Ranking The Nine Superhero Movies Of 2018 From Least To Most Awesome
This was another great year for top-quality superhero movies overall, but, of course, some turned out to be better than others. Here, RorMachine ranks all nine from least to most awesome. Check it out...
As 2019 fast approaches, I've decided to bring you guys my ranking of the nine superhero movies that were released this year.
2018 was another really great 12 months for the capes, and I didn't think any of the movies on this list were flat-out terrible. That said, some were definitely better than others and I wouldn't be rushing out to see a handful of 'em again anytime soon!
Have a look, and be sure to let us know what you think and share your own rankings in the comments. A very Happy New Year from all of us at CBM.
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Aquaman
This is bound to come in for some backlash!
I didn't hate Aquaman by any means (I didn't care enough about it to feel that strongly one way or the other, tbh), I just thought it was a garish load of nonsense with a couple of exciting action sequences (the Trench escape is, admittedly, pretty spectacular) and some creative visuals.
Throw in humor that lands like an anvil, phoned-in performances and dialogue that would make Room's Tommy Wiseau wince, and James Wan's first solo outing for the King of Atlantis more than earns its place at the bottom of this list.
Venom
Is Venom a better movie than Aquaman? Well, I certainly got more enjoyment from it.
Sony's Spider-Man-less Spider-Man movie is a bit of a mess for sure, but Tom Hardy has a blast chewing the scenery and his antics make for a few (mostly intentional) hilarious moments. Eddie Brock's relationship with the psychotic symbiote himself is also a highlight, and the pair engage in some entertaining back-and-forth banter.
Maybe it was the low expectations I had going in, but I really didn't think Venom was all that bad.
Teen Titans GO! To The Movies
This one flew under the radar, but Teen Titans GO! To The Movies is actually a pretty good time.
I had never seen much of the TV series, but it didn't take long for me to get on board with the animated antics of Robin, Beast Boy, Starfire, Cyborg and Raven. Granted, a lot of the gags are aimed at very young kids, but there's also plenty of pop culture references and hilariously meta commentary on superhero movies for the grown ups.
It's just a bit of light-hearted fun at the end of the day, but what more could you want from a big-screen adaptation of a children's cartoon?
Ant-Man And The Wasp
Yes, Ant-Man and The Wasp finds itself in the bottom five - but that's not to say that I thought it was a bad movie by any means.
Marvel's Ant-Man sequel makes great use of its returning cast members and it has its share of funny scenes, but it's all a bit pedestrian and, a genuinely shocking post-credits stinger aside, there are few surprises.
Ant-Man and The Wasp falls comfortably into the entertaining, but disposable category. Maybe that's all it was aiming for and that's fine, but Marvel has set the bar pretty high and this simply fell a bit short for me (no pun).
Incredibles 2
Brad Bird's long-awaited sequel to what many consider to be one of the greatest animated movies of all time turned out to be another hugely entertaining adventure with The Parr family... even if it didn't quite match up to the original.
Not everything works, but Gorgeous animation, a compelling story that (wisely) switched the focus to Holly Hunter's Helen, and some hilarious sequences with a shape-shifting toddler all make for a damn enjoyable superhero flick.
Deadpool 2
Ryan Reynolds returns as the Merc With a Mouth in a sequel that manages to be gorier, funnier, more OTT and more meta than the original.
Deadpool 2 does rehash some stuff from the first film and not every gag lands, but they come so hard and fast and it's all such anarchic fun that it's impossible not to be won over by the fourth wall-breaking shenanigans of its motormouth hero. Also, amid the relentless bloodletting and flying limbs there are some genuinely heartfelt moments that shine through.
Oh, and it features what may be the greatest series of post-credits scenes in superhero movie history.
It'd be a real shame if we never see another big-screen adventure for Mr. Wilson after the Disney/Fox acquisition.
Black Panther
Honestly, there wasn't a whole lot between my top three picks, and Ryan Coogler's history-making Black Panther could easily have placed higher. In the end, all it came down to was the fact that I had a few more nitpicks with this than the others.
Right from the get-go, Coogler's film sets out to establish itself as something a little different than what we're used to seeing in the MCU. In some ways it is very much a Marvel Studios movie (in the case of the overly CGI-infused climax, to its detriment), but for the most part, Black Panther is not interested in sticking to the formula and is not shy about admitting that it has something to say. Yes, the movie does get political - but because the message is so integral to the plot and the characters' motivations, it feels organic and never comes across like it's being overly preachy.
Slight pacing issues early on and some video game-y FX are not enough to dethrone the mighty Black Panther. Bring on the sequel.
Avengers: Infinity War
Many hail Avengers: Infinity War as one of, if not the greatest superhero movie of all time, and while that's obviously debatable, there's no doubt that directors Joe and Anthony Russo delivered on 10 years of build-up and next-level anticipation to bring us a comic book spectacular of epic proportions.
Full of incredible set pieces and some big shocks, Infinity War makes the bold choice to end on a downer as Thanos succeeds in his mission to wipe out half of all life in the universe, and is all the letter for it.
Unlike anything Marvel Studios had brought us up to that point, Infinity War is honestly difficult to find fault with - however, it wasn't quite my favorite superhero movie of 2018!
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
I went back and forth on my #1 choice, but in the end Sony's superb animated Spidey flick just clinched it.
This first big-screen outing for Miles Morales really is that good. In addition to being an exciting, funny and gorgeously animated adventure, it plays with the usual tropes associated with comic book movies in some surprising ways, and even succeeds in breathing new life into the well-worn superhero origin story. It's so awesome that any gripes I may have (okay, so it could have used a better villain) seem like minor, almost insignificant nitpicks.
Spectacular, amazing, astonishing - whatever Spidey-related adjective you choose, it'll fit.