, language, character choices/consequences and almost surely more I'm forgetting - for the sake of mass market appeal, which very much includes children.
This is not me saying movies need to be Adult in those categories to be true art or some such nonsense, and it is not me dismissing movies that are suitable for kids, either - that would be ridiculous. However, in the case of the MCU, these movies very noticeably pull their punches on certain topics for this purpose, and it does feel like a detraction.
If you just take them as popcorn fun, then yeah, you could do a lot worse...but you could also do a lot better. A movie being fun does not preclude it from criticism, either. In fact, one of the main qualms I have with these films is that they often not very good at being fun - most of the action scenes are ridiculously sanitized, and the humor is not only hit-or-miss (most of it depends on how much you like the same snarky schtick being copy and pasted everywhere), but often misused; it's thrown all over the place and tends to undercut the attempts at seriousness.
They are mostly enjoyable, for sure. How could they not be? They're generally pretty light, easy to watch, move pretty quickly, filled with charming actors. However, the criticism that they are samey/copy-and-paste definitely has some validity to it - they are not all "completely the same" but let's not act like they make huge leaps between them, or even that they are too distinct from each other at all. I don't mind watching a certain type of movie over and over if it's done really well, and if this kinda stuff is your thing, that's great. However, I sometimes get tired of the determinedly average/mediocre product that gets pumped out repeatedly, just with slightly different packaging, and I can't exactly blame anyone who feels the same but more harshly, especially with their seeming cultural omnipresence. The hardcore "cinema is ruined by these theme parks!!!" types can be annoying, for sure, but so are the apologists who endlessly praise them and swat away any criticism under the guise of "you hate fun" or something.
I don't exactly need these to be anything more than a good time at the movies, but it is frustrating how hard these settle. Having a formula isn't inherently bad, but I don't care for how particularly safe this one is, especially when there is very rarely anything of visual interest on the screen - the overuse of CGI doesn't just suck the life out of fight scenes, it often makes the worlds these movies determinedly non-physical as well (which, personally, bothers me a lot more than any plot contrivance or power imbalance or what-have-you that would get half-explained by some ridiculous "um, actually" anyway).
So I can explain myself on the above and maybe add some more with concrete examples, I have listed my thoughts on each MCU movie below.
Tier 1
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Incredibly kinetic action scenes, whether it's chases, bullet spraying or hand-to-hand fights, all of which are wonderfully choreographed and move forward with a real intensity. Very physical, much like the best parts of something like
Heat. Well-directed and well-edited with a terrific sense of personality to them. Once it gets going, the atmosphere is genuinely tense and paranoid as hell, which in and of itself makes it a winner in my book. The Winter Soldier is a terrifying adversary. I have my qualms - I think a movie of this nature would benefit from being a little more outright violent/bloody, the finale with a big crash of CGI pales in comparison to the action beforehand (though fortunately it's brief), and I could do without some of the quips - but it's so well-directed that even these are minor and I can overlook them easily. It stands heads and shoulders above its MCU counterparts. Love it.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2
I hadn't seen Volume 1 since it came out in theaters, but upon revisiting it this year, I didn't like it very much. It's dragged down by being an origin story and generally felt neutered in most aspects. Volume 2, on the other hand, I liked a lot more than the first time I saw it, so much that I now think it's clearly the second-best movie the MCU's put out and by some margin, too. It bursts with unrestrained personality and energy from start to finish. The characters are better, there are great additions (Mantis, Yondu is more prominent, even the smaller side characters are
way more fun) and the dynamics between them simply sings throughout (including the connection with the villain, who is quite good). It feels very much like the vision of an individual, the wonderful James Gunn. Oh, and the soundtrack is better.
PS:
Inferno makes me very, very happy.
Tier 2
Avengers: Infinity War
This one is really interesting because I think it does a lot of things really well but also holds itself back quite a bit. I could even dedicate an entire post to everything I like and dislike about it, because there is a lot on both sides. The gist is: the main tension of the movie is set up and executed really well (like the longer take with chaotic streets that ends with the sight of the spaceship is hovering above New York - that was a great, genuinely tense stretch), but is repeatedly undermined by the constant, out-of-place humor. Not all the quippier moments are
bad - Dr. Strange and Ebony Maw have a good dynamic - but there are simply too many of them, which is a real shame because when it allows itself to be serious, it really works. Most notable is the moment on Titan where Iron Man simply...stands there and takes a deep breath in complete silence. It really let the weight of the task at hand sink in. That was perhaps the most genuine moment in the whole MCU - it was sincerely affecting in a way almost nothing else in these movies has been. I wish that one lasted longer, and there were more of them instead of the constant jokes. Thanos is a highly effective, imposing villain (when they're not giving him horrendous lines like "I never taught you to lie, that's why you're so
bad at it) and the ending is powerful. I really, really wish they hadn't undone it in the next one.
Captain America: Civil War
Similar to Infinity War: solid, tense stretches and a strong ending are constantly undercut with forced levity. It's best when it's dramatic, whether with tension between characters (the premise makes for some great conflict, the one-on-one Cap-Iron Man argument is well-done) or through some more great Winter Soldier action scenes. I really don't like how bland almost all of it is visually, but it's mostly well-directed and generally highly watchable so I can mostly get over it.
Thor: Ragnarok
They (more or less) commit to the levity here, to solid effect. Good villain, too. Fun watch (if you can get over how Thor conveniently forgets he has lightning powers, like, all the time...but that applies to anything he's in, and I'm willing to do so here). Sadly, the bland visual criticism from Civil War is applicable here, too - I appreciate they tried for something more bombastic, but the color is sucked out of it to shockingly dull effect. Still, effective at doing what it sets out to, and has a good sense of personality to it.
Tier 3
Black Panther
Quite a good movie throughout most of its runtime, brought down partially by the stupid Martin Freeman sideplot and mostly by the weightless waste of a CGI finale when the physicality of the actors was a big part of what made the conflict so compelling. Also, I really wish they hadn't taken the "easy way out" with Killmonger, a "villain" so clearly in the right they have to make him a psychopath so they don't feel bad about killing him. He's still phenomenal, but it could've been so much more interesting.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
One of the worst things about most of the MCU is that they are billed as action films, but utilize incredibly stunted (editing of) action scenes, because their actors are such expensive commodities that they won't risk letting them do the simplest thing, thus forcing them cut back and forth between the stunt double (often doing something very basic that the actor could almost surely do themselves with ease) and the actor. It's lifeless, boring, terrible. Whatever else you want to say about Shang-Chi, it does not have this problem, and as such, I enjoy it in the same vein as Winter Soldier. The action in this movie is exhilarating - watching Shang-Chi and his sister leap and swing around their surroundings and kick the shit out of bad guys is joyous. Awkwafina is pretty funny (the Hotel California gag is great). Sadly, a lot of the exposition is bad and lazy even by MCU standards, and it really takes a dip in the second half with the buildup to the obligatory huge CGI finale, but the extraordinary Tony Leung (I really urge anyone who liked him in this movie to check out some of the other movies he's been in) really carries the hell out of it. Fun stuff. If every MCU movie had fight scenes like the first few in this, I would be very, very happy.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Fun hanging-around high school movie. Great villain (one of the best things about Spider-Man in general). Doesn't go for or achieve anything more, but enjoyable for what it is. Tom Holland really sells climbing out from under the rubble at the end. That had a lot of heart. I don't particularly enjoy the huge CGI crash conclusion - felt they could've gone a little more small-scale and gotten a more intimate, rewarding final fight - and I could definitely do without Iron Man's presence, but for what it is, it's fun.
Tier 4
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Yadda yadda enough Iron Man already, and turning Spider-Man into a billion-dollar tech guy was already not a choice I loved but here it's just egregious; all around, it's weaker than the first. Still alright, though. Despite some truly heinous exposition - Jesus Christ that scene in the bar - it is carried by the incredible Jake Gyllenhaal, who holds nothing back. God, Spider-Man has some great bad guys.
Black Widow
I wanted to like this so much. The general premise, the setup for the action scenes, the potential to really explore this troubled character with an interesting, violent past, it all had so much promise...too bad to really do so would require those involved to go beyond the sanitization of the product that was churned out instead. It does have some good moments, but they're always gone too quickly - nothing here is explored enough (the Red Room alone...), and the result is a thoroughly unsatisfying experience as you realize what could've been. It really settles for being average. Many of the action scenes here could be great, but instead are often shining examples of the awful stunt/actor cutting back-and-forth alluded to in the Shang-Chi blurb.
Ant-Man
The parts very obviously kept from Edgar Wright's involvement are far and away the highlights - they are as fun as anything you'd find in his oeuvre. However, most of the time, this is one of the most offensively trite, by-the-numbers movies in the MCU, with a good actor wasted on a ridiculous bland Iron Man villain-knockoff (and those are already bland as hell). The "heist movie" concept in and of itself doesn't exactly make it different or fresh or anything close in that regard when so much of its runtime is such standard fodder.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Already mentioned this in passing, so I'll just reiterate that this is massively watered down from what it wants to be, restrained by the boring demands of an origin story, and with a tremendously forgettable villain to boot. Some okay moments, but since we're on a Pokemon forum, I will say this is movie is the equivalent of using Kadabra over Alakazam. Vol. 1 is completely and utterly outclassed by Vol. 2.
Tier 5
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Some of the most horrendous quips in the franchise here (I'm begging Iron Man to shut the fuck up most of the time he's on screen, especially when he's fighting the Hulk, and the "language!" gag is a contender for all-time worst), the general premise driving the conflict is not explored nearly deeply enough for it to be anything more than a shallow excuse for the antics on display, and the decision to give a perfect killer A.I. system a generic psychopathic serial killer personality that quotes Pinnochio to itself as some sort of display of menace is cartoonish rather than terrifying. Still, I gave this its own tier because those Scarlet Witch-induced dream sequences are genuinely effective and unique within these movies.
Tier 6
Captain America: The First Avenger
Interesting enough premise for an origin story and villain that could've been good to great in the right hands, but with such stale, uninspired execution on both fronts - to say nothing of the impact of a wartime setting being neutered when you have to make it for to kids to see so you can't really show any fucking war or its consequences lol - this becomes completely forgettable.
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Completely forgettable (except for Luis, who rules) and only exists to set up some plot convenience for Endgame. Yuck.
Tier 7
Captain Marvel
Bloodless as all hell. Brie Larson is talented as hell but the material here is the most generic origin story of all time. I guess if you've got a weakness for the 90sness of it all, what with the Blockbuster and Nirvana...but besides that, nope.
Doctor Strange
I'm sure the CGI on display here is an impressive technical achievement, but it fails to leave any sort of impact, and nothing else here is of any interest whatsoever, ridden with tired cliches and forced humor.
Tier 8
Iron Man 3
I actually liked the twist where the evil terrorist was just a mask for rich white evil. I'll also admit I laughed at the autobiography quip. Too bad the rest of this was stupid as hell. In true Marvel fashion, they even managed to quickly "resolve" and make light of Iron Man's PTSD. At least the scene where he saves all the people who were thrown out of the plane is unintentionally hilarious.
Avengers: Endgame
They skipped over all the devastation, emotional and otherwise, that would come with the loss of half the people in the world, and instead gave our heroes another fun, happy-go-lucky adventure, somehow managing to rush through a three-hour movie, depriving it of any sort of impact knowing they'll score cheap sentiment points with the ending. Disgusting.
Iron Man 2
Like 3 but worse, especially since they wasted Sam Rockwell. Mickey Rourke is a menacing bad guy, at least.
Thor
Utterly forgettable. Just about nothing here works. For the mighty Thor's devastating final villain to be a big, faceless hunk of metal called The Destroyer is...yeah.
Iron Man
I like Jeff Bridges, but even he can't save this from the vapid, soulless piece of corporate garbage it is. Nostalgia seems to have a pretty powerful pull over this one for a lot of folks, but I really, really dislike it. One of the funniest quotes I've ever read is Kevin Feige referring to this as an "independent film."
Tier 9
The Avengers
Probably doesn't deserve its separate tier from the above, but I did it anyway because this might be my most loathed movie ever. Not the outright worst, but the one I despise the most? Very possibly. The soullessness permeating through every aspect of this, from the awful quips to the faceless foes to the weightless action scenes...I assume nostalgia drives this one for a lot of people, too. Loki is a good bad guy, but with this material...Fuck, I hate this one.
I have not seen Thor 2, but I did see a few seconds of it in some Youtube video where Natalie Portman slaps Loki and says "that's for New York!" so I don't feel like I really need the rest.
Good Lord I wrote too much. Hope this adds something to the discussion.
