The 5 Best And Worst Moments In 2018's Marvel And DC Superhero Movies
We've looked at a variety of best and worst things about 2018's superhero movies, but now we're focusing on specific moments. There was a lot of good & bad, and we think you'll be surprised by these picks!
2018 has been an exciting year for superhero movie fans. We kicked things off with Black Panther (which could very well end up being Oscar-nominated) before moving on to the game-changing Avengers: Infinity War. Then, Deadpool 2 came along to deliver some big laughs, while Ant-Man and The Wasp proved to be an effective sequel for the pint-sized hero.
As we moved into the Fall, Venom arrived to break box office records no one could have guessed would be shattered, while that was followed by the amazing and spectacular animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
Finally, we have Aquaman; a great DC Comics adaptation which helps put Warner Bros. on the right track ahead of Shazam!'s release next year. Now, with 2018 nearing its end and Christmas right around the corner, we're taking a look at the five best moments in the superhero movies released this year... as well as the five worst!
Something tells me that you'll be surprised to see which moments I've decided to single out, and I'm sure you'll have your own thoughts which you can share in the comments section below. To check out this breakdown, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button.
THE BEST
Battle At Warrior Falls
Some of you wondered why I didn't include this battle in my list of the best fight scenes and, well, this is why! T'Challa's showdowns both with M'Baku and Killmonger at Warrior Falls were nothing short of epic and it's the latter I'm going to focus on here.
Simply put, this was more than just a fight scene. Seeing Black Panther completely outmatched brought back memories of Batman's battle with Bane in The Dark Knight Rises and the ending was a real shocker as the hero was stabbed in the gut and thrown off the side of a cliff. He had to be dead, right?
That's what it felt like and Ryan Coogler really outdid himself here, especially as it was a sequence also full of emotion when Zuri was killed by Killmonger while trying to protect T'Challa.
Black Manta Unleashed
There are no spoilers here as we've seen this sequence in the trailers and I won't go into detail.
Black Manta finally suits up for a battle with Aquaman in Sicily and the result are nothing short of astonishing. As well as bringing the villain to life in a way that makes him look like he's stepped straight out of the comic books, James Wan delivered a series of incredible visuals here and shot one of the best action scenes of the year.
Despite how powerful Arthur Curry is, it definitely felt like he was at risk here and that says a lot about how well Manta is portrayed in this particular moment from the DC Comics movies.
She-Venom Strikes
I'm not going to keep harping on about my dislike for Venom but if there's one scene that I really can't complain about, it's the big screen debut of She-Venom. This was totally unexpected and something fans were saying they wanted to see long before the movie was released.
The character looked great in live-action and while it was weird to see her then make out with Eddie Brock, it fitted within the tone of the Marvel movie and was pretty funny if I'm being honest.
It's hard to say whether or not we'll see more of She-Venom in this Spider-Verse but there's a lot more than this that can be done with the character and if this was just a one-off, then at least we've got to see someone grace the big screen that once seemed like an impossibility.
Thor Arrives In Wakanda
If you're looking for a moment guaranteed to give you full body chills, look no further than this. Just as things are at their worst for Earth's Mightiest Heroes in Wakanda, there's a flash in the sky and Stormbreaker appears cutting down a number of Outriders before landing in Thor's hand.
With that, the classic Avengers theme kicks in as the God of Thunder stands tall alongside Rocket and Groot. It's a superb sequence and quite possibly one of the most memorable scenes in the MCU to date.
We can only hope that Captain Marvel's arrival in Avengers: Endgame is equally as jaw-dropping but I honestly find it hard to imagine anything topping this. Of course, there was another moment in Avengers: Infinity War that was equally as amazing...
"SNAP!"
Yes, they actually went there! Just as it looks like Thor has saved the day by plunging Stormbreaker into the Mad Titan's chest, the villain utters "You should have aimed for the head" and snaps his fingers. What follows is an incredible series of scenes as we witness many of our favourite heroes turn into dust, with Spider-Man and Groot's respective demises perhaps the most heartbreaking.
However, as amazing as the aftermath was, the "Snap" itself is what stands out to me.
I don't think any of us went into Avengers: Infinity War expecting Thanos to actually succeed (the heroes always save the day) so seeing him snap his fingers like that was a genuine surprise and a great visual which paid homage to the comic books in a great way.
...And THE WORST
Emerging From The Sea
I loved Aquaman and think it's a great movie but there's one scene, in particular, which probably deserves to be ridiculed!
That comes when Aquaman and Mera emerge from the sea after a big battle and they walk out of the ocean to the tune of Pitbull's cover of Toto's "Africa." It's a really silly moment and one which feels both out of place and oddly right at home in this movie.
On the plus side, women will enjoy looking at the shirtless Jason Momoa, while fanboys will surely appreciate seeing Amber Heard soaking wet in her low cut costume (which, I would argue is unnecessarily revealing, but she does look incredible wearing it).
Janet Van Dyne's Mysterious Powers
So, Hank Pym finally ventures into the Quantum Realm to find his wife Janet and...discovers that she has weird new powers? Rather than explain these, the Marvel Studios movie fobs us off by pointing out that her time there has changed the hero and we never learn what it is she can do or why.
I'm sure it's something that will be addressed in a third instalment but for a movie that was supposed to revolve around The Wasp's rescue, it was a shame to see it receive such little screentime.
Throw in the fact that Janet was used as an easy (and lazy) fix for Ghost's issues and I really didn't like how the whole thing was handled. Overall, the sequel was a lot of fun and I did like Ant-Man and The Wasp but it's a pretty forgettable sequel for reasons such as this one.
"We Are Venom"
Sony loves spoiling the end of its movies in the trailers (I swear that there must be someone in the marketing team who thinks it's funny to sneak the final scene into these sneak peeks somehow) and Venom was no exception back in October. Perhaps that's why I found this scene so underwhelming.
As Eddie reveals Venom to the friendly shopkeeper he's visited a few times - "Aches and pains, aches and pains" - he bites off a guy's head with no blood and the non-plussed reaction of Mrs. Chen.
You know, there's a headless body bleeding out on the floor and she just saw a terrifying black monster emerge from the schmuck who buys tater tots there but, eh, whatever! The "We Are Venom!" line was also massively cheesy and I don't think this was a good moment by any means.
Star-Lord's Dumb Decision
I didn't hate this as much as some fans but I can understand why so many are frustrated with how Star-Lord was handled here.
The hero not being able to control his emotions when The Avengers were just seconds away from defeating Thanos is ridiculous and he could have easily got the revenge he wanted if he'd just waited!
This certainly doesn't spoil Avengers: Infinity War for me but it's going to take a lot of work to redeem Peter Quill now as the fact is that his actions are what caused Thanos to ultimately win the day.
Deadpool 2's CGI Battle
Seeing Colossus and Juggernaut come to blows on the big screen should have been a moment to remember but instead, it was a disappointing CGI slugfest that looked like it came straight out of a video game. I'm not saying that it wasn't a cool fight or that seeing these too go to war wasn't fun but the quality of the effects wasn't great and it stands out as a real let-down as a result.