DAR Films: Rating The Superhero Movies Of 2017

By @TrueGodImmortal and @Peagle05

Introduction
In the current climate of cinema, there are a number of genres that pull in audiences, but the biggest genre at the box office remains superhero movies. When we look back at the superhero movies of yesterday, they were either hit or miss, with mainstream success and huge earnings, and today isn't much different. However, this year in particular, has seen a lot of solid superhero releases and today, we wanted to look back at those films and rate them with a small review as well. Which movie gets ranked the highest? Read on to find out.

*Wonder Woman
(By @Peagle05)

-For my money, the best Superhero movie released this year. Which is strange considering DC hasn’t exactly been on point, but Patty Jenkins did something with this movie that I can’t quite put my finger on. Gal Gadot is excellent as Diana and the entire story is a great origin point for the confident Wonder Woman we see in Batman Vs Superman. The action scenes were great, and the overall story tied in well to what we would see in BvS and Justice League. This was the first real bright spot in the DCEU for me and I hope they can continue that going forward.

Rating: 9/10

*Logan
(By @Peagle05)

-The best of the Wolverine series and a top 3 X-Men movie saw the loose adaptation of the Old Man Logan story found in the comics. And considering just how wild the actual story is, the things they did choose to use in the movie were perfect. We saw an aging Logan dealing with mortality as well struggling with his relationships with others. It was the first time we saw the loner Logan since the first X-Men movie. The fact that this is Hugh Jackman’s last go as Wolverine made it even better as he and Patrick Stewart turned in their best performances in their time with the franchise. For me, the best part of the entire franchise was Jackman’s Wolverine and I was sad to see him go but glad he was able to go out like this.

Rating: 8.5/10

*Justice League
(By @TrueGodImmortal)

-I will be honest. I was expecting more out of this film before I went to see it last week. I expected a lot of action, some good pacing, and about 30 more minutes of film. I found out the running time of the movie a few days before I went to see it, and I'll admit, it took my expectations down some. I was really looking forward to this movie, especially since I didn't get a chance to fully watch Wonder Woman in the theaters. What is shown in this movie is how Batman and his skills are severely overrated yet necessary, how Wonder Woman is still extremely powerful, gives a slight glimpse of what's to come from Aquaman, showcases that The Flash is a vital piece, and confirms that the most underrated person in the Justice League is Cyborg. However, where the film falters is in the cinematography, the CGI, the fleshing out of the stories, and the villain. While a post-credit scene gives us hope for the future, what really loses me through this movie is that there aren't really any big stakes. At least it doesn't feel as though there are. The Justice League seemingly take care of their villain easily, and once he's been vanquished, all is right in the world. The inevitable return of Superman was built up through the movie, and might be the best scene, despite the CGI removal of his mustache being a huge joke. Still, overall, there was enough humor and a bit of chemistry there to make this movie work overall. It's flawed, should have been longer, and needed a much better villain, but I still enjoyed it for the most part, just because it's the Justice League in cinematic form.

Rating: 6/10

*Guardians Of The Galaxy 2
(By @TrueGodImmortal)

-I loved the first Guardians Of The Galaxy, and I still hold it as the best movie to come out of the MCU so far. While there has been some heavy competition over the recent years, I still hold the first one as the best, even with a more ambitious sequel that followed. The second film sees the gang all back together, but this time, the plot takes us to an entirely different place. The Guardians are attacked by the Sovereign drones to start the story off, and soon enough, they are saved by someone called Ego. Ego reveals himself later to be Star-Lord's father and from there, a long storyline takes place that culminates exactly how I expected it to, but in a much better fashion. Yondu plays a pivotal yet tragic role in this film, which to me seemed unnecessary at the time (the tragic part), but it was perfect in retrospect. There was chemistry between Mantis and Drax, as well as some hilarity from Groot and Rocket throughout. Groot of course is a fan favorite and one of the more entertaining parts of the movie, but overall, I think this film was executed nearly as good as the first one, only missing the quality by a small margin. While so called die hard fans of Marvel have had their issues with this film (and just about every superhero film.... cause that's all they do), I enjoyed this and recommend it for those who haven't seen it. It's a great continuation in the story of Star-Lord and a respectable way to finish off the story of Yondu.

Rating: 8/10

*Spiderman: Homecoming
(By @TrueGodImmortal)

-I liked this movie a lot when it first came out, but I haven't watched it since then. I went back to revisit the movie and I found myself enjoying it, but perhaps not as much as I did on the first go round. With the next Avengers movie on the way, this was a great way to help integrate Spiderman into the Avengers world, as Iron Man makes an appearance throughout, as does Captain America in video form. As far as the film itself goes, Tom Holland is actually a great choice for Spiderman, but I'll be honest, I was a little disappointed in Michael Keaton's role as the villain, though his performance was mostly solid. The villain itself just fell flat in the end. Of course, Marisa Tomei was great as Aunt May, and Zendaya was solid in her role as well, and the different elements of high school blended in with the true arrival of Spiderman was great to watch. Homecoming wasn't the best superhero film this year, but it was enjoyable enough to warrant a watch and a 2nd watch. Check it out if you haven't.

Rating: 7.5/10

*Thor: Ragnarok
(By @Peagle05)

-This is the second best superhero movie released this year, which is surprising given the lackluster quality of the first two Thor movies. Ragnarok took on not just a more comical slant which served Chris Hemsworth’s Thor well, but also took the incredible Planet Hulk storyline and gave us more Hulk than we’ve seen in the MCU (since Universal wants to be stupid and not play ball with Marvel) essentially turning this into a buddy movie. It is legitimately the funniest of the Marvel movies and gives each of the characters their own moments including Tessa Thompson’s excellent performance as the hard drinking Valkyrie. This movie is a must see and is also the stepping stone to the impending Infinity War.

Rating: 8/10

While some might consider Power Rangers a superhero film, a review was not conducted for this film because it didn't necessarily fall in line with our criteria. Still, these superhero films this year have made for an interesting year of releases, and 2018 seems to be no different with a ton of movies on tap for the year. Superhero movies are some of the biggest earners in film today, and with good reason. They are entertaining for better or worse, and watching stories we might have read through comics is always fun and engaging.

-DAR