In the wake of a new “Infinity War” trailer and the 10th anniversary of the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU) coming up, it’s time to reflect on the reason college students even go to the movies anymore.
Granted, everyone has their own opinions and their own preferences when it comes to the MCU and I am by far no expert, but there isn’t anyone stopping me from voicing my opinion—so here it goes.
#5: “Thor: Ragnarok.” Even though this movie was released just over a month ago, I still am not over the beautiful shots and hilarious scenes. It was hands down the most visually appealing movie I had seen, and director Taika Waititi absolutely killed it. This reinvention of Thor was much needed and very well received, earning a 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Not to mention that it included a fully conversational Hulk which hasn’t been done, well, in… can I say forever? I loved that the movie featured the first female villain in the Marvel series, played by the incredibly talented Cate Blanchett. I felt genuinely entertained and honestly wasn’t expecting the outcome of the movie, which is new for a Thor movie. Its quick wit, stunning shots and beautiful people easily pushed it into my top five.
#4: “Guardians of the Galaxy” (Vol. 1 or Vol. 2) I’m technically cheating my system with the either-or situation of this ranking. But, the reason they are in my top five is for two reasons: the humor and music. “Guardians of the Galaxy” was the first film, in my opinion, that used humor and music to tell its story. I am a huge fan of 70s music so being able to hear classics behind an incredibly funny and entertaining movie automatically received top ratings in my book. I also absolutely loved the characters. Rocket and Groot’s relationship, Peter Quill’s personality and how hilariously simple Drax is all came together to form such an amazing movie. I’m super excited to see how they mesh with the rest of the Avengers and if Teen Groot will be making an appearance.
#3: “Captain America: Civil War.” This movie. Wow. Say what you want about this movie, but it is pivotal in the MCU. One of the reasons I loved it so much was that it didn’t end with a happy friendship party; it was much more real. Even now, viewers are unsure what this means for the Avengers future and what it could mean in “Infinity War.” This movie also introduced us to some new totally badass characters. We finally get the Black Panther on a large screen and an actually good Spiderman as well. It brings together all the characters that we love in a way that we haven’t seen before. I also loved every scene including the duo Bucky and Sam. Their riffing off of each other was not something I expected which helped make the movie great.
#2: “Captain America: The Winter Soldier.” If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a huge Captain America fan. Bucky Barnes is my favorite character, so it only makes sense to have this movie in the top two. I remember being shocked at the revelation of Bucky being the Winter Soldier. The scenes and soundtrack to this movie were also mesmerizing. I still geek out at the scene of The Winter Solider sidestepping the flipping car. This movie perfectly balances the past and present; I love the call-backs to the first movie combined with the modern twist. The scenes were shot well and stood out against every movie before it. It only received an 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but to me it showed how badass Captain America can be while also incorporating the beautiful human that is Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes.
And last but not least, #1: “The Avengers.” Before you roll your eyes and shake your head at least let me explain. This movie started it all! This movie is what made me fall in love with the franchise. It was unprecedented. At the time it was the coolest thing I ever watched. It brought together characters that I already loved and ones I didn’t know about yet and pieced together the beginning of this world that we all came to know and love. In hindsight, it wasn’t all that cool cinematically. I could name countless scenes, scores or moments from other films that out-rank scenes, scores and moments from “The Avengers.” But, no other movie made such an impact on my life; this started my infatuation with Marvel. It’s the reason I have the Avengers’ sticker on my car, a Marvel sticker on my laptop and it’s the only reason I’m still a journalism minor.
Honestly, who cares about any of these rankings anyway? Each Marvel movie is great in its own way. And by tomorrow my rankings three through five will probably be completely different. We all have our favorites for a reason and these are just mine. I’m super excited to see how this generation of Avengers will come to an end and how they will start the next. Either way we have a lot to look forward to and even more to cherish.
Katie Ryan is a fourth-year student majoring communications studies with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at KR822409@wcupa.edu.