The Ultimate Non-MCU Movie Rankings
Disclaimer: These lists are typically conceived whilst having an evening adult beverage or two. They're flawed. I reserve the right to change my mind and alter my rankings at any point in the future for any reason whatsoever. That being said, please send your grievances to film.froth@gmail.com, thnx.
Spoilers aplenty
31. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011)
30. Fantastic Four (2015)
29. Ghost Rider (2007)
28. Fantastic Four (2005)
Fitting that these four round out the bottom of this list. They are all pretty terrible and I don't want to talk about them. And you can't make me.
27. Elektra (2005)
A character and story that might've flourished in the streaming era!!!... Ummm, too bad this project was developed fifteen years ago.
26. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Basically an episode from the seventh season of Game of Thrones- it's that uneven and convoluted... if... you catch... my drift.
25. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Remember when Chris Evans was a central figure in a failed superhero franchise?? And then no less than four years later he started headlining another one??? Talk about a bounce back! Atta way, Chris.
24. Punisher: War Zone (2008)
23. X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)
22. Blade: Trinity (2004)
If I'm being completely honest with myself, I can't remember ever seeing any of these three movies. Because of that, they're receiving a slight boost above the aforementioned crowd.
21. Dark Phoenix (2019)
Jessica Chastain in a superhero movie(!) – it might’ve cracked the Top 20 if it wasn’t incoherent.
20. The Punisher (2004)
It's entirely possible I haven't seen this either.
19. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
They killed off Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy in this movie!! That's how badly she wanted out. Ha, jk. But, if my memory is correct, her relationship with Andrew Garfield ended shortly after this released. Soo... you do the math.
18. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
Hahahhahahahahaha
17. Venom (2019)
I enjoyed it, not gonna lie or apologize.
16. Daredevil (2003)
"You know what the best part of my day is? It's for about 10 seconds from when I pull up to the curb to when I get to your door. Because I think maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothin'. Just left. I don't know much, but I know that."
Sorry, that's just a quote from Good Will Hunting and has nothing to do with Daredevil, aside from the fact that Ben Affleck was in both movies. This just felt like a better use of our time.
15. X-Men (2000)
Credit where it's due: this movie was able to cast Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, Halle Berry, James Marsden, Famke Janssen, Bruce Davison, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, and of course, Hugh Jackman. That's a casting gauntlet right there.
14. Deadpool (2016)
13. Deadpool 2 (2018)
"Hold my Aviation American Gin." - Ryan Reynolds @ the Chris Evans rebrand. But seriously, I like these movies for what they are: a reminder to not take these movies all too seriously. And another thing, the Celine Dion song, "Ashes," in the sequel, is a certified Bop, with a capital B.
12. Blade (1998)
The oldest movie on this list is also Marvel's first real successful film adaptation. It lacks the technique and polish that is now so instantly recognizable within the current MCU... but actually, that's a good thing.
11. X-Men: First Class (2011)
A welcomed fresh start. It’s solid through and through.
10. Hulk (2003)
Awwwwwe yeeahh, baby. The wheels are coming off now!! I can understand your confusion. "But this movie is bad. How could you?" Well, you're right - it is bad. And while I'll probably never completely give up on the hope of what this movie could have been, I definitely should've turned my back on it years ago. Somehow, someday we might come to understand what Ang Lee was trying to do here. But for now, I'll keep banging the support drum. But seriously, can we reshoot this with Mark Ruffalo and a better script?
9. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
To be clear, many of the choices made in this movie were as confusing then as they are now.
8. Blade II (2002)
Guillermo Del Toro directed this movie and it shows. It's vibrant, weird, and well-worth returning to.
7. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Unfortunately, Garfield is the worst Spider-Man to hit the silver screen in the last twenty years. But that doesn't mean he was bad! He just wasn't that great. Or even good? Idk. But he was fine! Right? There isn't much negative feedback to be handed out on this one... I guess, what I'm trying to say is that this reboot may have been completely unnecessary. But then again, so is this list.
6. The Wolverine (2013)
5. X2 (2003)
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
There are highs and lows here, but overall, this trio represents the best of mainstream X-Men movies. "S/O to Nightcrawler," says my 12-year old self.
3. Spider-Man (2002)
Chad Kroger, the lead vocalist of Nickelback (ooof), recorded a song with Josey Scott (who?) for the soundtrack (why?) called, "Hero" (how fitting); it plays over the film's end credits and serves as a musical embodiment of the entire Spider-Man enterprise (double ooof). It received a Grammy nomination (huh?) for Best Rock Song (rock is dead) and won Best Video from a Film at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2003 (I don't even know what to say...) Needless to say, the early 2000s were a wild time.
2. Logan (2017)
Not a typical X-Men movie but something better. This is a WORTHY exclamation point and creative peak for Jackman in this role. It's refreshing - an exploration into genre filmmaking within the superhero framework.
Bold, unapologetic, and not without heart.
1. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Are you surprised? You shouldn't be. Yes, I do know that this is a Spider-Man movie headlining Tobey Maguire. And sure, even in 2004 Tobey Maguire didn't look like he was just a few years out of high school (he was 29 years old when this came out wowowow)
But I digress. This is undoubtedly one of the more prescient superhero movies ever made, and it served as a bellwether for the form going forward. At its core, it's an examination of the human condition - that our lives our filled with choices, and in turn, consequences. To this day, it holds it's ground when measured against modern blockbusters - is groundbreaking too strong of praise?
