10 Best Marvel Movies, According to Letterboxd
While DC Comics may be on the up and up right now when it comes to superhero movies, Marvel Comics has held the torch, leading the way for superhero films for quite some time. People generally love Marvel movies, as their batting average for movie ratings is pretty dang good. Whether it’s the iconic Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, or the many other heroes, the movies they produce are great.
With so many Marvel movies having amazing reviews, one can’t help but wonder which Marvel films rank the highest among the rest. What does the public think the best theatrical Marvel films are? The best place to look is none other than Letterboxd, the voice of the people! Some of the highest-ranking projects are very surprising, while others are definitely a given.
10
‘Big Hero 6’ (2014)
3.8/5.0 (7.2k Fans)
Some may not know that the hit animated 2014 movie, Big Hero 6, is actually a Marvel movie. It may not be part of any cinematic universe, but the team originated in Marvel Comics with Sunfire & Big Hero 6 #1 (Sept. 1998). This beloved film was met with great reviews, as it appealed not only to children but adults as well through its incredibly compelling plot and character arcs.
The characters in Big Hero 6 are extremely lovable, and people immediately fell in love with Baymax (Scott Adsit), the adorable robot protagonist. The proof can be found in Letterboxd reviews like •lily•’s, “…just wish Baymax was real so I could hug him…” Having lovable characters can do a lot for a film and keep people invested. That, combined with the tear-jerking plot, makes Big Hero 6 a phenomenal movie.
9
‘Spider-Man’ (2002)
3.8/5.0 (16k Fans)
Many will find that the character Spider-Man is all over the top-ranking Marvel movies, and for very good reason. The character himself helped kick off the new age of superhero film in the early 2000s alongside X-Men. Sam Raimi crafted a film that was so well done that it not only kicked off a great trilogy but also helped prove that superhero movies could work as far more than just a “comic book” movie. The cultural impact of this film is profound, described best by irisoftheeye in her review, “I literally can visualize myself as a little kid playing with my Spider-Man interactive book on my Leappad while watching this movie”.
Spider-Man not only got great reviews but also introduced an entire generation to Marvel Comics and its wide slew of iconic characters. It was filled with performances that are beloved to this day, like Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin, aka Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) best friend’s father, Norman Osborn. There is so much to love about Spider-Man that makes it not just a greta film, but a moment in history for many.
8
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
3.8/5.0 (26k Fans)
Of course people were going to love the movie that brought the entire live-action Spider-Man multiverse together. Spider-Man: No Way Home finds itself being really special in comparison to others because it does so many things that have never been done in a film or television Spider-Man project before. This movie not only reveals Spidey’s (Tom Holland) identity to the entire world, but it also kills Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) in a terrible turn of events. Uncle Ben may bite the bullet a lot, but Aunt May typically doesn’t, not even in the comic books.
Spider-Man: No Way Home won over people who didn’t enjoy the Tom Holland trilogy up until that point, best showcased in Alexander Thomas’ review, “The MCU’s Spider-Man went from mediocre to amazing within one movie.” Holland’s Peter really got to harness emotions that he didn’t get to as much in the past, making Spider-Man: No Way Home have so much more emotional depth.
7
‘Spider-Man 2’ (2002)
3.9/5.0 (28k Fans)
Spider-Man 2 is not only known as one of the best comic book movies of all time, but one of the best sequels ever made. This follow-up film tells one of the best Peter Parker stories in Spider-Man media, and that helps it be extremely compelling emotionally. People hold Spider-Man 2 in incredibly high esteem, and it’s clear to see why. Sam Raimi truled cooked with this one.
After the recent re-release of the film in theaters—the first time the director’s cut, Spider-Man 2.1 would hit the big screen—Letterboxd user, camelaaa stated, “Can’t believe I missed the release of this movie. (I was just born) I loved seeing it theaters for a second time though”. It’s still having a profound impact on people to this very day, and if that’s not proof of how amazing this flick really is, then what else could be?
6
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
3.9/5.0 (35k Fans)
After becoming one of the largest film franchises over the years since its debut in 2008, Avengers: Endgame had the massive job of being the project that had to end the “Infinity Saga” started by Iron Man. After the massive success that was the first part of this finale, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame had a lot of weight on its shoulders. If Joe Russo and Anthony Russo made the seemingly impossibly good Avengers: Infinity War work, there’s no question they could handle Avengers: Endgame.
User Reece informs readers of the cultural importance of this movie in his review, “Having crushed all existing pre-sale movie ticket records, Endgame is already on its way to becoming the biggest movie event in film history.” That’s not hyperbole. Avengers: Endgame has been fighting back and forth with Avatar for the spot as the highest-grossing movie of all time ever since its release in 2019.
5
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ (2023)
4.0/5.0 (12k Fans)
Ever since James Gunn put this band of misfits on the map with Guardians of the Galaxy, they’ve become some of the most popular Marvel superheroes of the modern day. So, when it came to ending the trilogy that started with that incredibly beloved movie, Gunn had a lot of pressure on him to stick the landing. Thankfully, he delivered one of the darkest, most emotionally compelling Marvel movies of all time.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3‘s quality is best described by Letterboxd user, Kale, in his review, “What a satisfying conclusion to Marvel’s best trilogy.” Satisfying is the perfect word for it, as the movie wraps up every character arc introduced throughout the years for the Guardians and ties them all up with a neat, satisfying bow, having one of the happiest endings in superhero cinema.
4
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
4.0/5.0 (30k Fans)
With how many characters they had to juggle, keeping Thanos (Josh Brolin) as the main protagonist, there’s no reason the Russo Brothers should have made Avengers: Infinity War work as well as they did. Somehow, though, they managed to deliver the best The Avengers film, and one of the best Marvel films. Letterboxd user, Emil, agrees, as stated in his review of the movie, “it’s absolutely insane to me how this film manages to work so well despite having so many characters and plotlines.”
The pacing of Avengers: Infinity War feels non-stop, while still taking time to slow down when it needs to, which feels wild, but works perfectly. Giving every major character at least one major beat to shine, Avengers: Infinity War works perfectly as the “Part One” to the finale of the Infinity Saga. It’s still one of the most entertaining Marvel films put to screen.
3
‘Logan’ (2017)
4.1/5.0 (12k Fans)
The X-Men franchise has always struggled a bit in cinema, but one of their proudest achievements comes in the form of their only Rated-R film outside of the Deadpool franchise, Logan. People had been asking for an R-rated Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) flick for quite some time, because he lends himself so well to more brutal action, and when they finally got it, pretty much no one was disappointed. 20th Century Fox took a huge chance on director James Mangold, as an R-rating eliminates an entire demographic of the box office, but boy, did it pay off.
Logan opened to astounding reviews, being one of the most emotionally moving superhero films in a decade, containing one of the best performances in Hugh Jackman’s career. Mangold makes the R-rating count, though, and uses the more intense violence as part of the plot, rather than just throwing it in because, hey, it’s cool. This is best described by user billyobrien814: “Its visceral and explicit violence really highlight Logan’s path of trying to be more than this vehicle of violence that his past represents.”
2
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ (2023)
4.4/5.0 (81k Fans)
Following up the astounding first film, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse had a massive weight on its shoulders when coming out in 2023. This film takes all the things that made the first film so good and amplifies most of them to a whole new degree. Higher stakes, better animation, and even more Spider-People. This is hilariously described in a joke from jsshields, “Quite a few spider folk”.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse takes the iconic trolley problem and makes it the crux of the plot, with the entire Spider-Verse—led by Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac)—trying to convince Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) that he has to let his father die in order to keep the multiverse safe. The emotional stakes are higher than ever.
1
‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ (2018)
4.4/5.0 (102k Fans)
It’s really no surprise that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the highest-rated Marvel films of all time. Not only is it an incredible movie, but it redefined the animated film medium, with studios finally having the confidence to be more stylized with their films, even in television, as seen in Arcane. It’s simply stated by Nero Omar on Letterboxd, “best spider-man movie its not even close,” and many people seem to agree.
While Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse may have upped the ante from this movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse still takes the cake for the best of the two. It’s a lot more intimate, and Miles Morales’ character arc is one of the best coming-of-age stories in superhero cinema. It’s hard not to love this film with how much heart, soul, blood, sweat, and tears that clearly went into making it amazing.
