From LOGAN To JUSTICE LEAGUE - 2017's Marvel And DC Superhero Movies Ranked From Worst To Best
2017 has been a huge year for Marvel and DC Comics adaptations but how do they all stack up against each other? Here, we take an in-depth look at each of them and rank the movies from worst to best...
2017 has been a great year for superhero movies with a total of seven Marvel and DC Comics adaptations hitting the big screen over the past eleven months. While none of them have managed to pass $1 billion worldwide, they've all performed well at the box office and been well-received by critics (with the exception of Justice League but it's too soon to judge that one in terms of box office returns).
So, with three movies from Warner Bros. - two of which were set in the DC Films Universe - one from 20th Century Fox, and three from Marvel Studios, which of these releases has proved to be the best?
What you'll find here is an in-depth look at 2017's Marvel and DC Comics movies as we rank them from worst to best, dissecting their good and bad points to come up with a definitive ranking of where they stand when compared to each other. Where does your favourite rank? Keep reading to find out...
To view the list of details in its entirety, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
The LEGO Batman Movie
What a disappointment. On the surface, it appeared as if The LEGO Batman Movie would be a worthy successor to The LEGO Movie, albeit full of characters and references fans of the Caped Crusader's world would adore. While there was admittedly plenty of that here, this spinoff prioritised goofy humour and a campy tone over a strong story and critics who claimed that this was how Batman should be portrayed on the big screen were clearly smoking something pretty damn good!
Next up for Chris McKay is Nightwing and while I have a feeling he'll do a good job with that live-action movie, I'd be lying to say I'm particularly excited about it after watching The LEGO Batman Movie. I'm sure kids ate this up and while there's nothing wrong with that, it's a shame this movie didn't reach the same lofty heights as The LEGO Movie by delivering something which was truly special as opposed to totally forgettable.
Logan
Something tells me many of you won't be happy to see Logan not placed higher on this list but while there's no denying that this was a pretty fitting sendoff for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, I couldn't help but be disappointed. Much of that can probably be blamed on expecting to see everything from the classic costume to the return of Sabretooth, not to mention a more exciting end for the hero than being taken out by his...clone?
Logan is a beautifully made movie and deserving of praise but in terms of story, it's not much better than The Wolverine. X-24 was beyond lame and while there was a lot of good here - Professor X being responsible for the death of the X-Men, Wolverine's relationship with Laura, etc. - the plot was nowhere near strong enough to call Logan a masterpiece. It's a very good superhero movie but one I can't help but think could and should have been so much better.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Sony Pictures wanted Marvel Studios to reboot the world of Peter Parker and it's fair to say that they succeeded with Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Marvel Cinematic Universe's wall-crawler is definitely different to what's come before and that proved to be both a good thing and a bad thing. The changes made to the character were significant and that ultimately delivered some pretty mixed results, especially for longtime fans of the superhero.
Seeing Spider-Man decked out in such a technologically advanced suit was arguably a tad disappointing even if it did lead to some great moments of humour, while the fact he was initially scared of heights and never once swung past a skyscraper was something of a shame. There's time for that to happen, though, and the hero's battle against The Vulture was a lot of fun to see play out. Overall, this was a good start to a new take on Spidey and his future finally looks bright.
Justice League
Is this DC Comics adaptation a mess? Absolutely. Joss Whedon's extensive reshoots clearly turned this movie into something altogether different and it was hard not to be distracted by Henry Cavill's f***ed up face (the result of his Mission: Impossible 6 moustache being removed via CGI). Despite that, how terrible Steppenwolf was, and a myriad of other issues, I still enjoyed Justice League and managed to have a good time with it.
For everything that doesn't work here, there's a lot that does and there's no denying that it was great seeing all of these heroes finally standing side by side on the big screen. We also got the version of Superman the DC Films Universe has needed from the very start and his battle with the League was arguably better than anything we saw in Captain America: Civil War! It's flawed but Justice League doesn't deserve the critical pounding it's received.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
James Gunn delivered a truly great superhero movie with Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014 so expectations were high on him delivering something great with the sequel. From the second this one begins with Baby Groot dancing to ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky," it was clear that the filmmaker hadn't lost his touch and things would only get better from there, especially when Kurt Russell's Ego finally came on the scene and tracked down his son, Star-Lord.
With an awesome soundtrack, plenty of great action, and a lot of heart, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is a movie which fired on all cylinders and it's packed full of highlights fans will be talking about for years. From the fight between Star-Lord and Ego to Yondu's heartbreaking sacrifice, there was so much to love about this sequel that Vol. 3 really can't get here soon enough. Little did we know, though, that it would be outshined by another cosmic Marvel movie...
Thor: Ragnarok
From the very start, it appeared as if Thor: Ragnarok would be something special but none of us ever anticipated how great the movie would be. A startlingly different take on the God of Thunder, the tone here was wackier than even Guardians of the Galaxy and that somehow worked for the Asgardian and managed to essentially save his franchise and set the character on a much more exciting path for the future than he'd originally been on.
Director Taika Waititi delivered plenty of epic action and a strong story to accompany that wackiness, while the introduction of new characters like Hela, The Grandmaster, and Korg (especially Korg) succeeded on every level. With Asgard no longer in play and Thor coming face to face with Thanos' massive ship at the end of the movie, we'll pick up with his story in Avengers: Infinity War but you have to hope that Waititi is given the chance to continue the hero's story somewhere down the line.
Wonder Woman
To say it's been a year of mixed fortunes for Warner Bros.' DC Films Universe would be an understatement but Wonder Woman was exactly what the studio needed to prove that they're able to do superhero movies the right way. Director Patty Jenkins effortlessly managed to make Gal Gadot's Diana Prince a fan-favourite after her brief introduction in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and as origin stories go, this was one of the best we've seen.
Following her story from Themyscira to the battlefields of World War I, Wonder Woman delivered in just about every respect and it's no wonder Warner Bros. was willing to pay Jenkins the big bucks to return for the sequel. The movie also delivered the best scene in any 2017 superhero movie when Diana walks on to No Man's Land, removes her coat, and runs into action. That right there was the Wonder Woman we've all been waiting to see on the big screen.
Which of 2017's Marvel and DC Comics movies was your favourite? Do you agree with this ranking? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.