It's become clear in recent days that the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus is going to have a significant impact on all of our lives. Sadly, a lot of people around the globe are dying as scientists continue to search for a cure, while many others are being forced to self-isolate or stay indoors.
With movie theaters now closing and not a single decent film coming out in April thanks to various postponements, we understand it's not an easy time for those of you seeking entertainment.
Whether you're looking for an escape or are stuck in your house, we thought now might be a good time to take a look at ten feel-good Marvel movies we hope will brighten your day. There's a lot of negativity online and in the world, but these will hopefully go some way in bringing a smile back to your face and helping you through what's proving to be a difficult time for us all.
With productions on hold and theaters closing down, it could be a while until we get to see anything new, but you can check out these feel good alternatives by clicking the "Next" button below!
10. Spider-Man 2
This one is a classic. Sam Raimi does get a little dark at times, but for the most part, it's a superhero movie from a far more innocent time with a tone in line with those early Spidey adventures from Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Whether it's a goofy Peter Parker walking around to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" or the web-slinger battling Doctor Octopus atop a moving train, there's loads here to love, and it's no wonder many comic book fans still consider the 2004 release to be the best
Spider-Man movie.
Considering the fact that this came out around a decade and a half ago, the sequel still looks, well, spectacular, and it's simply not possible to do anything other than have a great time watching this classic, old-school adventure.
9. The Incredible Hulk
Look, we know
The Incredible Hulk is pretty much the black sheep of the Marvel Studios family thanks to that very public falling out with star Edward Norton, but it's dumb fun most of the time, and that final battle between the Jade Giant and Abomination remains an action-packed blast from start to finish.
This reboot doesn't boast the strongest of stories, and it's never going to be remembered as fondly as
Iron Man, but if you're just looking to switch off and have a good time, you could do worse than
The Incredible Hulk.
With
She-Hulk coming to Disney+ at some point in the not too distant future, now might also be a good time to revisit this early entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After all, characters like General "Thunderbolt" Ross and even The Leader are expected to make some sort of appearance there.
8. Ant-Man
We'll forever regret not getting to see Edgar Wright's
Ant-Man, as it would have surely been a unique and weird movie every bit as fun as the likes of
Hot Fuzz and
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
Still, Peyton Reed did an admirable enough job after boarding the project relatively late in the day, and
Ant-Man stands out as one of the more enjoyable Marvel Cinematic Universe origin stories.
It's silly, full of inventive shrinking sequences, and boats an excellent comedic performance from Paul Rudd.
Ant-Man and the Wasp is decent, but not quite as memorable as this first effort.
7. Venom
We didn't exactly love
Venom here at CBM, but the movie's box office takings prove that it connected with audiences in a significant way. Honestly, it's easy enough to see why that is.
After all, while Venom doesn't stick to the source material in terms of how Eddie Brock and his "other" are portrayed, it boasts a downright bizarre and easily watchable performance from Tom Hardy, not to mention a quirky tone which makes this unlike any other superhero movie on this list (who would have ever imagined Venom called Eddie a "p*ssy"?).
Providing you don't take it too seriously and just want to have a fun time watching what's best described as a ridiculous popcorn flick,
Venom is well-worth checking out again.
6. Iron Man 3
It's been seven years since
Iron Man 3 was released and we're finally going to see the real Mandarin in
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. With that in mind, can we finally move on from hating Shane Black's comedic Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, and actually acknowledge its greatness?
The big "Trevor" twist was actually pretty funny, while this threequel as a whole took the comedic tone Joss Whedon added to this shared world with
The Avengers and really ran with it.
The sequence with Air Force One going down remains a jaw-dropping highlight, Tony Stark's unexpected friendship with Harley Keener is undeniably touching, and that final battle with "The Mandarin" as Iron Man unleashes an entire army in a bid to save the President is downright awesome.
5. The Avengers
Once upon a time, we simply couldn't imagine a movie like
The Avengers happening. If you were on this site in the early 2010s, you'll know that everyone was taking a "we'll believe it when we see it" approach to the Marvel Studios movie as it just didn't seem like an actual, realistic possibility!
Well, it happened, and writer/director Joss Whedon managed to completely knock it out of the park.
As we mentioned above, the filmmaker introduced a somewhat more comedic tone to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with
The Avengers, and what followed was an exciting, funny, and all-round enjoyable team-up movie which finally brought Earth's Mightiest Heroes together on screen. Yes, the sequels were better, but this perhaps remains the most enjoyable instalment of the franchise.
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a very different type of sequel to 2004's
Spider-Man 2, but it's should definitely still be considered "feel-good" (even if it does kick off with Peter Parker mourning Tony Stark, something which looms large over a fairly large part of the movie if we're being honest).
That aside, though, and whether we're talking about those thrilling fights against Mysterio's Elementals or the mind-blowing illusion sequence - which remains one of the best in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe's history - there's a lot of have fun with in a film every bit as good as Sam Raimi's.
Throw in that cute love story between Peter and MJ, and even with a shocking cliffhanger ending, you'll walk away from the
Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel with a massive grin on your face.
3. Thor: Ragnarok
The sudden shift in tone came as a surprise to a lot of fans, but Taika Waititi saved the
Thor franchise with this threequel and delivered a colourful, vibrant adventure which also put the spotlight on The Hulk (adapting elements from the
Planet Hulk storyline in the process).
Korg remains a highlight, of course, and you'll be laughing from start to finish watching this film.
Mistakes were made here - the treatment of The Warriors Three and Odin's demise, for example - but those are easy enough to forgive when everything else we see is so much damn fun. Watching the God of Thunder kick ass to the "Immigrant Song" is never anything other than a blast, while the addition of Jeff Goldbum obviously goes a long way in making this a feel-good hit.
2. Deadpool
Deadpool is a little rough around the edges and full of crude humour, but the Merc with the Mouth's (proper) big screen debut is still better than the disappointing sequel. Sure, it doesn't include the likes of Cable and Domino, but it does feature a sweet love story between Wade Wilson and Vanessa, not to mention some huge laughs courtesy of Ryan Reynolds.
The actor really is on top form here, and you'll be desperate to see his version of Deadpool in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the time all is said and done.
For a movie which was constantly having its budget cut by Fox, it also manages to excel in terms of action. Deadpool's battle with "Francis" on that Helicarrier lookalike was excellent, while Colossus' role should make any fan of the X-Men happy (certainly more so than going back and watching any of the
X-Men movies).
1. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
Guardians of the Galaxy was an awesome ride with a killer soundtrack, but the sequel just manages to beat it. Sure, it gets a little bogged down in all the Ego stuff at times, but how can you not love the addition of Mantis to the franchise, not to mention Star-Lord's touching relationship with Yondu.
If nothing else, that wonderful opening sequence with Baby Groot dancing to "Mr. Blue Sky" will leave you smiling from ear to ear, as will the rest of the sentient tree's antics throughout this sequel.
Baby Groot aside,
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 remains one of the best Marvel Studios movies to date, and that soundtrack alone is bound to brighten your day. We could be waiting a while for Vol. 3 seeing as James Gunn is busy with
The Suicide Squad, but it will take an awful lot to top this one.