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Summer 2026 Box Office Breakdown

September 2, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

Movie theaters are back! Or that’s at least what I’ve been hearing for the past month or two! Ever since that disastrous turn of events that shut down the whole world for a year or two, movie theaters all around the world has seen a significant decline in ticket and concessions sales. That hasn’t stopped Hollywood from doing everything in their power to keep the movie theater going experience alive. Even in the age of streaming, pirating, and Tik Tok, this is a battle that the movie making folks in southern California (and other parts of the world) are willing to fight until they suddenly can’t.

And I don’t think there has been a period of time that has determined just how “well” movie theaters are going throughout the 2020s than this year’s lineup of summer blockbusters, especially since we are entering the latter half of the 2020s. Six years removed of movie theaters being shutdown and two years of infamous strikes, this is probably the most “back to normal” feeling that Hollywood has felt since pre-Covid. If this summer saw yet another underperforming two to three months, then there must come serious questions as to how long movie theaters have before they go extinct.

However, now that summer of 2026 has come and gone, it’s time to see the results of how all the main feature films did in movie theaters everywhere. And the results are…….surprisingly positive. While there are certainly some baffling duds that do raise cause for concerns for certain IPs, there were plenty of notable successes that were so successful that it practically made up for all those duds. Because of that and more, 2026 is looking to be hands down the best year for movie theaters since 2019! And for the first time since Covid, that actually is saying something!

In case you are wondering how I am judging this data, I am gonna look at a chunk of wide releases that came out at the start of May to the near the end of August. I’m gonna list the film’s budget, how much the film made at the box office, what the projected break even point likely was, how much the film gain in profit, and whether or not it should been seen as a success, flop, underperformance, or break even point for the studios.

I’m only gonna use math that most tend to use when judging how a film does at the box office. Mostly by taking the budget, times that by 2.5X to cover the whole budget surrounding production and marketing, and seeing how much money it made or lose as a result.

Again, that is not the case for EVERY single one of these movies and this is NOT a direct result as to how the studios view each film from a financial standpoint. This is just my personal guess and opinion as to how each one of these films should be viewed as.

Plus, it’s also worth mentioning that ever since Covid, the definition of “success” is now quite different in the eyes of many producers in Hollywood. Who’s to say that just because a film didn’t do so great in it’s opening two weeks in theaters that the studios sees it as a failure when it became a big hit on digital and streaming? That alone could make it a “success” in the minds of studios.

It is worth remembering that a film’s overall success isn’t just determined based on how it did in theaters but also how it fared in terms of digital, streaming, and physical media sales. Just because not enough people showed up in theaters to give the film profit doesn’t mean people didn’t show it’s support when said film became accessible to all of our home media.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoy this analysis and gives you a good indication of how films are still thriving/struggling in movie theaters!

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Budget: $100 Million

Box Office: $692.8+ Million

Break Even Point: $250+ Million

Gain/Lose: $442.3+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

While hardcore fans have certainly debated the quality of this 20 years in the making sequel since it’s release, there’s no denying the massive cult following the original film has gained since 2006. And it’s that exact cult following that showed up in drones to support yet another adventure with Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci. Whether it’s because of it’s timely story of AI and digital taking over the fashion industry or just wanting to spend more time with these characters, The Devil Wears Prada 2 was an absolute slam dunk for both Disney and 20th Century Fox. I wouldn’t be shocked if a third film is being discussed right at this very moment.

Mortal Kombat II

Budget: $80 Million

Box Office: $129+ Million

Break Even Point: $200+ Million

Gain/Lose: $71+ Million Loss

Verdict: Flop

Although this was certainly an improvement over the 2021 original (which grossed $80 million when over half of the movie theaters around the world was close), I doubt it’s enough for Mortal Kombat II to be considered a success in the eyes of Warner Bros. Whether it’s because of the multiple delays or divisive reception that the first one got among critics and fans alike, Mortal Kombat II just couldn’t seem to win over folks, despite it being more positively received than the original. Unless digital and streaming can come in to save the day, I would not expect a third film to be released anytime soon.

Obsession

Budget: $750,000

Box Office: $750,000

Box Office: $505.7+ Million

Break Even Point: $1.875+ Million

Gain/Lose: $493+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

The breakout hit of the summer that is still leaving the higher ups at Hollywood shaking their heads, wondering how in the world they did NOT see this coming?! A supernatural horror film that is fully original being made by a YouTuber that hardly anyone in the industry heard about and feature a cast of actors and actresses that hardly anyone in the industry heard about, ending up being one of the most shocking success stories in modern film history! Obsession was able to defy any sort of expectations that might’ve been leveled against it and then some! Throughout the summer, it went toe-to-toe with the likes of Star Wars, He-Man, DC Comics, Disney Live-Action, and the great Steven Spielberg…..and actually WON! Congrats to Curry Baker, Inde Navarrette, and everyone involved with Obsession, enjoy this glorious success, you deserve every bit of it!

The Mandalorian & Grogu

Budget: $165 Million

Box Office: $345.7+ Million

Break Even Point: $412.5+ Million

Gain/Lose: $66.8+ Million Loss

Verdict: Underperformed

I called it at the beginning of this year and I (unfortunately) was completely right! It’s still baffling that Disney and Lucasfilm thought that Star Wars’ triumphant return to cinema should consist of three to four episodes of a Disney Plus series that most people stop caring about over half a decade ago. With the near non-existence marketing and a very vague plot synopsis, The Mandalorian & Grogu was more in-line with the The Clone Wars animated film from 2008 than any of the “official” Star Wars films (And that’s totally NOT because both films where originally meant to be several episodes of their own respective shows and JUST so happens to have Jabba the Hutt’s son in it). I’m sure Disney Plus numbers and merchandise will be enough to save this from being a complete financial disaster in the eyes of stock holders but the fact it’s solely reliant on that is a good indicator just where Star Wars is right now. Let’s hope that Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling are up to the task of restoring the legacy of Star Wars next year with Starfighter or else the Dave Filoni era of Lucasfilm could be over before it even begins.

Backrooms

Budget: <$10 Million

Box Office: $394.1+ Million

Break Even Point: <$25+ Million

Gain/Loss: $371.5+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Another surprise “original” hit that no one saw coming. Granted, unlike with Obsession, Backrooms already did have an established fanbase, as it is based on a series of web shorts on YouTube created by director Kane Parsons. However, that still doesn’t change the fact that it was still able to stand strong on it’s own and even surpassed many other established IPs this summer that I’ve already mentioned. Perhaps if the audience’s reception was on the level of Obsession, it might’ve been able to gain enough legs to cross the 400 million dollar mark. Even so, another terrific success story that will surely usher in a new era of filmmaking among social media influencers, for better or worse (most certainly worse)!

Scary Movie (2026)

Budget: $30 Million

Box Office: $231.4+ Million

Break Even Point: $75+ Million

Gain/Loss: $156.4+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

The return to form horror spoof franchise was able to make it’s 13-year long return look pretty easy. Despite the negative reviews and divisive fan reception, it was still able to make it’s money back and then some, becoming the highest grossing Scary Movie sequel to date (inflation aside). Between this, last year’s The Naked Gun, and the upcoming Grown Ups 3, it looks like we are now seeing the doors being open for more raw horror/anti-woke/politically incorrect comedies for the immediate future. And I’m sure it will absolutely NOT get old and tiresome very fast!

Masters of the Universe

Budget: $170+ Million

Box Office: $114+ Million

Break Even Point: $285+ Million

Gain/Loss: $171+ Million Loss

Verdict: Flop….but

In almost ALL circumstances, Masters of the Universe (2026) would be seen as an absolute bomb, barley able to make pass just a $100 million globally despite it’s $175 million budget and being based of the He-Man IP. However, when it comes to Amazon MGM and Mattel, they are clearly looking more at how the film does in terms of streaming and merchandise numbers. And thus far, Masters of the Universe (2026) has been a MASSIVE hit for both Amazon Prime AND for Mattel toys/action figures! Similar to last year’s F1, the purpose of the film’s existence isn’t so much to make all the money in the world at the box office but more to introduce He-Man to a new generation, hoping that the film itself will be remember upon leaving movie theaters everywhere and gain new fans among younger demographics. And if the strong numbers for Amazon Prime and Mattel are any indication, we MIGHT just see Masters of the Universe continue in some way, shape, or form in the future. Again, if we are looking at just box office numbers, it’s an absolute flop! But whether or not Amazon and Mattel both feel that way remains to be seen!

Disclosure Day

Budget: $115 Million

Box Office: $241+ Million

Break Even Point: $287.5+ Million

Gain/Loss: $46.5+ Million Loss

Verdict: Underperformed

Despite the marketing painting this as a glorious return to form for Stephen Spielberg and the OG “disaster” film of the summer, Disclosure Day most certainly didn’t live up to the box office projections that Universal thought they were getting. Although it did get decent legs in the latter half of it’s theater run (most likely due to it being the only main “adult” film released until The Odyssey), it’s polarizing response from audiences clearly didn’t help, with many feeling like the film didn’t live up to it’s title. Even as someone that is a strong defender of the film, I definitely understand those that want a film to be a complete package with no loose ends whatsoever would be disappointed by it. There could be a chance that this film will find it’s audience in terms of digital and streaming but I’m sure Universal and Spielberg themselves thought that THIS would be the breakout original hit of the summer…..and it just wasn’t.

Toy Story 5

Budget: $250 Million

Box Office: $1.136+ Billion

Break Even Point: $625+ Million

Gain/Loss: $545+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Despite everyone and their mom constantly claiming that this series should have ended after 3 until they are blue in the face, that didn’t stop Toy Story 5 for being yet another $1 billion grosser for Mickey Mouse and crew, performing as the highest grossing Toy Story film to date (Again, inflation aside!). It’s timely plot involving tablets and electronics taking over the lives of modern children most certainly played a benefit to the audience’s glowing response to it, along with seeing our cowgirl Jessie getting more screentime than last time out. And unlike another big animated film released this summer, it had a decent seven-year long wait that kept enough distance from audience to justify another Toy Story adventure that they would want to see. Post-Toy Story 3 naysayers be damned, I’m sure Disney and Pixar will be coming out with a Toy Story 6 with Buzz Lightyear front in center sooner than you would think (Just don’t make it like Lightyear, please!).

Supergirl

Budget: $170-$186 Million

Box Office: $126.4+ Million

Break Even Point: $425-$465+ Million

Gain/Loss: $298.6-$338.6+ Million in Loss

Verdict: Flop

Another big flop that I (unfortunately) saw coming from a mile away. From it’s questionable release date to it’s lackluster trailers to it’s nightmare PR, Supe’s cousin had a hard time finding any sort of audience in the theaters this summer. As I sadly predicted, Supergirl was the most heartbreaking bombs of the summer, falling into the same “female-led movies made for men” wheelhouse with 2024’s Furiosa and last summer’s Ballerina, only not having any fandom goodwill attached to it. Mr. Gunn and company better hope that Man of Tomorrow delivers next summer or else this new DC Universe might just be over before it even got a chance to settle in, (and that’s not even mentioning the GIANT elephant in the room that’s about to swallow Warner Bros Discovery up).

Jackass: Best and Last

Budget: $10 Million

Box Office: $27.8+ Million

Break Even Point: $25+ Million

Gain/Loss: $2.8+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Broke Even

For a movie that had little to no marketing and was basically thrown into movie theaters at the very last second, this is about as good as it could get. I don’t know if this has to do with Paramount realizing the shift away from streaming and shift towards movie theaters or Mr. Ellison proving his point on releasing up to 30 films a year once he acquires you know what, I’m at least glad that Johnny Knoxville and friends were able to get Jackass: Best and Last in the seats for their last hooray! If only they actually bother to market the damn thing and over half of the movie wasn’t just deleted stunts from the previous movie! Only then, this could’ve ended up being among the highest grossing Jackass films of all time.

Minions & Monsters

Budget: $85+ Million

Box Office: $514+ Million

Break Even Point: $212.5+ Million

Gain/Loss: $301.5+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Yes, this will (likely) be the lowest grossing installment in the Despicable Me franchise by quite a big margin and was clearly affected by circumstances such as the World Cup, America’s 250th birthday, the massive heat wave, and potential audience fatigue of those walking, talking corn puffs. However, thanks to it’s very tight budget and billions of dollars earned in merchandising, Minions & Monsters still made more than enough to be considered a hit. However, considering this is the SEVENTH overall installment with the Minions since 2010 and the THIRD installment that we have gotten with them since 2022, it might be time for Illumination to take a break with their beloved/infamous mascots and revisited some of their other properties. And considering that Universal are dipping their toes back to the wells of Shrek and The Secret Life of Pets, it seems they might be doing just that. This is STILL a success but it might be a little while before we are reunited with Gru and the minions once again.

Moana (2026)

Budget: $250+ Million

Box Office: $315+ Million

Break Even Point: $625+ Million

Gain/Loss: $310+ Million Loss

Verdict: Flop

I don’t know if the motive to do a live-action remake of a Disney animated film that came out just ten years ago had to do with corporate greed or The Rock needing a quick hit after his attempt at jumpstarting DC Comics (Black Adam) and going for an Oscar (The Smashing Machine) fell flat but Moana (2026) could have NOT made the higher ups at Disney particularly happy regardless of which way you look at it. Even in a crowded summer of family friendly blockbusters, I don’t think people expected for this to fail THIS hard! Maybe it was just way too early to do a live-action remake of Moana OR the audience fatigue with these live-actions remakes are settling in with Lilo & Stitch (2025) being just a fluke?! Regardless, Disney might need to start carefully considering which animated classics they chose to do a live-action remake for to avoid big losses like this for the future.

Evil Dead Burn

Budget: $20 Million

Box Office: $72.3+ Million

Break Even Point: $50+ Million

Gain/Loss: $22.3 Million in Profit

Verdict: Broke Even

Releasing a horror film like this in the middle of summer is still a baffling choice in my mind, but that didn’t stop Evil Dead Burn from doing JUST enough to keep it from being a total failure. Even with the lack of marketing or the possible franchise indifference now, I don’t think Warner Bros should be too upset with how this did, especially compared to their other failures in 2026. A Spring or Fall release date might have faired this much better but considering this was released under the worst circumstances, this was still good enough.

The Odyssey

Box Office: $250 Million

Box Office: $1.555+ Billion

Break Even Point: $625+ Million

Gain/Loss: $930+ Million in Profit

Verdict: Hit

Perhaps the profit numbers are a bit exaggerated with extra marketing and budget numbers probably added in there, but make no mistake, The Odyssey is a MASSIVE hit! The haters can point to the inflated numbers and the amount of “ghost” seats in the theaters all they want but you would be lying through your damn teeth if you claim that Universal is NOT happy with the results for The Odyssey. Christopher Nolan sought out to make a definite version of The Odyssey that will go down in history as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of the decade and he did just that. What’s even more crazy is that it is STILL selling out seats over two months later, which can push this to $1.7+ Billion total by the time it finally gets let out of theaters. Between this and the next movie I’m about to talk about, this was the one-two knock out punch that the summer movie season DESPERATELY needed to save any kind of face from it’s overall shortcomings! Rock on, Nolan!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Box Office: $225+ Million

Box Office: $2.335+ Billion

Break Even Point: $562.5+ Million

Gain/Loss: $1.772+ Billion

Verdict: Hit

Let’s be honest, NONE of us saw this coming! Sure, we all knew that Spidey was gonna be an easy billion dollar hit but I don’t think anyone expected THIS! Not only managing to outgrossing one of the most successful films of all time in No Way Home (which included THREE Spider-Men and all of their memorable villains) but it’s able to stand up their with the likes of Avatar, Titanic, and Avengers: Endgame, by being one of the ONLY two billion dollar grosses of all time. Spider-Man: Brand New Day was able to deliver the right amount of twists and turns and surprises that are to be found here, all which work as not just fun fan service and crowd pleasing moments but also plays actual, legit importance of a role to the film’s overall themes and messages. You have the Punisher, the Incredible Hulk, *SPOILER ALERT* and Yelena, A.K.A. the new Black Widow, that are present and accounted for here. Yes, I know the buzz killers out there will bring up inflation and the ACTUAL number of ticket prices but come on, regardless if this movie came out in 2026 or 2006, this is still an INCREDIBLY achievement. Tom Holland and Zendaya better put their retirement plans on acting on hold because with the way things are going on, Sony and Marvel are gonna make them do their roles until they are 90! (*whispers* UNTIL YOU ARE 90! *whispers*)

The End of Oak Street

Budget: $80-92 Million

Box Office: $107+ Million

Break Even Point: $200-$230+ Million

Gain/Lose: -$93-$123+ Million

Verdict: Flop

The verdict here is quite a head scratcher. Considering it’s overall positive reviews, it’s superbly talented cast, and tackling a genre sandbox most mainstream moviegoers absolute LOVE in dinosaurs, The End of Oak Street should have been an easy mini-win. Whether it’s because of it’s high budget or controversy surrounding the film’s AI-generated marketing, it seems like dinos don’t sell to the audience unless it’s related to something Jurassic Park or World. Maybe it will gain enough legs down the road and streaming numbers to pump it up to the break even point, but yeah, quite disappointing.

Insidious: Out of the Further

Budget: $18 Million

Box Office: $110.3+ Million

Break Even Point: $45+ Million

Gain/Lose: $65.3+ Million

Verdict: Hit

While it’s too early to claim if this will be up there with among the most highest grossing films of the franchise, Insidious: Out of the Further still manages to continues the series overall consistency in box office numbers. Regardless of it’s release date, Insidious still seems to do just fine no matter when it comes out. It may no longer reinvent the wheel for horror but it’s still able to make the best out of it’s limited budget and can keep the brand going just as long as enough people still show up for it. Bring on Insidious 7!

Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie

Budget: $40 Million

Box Office: $125+ Million

Break Even Point: $100+ Million

Gain/Lose: $25+ Million

Verdict: Hit

This would probably be at the break even verdict had this movie came out a few months ago but since it will likely still be in theaters at least for another month and there’s no major kids movie coming out until Forgotten Island, I’m willing to bet it will make more in profit in terms of theater, digital, and streaming that Paramount will be more than happy with the results of Paw Patrol. Like a handful of successes this summer, just keep the budgets low and deliver on crowd pleasing thrills and you will be surprised how much money you will get back as a result.

When you take all the box office results into account with the ways that most film analysts use to determine if the movie is a success or failure, this summer has had a total of TEN movies that should be considered hits, five movies that should be considered bombs (with one potential exception thanks to streaming), two movies that underperformed, and two other movies that did just enough to break even.

With these results, I am more than happy to say the movie theaters are indeed coming back and for the first time since Covid-19, it seems like it is FINALLY headed towards a positive direction. Yes, it’s a shame that The Mandalorian & Grogu and Disclosure Day underperformed as they did and Supergirl and Moana (2026) were the gigantic bombs that they were, there was just WAY too much success stories to completely right this summer off.

You had Toy Story 5 being another billion dollar animated grosser for Disney, you had The Devil Wears Prada 2 and Scary Movie (2026) being able to ride the legacy-quel wave to become solid hits, you had The Odyssey being the massive theatrical event that it was advertised to be and practically bringing back the good old days of movie theaters, you had Spider-Man: Brand New Day killing all Marvel/superhero fatigue narratives yet again to become only the THIRD two billion dollar juggernaut of all time, and of course, you can NOT forget two of the greatest cinematic success story in recent memory than with Obsession and Backrooms. Even a low grossing franchise installment like Minions & Monsters was STILL able to cross the half billion dollar mark and gain plenty of revenue for Universal and Illumination Animation. Throw early year hits such as Scream 7, Hoppers, Project Hail Mary, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and Michael and I would say that movie theaters have been eating quite good for 2026.

While I don’t know movie theaters will EVER be able to capture the same magic they were able to before 2020, 2026 is prove that there is still a massive audience and demographic for the film going experience. This might just be the start of a big shift that we are seeing with how we view our entertainment. With streaming prices going up, more studio mergers happening, and owning digital media no longer having that special ownership feeling as physical media, you can sense there’s a chance of vibes, especially among younger audiences, of the way they go about seeing the newest film releases.

Because of that and more, there is still plenty of hope for movie theaters! There are still plenty of changes that need to be made (lower ticket prices/concessions, longer theatrical windows, longer time waiting for films to come to digital/streaming, more movie subscriptions/clubs….etc.) but if studios keep going with this direction while being able to contain a sustainable budget with most big movies they released, there might still be hope for movie theaters yet!

How Coyote vs Acme Is A Miracle

August 26, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

Coyote vs Acme is set to hit theaters this weekend. This is the latest film from Warner Bros Animation and Ketchup Entertainment, following last year’s collaboration with The Day The Earth Blew Up, that is based on the 1990 magazine article from The New Worker, titled Coyote V. Acme by Ian Frazier, with elements from Looney Tunes to follow suit. In this latest live-action cartoon incarnation, we see Wile E. Coyote, enlisting a billboard attorney to sue the Acme Corporation for repeatedly selling him alleged faulty products.

When looking underneath the surface, Coyote vs Acme doesn’t seem all that special. It’s being directed by Dave Green, who hasn’t directed a film in a decade, with the last one being the completely disposable TMNT: Out of the Shadows (2016). It’s being co-written by Jeremy Slater, the writer of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire and Mortal Kombat II, two very fun but VERY dumb films which the plots falls apart when you think about it for a split second. And it’s being co-produced by Christopher DeFaria, whose last film was the complete and utter live-action cartoon dud that was Tom & Jerry (2021) (You forgot that movie existed, didn’t you?!)! Sure, you do have James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, and Superman (2025)) attached to the project (although even he hasn’t had the best track record in recent memory *cough* Supergirl (2026)*cough*), it got some fun members to the cast such as Will Forte and John Cena, and there are a few projects that I haven’t mention that the creative team is attached that MIGHT make it seem worthwhile (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves mafia united!) but as a whole, you may wonder why this film is such a big deal to the movie industry when it seems like it could be yet another forgettable “cartoon in live-action” movie for kids and families.

To answer that question, we have to take look back at the development history of Coyote vs. Acme. Not strictly because of how hard this film was to make from a creative side of things but more so from a business side of things. This is a film which it’s own mere existence is one of the better Hollywood underdog stories in recent memory. A film that only exist because of online reactions and backlash and NOT because the heads at WB actually wanted to release it. A film that nearly disappeared and vanished before our very eyes in the form of a snap from Thanos but was somehow resurrected and is about to be released in theaters worldwide this weekend. Because of all of that and more, Coyote vs Acme‘s own existence is quite simply a miracle.

The development of Coyote vs Acme actually began around this time in 2018. You had Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie, The Tomorrow War, and Renfeld) as the film’s producer and Jon and Josh Silberman (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) attached to write the screenplay. In December 2019, Dave Green was hired to direct the film, with the likes of Samy Burch, Jeremy Slater, and James Gunn joining the creative team the following year. The cast got hired in early 2022, with the likes of Will Forte, Lana Condor, and John Cena joining along for the ride, and the live-action filming took place in New Mexico from March to May 2022, with post-production finishing off later on that year.

When looking through those lenses, it sounds like a completely fine production with not much trouble to be found. Sure, it might’ve took a while until the actual filmmaking took place (The film was first greenlight in 2018 after all) but that was likely due to the Covid-19 pandemic that happened in 2020 and 2021, which cause movie theaters all around the world to be shut down and the major studios just beginning to dip their toes into the world of streaming services.

The real question is why did it take so long to release? If the filming was already complete in 2022, that means that this had to have been in the back burner for over FOUR years! What happened from behind the scenes that it took nearly half a decade for the film to get an actual release? To put it simply, studio politics happened!

In 2023, Warner Bros Pictures was in absolute SHAMBLES, with a net lost of millions of dollars and being stuck with so much debt due to the Covid-19 aftermath AND the recent merger with Discovery from the prior year. In order to cut a good chunk of their losses, head CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, David Zaslav began to scrapped finished films that he had absolutely no faith in just for the sake of tax write-offs. This led to the infamous cancellations of the likes of Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt, both films in which had wrapped up filming/voice recording but never got the chance to be finished in post-production. Despite there being pleas within the entertainment industry to release those films in finished form, they would never get to see the light of day due to the studio deciding to erase all footage of it completely, giving it ZERO chance of getting leaked out or pirated online anytime soon, if ever.

On November 9th, 2023, Warner Bros announced that Coyote vs Acme would be the next film to get axed. Even though the film was already completed and ready for release, the studio heads still felt releasing it in any way, shape, or form was not worth it, preferring to claim it as a tax loss of about $30 million dollars. This move led to so much outrage and controversy on the internet and through communities of film and animation. Several filmmakers left angry phone calls to Warner Bros, expressing their frustration at this latest move from them, leading to others cancelling upcoming meetings with them and going on strike because of it. After the recent tax write-offs of Batgirl and Scooby, it was the write-off of Coyote vs Acme that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for everyone.

However, five days later on November 13, it was reported that the leaders of WBD had changed their mind and would allow the creative team of Coyote vs Acme to shop the film to other distributors. It was reported that Amazon, Apple+, and Netflix were all interested in buying the rights to the film but no hard offers were reported. The film had been screened for more studios, including Paramount and Sony but nobody would still budge. Despite the film’s very positive test screenings take took place before AND after the film’s faith had a giant umbrella hovering over it, no one seemed interested enough to claim it for themselves.

In February 2024, it was reported that Warner Bros Discovery rejected the bids given by Netflix, Amazon, and Paramount. The heads wanted $75-$80 million to sell the film but no one was willing to meet their price. Because of that, WBD was once again considering shelving and deleting the finished film entirely, again claiming it as a tax loss. During a Q4 earnings call on February 23rd, 2024, WBD took a $115 million write-down but didn’t completely confirm the cancellation of the film. Yet again, this led to a rapid response from filmmakers and film lovers all across the globe.

After the film was reported to potentially getting cancelled, this lead to even more online criticism than before. The hashtags #ReleaseCoyoteVsAcme and #SaveCoyoteVsAcme emerged on Twitter, there was improvised exchange between Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck at the 51st Annie Awards which Daffy said, “I hate to be political, but release Coyote vs Acme!”, and industry figures such as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Michael Chaves, and Daniel Scheinert all expressed their support for the film, all giving it high praise after getting access to special screenings of it, believing it was more than worthy of a worldwide release. However, despite all of the noise and support from top to bottom, none of it seemed like it would matter.

In that same month, Will Forte released a public statement addressed to the cast and crew after seeing the final cut of the film: “I know that a lot of you haven’t gotten a chance to see our movie. […] Please know that all the years and years of hard work, dedication and love that you put into this movie shows in every frame.” A year later, Lana Condor confirmed that the film had a “funeral screening”, just like Batgirl did, when the news broke out of the film’s cancellation. Despite the two-year long fight with the top executives at Warner Bros Discovery, it seems like the fate of Coyote vs Acme would be sealed, joining alongside Batgirl and Scoob! Holiday Haunt of being wiped away from existence, almost like it never happened at all. That was until a certain studio decided to come in with the clutch!

On March 19th, 2025, it was reported that Ketchup Entertainment was in talks to acquire all right to the film from Warner Bros for approximately $50 million! Following it’s acquisition of the domestic distribution rights for The Day The Earth Blew Up, Ketchup expressed interested in the project and wanted another partnership with WBD to release the film in it’s entirety. Despite initially wanting $75-$80 million, Warner Bros Discovery accepted the offer and agreed to give the film a full theatrical release. This led to the film getting an early screening at San Diego Comic Con on July 25th, 2026 (likely as a special thanks to film fans for fighting for the film’s release) and getting a full worldwide release on August 28th, 2026.

To say Coyote vs Acme‘s mere existence is a miracle would be an understatement. This was a film that was on the BRINK of being wiped away before our very eyes, all for the sake of tax write-offs and cutting debt due to WBD’s pure incompetence and NOT because of the film itself. Yet, somehow and someway, the entire cast and crew were given a chance to release their film that had already been completed four years ago onto the big screen for the whole world to see. I don’t even need to see the film at all to know that this is a special story in of itself.

Although the early reviews have been very positive and the box office projections seems to track it as being the highest grossing domestic opening for Ketchup Entertainment, Coyote vs. Acme‘s own existence is worthy of being shown on the big screen. Whether the actual finished film is good or not or makes a profit or not is irrelevant (which is why I won’t be giving it a full review), the fact that filmmakers and loves of cinema were able to fight back against the studios and forced them to release the film in of it’s entirety is THE breakout story of Coyote vs Acme. The fact that the actual film is confirmed to be quite good and it might just make it’s money back is the special icing on the cake!

Perhaps miracles are still possible! Than in of itself might just be enough to give one hope in not just entertainment but perhaps the whole world!

My Sonic Cinematic Universe Fan Cast

August 19, 2026August 19, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

Well, things are pretty tense in the world right now. Whether we are talking about wars raging on in the Middle East or two studios who have already merged before are preparing to merge once again, there’s a lot on the minds of people all across the world! Because of that, let’s take a break from doom scrolling through all of this chaos and have some fun by fan casting characters for the Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise from Paramount Skydance, soon (?) to be Paramount Skydance X Warner Bros Discovery.

This is a franchise of films that has been a surprising success since the original film came out in 2020. A large reason for that has to do with some of the pitch perfect castings that have gone around with this franchise, being able to make fan favorite casting feel just right without coming across as forced or desperate. Even though the majority of them are big well-known celebrates, the Sonic franchise has managed to do celebrity castings about as good as it can be. These might not be roles that are gonna win them Oscars but it’s just something they can have fun with it without thinking too much about it.

I mean just look at the casting we have gotten thus far!

Ben Schwartz as Sonic The Hedgehog

Jim Carrey As Dr. Robotnik/Gerald Robotnik

Colleen O’Shaughnessy As Miles “Tails” Prowler

Idris Elba As Knuckles The Echidna

Keanu Reeves As Shadow The Hedgehog

Alyla Browne As Maria Robotnik

Kristen Bell As Amy Rose

As the Sonic franchise continues to expand with live-action movies and shows, there’s no doubt that more characters are going to be translated onto the big screen in theaters or at home. Because of that, I’m gonna give you all my take and what I believe would be the best possible casting choice for each one of these characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Just a reminder, these are all just MY personal choices and fan casting. It’s nothing to write home about or take super seriously. This is all just for fun! Nothing more, nothing less!

Now, let’s dive deep into my castings, shall we?!

Ben Kingsley As Metal Sonic

Now granted, Mr. Kingsley has already been casted in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 AND it is widely spectacled to be a voice acting role. Nobody knows who exactly that will be but could you imagine if it was Metal Sonic?! Kingsley has played multiple kinds of roles throughout his career and he should be able to make voicing Metal Sonic look like a walk in the park! If you’re not convinced, just go back to his role in Iron Man 3 were he was “playing” the Mandarin, that should be more than enough to convince you that he’s more than capable of tackling a menacing villainous role! While there is certainly debates within the Sonic community as to whether or not Metal Sonic himself needs his own voice, Ben Kingsley as Metal Sonic would almost certainly answer that question with a definite “YES!”

Jennifer Lopez As Rouge The Bat

Fun fact: Did you know that the design of Rouge the Bat was inspired by the sexiness of Latin-American women, most notably Jennifer Lopez, who was the definite IT Latino girl of the 2000s. Because of that, who better to cast as Rouge than the woman who was basically an inspiration for her. JLO hasn’t had the greatest track record with voice acting roles with movies like Antz, Home, and a fifth Ice Age movie you probably didn’t even know existed until now. However, JLO feels like the perfect fit for Rouge the Bat, perfectly displaying that 2000s nostalgic vibes era for when Rouge herself originated from AND having that right, seductive voice presence for the character. There are rumors that Paramount is hesitating on introducing Rouge in these movies because they don’t want to “awaken” something in young boys but come on guys! Man up, put Rouge in your movies, and cast the Latino GOAT that is Jennifer Lopez!

Roger Craig Smith As E-102 Gamma/E-123 Omega

Yes, that’s right! I got not just the current voice of Sonic the Hedgehog in the gaming side of things but also the current voice of E-123 Omega himself. If Jeff Fowler and company had no problem casting the current gaming voice for Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessy) in the movies, then I don’t see why they would have a problem of adding in Roger Craig Smith as well. Plus, it would be incredibly nice if the makers of these films can find any sort of role for Roger to play as in these movies, even if it just a nice little cameo like in the Wreck-It Ralph movies. Just because he can’t play Sonic in these movies doesn’t mean he should miss out on playing E-102 Gamma or E-123 Omega themselves whenever their time comes.

Karen Fukuhara As Cream The Rabbit

While most recognize Karen Fukuhara in live-action as Katana in Suicide Squad (Que the “THIS IS KATANA!” memes) and Kimiko/The Female in The Boys, she has had her fair share of experience in voice acting as well, with the likes of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Craig of the Creek, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts just to name a few. Because of that, Karen should have no problem in voicing an incredibly cutesy character like Cream the Rabbit (and even Cheese if she wants to do that as well).

Michelle Yeoh As Vanilla The Rabbit

Michelle Yeoh is a gifted actress who has played many different kinds of roles throughout her career. However, I always feel like the best kind of roles for her are ones where she plays the nice, caring figure that can give perfect guidance to those around here, just see her as Soothsayer in Kung Fu Panda 2. For a character that’s suppose to be super sweet and loving, what better woman to play here than Michelle Yeoh?! Some might argue she’s too old for this voice role (She is heading towards her mid 60s!) but considering Michelle herself is an award-winning actress, she would certainly find a way to make it work.

Nick Offerman As Big The Cat

Again, just like Ben Kingsley, Mr. Offerman has already been casted in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and is too widely speculated to be a voice role. If it were up to me, I would have Nick voicing everybody’s “favorite” giant purple (male) cat! The man has had plenty of experience playing comedic relief characters and basically acting as a comedian himself throughout his career. With his delightful voice and sense of humor, I think he could make even the biggest Big the Cat haters like myself change their opinions of the character drastically. He would make Duke Nukem himself proud (Yes, that’s who first voiced Big the Cat in the games btw!)

Lupita Nyong’o As Tikal The Echidna

Here we have the Helen of Troy herself as Tikal the Echidna. While Lupita Nyong’o has had plenty of success on the big screen with The Odyssey and her Academy award winning turn in 12 Years A Slave, she has also had her high points in her career in voice/motion capture roles such as Maz Kanata in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Raksha in The Jungle Book, and Roz in The Wild Robot. Because of all of that and more, I don’t see any working actress today that would serve as a more perfect parallel to Idris Elba’s Knuckles, the last of their kinds, than Lupita as Tikal.

Simi Liu As Espio The Chameleon

If it were up to me, to voice a character like Epsio, you should cast someone that has had experience with martial arts, his own independent agency, and standing firm on his own two feet. While someone like Jackie Chan might be a tad too far stretched, let’s have Simi Liu, A.K.A. Shang-Chi himself, to be the voice of this popular chameleon. It just seems all the more fitting to cast an actor that’s connect to some foreign ethnicity, as the character has some resemblance with fictional characters who have mastered martial arts.. Mr. Liu is Chinese in real life, which makes this casting for Espio rock solid.

Colleen O’Shaughnessy As Charmy Bee

Since we already have Colleen voicing Tails in this cinematic universe, you might as well keep her on as Charmy the Bee as well. There’s not much more I have to add to it than that.

(FYI, did you know that Colleen actually started voicing Charmy before she started voicing Tails?! She literally voiced Charmy in Sonic Colors DS (Yes, the character did appear in that version?) AND in the original Sonic Generations. The more you know!)

Jack Black As Vector The Crocodile

Oh, come on! You just know that Jack Black had to add SOME sort of role in this franchise! This is a man that has great experience with voice acting roles (Po in Kung Fu Panda) and ESPECIALLY in recent video game adaptions (Bowser in The Super Mario Bros movies, Claptrap in Borderlands, and Steve in The Minecraft Movie). And with it comes to amount of characters that are left in the Sonic series that haven’t been taken, him as Vector the Crocodile could absolutely work! Jack Black is masterful at adding the right mix of silly and resourceful that he has added with many of his voice acting bids and would be the ideal fit among the remaining Sonic characters that have yet to be introduced and/or casted yet. Oh, and PLEASE let him say, “FIND THE COMPUTER ROOM!!!!”

Hayden Christensen As Silver The Hedgehog

I remember when Hayden Christensen was rumored to be playing Shadow the Hedgehog. While that role ultimately went to Keanu Reeves, Silver the Hedgehog should be completely up for grab for Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader himself. Much like his iconic character in the Star Wars franchise, Silver is a character that has his own unique force powers, a personality that borderlines between whiny and pure naiveness, and is someone that is willing do everything in their power to complete their mission for those that they care about. I was going back and forth between Hayden and Michael Cara for Silver the Hedgehog but when it comes to what actor would be the absolute GOATED casting that would get fans excited AND be the perfect fit for the character, my vote goes to Hayden Christensen.

Brie Larson As Blaze The Cat

This might be a hot take (No pun intended!) but I legit believe Brie Larson would be a great fit for Blaze the Cat. She has already had recent voice acting experience among video game adaptions, with Rosalina in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and I strongly think she can apply that same level of commitment and energy to a character like Blaze. And much like her most famous/infamous role in Captain Marvel, Blaze is a character with special powers, struggling to keep her emotions in check, and must learn to work together with others because she can’t do everything on her own regardless of how powerful she is. Because of that, I can’t think of a current actress that would be a better fit for Blaze the Cat than Brie. Sure, many still fancast her as Samus Aran for a potential Metroid movie but I don’t see why she can’t voice Blaze as well.

Keegan-Michael Kay & Jordan Peele As Orbot & Cubot

Here we have everybody’s favorite comedic duo playing the two characters that basically act as the comic relief side duo of the Sonic series. Jordan and Keegan already got their time to shine as the duo they are in animation in Toy Story 4, with the latter already dipping his toes into the world of video game adaptions as Toad in The Super Mario Bros movies. With the star power these two have shared all across the world, they can easily make voicing Orbot and Cubot work by just playing themselves in voice roles once again.

Ryan Bartley As Sage

Just like with Roger as Omega and Colleen as Tails/Charmy, I see no reason to recast Sage and see every reason to just bring back Ryan Bartley as the character. She’s the only voice actress to voice Sage thus far and unless Sega decides to dump the current cast come Sunday morning, they might as well just keep Ryan, who is basically the definite voice for Sage at this point. So, yeah!

Adam Driver As Infinite

Let’s be honest, you all saw PLENTY of Kylo Ren within Infinite when you played Sonic Forces. An immense foe who claims to be all powerful and hot stuff but when you look underneath, he’s basically a whiny manbaby who throws a tantrum whenever something doesn’t go it’s way. (Never forget, “I AM NOT WEAK!!!!!”) So, why not just get Kylo Ren himself in Adam Driver to voice Infinite. Yes, you can argue that Mr. Driver would be basically playing a diet version of his character from Star Wars but the same could be said about the likes of Keanu Reeves as Shadow, who is basically a more kid friendly version of John Wick, and other examples that I’ve mentioned before. Plus, his recent casting as Mr. Sinister in X-Men (2028) proves that Adam is NOT opposed to starting in well-known IPs. So, yeah, Adam Driver as Infinite!

Glen Powell As Jet The Hawk

We got the hottest shot actor currently working in Hollywood playing the hottest shot character in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Talk about a match made in heaven! Glen has already had recent voice work in the realm of video game adaptions by taking on the surprise character in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, A.K.A. Fox McCloud, and in the realm of animation such as Family Guy, Robot Chicken, Rick and Morty, All Hail King Julien, and Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous. While I’m sure Powell’s schedule is busier than ever at the moment, I’m sure Paramount would find some way to get him in the recording booth for a few days if Universal was able to do so with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie without a problem.

Issa Rae As Wave The Swallow

Here’s another fancast that I have in mind for no other reason than just why not?! Issa Rae has took a handful of voice acting roles in recent memory such as Jessica Drew in Across the Spider-Verse AND the Honey Queen in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie. A brand new voice role in the Sonic franchise should seem like a no-brainer to her. She is already locked in to an exclusive deal with Paramount to do her own work, I imagine they would offer her a role in one of their most successful franchises at the moment if she wants too. Because of that, I have her as Wave the Swallow.

Jason Momoa As Storm The Albatross

I’m gonna say straight up front: THIS is who I originally wanted to voice Knuckles before anyone was casted. There is no other current actor that is perfect at playing a lovable knucklehead (No pun intended!) than Jason Moama and Knuckles just seemed like a perfect fit. However, since Idris Elba now helms the role (perfectly) as Knuckles, that would still make Jason available to play Knuckles’ rival in the Sonic Riders series in Storm the Albatross if Jeff Fowler and crew ever wanted to adopt those games into live-action. Everyone likes Jason Moama and this casting would certainly work wonders as Storm.

Clancy Brown As Zavok

One of the GOATTEST voice actors of all time playing the lead of the most forgettable foes ever in the history of Sonic the Hedgehog! Of what amount to basically Dollar Store Bowser, Clancy is more than a capable actor to find some sort of depth and dimension in a character that is rather shallow in the games. I can only see Jeff Fowler taking on the Deady Six when they are finally running thin on ideas to keep this cinematic incarnation of Sonic going but if he gets around to it, casting Lex Luthor/Mr. Krabs/Savage Opress as the main baddie of the Deadly Six in Zavok would work perfectly.

Ke Huy Quan As Master Zik

As a young child actor, Ke Huy Quan always tend to play the role as the “student” when it came to martial art roles or as a fight choreographer, whether as Short Run in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom or as an assistant fight artist in X-Men (2000). However, now that he is older now, it’s time for him to play the role of the teacher. He got a taste of that in his Academy award winning role in Everything Everywhere All At Once (along with Michelle Yeoh herself), and it would be ideal if he got a chance to voice a character that has one main trait as basically discount Mr. Miyagi. Key Huy Quan as Master Zik would be that right role that I imagine he has been waiting for to tackle in voice roles.

Matthew Lillard As Zazz

Is there anyone better that can voice the most crazy and over-the-top character in the Sonic franchise than Shaggy and Stu himself?! I’m pretty sure your answer is No! Because of that, cast the GOAT Matthew Lillard as Zazz!

Danny Devito As Zomon

Anyone that has Danny DeVito fancasted as either Big the Cat or Vector the Crocodile is dead wrong! However, Danny DeVito as Zomon would be dead RIGHT! I just hope age doesn’t play a big factor in his vocal performance (He is now 81 btw!). If he’s still in the mood to do voice roles, this would be the right fit for him within the Sonic franchise.

Keke Palmer As Zeena

I don’t know very many actresses that can make a character whose whole personality basically amounts to, “I’M A GIRLY GIRL IN A GIRLY WORLD!” but man, would Keke Palmer find some entertainment in playing exactly that character. Also, I just like Keke Palmer and want to see her in more stuff.

Pete Davidson As Zor

Everyone’s favorite “emo” actor voicing the most “emo” character in the Sonic franchise. Plus, Pete Davidson’s more fun roles usually are among voice acting, at least if Dog Man and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is any indication.

Tony Hale As Chip

Tony was able to play the most lovably annoying character in the Toy Story franchise as Forky. It makes all the sense in the world that he would be able to voice the most lovably annoying character in the Sonic franchise as Chip, A.K.A. *SPOILERS FROM SONIC UNLEASHED*! I’m sure there’s plenty other well-known actors out there that can voice Chip easily but just because Toy Story is still on my mind at the moment, I think Tony Hale would work well as Chip.

Bob Odenkirk As Professor Pickle

The GOAT Saul Goodman playing the GOAT Professor Pickle!

I don’t think I need to say anything else other than that!

Mason Thames As Professor Pickle’s Assistant

This was honestly the hardest one to find since there’s not many well-known male actors working today that have plain red hair and has the tendency to be playing comedically awkward characters that are solely designed to be a meme. In this case, let’s just go with Hiccup from the live-action How To Train Your Dragon movies and leave it at that!

Stephen Lang As The G.U.N. Commander

Technically, there’s already several G.U.N. commanders in the Sonic movie franchise thus far but, just in case they decide to put the focus on the OG G.U.N. commander from Shadow the Hedgehog, you gotta go with Stephen Lang. The man proved in the recent Avatar sequels that he’s still in great shape and still capable of playing these action roles despite his older age. If Paramount decides to give him a call to play basically the same character he’s played in the Avatar movies, he will certainly walk away with the easiset paycheck in his life.

Scarlett Johannsson As Topaz

Scarlett Johansson might just be the most popular actress in Hollywood through the past decade. Whether she’s kicking ass as Black Widow or in the Jurassic World franchise, audience are STILL showing up to see her in action whenever she has a new movie coming out. I have no doubt Paramount will want to continue to ride that wave by finding some role for ScarJo in this franchise. While many still fancast her as voicing Rouge the Bat, I think playing a human character in the Sonic franchise feels more fitting for her. You will certainly have to age up Topaz than how she was in Sonic X but Scarlett should be able to make this character work in live-action without a shadow of a doubt.

Kevin Michael Richardson As Black Doom

Ngl, I was REALLY wanting the late great Tony Todd voicing Black Doom, especially after his great performances as Venom in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Locus in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us (RIP King!). However, another actor who would be perfect as Shadow’s biggest arch nemesis would be Kevin Michael Richardson. Richardson is one of the best and most beloved actors in the voice acting community for at least the past 25 years, finding roles into every single one of your favorite cartoons as a child and even in recent animated films such as Minions: The Rise of Guru, Trolls: Band Together, and The Super Mario Bros movies. He may not be a well known Hollywood celebrity but he would damn sure make voicing Black Doom seem like an absolute cakewalk. So much so that I’m shocked that SEGA never hired him to voice the character in the first place.

Stellan Skarsgård As The Duke of Soleanna

Would Jeff Fowler and company DARE to tackle the story of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)? Well, considering the Knuckles series made our favorite red echidna having the flames of disaster as main canon, then I’m willing to bet Yes! If that ever does happen, Stellan Skarsgård seems like a solid match to play the Duke of Soleanna. I was originally thinking of Anthony Hopkins here but he’s getting too old in age, whereas Skarsgård still has a few more years left in him to be able to take on a role like this.

Mckenna Grace As Princess Elise

There’s probably no young actress that you have seen being inserted into every one of your favorite franchises that is NOT Zendaya or Sydney Sweeney. Whether it’s Marvel, Ghostbusters, Scooby-Doo, Paw Patrol, or anything else, McKenna always has plenty of presence both on screen AND in the voice booth. Much like with other human characters mentions, you would have to aged up Elise a tad bit to make this casting work but Ms. Grace would fit the role as the princess of Soleanna like a glove and make a more than believable friendship bound between her and Sonic. Just PLEASE leave out all of the bestiality stuff from the game, please and thank you!

Josh Brolin As Mephiles

That’s right, I’m going ALL the way here! I have the most diabolical villain in Sonic history being voiced by the most diabolical villain in Marvel history in Thanos himself! Granted Brolin hasn’t had THAT many voice roles outside of Thanos in Marvel Animation and as George Washington in Ken Burn’s The American Revolution miniseries but I’m sure he would have plenty of fun in the voice booth as the character who did the unforgivable sin and actually killed our beloved blue hedgehog. You know you want to see Thanos as Mephiles as much as I do! Dread it, run from it, destiny will ALWAYS arrive!

Fadel Ragheb, The Hype Guy As Sonic Man

I mean………if there has to be a Sonicman in the movies……why not him?! JS!

Better him than say…..Mr. Beast!

Ranking The Billion Dollar Club Movies (Updated w/The Odyssey & Spider-Man: Brand New Day)

August 4, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day are about to cross the billion dollar mark at the box office. With that, there are now a total of 66 movies to have made it into the one billion dollar club. Regardless if inflation or re-releases also helps with that (which they both do), a movie has made a total of over seven bills at least 66 times throughout cinema history. Because of that, I decided to go ahead and do a ranking of every single one of these since I’ve actually seen all of these movies at least one time.

This will make for a rather complicated list, even more so than other lists I make on here. This will be a fine mix between what I believe is the best movie from an objective standpoint, what I believe is the best from a subjective standpoint, and the impact each one has had on pop culture for better and worse. I’ve thought about this for quite awhile now so it’s time for me to rank them.

If you disagree with this list, then by all means disagree but please don’t be a jerk about it. We have enough of those on the internet. I really don’t take much pride in these lists and rankings other than to have some fun. Opinions change everyday and this ranking is just how I feel at the exact moment that I’m publishing this list.

Also, since it’s going to be 66 movies, I’m not gonna go into detail on any one of those and just show the number I have ranked for each movie. I’ll just say which movie is ranked where and show off a trailer for it because why not? I might even update the list once another movie comes around that makes a billion dollars and see how much of my opinion on this list has changed since then.

Let’s not waste anymore time and get right down to it.

66.) Transformers: Age of Extinction

65.) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

64.) The Lion King (2019)

63.) Jurassic World: Dominion

62.) Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

61.) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

60.) Minions

59.) Alice In Wonderland (2010)

58.) Beauty and the Beast (2017)

57.) Despicable Me 3

56.) Lilo & Stitch (2025)

55.) Moana II

54.) Aladdin (2019)

53.) The Fate of the Furious

52.) Jurassic World

51.) Captain Marvel

50.) The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

49.) Frozen II

48.) Incredibles 2

47.) Toy Story 4

46.) Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace

45.) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

44.) Spider-Man: Far From Home

43.) Avatar: Fire & Ash

42.) Transformers: Dark of the Moon

41.) Avengers: Age of Ultron

40.) The Super Mario Bros Movie

39.) Joker

38.) Aquaman

37.) Michael

36.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

35.) Finding Dory

34.) Toy Story 5

33.) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead’s Man Chest

32.) Star Wars: The Force Awakens

31.) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

30.) Deadpool & Wolverine

29.) Furious 7

28.) Avatar: The Way of Water

27.) Avatar

26.) Zootopia 2

25.) Frozen

24.) Iron Man 3

23.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day

22.) Captain America: Civil War

21.) Ne Zha 2

20.) Barbie

19.) Harry Potter & The Deadly Hallows Part II

18.) Spider-Man: No Way Home

17.) Inside Out 2

16.) Avengers: Infinity War

15.) Zootopia

14.) Star Wars: The Last Jedi

13.) Black Panther

12.) Skyfall

11.) The Dark Knight Rises

10.) The Avengers

9.) Titanic

8.) Top Gun: Maverick

7.) Avengers: Endgame

6.) The Lion King

5.) Jurassic Park

4.) The Odyssey

3.) The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

2.) Toy Story 3

1.) The Dark Knight

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Spoilers- About That “Mysterious” Character And That Ending

August 3, 2026August 3, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

*Warning! This article contains MAJOR spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day! If you haven’t seen the movie yet and/or don’t want anything spoiled, then you might want to click off the article right now! You have been warned!*

Spider-Man: Brand New Day has hit theaters everywhere and it’s expected to make money and a LOT of it, far surpassing initial box office projections and expecting to earn an bat*hit insane $900+ Million worldwide in it’s opening weekend ALONE! If those projected stats hold, that will make it the biggest opening weekend of the year, the biggest opening weekend of the decade, and the second biggest opening weekend of all time, only surpassed by Avengers: Endgame‘s $1.2+ Billion opening weekend in 2019. With what was looking like a very underwhelming summer movie season outside the animated movie involving toys taking on iPad screens, the 20 year-long sequel that could’ve just been a zoom call, and original horror flicks with a beer money level budget, Brand New Day and The Odyssey was able to get the summer box office the kick in the pants it DESPERATELY needed before the kids go back to school! Movies really are coming back, baby! I guess all it took was putting Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal in more things!

Even taking in Spidey’s insane popularity among worldwide audience, the fact that Brand New Day was able to make THIS level of money without needing the likes of Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire to drive audiences to the theaters is a special kind of impressive. Yes, I know the buzz killers out there will bring up inflation and the ACTUAL number of ticket prices but come on, regardless if this movie came out in 2026 or 2006, this is still an INCREDIBLY impressive opening weekend.

The main question is how did they do it? How did this movie have such mass appeal among fans and moviegoers? What is it about this particular movie that it was able to tip over the edge of not just potentially making more than the No Way Home but nearly guarantee to join the rare two billion dollar club with the likes of Avatar, Titanic, and Avengers: Endgame?!?!

Many will say it has to do with the movie delivering the exact kind of Spider-Man adventure that everyone was wanting after No Way Home! After going from a big bombastic multiverse style adventure which paid off the loose ends of not just Tom Holland’s own respective trilogy but also the likes of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, following that up four and a half years later with a smaller-scale, street level film that’s just about Peter Parker going through his personal needs as Spider-Man along with a couple of MCU friends along for the ride just felt like the perfect route to take! Credit should be fully given to Mr. Holland for that, who has claimed that he scour the internet after No Way Home to deliver the exact kind of Spider-Man film that the fans wanted.

But I think it also had to do with the right amount of twists and turns and surprises that are to be found here, all which work as not just fun fan service and crowd pleasing moments but also plays actual, legit importance of a role to the film’s overall themes and messages. You have the Punisher, the Incredible Hulk, and even Yelena, A.K.A. the new Black Widow, that are present and accounted for here. And of course, you also have the one mysterious character in the movie, played by Sadie Sink, who also just so happens to be *SPOILER ALERT* Jean Grey!

That’s right! After all that bizarre “mystery box” build-up in the marketing/PR press talk from Sony and Marvel, the worst kept secret in a mainstream movie since “Benedict Cumberbatch is totally NOT Khan!” from 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness and the worst kept secret in the superhero python since “Jason Todd is totally NOT the Arkham Knight!” from 2015’s Batman: Arkham Knight is pretty much exactly what everyone thought it was going to be. Sadie Sink is now Jean Grey, the well-known red haired mutant from the X-Men, who is almost certain going to be playing a huge role in the MCU moving forward as Marvel Studios begins to re-introduce the X-Men and will probably make an appearance in at least one of the upcoming Avengers movies, Doomsday and/or Secret Wars.

To be fair, if you consider the context of the film, you can understand why Sony and Marvel were so eager to keep Sadie Sink’s character a secret. Having an antagonist involve someone that has the powers to telepath, telekinesis, and possess themselves into someone’s else body no matter who it is does make for an intriguing mystery for our main character. Even if the audience member themselves can see it the reveal coming from a mile away as to who the character herself is, seeing how Peter discovers the identity of this new character does help see his character progress throughout the course of the film.

At the beginning, you see a Peter Parker who now believes that Peter Parker himself doesn’t matter anymore, only Spider-Man does. After Doctor Strange cast the spell that made everyone forget who he is and losing Aunt May, Peter only sees value in himself as Spider-Man, not as Peter Parker. As a result, he has kept himself in an incredibly sheltered life, making zero contact with any old friends and not even attempting to chase any potential life changing college degree. He’s only committed himself to be a full-time Spider-Man, being able to accomplish many tasks through his tenure as a “prime” web swinger, teaming up with NYPD detective Jean DeWolff, to take on the big known crooks in the city he’s sworn to protect. To put it simply, he has nothing left…..except Spider-Man.

However, this mindset starts to change once Peter comes in contract with not just his two best friends in MJ and Ned but also with Jean Grey. Much like Peter, Jean is also out on her own in the world, invading custody from Department of Damage Control (DODC) after they abducted her sister Sara. Instead of following the traditional comic book origin story with Jean unlocking special powers within herself after being involved in a car accident, she developed her powers alongside her sister, based on their mutant physiology rather than by a special radiation or serum.

Throughout the course of the film, Jean is using mind games on Peter, who tries to help the DODC to subdue her before she becomes a very serious threat to New York City. She dares to hope mind herself into those that are close to Peter, most notably MJ, where she is not only the first person to discover post-spell that Peter Parker is Spider-Man but that she is willing to use that knowledge to go after the people he loves and manipulate them.

It’s only after a long game of cat-and-mouse and a very entertaining fight sequence with the Incredible Hulk that we haven’t seen on screen in nearly a decade where Peter is finally able to subdue Jean and turn her in. Before losing consciousness, Jean mentions someone by the named Sara, who she has been aiming to find since she got taken by the DODC. Although the head of DODC, Bill Metgzer, claims that Sara was a recently deceased colleague Jean learned about while possessing his mind, we later find out that is a load of bollocks and that Sara is actually referring to Jean’s sister. And the one message that she was given in her head to remember her sister, is that of V-Max.

After we see Jean being interrogated by Metgzer at the DODC, we see that V-Max fading text appear once again. However, that text doesn’t actually represent where Sara is but what her last fading memory was before she died. Yep, the exact kind of interragtion that Jean herself is being through is the one that killed her sister!

Much like how Peter react after the Green Goblin killed Aunt May, Jean has gone full unhinged, wanted to tear apart Metgzer lime from lime. And much like with Peter in the film, the unlocked rage and trauma unlocks even stronger abilities in Jean, including more powerful telekinesis and a large-scaled psychic “bubble” effect that can freeze people’s minds across a wide variety of area, which in the film results in good chunk of NYC. Despite Sara being killed by the same experiments that the DODC is using on Jean, she can now those same experiments to return the favor to Metgzer.

As I mention in my review, this was the moment where the film become CLOSE to losing me. While Jean’s origin story is indeed tragic and makes her character sympathetic, this did NOT feel like the right place or film to introduce her character to. With a near 10 minute long stretch where we don’t even see Spider-Man, this is where the film felt like it was going to completely fall apart, proving the naysayers right that this film is just an advertisement for the MCU’s X-Men and nothing more. However, things take a different turn once we cut back to Peter here.

I should mention that throughout the film, Peter is the one person who is strong enough to resist Jean’s powers to enter his mind. Whether it’s because of Peter’s newly gained abilities or his strong “will”, he’s still himself when he comes in contact with Jean. But that confrontation is put to the test towards the climax, which see Peter making his way toward the DODC to stop Jean but has to come against a large group of ninjas, A.K.A. the Hand, in order to get to her. It’s at this moment where not only the film regains it’s footing but also ties everything together beautifully, proving that this is indeed Spider-Man’s movie first and everyone else’s second.

Throughout the whole film, we see Peter struggling to return to his former self as Peter Parker and not just as Spider-Man. The inhibitor that he gain from Bruce Banner has been keeping his new powers and his own mental state in check…..until this very moment. As the Hand starts to overwhelm to the point where he’s coughing up blood and Jean is on the verge of just not killing the man who murdered her sister but also getting fully inside Peter’s head, she proceeds to ask our hero one distinct question that perfectly describes the theme of the movie in a nutshell:

“Are you Peter Parker or are you Spider-Man?”

Peter willingly replies: “I’m both!”

It’s at that moment that Peter finally lets go, accepts his new abilities, and defeats the hand to get to Jean Grey. Not just because he’s Spider-Man but he’s also Peter Parker. He’s able to have full control of himself and NOT let what he has suffered throughout the course of the film get to him. This is Peter regaining his duology once again!

After resisting all movie long, Peter finally lets Jean into his mind, where she finds an old memory of Aunt May on the day that she discovers that he is Spider-Man. It’s a brilliant scene that shows May accepting her nephew for who he is and loved him for himself. Regardless if Peter is Spider-Man or not, Aunt May will always love her nephew. It’s with this moment that Jean understands what it’s like to experience loss, realizing she is not alone and discovers once again what it’s like to connect with someone.

But then, Frank Castle tries to take a shot a Jean Grey from outside but ends up getting Peter in the process, sustaining him with a near-fatal wound that has him on the near death bed. Jean is able to use her powers to help keep Peter alive, refusing to lose him just like she lost her sister. In the aftermath, Jean that has been consumed with guilt leaves the city on her own, the DODC is under investigation from the NYCP along with the disappearance of Metzer, and with the citizens of NYC right by his side, Peter realizes that he doesn’t need to be alone to be Spider-Man, he can be Peter Parker as well.

The final sequences contains Peter visiting his Aunt May’s grave once again to bring their arc to a full circle, a last-minute added scene with Peter reconnecting with Ned and doing their classic handshake together, giving Ned a hint that he might remember who Peter is, and a rather bizarre post credit scene where the spider tracker is tracking Spider-Man off of planet Earth, potentially hinting at Spider-Man’s role in either Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars.

On paper, Spider-Man: Brand New Day seems like an act of desperation. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe far pass it’s hay days, you would think a Spider-Man movie that feels the need to shoehorn in a bunch of fan favorite Marvel characters such as the Punisher, Hulk, Yelena, and having to introduce Jean Grey to get folks excited for the X-Men coming would be as cynical and cash-grabbing as it gets. But, even when you argue their placement in terms of plot isn’t entirely necessary, they still connect well to Peter Parker and the film’s overall thematic arcs.

The Punisher serves to help Peter’s isolation with an isolation of his own, the Hulk serves to help Peter fight the inner demons that’s inside of him, MJ & Ned are there to show that Peter isn’t the only ones who feel like something is missing in their lives, Yelena is there because she also feels lonely and needs connection with someone else. And of course Jean Grey is there to serve as a mirror to Peter’s arc, as both “special” beings who have lost loved ones and are conflicted on how to handle the “special” powers within themselves.

I was worried when I heard that all these characters are going to be in it but this is perhaps the most natural uses of fan favorite characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Much like Andrew and Tobey in No Way Home, their presences only serve to GROW Tom’s Spider-Man and not shrink him in any way. The movie remembers to put Tom’s Spider-Man front and center. And even when there comes moments where it SEEMS like it is losing track of it’s lead protagonist, those moments always ends up coming right back to him when it is needed.

It might’ve took four films but Brand New Day feels like Tom Holland finally being able to carry the Spider-Man mantle on his own two feet with no assistance from the previous versions required. Even with the returning Marvel characters that are here and the newly introduced one that will certainly come back in other Marvel movies later on down the road, it doesn’t take away the fact that Tom Holland has now become his own definite Spider-Man, providing a different kind of special sauce that neither Andrew Garfield or Tobey Maguire had in their versions. I don’t mean this to downplay the previous Spider-Men but more to WELCOME them to the library as well.

I’m so happy Tom Holland fought for so long and hard to make Brand New Day the best Spider-Man movie he could possibly make. He no longer needs the training wheels, he can now push the lovely bike down the road and never look back! Go Spidey go!

Ranking The Spider-Man Movies

July 31, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is now out in theaters! Because of that, let’s celebrate the release of another awesome Spidey flick by ranking all ten we have gotten thus far from worst to best.

Spider-Man has always been a very important character to me. While I might need to do a brain check on it, he might possibly be my favorite character in all of fiction. Spider-Man is everything we inspire to be. It’s a character that is flawed, relatable, passionate, and absolutely heroic in ways that I wish I can be as a person. When the movies get this character right, it means something special to me. When the movies get this character wrong, then it’s certainly not special.

A friendly reminder that this is all opinions and I know for a fact that Spider-Man has an actively passionate fanbase where each movie incarnation of the character has their own fans and haters. If you have been on the internet at least since the release of The Amazing Spider-Man back in 2012, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I’ll respect all of your opinions just as long as you respect mine.

Anyways, let’s not waste anymore and get straight into the list.

11.) The Amazing Spider-Man

Whenever people complain about unnecessary reboots and the feeling of superhero movie fatigue, The Amazing Spider-Man is exactly the kind of movie they are referring to. This is the kind of movie where it’s difficult to separate the business side and artistic side of things because it’s bluntly obvious on the screen that this movie’s existence was more important to fit the criteria of the former than the latter. Being pitched as a darker reboot with more focus on high school drama and romance, The Amazing Spider-Man lacks the energy and excitement that made Sam Raimi’s trilogy (Yes, including the third one!) a success along with just being a dull slog in it’s own right.

Too many plot beats are stolen straight from the 2002 film, plot points are constantly brought up, drop completely, and never mentioned again, Peter Parker is much more unbearable than ever here, the Lizard is a complete waste of a villain, and there is so many coincidences that is pushing the story forward that it’s downright insulting to the human brain. And that’s not even going to the trailers spoiling everything, the piss-poor editing, Spidey’s suit looking like a basketball, Uncle Ben’s hilariously awful death, or painting Peter Parker as Mr. Perfect who can do wrong!

Yes, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are cute together and the score by James Horner is good stuff, but The Amazing Spider-Man is a movie that falls apart when you so much as breathe on it. Despite the film claiming to be about identity, it never finds an identity for it’s own main character. It’s a movie so bad that even the good things aren’t worth mentioning because nothing meaningful is done with any of that. Just an absolute waste of time!

10.) The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Hot take alert but I actually found The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to be an improvement over the first one. Despite being the most critically panned Spider-Man movie to date, there are a handful of elements that make the sequel to the ill-fated reboot slightly more bearable. At least the web swinging scenes are at their best here, Spidey looks awesome in action, and arguably has some of the best little Spider-Man moments in any of the movies (the scene where Peter walks the kid home always puts a smile on my face). Heck, even the awful parts of the movie at least lean on “so bad it’s funny” (the scene with Electro and the cartoonish doctor gets me every time) that it’s hard to not be unintentionally entertained by them when they happened. That being said, this movie is still a big, hot mess.

This is where you can tell that Marc Webb and Sony had literally no idea where they were going with these movies. It’s a movie that lacks a straight-forwarded plot, consistent direction, or a compelling reason has to why you should care about anything happening. The movies tries hard to lean in on fan service, most notably the one iconic scene from the comics, but none of it is put to good use or service the characters and their stories in any meaningful way. That’s not even going into everything that was cut out of the movie such as a subplot with Mary Jane played by Shailene Woodley, a post credit scene with Norman Osborn’s frozen head coming alive, and even Peter’s dad coming back from the dead and talking to him about great power coming with great responsibility because of course. And when you get to the end which changes the status quo for Peter only to pull a switch-a-roo and have things go back to where they were before, it makes you wonder what the point to either one of these Amazing movies were other than for Sony to keep the rights for Spider-Man away from Marvel.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 might be more entertaining than the first one and feels more like an actual Spider-Man movie this time around but as it’s own thing, it’s quite simply a mess. A mess so big that it led to Sony pleading with Marvel to get the character into the MCU to keep him relevant. I guess that’s something.

9.) Spider-Man: Far From Home

It doesn’t come close to being the very best of Spider-Man’s adventures, especially at the time with Into the Spider-Verse and Marvel’s Spider-Man, or top-tier MCU as a whole but acting as a plate cleanser for Avengers: Endgame and an epilogue for the Infinity Saga, Far From Home is passable but the best still have yet to come for the MCU version of Spider-Man.

It was at this point where the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man still didn’t stand out with the likes of the Raimiverse, Insomniac’s Spider-Man, and Into the Spider-Verse but this was still a step in the right direction and did leave for an interesting route for the next movie to go in. Far From Home was far from the best but also far from the worst either. Now, please stop talking about it, Twitter!

8.) Spider-Man: Homecoming

At long last, Spidey made it home to Marvel in his first stand alone feature in 2017 with Spider-Man: Homecoming. After making a stellar first impression with his extended cameo in Captain America: Civil War, Tom Holland would get a chance to shine on his own. Looking at it as it’s own thing, Homecoming is serviceable and enjoyable in it’s own right. As a Spider-Man flick, however, I can’t help but find it underwhelming.

Tom Holland continues to be great casting as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Michael Keaton’s Vulture is one of the best baddies in the entire MCU, and the high school elements were relatable to anyone that remember the awkward stages of that in their lives as an angsty teenager. That being said, too much of the movie feels restrained, like the filmmakers were too afraid of this movie being compared to the other Spider-Man movies that they played it as safe as possible. There are changes that feel unnecessary (Why does Betty Brant feel like Gwen Stacy, Ned feel like Ganke, and Mary Jane is now “Michelle Jones?”), elements that are removed (Uncle Ben’s importance), and elements that are added (Spider-Man being Iron Man Jr.) which makes it quite a middling Spider-Man experience.

I don’t know if it had to do with Sony and Marvel needing to rush out a movie completely in order to ride on the revival bandwagon for Spider-Man after Civil War but Homecoming as a whole feels way too wrapped up in that aftermath along with feeling too restrained as it’s own thing to stand out as being a truly great Spider-Man adventure. However, considering we now know the direction these movies would end up going after the third movie, maybe it all felt like a necessary evil in hindsight.

7.) Spider-Man 3

You could definitely make a strong argument that the previous two movies I’ve mentioned are objectively better movies or at least have less flaws attached to it but I still argue that this one has more entertaining value and the goods of it stand out better than the goods in either one of the first two MCU movies. Spider-Man 3 has more flaws than it does characters and subplots but it has more heart to it than most are willing to believe.

As everyone and their mother has pointed out about this movie, there’s just too much going on it. Not necessarily because there are multiple villains and side stories attached to it but because none of them really connected with one another. It feels the need to cram in every single idea it can think off that it has to defy logic, have previous events being retcon, and letting it’s characters do uncharacteristic things to make it all happen. However, most of the thing that worked well with the first two movies such as the wonderful action, breakneck pacing, great music, resonate themes, and heard hitting emotional beats work very well. Even when acknowledging all the faults at play here, you would be lying if you said that this was a boring movie with no entertainment value.

Even so, Spider-Man 3 still remains one of the biggest tragedies in all of superhero movies. It was a result of too many cooks in the kitchen and trying to please everyone at once. If it all worked out, this could have been just as good if not better than the first movies. That being said, when watching Spider-Man 3 back-to-back with the first two movies, it does make for a rather satisfying experience. It’s no where near the abomination that people claimed it was back in 2007 but it was still no where near as good as it could have been.

6.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day

But what makes Brand New Day stand out as well as it does is the overall arc that Peter Parker goes through, with the themes of loneliness, isolation, and the need for reconnecting with others blended together beautifully. There are characters that I would’ve like to have seen more of and there’s one resolution towards the end that does feel like a complete copout but any potential narrative shortcoming here is completely washed away with the film’s overall sense of wonder and awareness.

Brand New Day is that rare fourth installment in a franchise that not only works strongly in it’s own right but is able to greatly justify it’s own existence with no financial apology needed whatsoever. It’s able to act well as being a proper follow-up to the last movie while also setting things up for what could be a even more promising second trilogy with a more “proper” Spider-Man this time around. It might’ve taken a film of Tom Holland being sad and lonely to give this genre the potential two billion dollar booster shot it needed but hey, there’s no superhero that does it quite like Spider-Man.

5.) Spider-Man: No Way Home

Now, that’s more like it! This was basically the Spider-Man movie that I have been waiting for since he made his way to the Marvel Cinematic Universe! It offers Tom Holland in his absolute best turn as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, giving the character more depth and intrigue than he did in his previous two solo movies, finally utilizing the potential of this version of Spider-Man that had previously shown glimpses of it in his extended cameo in Captain America: Civil War and his side roles in the last two Avengers movies. Unlike Homecoming and Far From Home before it, No Way Home finally gave you an indication as to what this Spider-Man actually IS rather than what he is NOT!

Taking a page from Into the Spider–Verse, No Way Home brings different versions of Spider-Man and his villains together while showcasing just why being Spider-Man is so hard yet is someone that Peter Parker still has to be. And just like with Spider-Verse, it never loses focus on the main Spider-Man that the movie is centered upon. Unlike certain other movies that go overboard with it’s fan service and nostalgia, this does a good job of making it sincere and not too pandering as well as examine some interesting themes of not just about being Spider-Man but also about how being Spider-Man in this universe is quite different from being Spider-Man in another universe.

It’s in no way perfect but No Way Home is certainly a satisfying Spidey experience without a doubt. The big thing though about it all is not just how far Tom Holland has come and matured as this version of Peter Parker but how far director Jon Watts himself has come and matured as a filmmaker! Bring on the next one!

4.) Spider-Man (2002)

The one movie that kick started the modern era of comic book movies and was also the one movie that got me along with plenty of kids of my generation into Spider-Man. This was the first ever superhero movie I’ve ever watch and one of the first movies that I remember having incredibly fond memories of as a child. Even if I’m unable to take off the bluntly obvious nostalgia goggles (I never can!), it’s still a damn good movie in it’s own right.

The origin of Peter Parker turning into Spider-Man is very well told, Tobey Maguire is as every bit as likable and iconic as the title character as you can imagine, and Sam Raimi’s unique version of this world is felt perfectly through every single frame. And that’s not even talking about the insanely memorable supporting cast, quotable lines, amazing score, fist bumping action, and the light hearted tone that makes this movie super enjoyable to watch all of these years later.

While I’m sure there are those that like to poke fun at the outdated elements of the movie such as the special effects, cheeseball dialogue, and the Power Ranger-looking Green Goblin, they all still feel right at home with what Raimi brings into his style of Spider-Man, which is the corn and cheese nature of it. Regardless if you feel like this movie has stood the test of time or not, you can’t deny that if it weren’t the success of this movie, there’s a good chance that this subgenre of movies as we know it today would be no where near big as it has been for the past two decades.

3.) Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

While it may not match the level of surprise that Into the Spider-Verse provided and may leave plenty feeling frustrated albeit amused as it’s notable cliffhanger ending, Across the Spider-Verse makes for another marvelous cinematic experience, an impressive achievement in animation and filmmaking, and will instantly go down as of the most definite middle film chapters in recent memory, perhaps all time.

Everything you loved about the original is still present here, the themes and messages that the original got across is expanded to even greater affect here, there’s plenty of callbacks, references, Easter eggs, and fan service galore that will put plenty of smiles on faces, Gwen Stacy is giving more screen time and gets an incredibly compelling arc in her own right, each one of the new side characters will have their own favorites from fans, and even if you are left underwhelmed with the way things wrap up, you will no doubt be anxious to see the next one come spring time next year.

Across the Spider-Verse not only helps showcases the bright future of animation that awaits us but perhaps the bright future of cinema in general. While we might have to wait to see how they stick the landing with Beyond the Spider-Verse next year, this is no doubt another important milestone for animation. Just like how these Spider-Verse movies prove that Spider-Man belongs to everyone, so does animation. And there should be no one out there that should say otherwise.

2.) Spider-Man 2

If you want an example of how to do the perfect superhero sequel, look no further than Spider-Man 2! This is the sequel that was able to take everything we love about the original, expand upon it, and trim any sort of fat that could possibly ruin the experience. Even nearly two decades later and after so many superhero movies that have come out, this still stands out as one of the very best!

This is a movie that perfectly dives into the inner turmoil of being a superhero and the life superheroes have outside of that. Just like with the best Spider-Man movies, it’s all about struggles to balance two different life styles at the exact same time. And how even though being Spider-Man can suck sometimes, it’s something that Peter has to do because it’s just who he is and what his responsibility consists of. Throw in some truly fantastic action, with the main stand out being the spectacular train sequence, arguably the best fight in any superhero movie, a tremendous villain in Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock, character arcs that come full circle, and one of the most satisfying endings in any movie, you get an absolute cinematic masterpiece that is Spider-Man 2!

If you are someone that loves Spider-Man and superhero movies, I have no idea how you couldn’t at least like this movie. It deliver everything that a superhero movie can give you and even more. It has heart, humor, emotion, character development, action, and genuine themes that anyone can get behind. When it comes to live-action, there has yet to be a movie that comes even remotely close to topping Spider-Man 2!

1.) Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

However, when it comes to Spider-Man in terms of all the movies, Into the Spider-Verse is the ones that tops them all. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that this was an absolute gamechanger for animation. Not just because it was a near masterpiece of visual storytelling that was able to deliver everything that any hardcore comic book or casual fan could possibly want in an animated Spider-Man flick and then some, but was once again proved that animation should be allowed to stand as it’s own medium and NOT as a genre.

It doesn’t just use animation to make the picture look beautiful but it uses it to tell a very earnest and heartful story of what it’s like to be a superhero in a way you just couldn’t do in live-action. Despite their being several different Spider-men, women, and animals that are present, none of it takes away the fact that this is a Miles Morales movie from beginning to end. The animation is jaw dropping, the set pieces are incredible, every single notable Spider-person gets their moment to shine, every member of the voice cast is perfect in their roles, and it perfectly delivers a message that anyone, regardless of what their gender, race, and skin color is, can be a hero.

I don’t think there has been a film out there that perfectly illustrates not just how great Spider-Man as a character is but how great superheroes are in general and why they are important. Not only is Into the Spider-Verse the best Spider-Man movie to date, there’s a strong argument to be made that it’s the best superhero movie to date with no exceptions. Even so, Into the Spider-Verse is my favorite Spider-Man movie to date and one my personal favorite movies period. It’s one that I never get tired of watching no matter how many times I go back to it. It simply is perfection!

Ranking The Marvel Cinematic Universe (W/Spider-Man: Brand New Day)

July 31, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

There has been no other franchise that has made as big of an impact on the film industry as the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You can debate whether or not it has impacted the industry for the better or for the worse but no doubt it has made an impact. With Spider-Man: Brand New Day now out in theaters, I want to take the time to share my rankings of all 38 (!) films to be released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far.

First off, a few disclaimers. I am ONLY counting the movies that were released to be a part of this cinematic universe and nothing else. Which is why you won’t see the Venom movies, Morbius, or any of the Spider-Man movies except for the ones with Tom Holland on this list. I’m also NOT including any of the Netflix or Disney Plus series as that would make the rankings on this list even more complicated than it already is. Lastly, this is all MY opinion. Considering there’s now 36 movies in this universe, there’s a good chance my rankings won’t match yours.

When doing this list, I mostly tried to find a good mix between the ones I find to be the best in terms of objective quality, the ones that I enjoy watching the most, and the ones that I believe serves a big purpose to not just the cinematic universe itself but also the superhero subgenre in general.

Anyways, here I go with the biggest ranking I’ve made on this site so far. Let’s rank the Marvel Cinematic Universe films!

38.) Thor: Love and Thunder

On paper, Love & Thunder should be the best Thor movie ever made. By incorporating major comic elements such as Jane Foster as Mighty Thor and have the GOAT Christian Bale playing Gorr the God Butcher, this should have been a slam dunk. Too bad, it doesn’t come anywhere close to living up to it’s potential, with Takia Whatti not being able to get out of it’s own damn way, making a film that feels like a parody of an MCU movie than an actual MCU movie. Nearly every single joke falls flat on it’s face, the tone is inconsistent as hell, the story of Jane dying of cancer could not have been handle in a more disrespectful way, and while Christian Bale tries his heart out as Gorr, he is giving jacks**it to work with, playing a god killer who does very little god killing. Whatever magic trick that Whatti was able to pull in balanced the comedic and dramatic elements of Thor: Ragnarok does NOT pull off here! Love & Thunder is exactly the kind of movie that gives the MCU haters plenty of ammo to support their arguments of Marvel ruining Hollywood!

37.) Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania isn’t quite the worst movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it’s certainly knocking at that door. Despite the movie’s overall goal is to give everyone a clear direction as to where this next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going, it still has that feeling of inconsequentiality because of how little that will likely matter in the long run and how it barely progresses the characters and their stories here. It still hits the same beats you would expect from a Marvel movie but whether or not that will be enough to save the picture is entirely up to you. And if the box office results and fan/critical reception is anything to go by, it’s clearly not for most people. Jonathan Majors as Kang stands out well here (at least until Majors had to be an idiot and derail his own career and the MCU along with it) but very little else does, especially the mind numbing CGI. At least this is when Marvel knew something was wrong and had to make changes for the future!

36.) Captain America: Brave New World

If there is one MCU film that is the textbook definition of a nothing burger, look no further than Captain America: Brave New World. Anthony Mackie’s first ever film outing as the man in the stars and stripes could not have been more underwhelming if it tried. Instead of centering around an earnest adventure of Sam Wilson learning to step into the shoes as Captain America, Brave New World instead uses it’s plot for the sake of connecting tissues to prior (not so beloved) MCU installments such as The Incredible Hulk and Eternals. While it’s cool to see the MCU finally reference The Incredible Hulk as a legit thing and remember about the god from Eternals laying down in the ocean, I came to see a Captain America movie and….it doesn’t really deliver that here. Red Hulk is barely in it, the plot itself feels like a mismatch of the better parts of Winter Soldier and Civil War, it aims to be a political thriller without having ANYTHING to say politically that makes sense in the context of the MCU, and the reshoots could not have been more painfully obvious if it tries. When looking at it as a deposable action flick with espionage elements added to it, there’s nothing much here. When looking at through the current lenses of the MCU, there’s nothing much here. Even when talking about the post credits scene, there’s nothing much here! Brave New World is a film you can easily skip in your MCU marathon and you will miss NOTHING!

35.) Black Widow

The original female Avenger FINALLY got her own movie to shine…….about six years too late! When looking at it like that and the timing of it’s release, Black Widow could not have came out at the worst possible place at the worst possible time. Even when looking at the movie as it’s own thing, there’s not much that stands out here aside from some decent family drama and the introduction of the impossible-not-to-adore Florence Pugh of Natasha’s highly energetic sister Yelena. And don’t get me started on what’s done with Taskmaster, the less than stellar CGI in the third act that everyone and their mother has made fun of, and the fact they waited until AFTER Natasha was killed off to give her her own movie. If we have gotten this film much sooner, this could’ve stood out among the MCU’s greatest heroes. But by 2021, that ship had already sailed! Thanks a lot, Ike!

34.) Thor: The Dark World

The entry in this franchise that has aged the worst, especially in the wake of Thor: Ragnarok, remains among the weakest MCU installments to date. It still has it’s moments such as the powerful funeral scene and the moment where Thor and the main villain fights through the portals. However, it can never shake the feeling that it only exist just so Thor has a movie in Phase 2. The main problem is that it feels too inconsequential, complacent, and moves at such a fast clip that it’s hard to get invested into anything happen, even after characters supposedly “die”. The reshoots the movie have are quite obvious as it feels like a mix of multiple visions that never come together as a cohesive whole. Not to mention, the villain flat out sucks here (You can’t even remember his name, can you?)! On the bright, this did get a redemption arc later on down the road in Avengers: Endgame. It’s certainly a movie you can watch and get some entertainment out of, but this is certainly one movie which you can always skip when doing your MCU marathon re-watches.

33.) Iron Man 2

There are plenty of folks that claimed that Marvel Studios couldn’t miss in the Infinity Saga. Those people clearly didn’t watch Iron Man 2 (or Thor: The Dark World). Nearly everything that worked well in the original Iron Man just falls flat here. The cast is still great and the effects are top-notch but the script lets it down with too much Marvel easter eggs, little to no character progression, and action scenes that are over before they even began. You could tell Marvel was still getting their footing in how to make these movies as this feels like it only exist to buy time for the other movies in Phase One. On the bright side, just like with The Dark World, it did at least get a bit of a redemption arc later on down the road, with Captain America: The Winter Soldier being able to paint a much better picture on this ill-fated sequel. I guess that’s something.

32.) Captain Marvel

Marvel finally got around to making a female led superhero movie in 2019 with Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. If you are able to separate the bizarre controversy that was attached to this film pre-release, it’s just…..painfully mid. The first act is all over the place and some retcons to the universe are plain dumb (Fury losing an eye to a cat!) but it is passable as a buddy cop flick/origin story on the most powerful superhero in the MCU. Brie Larson fits the roll very well and has great chemistry with the rest of the cast, the 90s setting is fun, Samuel Jackson and his CGI is perfection, and seeing Captain Marvel flying through and destroying ships in her super form is quite satisfying. If only this character was introduced a bit sooner and not just before Endgame that I think it would have been easier for others to accept Carol with the other Marvel heroes.

31.) Eternals

If you were to ask me which MCU movie would have worked better as it’s own Disney Plus series than as it’s own individual film, my first answer will always go to Eternals. Despite having a lot of ambition and interesting ideas, this never quite works the way it desperately wants too. There’s just too much characters to focus on with so little time given to develop any one of them to make you care about them. Not to mention, it has themes that (while well intended) end up practically contradicting itself by the end of it. Chloe Zhao does what she can in given the film it’s own unique directing style that distances itself from the rest of the MCU but it’s still too much of an unengaging slog to give it a pass. Eternals may not work but I do hope the negative reception this movie has gotten doesn’t prevent Marvel Studios from trying films like this in the near future.

30.) Doctor Strange

This introduces some of the most interesting ideas and concepts that the Marvel movies have tried out thus far but it’s just a shame not all of it is able to be executed to it’s fullest potential until the near tail end of the picture. Doctor Strange is the one MCU installment where you can really feel the Marvel formula that this franchise has grown accustom too with the way it hits every single origin story beat in the book. Also, the sideling of Mads Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams doesn’t help here. The third act is still an absolute banger, Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play Stephen Strange, and it does at least give a clear view into the direction that future Marvel movies are going with how much weirder and “out there” it will dare to go with it’s set pieces and visuals. It’s still functional, but it feels like Doctor Strange is at his best when he’s paired up with other characters in this universe.

29.) Ant-Man and the Wasp

Coming straight off of the high heels of the maximum culmination blockbuster of Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp made for the right, breezy palate cleanser when it came out in 2018. Looking at it’s own, however, it doesn’t really offer more than the bare minimum of what most were expecting an Ant-Man sequel to consist off. Paul Rudd is still as charming as ever as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly steals the show and kicks major ass as Wasp, and the set pieces are quite fun. Even so, it still can’t help but feel too much like a placeholder film and a real expensive explanation as to what Scott did after Civil War and why he wasn’t in Infinity War. Not to mention, wasting Michelle Pfeiffer like that is a big no-no. It’s harmless fun but not all that memorable.

28.) The Marvels

Talk about a movie that came out at the worst possible time imaginable. Releasing during multiple strikes, franchise/superhero fatigue, and internet trolls being louder than ever, The Marvels is basically the one MCU movie that no one gave a chance to, not even Disney and Marvel themselves. Which sucks because when actually looking the movie on it’s own, it’s actually quite fun with some damn good action sequences, neat looking visuals, and three enjoyable female leads. Iman Vellani is precious as hell as Kamala Khan, Teyonah Parris is cool as Monica, and Brie Larson is able to shine much better her than any other films she’s been in as Captain Marvel, almost as if this is the character that Brie has been wanting to play since signing up for the role. It could have used a stronger villain in Dar-Benn, with more flesh out dynamics between her and the Marvels themselves and it’s certainly a film you can nitpick to death if you want to get technical about it but judging it as a straight up action movie, it’s entertaining with solid chemistry between the three leads. If you skipped this movie in theaters, I’d say give this a chance once it comes out on Disney Plus and you might be surprised with it.

27.) Spider-Man: Far From Home

On one hand, this sequel does have more focus on Peter Parker and his personal relationships and dilemmas than Homecoming along with some incredibly inventive action sequences (That Mysterio illusion scene is masterfully done!). On the other hand, there is still way too much Iron Man tech here (Especially with his literal killer glasses) and it’s ridiculous how we have ANOTHER Spider-Man villain that’s trying to get revenge on Tony Stark (despite the fact he’s actually dead now) instead of Spider-Man himself. Also, having a Spider-Man movie that takes place 95% outside of NYC or the multiverse just doesn’t gel well with the other. It doesn’t come close to being the very best of Spider-Man’s adventures, especially at the time with Into the Spider-Verse and Marvel’s Spider-Man, or top-tier MCU as a whole but acting as a plate cleanser for Avengers: Endgame and an epilogue for the Infinity Saga, Far From Home is passable but the best still have yet to come for the MCU version of Spider-Man.

26.) Avengers: Age of Ultron

In hindsight, this movie has gotten better with aged thanks to the films that came afterwards that were able to justify it’s existence. That being said, I still can’t help but feel there was still some major missed opportunities with Avengers: Age of Ultron (especially with Ultron himself). Too much of the picture feels like a placeholder for future movies instead of the main course, which is not something you should want out of an Avengers movie. Instead of feeling like a proper payoff to the other movies of the current phase like the original Avengers, this just feels like more build up for the likes of Civil War and Infinity War. And don’t get me started on that Hulk and Black Widow romance! Still, there are still plenty of solid character moments and action throughout (everything with Hawkeye is exceptional) and did introduce Scarlet Witch, who would later become one of the best, most developed and multilayered characters in the entire franchise! It’s a glorious imperfect mess but in a way, that’s part of it’s charms and I don’t think the other big MCU movies after this would have worked as well as it did without Age of Ultron.

25.) Thor

There are two main elements that holds the original Thor strongly together, the castings of Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki. The first third and last third of the film are legit great, starting and ending Thor’s coming-to-age arc strongly, but the rest of the movie is a bit of a mixed bag. The scenes on Earth are just no where near as interesting as the ones on Asgard, the special effects look straight out of a cheaply budgeted CW show, and it’s hard to understand why Thor and Jane are that into each other, aside from the fact that both characters are played by two EXTERMELY attractive people. Also, some of the setup with S.H.I.E.L.D. feel like they are only here so audience don’t get confused by their presence in The Avengers. Still, the brilliant casting of Chris Heinsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki work wonders and Thor’s redemption arc works quite well, even if the journey along the way can be quite iffy.

24.) Ant-Man

While it still remain a shame we’ll never to get see Edgar Wright make his own Marvel movie, this still deliver as a perfectly enjoyable heist flick. Paul Feig and Michael Douglas were perfectly casted in their roles as Scott Lang and Hank Pym respectively and that third act remains one the more fun and creative third acts in the whole MCU. It also helps that it softened the landing after Age of Ultron was a mild disappointment being more refreshingly smaller scaled compare to other entries. It still does fall victim to many of the usual MCU tropes, especially with the charismatic but underused turn by Corey Stoll’s Darren Cross, but it’s breezy and entertaining enough that it doesn’t bring it down. Also, that cameo fight with you-know-who was cool too.

23.) Spider-Man: Homecoming

As it’s own movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming is fine and certainly enjoyable. As a Spider-Man movie however, it’s quite underwhelming. Tom Holland is great casting as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, Michael Keaton’s Vulture is one of the very best baddies in the MCU, and the high school elements were somewhat relatable. However, too much of the movie feels restrained, like the filmmakers were too afraid of this movie being compared to the other Spider-Man movies that they desired to play it as safe as possible. There are changes that feel unnecessary (Why does Betty Brant feel like Gwen Stacy?), things that are removed (Uncle Ben’s importance), and things that are added (Spider-Man being Iron Man Jr.) which prevents Homecoming from being a top-tier Spider-Man experience. However after No Way Home and Brand New Day, this certainly has grown on me overtime and now feels like a film that has earned it’s place within the MCU. I like it but don’t love it!

22.) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Arguably the most divisive MCU installment since Iron Man 3, Multiverse of Madness is a film that uses it’s set pieces and effective imagery to flirt with and mock the kind of fandom that care more about filmmakers making their bizarre fan theories coming true instead of making a genuine work of art. It doesn’t quite reach it’s ambitions with quite a bit of characterization being paper thin and not taking as much advantage of the actual multiverse as much as it should (or at least even a quarter of how it was done in Everything Everywhere All At Once) but Sam Raimi’s unique style is on full display here, the set pieces that work here are some of the best in the entire MCU, and Elizabeth Olsen is an absolute force to be reckoned with as the Scarlet Witch. It’s just a shame that Marvel felt the need to apologize for this film and basically make an anti-equivalent of Multiverse of Madness with #21 and (probably) with Avengers: Doomsday!

21.) Deadpool & Wolverine

The third Deadpool film finally introduces the long-awaited arrival of Ryan Reynolds’s Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the longtime fans, there’s a lot of fun and enjoyment to be found here with the insane amount of cameos, action beats, full 4th wall breaking humor, and just seeing Hugh Jackman in that classic yellow X-Men suit for the first time ever. As immensely enjoyable as Deadpool and Wolverine is, I did find myself missing the supporting cast that helped carry the first two films and is quite hostile in being a sequel to Deadpool 2. Also, I really hope Marvel doesn’t take the wrong lesson from this movie’s inevitable box office success and start making every movie going for just “MCU Reddit Fan Theories The Movie”. That will get old and fate very, VERY quickly!

20.) The Incredible Hulk

This is perhaps the most underappreciated film in the MCU, especially since this is the kind of movie that critics of this franchise tend to ask for. A movie that is mature, self-contained, and has it’s own arc for it’s main character that you don’t need to see any other movie to fully understand. Not to mention, the clever opening credits that is able to perfectly showcase Bruce’s origin into become the Hulk in a span of just three minutes along with the final fight between Hulk and Abomination is some of he most stand-out scenes in the MCU. However, Edward Norton doesn’t quite capture the character of Bruce Banner in the same way that Mark Ruffalo does and it’s overall distinct tone makes it feel quite jarring to fit in with the rest of the MCU. It’s nice to know though that The Incredible Hulk is getting recognize more from the universe with returning characters showing up in more MCU projects. Far from the best of the MCU but still pretty damn good in it’s own right and deserves recognition.

19.) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is about as good and thematically rich of a sequel as it could have been given the circumstances surrounding it. Despite losing a main key piece and a few too many subplots that feel like they’re only here to tease future movie and shows, it is still able to follow the remaining characters and themes from the first one in a way that feels organic and right. It’s beautifully acted and made, the handling of Chadwick Boseman’s death is done to near perfection, and is certainly a film you will want to bring tissues too. If only the runtime had been trimmed down and there wasn’t subplots that put more focus on setting up future Disney Plus shows. As divisive as Phase 4 as a whole as been, I don’t think it could have ended on a more emotional note than Wakanda Forever. Hopefully can bring the majority of fans and moviegoers together and realized what amazing things they had in the past while hoping for amazing things in the future.

18.) Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts* pits the most unlikely scrappy anti-heroes of Marvel together, in a tale about the power of friendship and the dealings of mental health and depression. It’s easy to mistake this film as being a meta commentary of itself, where it’s about a team of unlikely super folks coming together in a time where superheroes have become a thing of the past and the world has moved on from them. However, what makes this stand out as well as it has is the chemistry and the development of the main cast that is front and center. Florence Pugh’s Yelena remains one of the most engaging leads of post-Endgame, Wyatt Russell still has the charm and charisma as dollar store Captain America, it’s always a treat to see Sebastian Stan as Bucky, and Lewis Pullman as Bob has one of the most compelling arcs in recent MCU history. It’s not quite an instant classic with the narrative being too disjointed at points and some characters giving rather harsh treatment (Don’t expect much from Ghost!), but Thunderbolts* is a solid reminder as to what made the MCU work in the first place, putting the characters first and story, lore, and world building second. It’s also refreshing how for the first time in a long time, it actually seems like the MCU has a proper direction and feels like it’s building towards something exciting.

17.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the one MCU installment that I’ve come close to loving completely but a few elements keep me back to doing so. James Gunn is able to capture that same charm and heart as the first one along with continuing the themes of family and friendship that the first one introduced as well as expand more on the side characters such as Nebula and Yondu. (Not to mention, Baby Groot is the cutest thing ever!) If only the second act didn’t drag as much and the Guardians had the same spark away from one another as they do when they are together, then this could have been just as good as the first one. Thankfully, Vol. 2 ends on an incredibly emotional high with one of the most fun post credit sequences ever in the MCU and Kurt Russell’s Ego is one of the better MCU villains throughout it’s history. Similar to Age of Ultron, it may have not moved the needle when it came out but as the MCU continues to expand, time has been very kind to this one!

16.) The Fantastic Four: First Steps

It may have taken literally four times but Marvel Studios was FINALLY able to get their first family right on the big screen with their MCU debut in First Steps. What makes this film so unique is how it’s able to exist in it’s own little bubble outside of the main MCU, allowing for a visual style, cosmic-like feel, worldbuilding, and a refreshing sense of optimism we have had yet to see in the rest of this cinematic universe. All four members of the team get their own moments to shine (Even if I would’ve liked a bit more of The Thing) and even the humor gets toned down this time around, allowing for more dramatic and emotional beats to play out better than most recent MCU movies. It does feel a bit too fast paced at times, given the indication that an extra 10-15 minutes might’ve been trimmed down due to possible concerning test screenings, and there are certain characters I would’ve liked to see get more screen time but if your biggest complaint with a movie is that you want more, then that MUST mean it’s a good thing. Overall, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is quite simply (I promise no pun intended!) FANTASTIC and a promising new reset to a possible bright future for Marvel!

15.) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Here is proof that Marvel still knows how to take the familiar origin beats that they’ve become accustom to but still deliver something innovative and entertaining in the process! Taking a stamp from traditional martial art movies, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings delivers some of the best and most creative action sequences in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe to date! Simi Lulu as Shang-Chi is one of the coolest heroes the MCU has ever introduced, Tony Leung Chiu-wai as The Mandarian is one of the most engaging villains the MCU has ever had, Ben Kingsley is still an absolute riot as Trevor Slattery, and all of the female characters introduced such as Awkwafina’s Katy, Fala Chan’s Ying Li, Michelle Yeoh’s Jiang Nan, and especially Meng’er Zhang’s Xialing all stand out in their own unique and sometimes badass way. Sure, the third act is quite iffy and the resolution is shakey at best that doesn’t derail Shang-Chi from being one of the finest, fresh, and most pure fun installments in the post-Endgame MCU.

14.) Thor: Ragnarok

Thor: Ragnarök still remains the best Thor movie to this very day! Waititi is able to offer Thor’s most funniest, interesting, and tragic adventure yet, offering the change of pace, style, and tone that the Thor franchise desperately needed to after the underwhelming The Dark World to stand out with the rest of the MCU. Thrown in a great supporting cast with Tessa Thompson, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, and even Taika Waititi himself with the return of Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and you got a complete package here. At times, it can get bogged down by having to carry too much baggage from the first two Thor movies without much proper payoff (I sure hope you weren’t big fans of Thor’s buddies from the first two movies) and it is perhaps “too funny” for some, but if it wasn’t for the success of this movie, there’s a good chance Marvel would have been as good as done with Thor by now.

13.) Iron Man

The Marvel Cinematic Universe started off with an absolute winner with Jon Favreau, Iron Man delivers an incredibly strong origin story of of Tony Stark, who would end up become the face of this franchise for 11+ years! Robert Downey Jr. is hands down the best casting choice in Marvel history as Iron Man and there is not a single scene in his Iron Man armor that he does not look like a badass. If it wasn’t for the tacked-on climax and an incredibly rushed villain arc in Iron Monger, this might just be one of the best superhero movies of all time. For what it’s worth though, we would not have the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any way, shape, or form if it wasn’t for the success of this movie, so this movie deserves all the credit and respect in the world for what it help start. And who could ever forget that bombshell of a post credit scene with Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury coming out and mention the Avengers?!

12.) Captain America: The First Avenger

Might be a hot take but Captain America: The First Avenger was my personal favorite of the build-up movies leading up to The Avengers. It had such a warm and nostalgic feel to it that I can’t help but be in the mood to watch it whenever it’s on TV. Even before it became cool to like Captain America, this made me respect and admire the character of Steve Rogers in ways I never imagined. He’s a good guy just trying to do good things and do what he believes it’s right for himself and others. Chris Evans is terrific as Steve Rogers along with co-stars Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, and the absolutely beautiful Hayley Atwell. Even the montage scene that is everyone’s biggest complaint didn’t bother me, even if I wouldn’t have mind an extra 15 to 20 minutes. With it’s warm tone and sense of wonder and optimism threw out, this is one of my personal favorites. Also, you are a robot if you don’t tear up at or near the end.

11.) Spider-Man: Brand New Day

Brand New Day is the first MCU Spider-Man film that is unafraid in giving us the Spider-Man doing his friendly neighborhood duty of protecting the city he’s sworn to protect and doing what’s best for those that he loves. Yes, we get to see Spider-Man at his absolute HIGH points as being the answer to The Big Apple. Yes, we get to see Spider-Man interacting with plenty of faces old and new in this cinematic universe in ways that feel organic, natural, and welcoming every time they are screen. Yes, the action scenes and web swinging sequences are cranked up to 11 in ways that hasn’t been done before in live-action, including a very impressive comic run-like scroll in the film’s opening 20 minutes. But what makes Brand New Day stand out as well as it does is the overall arc that Peter Parker goes through, with the themes of loneliness, isolation, and the need for reconnecting with others blended together beautifully. There are characters that I would’ve like to have seen more of and there’s one resolution towards the end that does feel like a complete copout but any potential narrative shortcoming here is completely washed away with the film’s overall sense of wonder and awareness. It might’ve taken a film of Tom Holland being sad and lonely to give this genre the potential two billion dollar booster shot it needed but hey, there’s no superhero that does it quite like Spider-Man.

10.) Avengers: Infinity War

The culmination of the past 10+ years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was an event of a lifetime and Avengers: Infinity War was able to deliver on that hype every step of the way! Seeing every possible Marvel superhero coming together to take on the greatest Marvel villain in Thanos felt like a dream come true for not just comic book fans but movie lovers in general. Not to mention, that ending which traumatize and entire generation of children, giving them the “You gotta be effing s*itting me!” feeling that Gen X got with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. However, certain elements such as the scattered shot first half and an ending that (while shocking) was clearly not gonna last holds it back for being higher on this list. Still, Infinity War is certainly one of the most exhilarating theater experiences I have ever had and it will always hold a special place in my heart because of that.

9.) Spider-Man: No Way Home

Now, that’s more like it! No Way Home was basically the Spider-Man movie that I have been waiting for from the MCU! It offers Tom Holland as his absolute best as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, giving the character more depth and intrigue than he did in his previous two solo movies, finally utilizing the potential of this version of Spider-Man that had previously shown glimpses of it in his extended cameo in Captain America: Civil War and his side roles in the last two Avengers movies. Unlike the previous two MCU Spidey films before it, No Way Home finally gave you an indication as to what this Spider-Man actually IS rather than what he is NOT! Of course, bring back in Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield along with their gallery of baddies and this is about as good of a Spidey adventure as it gets.

8.) Iron Man 3

That’s right! Iron Man 3 is my personal favorite Iron Man movie to date! Having the amount of action, humor, twists, turns, and social/political commentary, this is everything I could have ever want in an Iron Man movie. We see Tony Stark going back to basics here as he discovers that he can in fact be the hero that is Iron Man without even putting on the suit. Robert Downey Jr. is at his absolute best here in his solo movies, seeing Tony outside of his comfort zone is fun, and the action is about a exciting and thrilling as it could get with these movies. Hell, I even love that Mandarin Twist that everyone else and their mothers hate, sue me! It’s a shame that Rebecca Hall is sidelined here though and Bill Maher was given any screen time as well. Other than that, Iron Man 3 is the best Iron Man to date and one MCU experience that gets better and better for me each time I watch it.

7.) Captain America: Civil War

Arguably a better Avengers movie than Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War feels more like the darker, mature follow-up that we were hoping for than the installment we got in 2015. This is the one that tore the Avengers apart physiologically, where it took several years later to the team to even be whole again. The action sequences are phenomenal, it does a great job at being the right follow-up to both Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron, both sides of the conflict have clear and understandable motives that don’t just bluntly make them right and/or wrong, and every character, regardless of how important they are to the plot or not, get their own arc or at least moment to themselves. Aside from Zemo’s overall actions to his master plan is too far stretched and definitely requires some suspension of disbelief, Civil War remains a top-tier Marvel experience and makes for one of the most rewatchable installments in the MCU.

6.) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is able to successfully hit all the beats it needs to give fans and audiences a very satisfying ending to it’s trilogy of what is perhaps the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most surprising and consistently great franchise, along with showing how Marvel can still find ways to deliver quality entertainment, even when it might seem like they’ve reached their limits. It’s able to be funny, dark, sad, engaging, and deliver the highest and most personal stakes of all the three Guardians films that helps make it stand out as possibly the very best in trilogy. This also has some of the very best performances and emotional beats in anything Marvel related! All Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 needed to do was deliver a conclusion that felt definite, right and satisfying all the same. And on those terms, it was no doubt able to deliver a famously huge third (Pun entirely intended!) I’m glad James Gunn was able to end his run with Marvel on a high note and leave me awaiting his future with DC. A fitting farewell to these lovable galactic a-holes!

5.) Avengers: Endgame

Despite some time travel inconsistencies and one or two misused characters (*cough* Hulk), Avengers: Endgame still makes for a thrilling and satisfying end to the Infinity Saga. It ends the first few waves of Marvel movies on a high note, it’s well-structured and paced despite it being three hours long, it delivers some of the most unexpected but well earned payoffs in the entire franchise, and that final battle, which the whole series was building too, could not have deliver any better than it did. (FYI, the girl power scene is AWESOME! Don’t @ me!) Even if, like INFINITY WAR, it does feels more like an event than a movie, Endgame still makes for one amazing event nonetheless. I will definitely never forget seeing the entire theater’s reaction to Captain America wielding the Mjolnir, showing that he is in fact worthy, or hearing folks cry when Tony Stark died. Even if the Marvel Cinematic Universe ended here, Endgame would have been more than a fine note to go out on and still remain one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of blockbuster cinema.

4.) Black Panther

Yes the CGI isn’t that great. Yes, it does move a bit slow in the first act and quite fast in the third act. And yes, more time with the bad guys would have helped. Nevertheless, when it come to quality, filmmaking, and it’s overall impact on pop culture, I don’t think there’s been an MCU installment that hits quite as hard as Black Panther. The characters are all iconic, especially with Kilmonger being arguably the bet MCU villain to date, everything that takes place in Wakanda is wonderful, the action is well done, especially that car chase, the aesthetic (minus the CGI) is a treat for the eyes, the music absolutely slaps, and the impactful themes are ones that still resonate with me to this very day. When looking back on it, you can tell the impact that Black Panther had with Marvel Studios and director Ryan Coogler and how it would be quite hard to replicated something with that one center piece now gone. Nevertheless, they can at least look back and witness the amazing achievement they were able to accomplish with the absolutely MARVELOUS (no pun intended) gem that is Black Panther. RIP Chadwick Boseman!

3.) The Avengers

The one crossover flick for the ages! The one that change all superhero and blockbusters in general for better and for worse (mostly worse). With all the comic book flicks that have come out after this, it’s easy to forget how much of a miracle it is that The Avengers worked out as well as it did in the first place. Yes, the plotting and themes are simple and can be read like a book but that’s a necessary evil giving it does everything else incredibly well. Just about all the Avengers get their time to shine, the entire cast has perfect chemistry, it has the perfect blend of action, comedy, and drama, and the final battle is an absolute banger, which helps tie everything together and basically as a firework display with Marvel basically celebrating their own tremendous accomplishment. Who knows where Marvel and Cinema would be today if this movie didn’t work out? That in of itself makes The Avengers an all-time classic and one that I will always revisit whenever I’m in the mood. Joss Whedon can suck it though!

2.) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

If Captain America: The First Avenger was a perfect period piece flick, then Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a perfect Captain America flick for the modern times. Not only a very well done espionage thriller with plenty of thrilling action, character development, and important subject matter, but it managed to make certain characters more interesting and badass than ever before. Captain America became cool to like in this one, Black Widow was more interesting and developed this time around (along with having the best hairstyle here), Nick Fury actually gets to do something here than just try to motivate the Avengers through pep talk, and man does Winter Soldier make for an intense and threatening presence whenever he is one screen. This was the Russo Brothers first film in the MCU and they could not have left a better first impression than they did here. Winter Soldier was the one that change the MCU for the greater good and proved they can in fact work as their own things instead of being sneak previews for the main big events. One of the greatest superhero movies ever made and that is NOT an exaggeration!

1.) Guardians of the Galaxy

While this may not be technically the best directed, acted, or written MCU movie, I don’t think there’s any other MCU movie I would rather rewatch than the original Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s incredible how a movie with this different of concept and characters and play barley over two hours yet it feels like the complete package. Every member of the Guardians of the Galaxy is instantly iconic and lovable, with the big standouts being Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon, and Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, the story is familiar but also refreshing, the action scenes are well-crafted, it’s funny as hell, the score is kick-ass, and there’s some hard hitting emotions that feel just right. The best part about it is that you can easily watch this movie without having seen any other Marvel movie and you’d be able to follow it just fine. Even the one-note villain of Ronan the Accuser, is actually quite functional in his own way as being the space equivalent of Hitler. There are definitely Marvel movies that are better made and might be better objectively but you’d be hard pressed to find one that’s as fresh, surprising, and flat-out more entertaining than Guardians of the Galaxy!

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Movie Review- Spidey Loneliness Epidemic

July 30, 2026July 30, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

Oh, boy! This movie is gonna be a hard one to review in spoiler-free fashion! Not necessarily because it’s hard to describe my feeling towards the latest cinematic adventure with your favorite web swinger without revealing all the nooks and crannies in it but more that it’s near impossible to talk about the film in it’s entirety without address the GIANT elephant in the room! An elephant in the room that was solely created by the marketing (which has done a surprisingly superb job of not giving too much away and saving the fun surprises for the theatrical experience) that COMPLETELY glosses over a certain character that is meant to act as the film’s central main antagonist (or at least the closest thing this film has to an actual antagonist). For whatever reason, Marvel and Sony has decided to keep that character’s identity a complete secret and went through a great deal in the trailers to show as LITTLE of this character as possible.

Granted, about 99% of Marvel fans probably knows EXACTLY who I’m talking about and what character this certain actor or actress is playing (and I believe there’s already been certain folks at the premiere who basically already revealed the identity of that character) but in case you are the 1% of folks out there who don’t have a clue who or what I’m talking about, I won’t spoil it in this review. I do plan to post a spoiler filled piece after the movie releases worldwide to give a deep dive into that character and how I felt about their role in the film. But for know, I will try to keep this review as vague as possible. Here we go!

It’s crazy how we are actually getting a fourth film with a cinematic version of Spider-Man for once. Tobey Maguire wasn’t able to get his fourth film up and running after the commercially successful but poorly received, Spider-Man 3. Andrew Garfield couldn’t even get a third one after the commercially unsuccessful AND poorly received, The Amazing Spider-Man 2. But yet, it’s Tom Holland of all webheads that was able to get his fourth entry, something which not even his old pal Tony Stark could say (at least for now). However, with the emotionally fulfilling way the last one ended, it left PLENTY of free realm to take this series in a completely new direction.

Sure, No Way Home did make for a bittersweet ending to a somewhat uneven “home” trilogy of our friendly neighborhood NYC hero and it would’ve been fine if that was the last we ever saw of Tom Holland as Spider-Man in the MCU. However, with the way the first three films operated themselves as a slow burn origin story of our (Spider) boy learning to become a (Spider) man (unintentionally or otherwise), it paves a way to FINALLY have a Spider-Man movie in the MCU that legit feels like the “prime” Spider-Man we all know and love. And for the most part, Brand New Day is able to deliver just that and then some.

Premise: Following Dr. Strange’s spell at the end of No Way Home, the world has forgotten that Peter Parker exists. Four years later, Peter (Tom Holland) anonymously protects New York City as the hero Spider-Man and investigates a powerful new threat while his superpowers undergo a surprising and potentially dangerous evolution.

Everyone always know that the best Spider-Man stories are ALWAYS the ones where the worlds of Peter Parker and Spider-Man collides among his friends, rivals, and responsibilities. Although, the ones that tend to stand out among the VERY best are the ones that raises the questions of what happen when one side of the personal life/hero persona get abandoned in favor of the other side. In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, we see a Peter Parker who gives up being Spider-Man so he can focus on being Peter Parker. In Destin Daniel Cretton’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, we see a Peter Parker who gives up being Peter Parker so he can focus on being Spider-Man. This is an arc that not only feels perfectly in line with the titled character and the aftermath of No Way Home (while also making for some interesting metaphors on the new powers he develops out of thin air) but also making Holland’s version of Peter Parker standing out as perhaps the most relatable of his generation.

While this Spider-Man has had plenty of Ws in the four years that have passed since the last movie, this Peter Parker has taken nothing but Ls since then. By feeling he has no choice but to put his superhero life over his personal life, we see Peter being forced to adjust into a world that has forgotten about him and moved forward with their lives. He has no friends, no family, no stable job, and no career ahead of him. He has nothing left…..except Spider-Man. To put it simply, Brand New Day is a Spider-Man movie made for Gen Z, the generation that grew up during the height of covid, a loneliness epidemic, and an economy that is about as depression that Peter is throughout the entirety of this film.

And it’s not just Peter himself that has a massive black hole needing to be filled within himself, we get to see that sentiment shared with other characters as well. The Punisher is still operating as his own independent vigilante after losing his family all those years ago, there’s Bruce Banner who still has that battle within with the green monster that can always break out at any moment, which causes him to keep his distance from those he loves, and MJ and Ned pursuing the lives and career choices they’ve desired, they still feel like they are missing something which just so happens to be Spider related. And of course, there is also the film’s antagonist/mystery character which will NOT be mentioned in this review that serves the best parallel out of all of this to Peter Parker. While plenty will be said about the film’s overabundance on characters and subplots, there’s no denying that the film’s overall themes surrounding loneliness, isolation, and the needing to reconnect with one another is fairly consistent throughout the entire film.

And speaking of which, Brand New Day certainly does try to juggle a lot throughout it’s entire 145-minute long runtime. It aims to be that perfect mix of being a proper sequel to No Way Home with it’s smaller-scaled, street level ambitions while also laying the groundwork for a newly introduced character that is clearly going to play a big role in future Marvel endeavors. Thankfully, writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers prove they are up to the task with making both of these major storylines intertwine in a way that feels consist with the overall narrative of the film that doesn’t forget that this is a Spider-Man movie, even more so with how they juggled the Far From Home aftermath of Mysterio spilling the beans of who Spidey is and just making a live-action version of Into the Spider-Verse last time around.

There is a slight detour towards the beginning of the third act that nearly takes a noise dive and makes it seem like all of the thematic plates spinning in the air are about to come crashing down. But then, the film remembers what it’s about by cleverly taking a page from the climax of a recent MCU film, properly expanding upon that film’s and this one’s relatable dilemma, and everything’s good again. I can’t properly answer whether or not this character needed to be introduced in THIS movie but they work rather well for what I imagine was forced upon them by Kevin and company since the 2025 MCU entries couldn’t move the needle on getting audiences enthused on what comes next after the multiverse shenanigans is over. Like the very best MCU movies, it’s able to have it’s cake and eat it too in the ways that are even more delicious than what you ordered.

While Jon Watts did a fine job overall with the “Home” trilogy, Destin Daniel Cretton proves himself to be more than worthy of continuing this version of Spider-Man on his own with no extreme guidance necessary. He’s able to bring so much energy with the film’s action sequences and web swinging moments that makes them all exhilarating to watch, while also able to embrace it’s comic-booky feel without it feeling too jarring or far stretched to the casual movie goer. I’m sure there’s a shot or two that Film Twitter will nitpick to death for the next three years until the next Spider-Man movie comes along but the same proper care and treatment that Cretton gave to his other (underrated/overlooked) MCU projects in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and Wonder Man are properly shown here. Looks like Mr. Feige has ANOTHER director he can take under his wing.

The entire cast gives everything they got here. Tom Holland still shows great passion and vulnerability as perhaps the most relatable version of Peter Parker we have seen to date, shockingly still able to explore hidden depth and intrigue despite being four movies in, while also being more jokey and confident than ever before as Spider-Man. Jon Bernthal is able to fit perfectly in movie form as Frank Castle as he does in streaming service form. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are given more depth to MJ and Ned than you might’ve expected. Liza Colón-Zayas and Tramell Tillman are fun in their brief roles as totally NOT Commissioner Gordon and totally NOT Head of ICE! Mark Ruffalo is given a lesser role than you would probably expect as Bruce Banner/Hulk but he’s still here (even if he’s no where to be seen at the premiere).

And without getting into spoilers, Sadie Sink is absolutely great as her “mysterious” character. While it does take a while to actually get to her on screen, she is able to perfectly match the presence of Holland and all those she shares screentime with. If the rest of the cast of the series that she will be attached to from hear on out is as pitch perfect as this, then there might indeed be some hope for the MCU yet.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day is that rare fourth installment in a franchise that not only works strongly in it’s own right but is able to greatly justify it’s own existence with no financial apology needed whatsoever. It’s able to act well as being a proper follow-up to the last movie while also setting things up for what could be a even more promising second trilogy with a more “proper” Spider-Man this time around. There are characters that I would’ve like to have seen more of and there’s one resolution towards the end that does feel like a complete copout but any potential narrative shortcoming here is completely washed away with the film’s overall sense of wonder and awareness.

It’s no secret that superhero films aren’t the box office juggernauts they used to be but films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day prove that there is still a dire need for them in this day and age. Even if the quality is in shorter supplies these days, there is just nothing like seeing a cast and crew using their great powers to take on great responsibilities when tackling these popular superheroes. It might’ve taken a film of Tom Holland being sad and lonely to give this genre the potential two billion dollar booster shot it needed but hey, there’s no superhero that does it quite like Spider-Man.

Just please let him be happy once this is all over, okay?!

Other thoughts:

Don’t bother staying for the end credits scene because….it sucked. It just sucks!

Also, don’t expect much out of the Spidey villains shown off in the marketing because they don’t really matter that much, outside of MAYBE Scorpion. (There’s a reason why there’s only been ONE leaked shot of Tombstone!)

Michael Giacchino deserves more credit for the scores in this series. It’s able to stand out gloriously well as it’s own distinct Spider-Man score without much reliance on prior Spider-Man scores to make it stand out. This man in general might be the legit saving grace when it comes to the score in the MCU.

I can definitely see why Mark Ruffalo hasn’t join the press tour for this movie. Taking away his political persuasions and being busy shooting another tv show, Bruce Banner and Hulk aren’t in the movie that much.

It still is cool to see an unhinged Hulk that we have NOT seen since the beginning of Infinity War.

I REALLY need more of The Punisher and Jean DeWolff in the future. They work off of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man PERFECTLY!

Now, please just bring in Kingpin for the next time and have Daredevil join along for the ride. We can’t have a complete Devil’s Reign adaption WITHOUT Spider-Man playing a big role in it.

Oh, and that ONE character that shows up is a lot of fun to. Try to guess which one I’m talking about when you see them!

Ranking Christopher Nolan’s Films (w/The Odyssey)

July 20, 2026July 20, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

This weekend saw the release of The Odyssey, the newest entry to come from the great mind of Christopher Nolan. Despite all the controversy and outrage over the internet, it looks as though it’s set to have a strong opening weekend in spite of it being three hours long and clearly NOT PG-13. As a result, time to rank every film in Christopher Nolan’s filmography thus far and see how it fares from worst to best.

It shouldn’t be unpopular to say that Christopher Nolan is one of the greatest filmmakers working today! He’s one of the few directors out there that everyone is aware of and his name attached to a film alone is enough to get people’s butts in theater seats. And coming in a post-covid and post-2023 strikers timeline and in the middle of summer filled with underperforming/underwhelming big movies, leave it to Nolan to be the one big name this weekend helping to turn the tide on the narrative that people don’t go to theaters anymore. I’m sure this isn’t what the Dark Knight himself had in mind when he made it his quest to save theaters back in 2020 with Tenet, but hey, I still think he consider it an absolute win regardless.

Keep in mind that for this list, there’s really only one of these movies that I’m not the biggest fan off. Just about every other one I either like or absolutely LOVE! Heck, over half of the movies on this list were some of my absolute favorite films in the year they came out with some of them being on my list of favorite films every year. That’s why this list was INCREDIBLY hard to make! Regardless, I’m up to the challenge and let’s rank the great work coming from the Nolan mind himself.

13.) Tenet

If there is one Christopher Nolan film that I would unfortunately have to declare to being a complete and total dud, it’s Tenet. While it’s well acted and looks amazing, this feels more like an intimation of a Christopher Nolan film than an actual Christopher Nolan film. The plot is a convoluted mess, the characters are completely one-note and half of the time nameless, the sound mixing is ungodly atrocious, and while it’s central time travel/espionage premise is a very interesting one, the execution of it could not have missed the mark as much as it did.. The fact you have a film where the main protagonist name is literally referred to as “The Protagonist” and you are expected to take it all seriously is literally all you need to know about the experience of watching Tenet. Little did we know that this would be the end of the road between the partnership of Nolan and Warner Bros, with the latter getting another chance of “saving” cinema but with a total different studio.

12.) Following

Here is the one that started it all. Christopher Nolan is able to make his first length directorial debut with Following, an INCREDIBLY low budget and small scale flick about a young writer who follows strangers for a living in the hopes of being able to write something interesting for his novels. For a film that basically involves it’s main character trying to find an identity, this is where Nolan enters the realm of cinema and secures an identity of it’s own. It’s beer money-level budget does hold it back from being a truly great film with the stellar production you would come to expect from Nolan and the 70 minute long running makes many elements feels rushed and sloppy. For a directorial film debut, you can certainly do much worse but can also do much better as well.

11.) Dunkirk

Nolan has always been a filmmaker that remained a loyalist on the experience of watching films in a theater. I don’t think there has been a film he has made to date that didn’t put as much emphasis on theater experience than with Dunkirk, a tense, tightly paced war epic about the battle that took place in the beaches of Dunkirk between Germany and France. While this definitely was an event worth seeing on the biggest screen in pure IMAX back in July 2017, it’s lack of compelling characters, questionable sound mixing, and a needlessly complicated narrative really hinders the rewatch value, making it fall short of being an all-time war movie classic. Plenty will argue that this is the intention on the part of Nolan but that still doesn’t make for a very engaging watch for me. If Tenet was an example of a Nolan film that had great ideas but bad execution, then Dunkirk is an example of a Nolan film with bad ideas but ultimately great execution. I guess if you have a massive 4K TV with a stellar sound system, you might get HALF of that theatrical experience that I got back in 2017. But take all of that away, all you get with Dunkirk is a basic war film that feels more like akin to your Ken Burns PBS documentary rather than it’s own film.

10.) Insomnia

The first film Nolan made that was disturbed by Warner Bros might just be his most overlooked feature to date, even if this is ranked in the lower half of Nolan’s filmography. We have a solid and engaging thriller about one man’s descent into madness and another man that is driven solely by madness. Al Pacino and Robin Williams turn in great performances and make for a perfect duology of the hero and villain of the picture. The film does a great job of showing the effect that constant daylight has on a character along with the passage of time that is scattered across the film. Tbh, the fact that this film is this low on the list says more about how good Nolan is at making films than the overall quality of Insomnia. It might be mid-tier on the Nolan scale but this is still a pretty good film all things considered.

9.) Interstellar

What might be Nolan’s most ambitious film and largest in scope to date, Interstellar makes for one of the most interesting and intriguing sci-fi films of the 21st century. The film goes into great lengths about mankind’s place in the universe and what we are willing to achieve for the survival of the human race. The effects are a feast for the eyes, it’s superbly acted, the emotional core between Cooper and his daughter is very well done, and the first two acts is able to execute it’s themes to near perfection, acting as an engaging race against time to preserve what’s left of humanity on Earth. Unfortunately, the third act then comes along where all logic gets thrown out of the window, a certain subplot that the film has been building to gets completely handwave, and everything is tied up into the cheapest little bow imaginable. There’s PLENTY to love about Interstellar and there are many moments where it becomes SO CLOSE to being up there with Nolan’s absolute best, but then the last 20 minutes happens that just doesn’t feel satisfying. Even if it’s not able to stick the landing as well as it could have, Interstellar makes for one engaging ride that is worth experiencing at least one time.

8.) Batman Begins

Batman Begins was an absolute revolutionary when it came out back in 2005. Not only did it revived the Batman franchise that seemed long dead for eight years, but it help set the foundation that properties surrounding superheroes and comic books can in fact be taken more seriously and still be really good. It gives us an incredibly engaging Bruce Wayne in Christian Bale’s iconic turn as this iconic character along with providing a satisfying origin story that stands as one of the best ever put to screen, being able to revolutionized superhero films for DC the way Richard Donner’s Superman and Michael Keaton’s Batman did back in the days. While it’s impact didn’t feel all the way felt until around the arrival of it’s sequel The Dark Knight three years later, this film’s importance to the Caped Crusader along with the sub-genre should not go unnoticed. Even before Marvel got their universe with Iron Man, it was this terrific first entry from Christopher Nolan that got the ball rolling with just how good a modern superhero movie can be. Only shaky camera action sequences and the second half not being quite as engaging as the first half prevents this from being even higher on the list!

7.) The Prestige

Fresh off a year after reviving the Batman franchise, here we have an absolute mind bender of a film with a strong emotional core, twists and turns that are not just surprising but makes complete sense, and a film that overall doesn’t have a clear protagonist or antagonist. The Prestige offers Nolan’s most packed film in terms of themes, craftsmanship and it’s twisty as hell narrative. With the way everything unfolds through the entire picture, the whole experience plays like a manifesto itself. Making you wonder if one day Christopher Nolan will acts as a professional magician himself once he retires from making films. Even if I feel like there’s one twist too many and the re-watches don’t quite match the experience of seeing everything unfold for the first time, The Prestige is still awesome and a film that should be talked about more when it comes to Nolan’s greatest achievements.

6.) The Dark Knight Rises

That’s right, I have The Dark Knight Rises THIS high on the list! Nolan’s final entry in his largely successful Dark Knight trilogy is his most daring movie of the lot. This is the one Batman film that actually dares to question the entire idea around the character of Batman: that perhaps Bruce Wayne becoming Batman was a mistake. Aided by a intimating villain in Tom Hardy’s Bane, a welcome supporting turn in Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman, fist bumping action sequences and a ending that brings the full themes of the trilogy together, The Dark Knight Rises made for an ending that is imperfect but yet FELT perfect at the exact same time. And especially in a age where superhero and movie franchises that constantly refuse to end, it’s certainly refreshing to have a series that was able to get a proper finale and stick to it, with NO sequel or follow-ups of any kind coming after it. While this is FAR from other flawless masterpieces that Nolan has created, I do think there is a strong argument that this is his most FLAWED masterpiece. In the sense, that despite all the glaring issues from a technical and script side of things along with some underwhelming death scenes, everything here just feels…..right. Even if this film does have it’s detractors, I’m still a believer in The Dark Knight Rises…even if you’re not.

5.) Memento

If you want to see a textbook example of how to make a film within a film, look no further than Memento. This is the kind of mind f**k that very few directors could pull off but Nolan is somehow able to do it and make it look complete easy. Guy Pearce is at his absolute best here as a man suffering from a rare memory loss and is trying to find the man who raped and killed his wife. The score is great, the mystery is able to build perfectly with each previous scene building perfectly to the next, and it’s just one of those rare films that will reward you every time you watch it regardless of what way you prefer to watch it. There’s not many films that constantly wants to keep me coming back for more after each viewing but Memento is one of those rare films. This is a film that might give you a headache when first watching it but it’s certainly the best headache you will ever have. Some might argue this is a bit too high on the list but this film just rules and deserves a spot in the top 5!

4.) Oppenheimer

With this being the first film that Nolan made with Universal Pictures after his departure from WB, Oppenheimer is yet another masterfully made and directed film by the great Christopher Nolan himself. It’s able to tell exactly the kind of sprawling epic story that it aspires to be by making sure to act as a character study first and a biopic second. Every single member of it’s highly recognizable cast is able to completely disappear into their roles and captured their performances perfectly, it does a good job of exploring the man of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played perfectly by Cillian Murphy) as not just “the destroyer of worlds” but as an impactful man himself, the three hour runtime is put to good use without feeling bloated in the slightest, and is able to deliver fully on the theater experience in ways that no other filmmaker could pull off. While may not quite be my very favorite from Nolan himself, this is certainly one of his most impressive works to date and one that I wouldn’t fault anyone who declares it as their new favorite.

3.) The Odyssey

The Odyssey is cinema at its absolute finest! The cast from top to bottom is absolutely outstanding, the unconventional storytelling of this adapted classic tale works without any hesitation whatsoever, the action and set pieces are extremely thrilling and make paying the extra few dollars for the “special” screenings all the more worth it, there’s not a single minute of it’s near three hour running time that feels wasted, and while I can’t say that I agree with every single creative choice that Nolan makes along the way, the way everything comes full circle by the very end makes any potential glaring issue up to that point feel like a complete dust in the wind. Regardless if this is the best Christopher Nolan film or not, I don’t there is a film in his filmography that showcases the grand mindset that this man has had as a filmmaker for the past 30+ years. By constantly trying to find ways to outdo himself and providing you with even grander adventures with grander scales than before, this is Nolan yet again achieving a new level of high quality and a new meaning of absolute cinema! I can’t possibly know how he plans to top himself next time out but man, I will be the first in line for whatever he’s got next!

2.) The Dark Knight

I know it’s become cliché to claim that The Dark Knight is one of the best superhero movies ever, but many people said that for a reason, it is just that damn good. It just works flawlessly at being an unique, distinct story about Batman being challenged mentally, emotionally, physically, thematically, and symbolically. Joker and Harvey Dent acts as perfect parallels to the hero that Bruce so desperately wants to be as Batman along with the villain that he fears that he will one day become. It’s a Batman movie that perfectly mirrors itself with out it tells this identical tale of crime, corruption, and vengeance in the most complex and fascinating way imaginable. There have definitely been PLENTY of superhero movies out that have come out since 2008 that people have liked/disliked more than others but I don’t think anyone can argue that there hasn’t been a superhero movie that has a much of an impact on the genre or cinema as a whole than The Dark Knight. From it’s mind blowing twists and turns to it’s rapid fire pace to gripping action sequences to it’s resonate themes to Heath Ledger’s amazing turn as Heath Ledger and to even Christian’s Bale Batman voice, The Dark Knight, even 18 years later, still stands strong! Even if it is quite an eye roller to keep glazing this film all these years later, it deserves ALL the glazing that it gets because it’s THAT f**king awesome!

1.) Inception

I always go back and forth on #1 and #2 depending on my mood but for right now, I’m gonna go with Inception. There is not one Christopher Nolan film that perfectly demonstrates the man had his finest in terms of craft, narrative, novelty, and ideas. This is easily one of the very best sci films every made and one of the rare films where it’s brilliant ideas is able to be brilliantly executed in every way. The creativity on display is astonishing, the premise involving Inception is put to perfect use and feels wholly original, the dream scenes and world building is some of the very best I’ve seen in any film, the action is top notch and thrilling, the effects are breathtaking, the characters are all compelling and engaging, every actor is perfect in their roles, the score is among the most mesmerizing I’ve ever in any film, and it has one of the most satisfying endings I’ve seen in any film that it NEVER fails to tear me up. This is one of the films where no matter how many times I watch it, I still get that same fresh, unique, and intriguing experience I got when I watched it in the cinema back in 2010. Inception is the best film by Christopher Nolan to date and is one I can recommend to anyone that is a lover of films and cinema.

The Odyssey (2026) Movie Review- Absolute Cinema

July 19, 2026July 19, 2026 AdamLeave a comment

I don’t think there is a director in Hollywood that always seems so eager to top himself the way that Christopher Nolan does! And I don’t just mean in terms of trying to green mushroom himself in terms of the size, scale, and scope that he chooses to shoot his films with or how grand, epic, and unconventional he wants to go with telling his stories (Although, that should DEFINITELY be noted!) but more in how he goes about it through the actual motivations of his main characters. I could go on talking about how The Odyssey is yet another cautionary tale in Nolan’s filmography about a man who wants nothing more but to get back to his family he abandoned (Inception, Interstellar) or another story where his main character who is forced to rebuild and rediscover himself to remember his true purpose (Memento, Batman Begins, & The Dark Knight Rises) but what is always so fascinating and even inspiring is how much the main protagonist in those films will go through in order to accomplish these goals that Nolan clearly has behind the camera or in the writer’s room.

The Dark Knight sees a “non-limited” Batman going through hoops and ladders to stopping the Joker while realizing that even he must have a breaking point or else he will lose himself. Inception has a professional thief that is given the chance of a lifetime to have his criminal record clean if he is successful in literally going into someone’s dream and planting another person’s idea into one’s own target subconscious. The Dark Knight Rises gives us a broken Bruce Wayne that is given no choice but to tear himself apart and start over from scratch in order to defeat Bane and save Gotham City one last time as the Batman. Interstellar has Matthew McConaughey traveling to infinity and beyond in the hopes of finding a new home for his own children before it’s too late. Dunkirk has soldiers well…..doing everything in their power to save themselves in an actual war! Tenet follows someone literally named THE PROTAGONIST trying to do their job as being the film’s literal protagonist by messing with time before it messes back! And lastly, Oppenheimer, sees an infamous physicist nearly destroying the world once and for all to make himself go down in history as the man who invented the very first nuclear bomb.

I bring all this up because you really get the feeling that ever since The Dark Knight, Nolan has consistently have a strong desire to make his films as big, ambitious, and personal as they can possibly be. Not strictly because for the sake of the audience’s own entertainment but with Nolan’s own grand ambition as a filmmaker. Even if he is the last man in the world that needs to prove and justify himself with each new film he makes, he will still go through the great lengths and means to do so anyway, with the complete mindset that each new film he makes could be the very last one. These aren’t just stories about flawed protagonists pushing themselves beyond unrealistic measures to see the light at the end of the tunnel but also about how Nolan himself is willing to push himself beyond unrealistic measures to achieve an even bigger level of peak that nobody think is even possible anymore.

And with The Odyssey, Nolan is here to tell us his biggest and most daring tale yet. Not only with adapting one of the most epic poems in history with Homer’s The Odyssey, developed by the Greeks (We’ll get to that in a moment!) but with crafting his most layered and human story yet, centered around a man being forced to go through hell and back to return to his family and home, no matter how long it takes or what methods he has to use to get there. This is Nolan with his biggest cast, grandest scale, most nonlinear storytelling, and the most personal stakes of any film he has released to date. And the results is nothing short of magnificent!

The Odyssey is cinema at its absolute finest! The cast from top to bottom is absolutely outstanding, the unconventional storytelling of this adapted classic tale works without any hesitation whatsoever, the action and set pieces are extremely thrilling and make paying the extra few dollars for the “special” screenings all the more worth it, there’s not a single minute of it’s near three hour running time that feels wasted, and while I can’t say that I agree with every single creative choice that Nolan makes along the way, the way everything comes full circle by the very end makes any potential glaring issue up to that point feel like a complete dust in the wind. Although it might take me another rewatch or two to declare this my absolute favorite film from the great Christopher Nolan, The Odyssey is prove that the king of modern cinema still has plenty of days remaining on his throne!

Premise: It follows the Greek King Odysseus (Matt Damon) attempting to return home to Ithaca after the Trojan War. While he faces a treacherous voyage and is held captive by the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron), his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) struggle to fend off aggressive suitors trying to claim his throne.

At this point, you have probably already read or at least strongly familiar with the story of Homer’s The Odyssey. It’s a epic tale that has been told for many generations with many different iterations of this beloved/infamous story that have been made. Through every single moment of it’s 173 minute runtime, Nolan is in the mindset that you know the ins and outs of this story but is still wanting to tell it in the freshest and newest way possible, almost like you are seeing this countlessly told story being told before your eyes for the very first time. There’s clear inspiration on display between many translations of The Odyssey, including those from Emily Wilson, E.V. Rieu, and Robert Fagles, AND even other great epic historical films such as Andrei Rublev, Ran, Gladiator, and yes, even Troy. While I can’t imagine the 2026 version is exactly what Homer had pictured when he first made this story, there is a strong sense of confidence here of being able to perfectly capture the spirit of Homer’s tale, translating itself with the best possible update of the story that one can imagine.

And while we are on the subject, yes I would be lying if I claim that Nolan’s take on The Odyssey is as historically accurate as it gets. From the silver armors in Bronze Age to the “modernized” dialogue to the character of Simon basically replacing the character of Achillies to there being little to no Greeks in this overall Greek tale, this is definitely an adaption that you can tell was made in the year 2026 and NOT 1926!

If this was your typical adaption made by your typical filmmaker, these kind of bizarre changes would make the whole thing feel dead on arrival! However, just like with Odysseus himself, Nolan is clearly up to the challenge and is willing to go through any sort of controversy and pre-release PR disaster to craft the best possible version of his grand vision.

And the main thematic throughline that helps Nolan’s The Odyssey be up to par with the very best adaptions of it’s source material is that it never forgets that at it’s heart, The Odyssey is about a man learning the humanity within himself and using that as strength to pull off the biggest comeback of all time. Each character from the film’s extremely stacked cast plays a role that ties back to Odysseus’ overwhelming journey, with trying to get home after the Trojan War and the encounter of mythical beings along the way in order to reunite with his wife, Penelope, and a son that he may or may not know about.

It’s through these first two hours of the film that do their damnest of carrying the weight of the complete damning picture. Big important sequences are told out of order and through the perspectives of other characters played by the most talented actors and actresses you can think of, it has a balanced tone that knows when to take it’s material seriously and when to have some completed messed up fun with it (That “pig” scene will live rent free in my head for a long time!), and it never forgets for one moment that is a story about Odysseus first and everyone else second. While this is all well and done for the first two hours, there are definitely some moments along the way where you can’t help but hear the gears turned out a little too loudly, wondering how much of this narrative plate spinning is Nolan showing confidence with himself and Nolan just being forced to grind through certain moments of backstory in order to show off the most important set pieces of the story.

Thankfully, the final hour of this film completely makes up for any prior shortcoming. Not only is it able to make nearly every questionable creative choice and casting decision beforehand seem completely justified but it all culminates to one of the most satisfying climaxes in recent memory, with Matt Damon being able to relive his “good old days” in about the best way possible (I imagine Universal will be on the phone with him Monday morning to discuss resurrecting a certain franchise that made him what he is). It’s hard to go into details without major spoilers but the way everything is paid off in the final 30 minutes is so damn good, making a man’s journey come full circle and taking back everything that he lost along the way.

The cast, as you would expect given how much AURA is on screen here, are all excellent. Matt Damon as Odysseus is able to perfectly sell himself as a believable warrior king in his middle age and able to carry himself as well as among the best featured films with him. Tom Holland excels as the son, Telemachus, clearly comfortable in stepping out of the shadow of Spider-Man and into the shoes of a young man waiting for his father to return. Anne Hathaway as Penelope should be the current frontrunner for Best Actress come the Academy Awards next spring, giving an amazing and vulnerable performance as a troubled mother, wife, and queen of a kingdom that she is forced to rule by herself.

Robert Pattinson is entertaining playing the complete asshole that is Antinous, Himesh Patel makes for a solid second-in-command of Eurylochus, Charlize Theron is great as always as Calypso, the woman that takes care of Odysseus and wants him for herself, Zendaya is given a similar role as she did in Dune: Part One as Athena but she makes it play, Jon Bernthal as Menelaus acts as the right guide for Telemachus, a man who represents the version of a father that he might want, and John Leguizamo is completely unrecognizable in the best way as Eumaeus, given more focus and depth than I was expecting. I would’ve liked to have seen more from Mia Goth and Logan Marshall-Green as twin siblings in Melantho and Melanthius and Benny Safdie as Agamemnon but they are able to fit in alongside everyone else. Oh, and although Samantha Morton’s Circe is only in one major sequence in the film, nailed it just……nailed it!

And of course, you have to address the GIANT elephant in the room in regards to the controversy surrounding the casting. Yes, Travis Knight, Lupita Nyong’o, and Elliot Page are all in this film as their roles of Phemius, Helen of Troy/Clytemnestra, and Sinon (A.K.A. NOT Achilles) respectively but their roles are about as minor as they come and don’t hog the spotlight as majority of the cast members already mentioned that it’s baffling it attached as much backlash as it did. Sure, I can question if it was the wisest choice for Nolan to cast a rapper in a Greek tale (Even if Travis’s newest song in the end credits is catchy as hell!) or I would buy Elliot Page as being the bravest warrior that Odysseus has ever seen (To be fair, it’s NOT implied he is the best or strongest warrior of them all and the film is clearly aware of that!) but for anyone that is familiar with The Odyssey, they are all given the same extended cameo roles they did in the books, given a combined screentime of five to seven minutes at best. So, even if you are among the unhinged folks that are outraged of these castings, they are not in it nearly as much for them to hold you back on your enjoyment of the film, especially since all three of them are great in the film with their limited screentime (And yes, I do indeed buy Lupita Nyong’o as the most beautiful woman in the world! Don’t @ me!).

However, despite having nearly everyone but the kitchen sink as part of the cast, the real MVP of the film is no one other than Christopher Nolan. His craftsmanship is yet again on complete full display, making sure that regardless of what way you chose to see this film in theaters, it will make for the very best possible viewing experience that anyone could have imagine. With completely sharp direction, gorgeous cinematography from Hoyte van Hoytema, surprisingly consistent editing from Jennifer Lame, and a haunting/riveting musical score from Ludwig Göransson, Nolan yet again deliver the complete full package of a theatrically released film, making sure that every single penny that was spent from it’s $250+ million budget was justified. Heck, even the sound mixing worked for me this time! It’s THAT good!

Even if you are someone that don’t care for Christopher Nolan as a filmmaker, you can’t deny the man is doing everything in his integrity to keep the cinematic theatrical experience alive. With so many achievements underneath his belt, he has every excuse in the book to just play it safe with each new film he now releases and not feel the end to top himself every chance he gets. But thank the Greek gods he REFUSES to do that because man, I can’t think of a bleaker cinematic future in the 2020s if Oppenheimer and The Odyssey never became a thing. For as long as that man is making films, he will always act like a man on a mission, constantly aiming to reach a higher bar with each new film that he makes. I mean, can you name me ONE other director working in Hollywood that is able to CONSISTENTLY deliver films that always end up being in the top 10 highest grossing films of the year because of their name ALONE?! I bet you can’t and that what makes Christopher Nolan such a gift to cinema.

The Odyssey makes for yet another grand triumph from Christopher Nolan along with one of the best grand epics in recent memory, managing to defy all expectations and find new unforeseen boundaries to push. The story centering on Odysseus is captivating, the action sequences whether it involves the Trojan War, cyclops, or Matt Damon going full Jason Bourne are all brilliant, the cast is among the greatest ensembles of all time, and everything about the final hour of the film is so perfectly executed that it literally washed any gripes I had beforehand completely away. I can’t say I would have made every single creative and artistic decision that Nolan makes here but nearly every single one of those decisions is justified and is perfectly shown why onscreen.

Regardless if this is the best Christopher Nolan film or not, I don’t there is a film in his filmography that showcases the grand mindset that this man has had as a filmmaker for the past 30+ years. By constantly trying to find ways to outdo himself and providing you with even grander adventures with grander scales than before, this is Nolan yet again achieving a new level of high quality and a new meaning of absolute cinema! I can’t possibly know how he plans to top himself next time out but man, I will be the first in line for whatever he’s got next!

Although if the cave and “pig” scene is any indication and how ANOTHER certain big someone in Hollywood has reacted to The Odyssey, I think we have a certain genre that Nolan hasn’t tackled yet and a certain actor that Nolan hasn’t collaborated with yet could be a match made in heaven!

Please make it happen!