Over the past decade, arguably no other studio has made a more meteoric rise than Marvel Studios. Back in 2008, a lot of people got prepared for Iron Man, the studio's debut feature, to be labelled a flop and a failure because of the supposed 'risks' (with fallen-from-grace star Robert Downey Jr. portraying a relatively unknown superhero and mostly inexperience blockbuster-director Jon Favreau at the helm). However, these cynics were proven wrong when Iron Man became a surprise hit with both audiences and critics, also helping to rejuvenate Robert Downey Jr.'s career along with fellow 2008 hit Tropic Thunder (the latter of which scored Downey Jr. an Academy Award nomination).
From there, Marvel Studios moved forward in often bold and courageous ways, bringing lesser-known and lesser-appreciated heroes like Captain America, Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy to the big screen in pleasantly surprising ways which exceeded many people's expectations. Parts of the risks Marvel took extended to both the actors cast as the heroes and the directors chosen to helm the films. When actors such as Downey Jr., Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johannson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk), Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star-Lord) and Dave Bautista (Drax the Destroyer) were announced, many people took to the internet to fiercely complain. However, every one of those casting choices quickly developed a large fan-base based on their acclaimed work in their respective films. Meanwhile, directors most well-known for their work on 'indie' films (or non-blockbuster fare) and TV such as Favreau (Iron Man and Iron Man 2), Kenneth Branagh (Thor), Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War), Shane Black (Iron Man 3), Alan Taylor (Thor: The Dark World) and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy and the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy 2) proved to be inspired choices who, along with more blockbuster-familiar directors such as Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) and Joe Johnston (Captain America: The First Avenger), all proved mostly up to the task of doing justice to Marvel's characters and their stories.
But Marvel's greatest risk turned out to be its greatest success when Joss Whedon, a veteran of beloved cult television but whose only prior film Serenity was a commercial flop, took the director's chair for the much-anticipated epic superhero team-up The Avengers (or Avengers Assemble, as it's sometimes known in the UK). While Whedon was considered a risk by some, his craftsmanship and individual voice shone through and The Avengers became not only an object of adoration for both critics and audiences alike, but also the third highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing superhero film of all-time to date (non-adjusted for inflation). The Avengers concluded Marvel's so-called 'Phase 1' of its film slate, so it's only fitting that 'Phase 2' concludes with the second outing for the Avengers as a team, Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Without Age of Ultron, this would still be one of Marvel Studios' busiest years yet. Not including the concluding half of Agents of SHIELD's second season, the studio will see three of their TV shows being shown: Agent Carter, Daredevil and A.K.A. Jessica Jones (Agent Carter is already half-way through its run in the US). Then there are the new plans to make a standalone film for newly-acquired superhero Spider-Man in 2017, along with the July release of Paul Rudd-Michael Douglas head-liner Ant-Man, which serves as the first step of 'Phase 3' in the cinematic universe. Throw Age of Ultron into the mix, and this is arguably Marvel Studios' most important year thus far. So, to commemorate the end of 'Phase 2', I will be reviewing all of Marvel Studios' films thus far, one per week, starting with Iron Man and ending with Age of Ultron. For the most part, I am a huge fan of this studio's output, and I'm looking forward to tackling every one of their films. So 11 reviews over 11 weeks... Let the countdown commence!
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