Top Five Film Genres: MCU

While all the Marvel films are very much of the same brand and have certain similarities that echo through the franchise, part of the reason I think the MCU has been able to maintain its success for so long is because its films play around with assorted genres.  There are exceptions – the Iron Man and Avengers films are pretty standard, if well-made, superhero movies – but throwing in different genre conventions puts a new spin on the typical comic-book film.

Thor

Thor isn’t the best of the Phase One films, but I really enjoyed it from the first time I saw it, and much of that is down to how different it is.  I love the fantasy-in-space Asgard setting and the gorgeous visuals that go along with it, as well as the Shakespearean-tragedy feel of all that goes down between Thor, Loki, and Odin.  Throw in a little fish-out-of-water comedy when Thor gets to Earth, and you wind up with a pretty ambitious film that, while not always cohesive, is always interesting.

Captain America:  The Winter Soldier

Even though The Winter Soldier clearly takes place in the 21^st century (unlike its predecessor, which was a legit superhero period piece,) the film still feels like a throwback, with beats and style that hearken back to Cold War-era political/spy thrillers.  True, Steve skipped over the Cold War while he was on ice, but the Winter Soldier didn’t, and the Russia connection, mixed in with all the crazy spy shenanigans and secret agents, makes it a perfect fit.

Guardians of the Galaxy

A little bit space western, a little bit space opera – it’s all good.  Guardians of the Galaxy is Marvel Does Star Wars by Way of Firefly, and I love the crap out of it.  Definitely the film (and subsequent sequel) that’s the furthest outside the typical Marvel oeuvre.  When these characters are brought into the wider fold with Infinity Wars, I’m curious to see how they mesh with the more grounded flagship characters (even the Thor movies don’t have the feel of this one, and it’s the least earthbound of the main franchises.)

Ant-Man

If you’d asked me what I needed from Marvel, “superpowered heist comedy” would not have been the first thing to spring to mind, but boy, does it work.  I love the Ocean’s Eleven-esque caper pulled off in miniature; the powers that come with Scott’s suit make it a unique enough film, but the genre play just adds flavor.

Jessica Jones

Aaaand one TV show, just for good measure.  Jessica Jones isn’t the first comic-book property to do superhero noir, but it does it very well indeed.  The mood fits the darker tone of the Netflix series in general, and of course, with Jessica working as a PI, the connection is a no-brainer.