Box Office Theory Forum’s Top 100 Disney Movies

[Arlborn]

4 hours ago, Eric Web said:

#180 - Nightmare Alley (217 points, 5 lists)

 

#179 - Sky High (219 points, 7 lists)

 

#178 - 10 Things I Hate About You (220 points, 4 lists)

 

#177 - Muppet Treasure Island (222 points, 5 lists)

 

#176 - Sister Act (223 points, 5 lists)

 

#175 - Air Force One (224 points, 4 lists)

 

#174 - The Village (225 points, 5 lists, avg. ranking #56)

 

#173 - Father of the Bride (225 points, 5 lists, avg. ranking #47)

 

#172 - Ant-Man (227 points, 7 lists)

 

#171 - The Piano (228 points, 4 lists)

Sister Act and Father of the Bride in only 5 lists?!

 

10 Things I Hate About You OUT of the top 100?!?! Only on 4 lists?!

 

Why do you all hate comedies?!
 

 

[Eric is Quiet]

#170 - Aladdin (2019) (229 points, 6 lists)

 

#169 - The Princess Diaries (230 points, 7 lists)

 

#168 - Spider-Man: Far From Home (233 points, 8 lists)

 

#167 - Prey (234 points, 6 lists)

 

#166 - Thor (237 points, 10 lists)

 

#165 - Shaolin Soccer (240 points, 6 lists)

 

#164 - Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (241 points, 8 lists)

 

#163 - The Santa Clause (243 points, 4 lists)

 

#162 - The Fox and the Hound (244 points, 7 lists)

 

#161 - Cinderella (2015) (253 points, 7 lists)

[cannastop]

I know Whisper of the Heart will not be in the top 100, but I do wonder how high it will be on the honorable mentions.

[Eric is Quiet]

#38

Bambi

1,211 points, 19 lists

"Eating greens is a special treat, It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat."

 

Box Office: 267.4M

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Metacritic: 91

Awards: 3 Academy Award nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award, 1 Hugo Award, 

 

Roger Ebert’s Review: N/A

 

Legacy: The final film of Disney's Golden Age. Features one of the saddest deaths in movie history. Was at one point the second-highest grossing animated movie ever. "Man" ranked #20 on AFI's Top 100 Movie Villains. #3 on AFI's Top 10 Animated Films. Inspired Paul McCartney to be an animal rights activist. Has appeared in numerous PSAs about wildfire prevention. Appeared in Kingdom Hearts. Earned a direct-to-video sequel. A remake is in development. Joined the National Film Registry in 2011. The kid who played Bambi became a decorated war veteran, because of course he did. Gave Paula Winslowe a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Basically the OG Lion King, Bambi gives us insights into the joys of childhood, the beauty of nature, and the importance of maturity, growth, and leadership more than 50 years prior to that film. And it honestly does that story better than Lion King, but you guys aren’t ready for that conversation.

 

The film is of course utterly adorable as we see this cute little fawn and his animal friends enjoy the wonders of nature. Yet there’s a dark undercurrent through the whole piece. One that reminds us that as much as we may appreciate our childhood nostalgia, there was danger and evil under all our noses, clouded by our fancy free days. The world we are living in is not properly conserved or taken care of, and could vanish at a moment’s notice. Death is around every corner and hurts the ones you love when you least expect it. Finding love, a partner requires effort on your end and isn’t something that’s just offered to you. And in a crazy world like ours, we need some sort of guidance. And in many cases, that guidance has to come from you. You have to be the one to make the world better and protect the next generation from the dangers and evil from before.

 

More than every other Disney movie, Bambi is the most true to life story that the Disney studios have ever put out. Life isn’t some 3-act story where everything is wrapped up in a bow in a happy resolution. Life has joyful moments, hardships, complicated situations, simple situations, and everything else in between. And this film illustrates it through a very sweet, very scary, very earnest look at the life of one deer and the forest he calls his home. And since then, no other Disney film has really captured that essence of life that Bambi so effortlessly created. And that’s okay. If anything, it just makes this special picture from Uncle Walt all the more special.

 

[Eric is Quiet]

#37

The Prestige

1,258 points, 21 lists

"Now you're looking for the secret. But you won't find it because of course, you're not really looking."

 

 

Box Office: 109.7M

Rotten Tomatoes: 76%

Metacritic: 66

Awards: 2 Academy Award nominations, 1 Empire Award and 2 nominations, 1 Hugo Award nomination, 5 Scream Award nominations

 

Roger Ebert's Review: "The pledge of Nolan's "The Prestige" is that the film, having been metaphorically sawed in two, will be restored; it fails when it cheats, as, for example, if the whole woman produced on the stage were not the same one so unfortunately cut in two. Other than that fundamental flaw, which leads to some impenetrable revelations toward the end, it's quite a movie -- atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic."

 

Its Legacy: The Nolan movie for hipsters. A reunion between Papa Nolan, Bale, Caine, Wally Pfister, Nathan Crowley, and Lee Smith. One of the best movies about magicians ever. A rare collaboration between bitter rivals Disney and WB. Gave Scarlett Johansson a paycheck.

 

Commentary: I already talked about this famed masterpiece from Papa Nolan pretty extensively in the Warner Bros. countdown I did a few months ago. Therefore, I’m not gonna spend too much time talking about this. But I guess I have to say a few words about it, or else @MrPink will throw a hissy fit.

 

And yeah, it’s a pretty interesting movie when you consider how this fits into Papa Nolan’s body of work. This was his last film before The Dark Knight came out and made him the biggest director in the world, and it also serves as an interesting end of an era for the man. Nowadays, Papa Nolan does nothing but big-budget spectacle, with tons of flash and pomp and circumstance. Which to be fair, he’s the only director who can get away with this kind of stuff, so I get it. But The Prestige is a good reminder that he could do small movies. And do small movies really well.

 

When you get down to it, The Prestige is just a story about jealousy, treachery, and man’s own hubris. Like Oppenheimer when you kind of think about it. And it’s done through two great lead performances and a stirring screenplay that shows how our greed, our egos, our obsessions, our desire to be the best, has dangerous, horrible consequences for yourself and the world itself. And it’s done through a story that’s tightly-paced and with no need for world-ending stakes. It’s honestly as silly as you can get, being about rival magicians. Sounds like an odd premise on paper, but Papa Nolan nailed it, and it’s a shame we’ll probably never see him nail something like this again.

 

But yeah...The Prestige. It’s good. I said it was good a few months ago and I'm saing it's good now. Moving on.

 

[Eric is Quiet]

#36

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

1,261 points, 20 lists

"Strike me down in anger and I'll always be with you. Just like your father."

Box Office: 1.334B

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Metacritic: 84

Awards: 4 Academy Award nominations, 2 BAFTA Award nominations, 5 Empire Awards and 4 nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 3 MTV Movie Award nominations

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: Showed once again that Star Wars fans are the worst. The first posthumous film for Carrie Fisher. The highest-grossing film of 2017 and the ninth-highest grossing film of all time. Serves as one of the best or worst Star Wars movies depending on who you ask. Caused Kellie Marie Tran to be harassed off social media. Made Rian Johnson one of the biggest in-demand talents in Hollywood. Gave Billie Lourd a paycheck.

 

Commentary: I knew this day would come eventually. Let me just...pull this back up again.

 

Quote

Yes, believe it or not, the general consensus of the forums will not automatically fit your tastes and sensibilities. All I ask is to please try to be respectful and courteous during the duration of this countdown, both to myself and to fellow BOT members. You don't have to agree with this, but you can act like a gentleman.

 

Alright. So. We’re all on the same page? We’re gonna act like adults over this stupid kids movie? Cool. Cool. Now then.

 

Lucasfilm and Star Wars in particular is in this weird zone where everybody loves them, but everybody hates them at the same time. We’re so oddly passionate over Star Wars as a concept, as a brand, as a story, and we all come into it in our own unique ways. And for so many, Last Jedi served as a shining example on what the franchise can be.

 

It’s certainly not hard to say the film doesn’t look impressive, with director Rian Johnson crafting a film that is full of incredible set pieces, awesome action, and dynamic visuals that haven’t looked this good in the franchise in ages. Just pumps you up and gets you in awe just by the look of it. A film that really does look and feel like one of the most expensive movies ever made.

 

And yeah, the story has earned its fair share of criticisms, but there’s still so much to admire. The film’s insights into classism, the battles, internal and external, about the mistakes of the past and moving on from grief, and discovering how to find yourself in a chaotic world like ours. Whether that be for good or for bad. Again, it’s hard not to see why at the very least this film resonated with so many from a thematic standpoint and why so many are passionate on the movie years later.

 

Alas, manbabies did a manbaby, which in turn meant we’re never getting another Star Wars movie ever again. Still, we got a pretty awesome movie out of it, and that’s all you need in life.

 

 

[The Panda]

46 minutes ago, Eric Web said:

#36

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

1,261 points, 20 lists

"Strike me down in anger and I'll always be with you. Just like your father."

Box Office: 1.334B

Rotten Tomatoes: 91%

Metacritic: 84

Awards: 4 Academy Award nominations, 2 BAFTA Award nominations, 5 Empire Awards and 4 nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 3 MTV Movie Award nominations

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: Showed once again that Star Wars fans are the worst. The first posthumous film for Carrie Fisher. The highest-grossing film of 2017 and the ninth-highest grossing film of all time. Serves as one of the best or worst Star Wars movies depending on who you ask. Caused Kellie Marie Tran to be harassed off social media. Made Rian Johnson one of the biggest in-demand talents in Hollywood. Gave Billie Lourd a paycheck.

 

Commentary: I knew this day would come eventually. Let me just...pull this back up again.

 

 

Alright. So. We’re all on the same page? We’re gonna act like adults over this stupid kids movie? Cool. Cool. Now then.

 

Lucasfilm and Star Wars in particular is in this weird zone where everybody loves them, but everybody hates them at the same time. We’re so oddly passionate over Star Wars as a concept, as a brand, as a story, and we all come into it in our own unique ways. And for so many, Last Jedi served as a shining example on what the franchise can be.

 

It’s certainly not hard to say the film doesn’t look impressive, with director Rian Johnson crafting a film that is full of incredible set pieces, awesome action, and dynamic visuals that haven’t looked this good in the franchise in ages. Just pumps you up and gets you in awe just by the look of it. A film that really does look and feel like one of the most expensive movies ever made.

 

And yeah, the story has earned its fair share of criticisms, but there’s still so much to admire. The film’s insights into classism, the battles, internal and external, about the mistakes of the past and moving on from grief, and discovering how to find yourself in a chaotic world like ours. Whether that be for good or for bad. Again, it’s hard not to see why at the very least this film resonated with so many from a thematic standpoint and why so many are passionate on the movie years later.

 

Alas, manbabies did a manbaby, which in turn meant we’re never getting another Star Wars movie ever again. Still, we got a pretty awesome movie out of it, and that’s all you need in life.

 

 

 

Deserves to be top 3 imo!

[Human]

I still have not seen The Last Jedi.  The only interest I have is seeing this spectacular badness I keep hearing about.

[4815162342]

4 hours ago, The Panda said:

 

Deserves to be top 3 imo!

 

 

Ok Panda pump the brakes a little

[Eric is Quiet]

1 hour ago, 4815162342 said:

 

 

Ok Panda pump the brakes a little

He’s just trying to cope over Air Bud not making the list. Let him grieve in his own terms.

[The Panda]

18 hours ago, 4815162342 said:

 

 

Ok Panda pump the brakes a little

The Last Jedi is on the fringe of my top 10 all time favorites. Only Disney contenders are ratatouille and technically spirited away by this contest’s rules.

[Eric is Quiet]

#160 - Chicago (255 points, 7 lists)

 

#159 - When Marnie Was There (256 points, 6 lists)

 

#158 - The Joy Luck Club (257 points, 5 lists)

 

#157 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire (266 points, 9 lists)

 

#156 - Monsters University (266 points, 8 lists)

 

#155 - Scary Movie (267 points, 7 lists)

 

#154 - The French Dispatch (268 points, 7 lists, avg. ranking #63)

 

#153 - The Rocketeer (268 points, 7 lists, avg. ranking #57)

 

#152 - Hocus Pocus (272 points, 6 lists)

 

#151 - Doubt (274 points, 5 lists)

[Eric is Quiet]

#35

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

1,271 points, 25 lists

"I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"

 

Box Office: 869.8M

Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Metacritic: 67

Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 1 Annie Award nomination, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 3 Teen Choice Awards and 3 nominations

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: The highest-grossing Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Earned a sequel, holiday special and spin-off series. Brought Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell to the MCU. Recieved its own What If? episode. Oft-considered the best movie in the trilogy. Gave Elizabeth Debicki a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Back when the 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy film hit the scene and became the surprise smash of the summer, everybody was waiting with bated breath on seeing what these now-iconic heroes were going to do next time. What other galaxies would they travel to? What was going to happen between Gamora and Nebula? How was Star-Lord going to develop? What’s Groot going to be like now that he’s not Groot anymore?

 

Sure enough, what resulted was a film that was action-packed and hilarious and stunningly gorgeous, as one might expect from the last movie. Yet it also enhances the themes from the last movie and gave us a film that hits the emotional core hard. It’s a movie about found family. How we can move on from past traumas and tough relationships and find better, stronger relationships with others who understand and relate to us better. It’s a movie about the importance of grief, of comfort, of forgiveness, while also acknowledging that there are some treatments so harsh and evil that you can’t forgive. And that’s okay. It’s a movie about toxic masculinity and how being a man doesn’t mean you should bottle your emotions nor think you are entitled to something. It’s a fairly progressive insight in manhood and redemption and emotional anguish that’s somewhat surprising from the edgelord Troma guy.

 

James Gunn would follow up Vol. 2 with the just as beloved Vol. 3. It probably would have made the top 100 if I allowed it, but rules are rules. Either way, James Gunn crafted what many consider the best Marvel trilogy ever made and has solidified these heroes as A-listers in the Marvel pantheon almost overnight. And his success gave him the keys to the DC Comics universe. Will Superman: Legacy continue his steady climb into being one of the coolest, strongest, most interesting directors in the current blockbuster landscape? Well, only time will tell. But I think I’ll go into more detail on that end a little later in the countdown.

 

Yeah. Spoiler alert: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 did make the countdown. I think you all expected that, so...yeah. Just...just wait a little bit.

 

[Eric is Quiet]

#34

The Nightmare Before Christmas

1,280 points, 24 lists

"Nice work, bone daddy."

Box Office: 101.2M

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Metacritic: 82

Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 1 Hugo Award nomination, 1 Golden Globe Award nomination, 2 Saturn Awards

 

Roger Ebert's Review: "Working with gifted artists and designers, [Henry Selick] has made a world here that is as completely new as the worlds we saw for the first time in such films as "Metropolis" (1927), "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" or "Star Wars." What all of these films have in common is a visual richness, so abundant that they deserve more than one viewing. First, go for the story. Then go back just to look in the corners of the screen, and appreciate the little visual surprises and inspirations that are tucked into every nook and cranny."

 

Its Legacy: The former highest-grossing stop motion movie of all time. Henry Selick's directorial debut. Considered one of the greatest animated films of all time. The first animated film nominated for Best Visual Effects. Given numerous re-releases in Disney Digital 3-D. Referenced in the Fargo series and by Blink-182. Has a dedicated cult following with numerous merchandise. Basically consists of 85% of all of Hot Topic's revenue. Appeared in Kingdom Hearts. Joined the National Film Registry in 2023. Gave Ken Page a paycheck.

 

Commentary: This stop-motion tale courtesy of former Disney animators Henry Selick and Tim Burton was an innovative one. One that, in many regards, defined the style, personality, and aesthetic of the medium in the coming decades. And considering the film’s inventiveness, creativity, and charm, it’s very easy to see why.

 

The story is a simple, but effective one. Basically a fable about cultural appropriation long before that became a hot topic, it’s a very charming bedtime story that looks at the iconography of holidays and plays around with them to great comic and creative effect. It’s a movie that focuses on a skeleton who is sick of his boring life and wants excitement, finding joy in the most contrasting worldview he had ever seen. It’s a film that teaches us about the importance of new things and the importance of curiosity, so long as you don’t encroach upon others or steal it for your own gain. It also helps that Jack Skellington is a sweetheart of a bone daddy, who is instantly endearing in his quest to bring Christmas to Halloween Town.

 

But of course, what really makes this stand out is the visual style. It’s gothic, dark, yet still classic and playful, giving that needed Disney touch to still make this accessible to younger viewers. It allows for a wholly unique and vibrant visual feast, with some of the most distinct and memorable character designs in any animated movie. It’s also a fantastic feature to watch in 3D technology, and thankfully Disney satiates that every couple of years on the big screen.

 

The film ended up being a decent hit at the time, and its popularity among Burton fans, Disney Adults, and Hot Topic emos has made it one of Disney’s most reliable moneymakers every single Christmas and Halloween season...even though Nightmare Before Christmas is not a Halloween movie, but whatever. Henry Selick has continued to make other stop-motion hits, and it’s arguable that him and Burton have continued to use this film as a template and reference point for future stop-motion releases. And while some have come close to this film’s success (Coraline, Corpse Bride), you just can’t beat the classics.

 

 

[Eric is Quiet]

#33

Mary Poppins

1,288 points, 20 lists

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!"

Box Office: 103.1M

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

Metacritic: 88

Awards: 5 Academy Awards and 8 nominations, 1 BAFTA Award, 1 Golden Globe Award and 3 nominations, 2 Grammy Awards

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: The former highest-grossing Disney movie of all time. The only Disney movie to earn a Best Picture nomination in Walt's lifetime. Parodied on The Simpsons. Referenced on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Helped build the Walt Disney World Monorail System. Turned Julie Andrews into a movie star. Appeared in the Disney Parks. #36 on AFI's Top 100 Songs and #6 on Top 100 Musicals. Was not liked by P. L. Travers. Earned a stage musical adaptation in 2004. Earned a movie based on the making of the movie, Saving Mr. Banks, in 2013. Earned a sequel in 2018. Joined the National Film Registry in 2013. Gave Dick Van Dyke a paycheck.

 

Commentary: 

I’ve said this before, but for me, a “masterpiece” isn’t always just a very good movie. In many ways, a masterpiece can serve as the culmination of an artists’ body of work. Something that takes everything an artist has learned and cultivated and put into one piece of art. All their skills, tools, crafts, and understanding of their work are used to great effect to create something that summarizes their works and exemplifies why they’re so good in the first place. And for Walt Disney, that masterpiece is Mary Poppins.

 

A passion project that dates back as far as 1938, a year after Snow White’s release, Walt was begging, pleading with P. L. Travers to take her books and make a movie out of them. Yet Travers refused for the longest time and only reluctantly said yes...and ultimately hated the movie. But for everybody else, they got to see a film that encapsulated all the magic and wonder and creativity that Walt Disney provided for decades. It’s an utterly charming story about family and respect, with a lesson for the parents more than the kids that your family is most important and that your children won’t be young forever. Show them love, show them you care, and let them enjoy their childhoods. You only get it once.

 

Through this fable, we are of course guided by Mary Poppins, the coolest witch on the planet. It made the already famous Julie Andrews into a full-blown icon, with one of the best performances in Disney and musical history. She’s stern and firm and strict and even vain. Yet also gentle, kind, loving, and utterly transcendent and magical. One of those perfect performances that you can only get once in a lifetime...though Emily Blunt came very, very, very, very close. She is what makes the whole project work and is the main factor as to why the film became such a classic.

 

Of course, there’s other things that helps her when it comes to this movie in particular. Dick Van Dyke is oh so lovable as the wanderlust, always excitable Bert, who just seems to love life and everything surrounding it. There’s the incredible setpieces, including wacky chimney sweepers, an Uncle Albert who floats when he laughs, and an incredible live-action/animation hybrid setpiece. And of course, there are the incredible tunes courtesy of the Sherman Brothers, which have transcended themselves into becoming some of the greatest songs in movie musical history. Songs like Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, A Spoonful of Sugar, and Chim Chim Cher-ee just never leave your head and still endure as just utterly captivating pieces of songwriting, with the catchiest, wittiest lyrics you will ever read.

 

It’s a technical marvel, a joyous celebration of life, childhood innocence, and family, and anchored by an incredible Oscar-nominated performance that made me a Julie Andrews diehard at the age of 5 and onwards. As Disney films go, very few have a legacy as proud and important as Mary Poppins, and the film’s immense popularity with young and old has made this feature an icon of musical cinema and a timeless, wonderful story that will never lose its magic and charm. Ever. It’s the only Disney film to earn a Best Picture nomination in Walt’s lifetime, and for good reason.

 

 

[DAR]

On 2/17/2024 at 6:34 PM, Arlborn said:

Sister Act and Father of the Bride in only 5 lists?!

 

10 Things I Hate About You OUT of the top 100?!?! Only on 4 lists?!

 

Why do you all hate comedies?!
 

 

I voted 10 Things 

[Eric is Quiet]

53 minutes ago, DAR said:

I voted 10 Things 

You didn't vote for 10 things, you voted for 100 things.

[Eric is Quiet]

#150 - The Aristocats (276 points, 8 lists)

 

#149 - Signs (277 points, 6 lists)

 

#148 - Cars (278 points, 10 lists)

 

#147 - Wendy (291 points, 5 lists)

 

#146 - Doctor Strange (293 points, 11 lists)

 

#145 - 101 Dalmatians (1996) (293 points, 6 lists)

 

#144 - Bedknobs and Broomsticks (294 points, 7 lists)

 

#143 - Life is Beautiful (295 points, 5 lists)

 

#142 - Bringing Out the Dead (298 points, 6 lists)

 

#141 - Pocahontas (299 points, 8 lists)

[Eric is Quiet]

#32

Avengers: Infinity War

1,292 points, 23 lists

"Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same."

Box Office: 2.052B

Rotten Tomatoes: 85%

Metacritic: 68

Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 1 Annie Award nomination, 1 BAFTA Award nomination, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 3 MTV Movie Award nominations

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: The fourth movie and first superhero movie to reach $2 billion. The fourth-biggest film of all time on its release. One of the most expensive movies ever made. Features one of the biggest cliffhangers in movie history. Had one of the biggest, most-viewed ad campaigns and trailers in movie history. Memed to death literally everywhere. Gave Josh Brolin a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Cramming six different superheroes into one movie seemed like a crazy idea. But then the Russos and Papa Feige did the unthinkable and added in every superhero in almost every other Marvel movie that came out. And while they were at it, might as well throw in Peter Dinklage, because why the fuck not?

 

And yet somehow, despite all the cramming and overstuffedness, despite all the headaches this could have potentially caused, Infinity War somehow worked. Really worked. Smartly grouping the heroes into three different groups in the narrative, we got ourselves an epic farce of superheroics, with numerous people butting heads and playing off one another, a lot of great story and character arcs, and tons of fun action and character moments. Then of course in the middle of it all is Thanos. The big scary purple dude who was hyped up to kingdom come for tons of movies finally got to show off to the people what he’s all about. And serving as somebody who is menacing and fierce, all that teasing and hype was worth it. He’s also sympathetic to some, with people saying he was right all along in killing half of humanity...those people are wrong, so...yeah.

 

And of course, there’s the ending. With Thanos actually victorious and half of humanity wiped out, it was a shocker of a finale. Sure, we all know the heroes are coming back, but it’s about the journey, not the destination. And it was still a huge cliffhanger that hit people emotionally and got them hyped for the big Avengers finale. To some, that ending solidified the film as one of the best Marvel movies ever. Better than Endgame. But did BOT think it was better than Endgame. Well...yeah. I know I’m spoiling things, but...we’re already so far into this list that...come on, you know it made the top 100. So...yeah. But hey! This is still a movie y’all were passionate over.

 

 

[Eric is Quiet]

#31

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

1,313 points, 18 lists

"Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?"

Box Office: 714.4M

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Metacritic: 70

Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 11 Saturn Award nominations, 1 Empire Award nomination, 2 MTV Movie Award nominations,

 

Roger Ebert's Review: N/A

 

Its Legacy: Brought Joe and Anthony Russo to the MCU. Solidified Captain America/Steve Rogers as one of the most crucial and beloved MCU characters. Introduced HYDRA, Sam Wilson/Falcon, and Winter Soldier to the franchise. Considered one of, if not the best film of Phase 2. Gave Garry Shandling a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Ladies and gentlemen, the film that took the MCU and the Infinity Saga from a 10 to an 11. Not just in all the epic plot developments that advanced the main story, not just in bringing in the golden boys of Joe and Anthony Russo to the MCU, but in creating layers of depth and intrigue to the universe. Showing that things aren’t black and white like Steve Rogers, and the audience for that matter, thought it was with the other movies.

 

The film focuses on government conspiracy and secrecy. Specifically how it takes a toll on somebody who used to serve as the face of said government and blindly believed what he was taught. It’s a movie that deconstructs the boy scout narrative that Captain America has had for so long, while also celebrating the virtues and honesty and power that the mantle has. Yes, our government is not very truthful and honest, but we can still push for and fight for the values supposedly parroted by our leaders and use it in our own ways. It added tons of layers to Steve, made him more identifiable to audiences, and helped elevate Rogers and Chris Evans’ performance for that matter as some of the best work in comic book movie history.

 

Then of course, you have ScarJo returning as Black Widow, giving us a better Black Widow movie than the actual Black Widow movie we got seven years later, the introduction of Falcon and Winter Soldier, both of whom have become fan favorites and major shipping foils to Steve, and some of the hardest, toughest, strongest action seen in an MCU movie. It’s through these fun elements mixed in with the serious and complex that it elevated and matured the MCU into something even greater than what came before. Without it, Marvel wouldn’t be the same. So thank goodness it’s here.