With the super BIG! release of Marvel Cinematic Universe's next film 'Ant-Man', scheduled for release this Thursday, here are Everything Film's ranking of the phase two MCU films (with the exclusion of 'Iron Man 3').
Ranking Films: Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 2
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' is Marvel's best solo film in a long time, probably since 'Iron Man'. Instead of becoming a generic superhero film, Marvel changes the formula for the second instalment of 'Captain America' and while still having superhero elements present in the film, the sequel is actually a spy thriller, and done right. Daniel calls the sequel "thrilling, loads of suspense that stands tall over its predecessor." Nic describes 'The Winter Soldier' as it "will leave you breathless, in true political thriller fashion, with twists and turns that will reverberate throughout the Marvel universe."
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
Marvel has had a great 2014 with not one, but two films in the top 10 highest rated films of the year. 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is a homerun filled with humour and action-packed sci-fi scenes that feel like they belong to 'Star Wars'. Nic states that 'Guardians of the Galaxy' is "funny, exciting and fresh" and "just a big ball of fun."
Ant-Man (2015)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Marvel's first sequel that isn't 'Iron Man', and delivers on a humerous action sci-fi adventure in 'Thor: The Dark World'. While the villian isn't strong in the sequel, everything else is done right as Daniel describes the film with "great visual effects...action-packed, a great mixture of serious and comedic tones, great acting from the cast and very emotional." Nic agrees that "'Thor: The Dark World' is at least as good as the other Marvel solo films, and, after thinking about it, better than the original 'Thor'."
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The highly anticpated sequel to 2012's phenomenon 'The Avengers'. After the events of 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier', the Avengers must obtain Loki's scepter, while rescuing it, meet super powered beings; Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, being part of Baron Strucker’s experimentation in order to create super humans. While 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' doesn't match 'The Avengers' in narrative, it offers enough visual spectacle with great acting performances by the entire cast for a worthwhile follow-up of Marvel's greatest heroes.