By Mario Ricciardi
Ah, springtime. I can almost smell the photosynthesis in the air. What better season is there to say goodbye to that extra layer of stomach fat and hello to swimsuit season anxiety? I’m seriously asking. Why do appearances even have to factor into it? Let’s be body positive now, people.
As another April comes to a close and the latest marketing campaign for the latest Marvel movie superhero-kicks its way into full superhero gear, I’ve been getting one very specific question over and over again from my peers over in the business school: “Mario, are you done with your part of the group project yet?” To which I reply, “Listen Karlis, the only group I care about right now is The Avengers, so why don’t you get off my back? Nerd.”
Then I remember I have the higher GPA, so I’m actually the nerd, and that maybe I should stop answering questions like this because I’m a sympathetic crier, and now two people are crying in the middle of Williamson. Long story short, the real question people should be asking is, “As someone who cares way too much about movies, Mario, what Marvel movies are your favorites?”
What a great question. Take a seat, make yourself at home, help yourself to an Udi’s Snickerdoodle.
5. “Guardians of the Galaxy” — I ended up seeing this one three times in theaters. I rarely see a movie twice, and I saw this underdog movie three times in one weekend. I also bought the soundtrack CD that weekend, as well. I really appreciated Marvel’s first attempt at doing a more straight forward comedy and to me, the pacing of the film was perfectly laid out for optimal enjoyment.
4. “Spiderman Homecoming” — The equivalent of mixing Marvel with John Hughes, Homecoming is a very good teen movie with some great superhero elements mixed in. It also contains the craziest twist in any Marvel film to date, one I’m not sure anything Endgame can throw at me will change. Not to mention, it was directed and produced by the people at one of my favorite YouTube channels, Waverly Films.
3. “Dr. Strange” — The one where Marvel gets theological. I always liked how the Marvel Universe has someone for every walk of life. For instance, Thor is a Norse God, Iron Man is a humanist, Captain America is Protestant and Daredevil is Roman Catholic. For “Dr. Strange” , Marvel takes a deep dive into the spiritual realm, and it’s a well-balanced film for believers and nonbelievers alike. It’s also, in my opinion, Marvel’s strongest film visually.
2. “Captain America: Winter Soldier” — Easily featuring the best action in any Marvel movie. It was the film that reminded us that Captain America is actually pretty cool. It replaces the lame Avengers version costume for something much cooler while throwing the audience into Marvel’s version of a ’70s espionage thriller. Although the film’s plot weakens toward the end of the second act, its characters successfully carry the film to the end.
1. “Iron Man” — The OG MCU Film. “Iron Man” didn’t shy away from a more realistic interpretation of the world in 2008. It didn’t go too dark (I’m looking at you “Dark Knight”), and it didn’t go too far up its own butt (Edward Norton’s “Hulk”). For me, “Iron Man” is one of our greatest superhero films because it manages blending the childlike thrill of being a superhero with very real, believable stakes. Also, Jeff Bridges is in it. Any movie that guy does is good.