the avengers | The Film Magazine https://www.thefilmagazine.com A Place for Cinema Tue, 16 May 2023 14:36:32 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.2 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cropped-TFM-LOGO-32x32.png the avengers | The Film Magazine https://www.thefilmagazine.com 32 32 85523816 Marvel Cinematic Universe Villains Ranked https://www.thefilmagazine.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-villains-ranked/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-villains-ranked/#respond Wed, 29 Nov 2023 17:00:31 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=29163 The supervillains of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) ranked from worst to best. List includes Loki, Thanos, The High Evolutionary, Killmonger, Kang and more. By Sam Sewell-Peterson.

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Who doesn’t love to watch a great comic book movie villain being bad? Put your hand down, Captain America!

Over 15 years and 33 films, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has thrown countless seemingly insurmountable obstacles and more than a few apocalyptic events at their line-up of superheroes trying to save the world, the universe and reality itself. Their villains are at the head of all of this; crazed scientists, treacherous government agents, brutal alien warlords, amoral industrialists, gods and monsters and everything in between, an MCU villain can be so many things. Some were unfortunately the weakest elements in the movies they appeared in, being either generic, poorly served by the script or misjudged in their performances, while others ended up being memorable highlights even above the title costumed characters. 

There are often multiple antagonists in these superhero stories so we’ve tried to stick to one villain per MCU film. This is except where it’s the same antagonist carried over into a sequel film, and in cases where there’s more than one threat to our heroes. In these instances, we’ve focussed on the most active baddies or the masterminds of the various diabolical plots.

This ranking will be based on the level of threat the various bad guys pose to our supremely skilled and miraculously superpowered heroes, the diabolical creativity of their respective master plans and the sheer evilness of their actions. Spoilers ahead!

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31. Malekith – Thor: The Dark World (2013)

“Look upon my legacy, Algrim. I can barely remember a time before the light.” 

A dark elf conqueror with a vendetta against Asgard for a defeat in ancient times, Malekith is reawakened and plots to snuff out the light across the universe (because his kind really like the darkness of the void).

A hugely distinct and memorable villain from the comics became one of the most boring to ever antagonise a superhero movie. Whatever Christopher Eccleston was trying to do with his performance after undergoing many uncomfortable hours in the makeup chair was lost in a brutally hacked film edit and an all-round po-faced determination to live up to the “dark” of the title.

Note: dark is not the same as interesting. 


30. Ivan Vanko/Whiplash – Iron Man 2 (2010)

“You come from a family of thieves and butchers, and like all guilty men, you try to rewrite your history.”

Whiplash is a Stark-hating, parrot-loving nuclear physicist/inventor with arc reactor-powered whips and an army of drones to carry out his revenge.

Mickey Rourke got a lot of jobs in quick succession as various shades of tough guy in this period. The Wrestler this is not, and he doesn’t exactly stretch himself as Ivan, offering a barely passable Russian accent and playing with a toothpick as a poor substitute for a more intricate characterisation as he plots vaguely defined Cold War-fuelled vengeance on Tony Stark and the American Military Industrial Complex.




29. Emil Blonsky/Abomination – The Incredible Hulk (2008)

“If I took what I had now, and put it in a body that I had ten years ago, that would be someone I wouldn’t want to fight.”

Abomination is an unstable British Black Ops asset who volunteers for a series of dangerous experimental super soldier treatments in order to capture the Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk worked best when it was Marvel’s answer to a Universal Monster movie, but one of its weakest elements was having Blonsky as its villain. Roth is fine, but he just wasn’t all that threatening, the character thinly sketched as a violent jerk with a superiority complex. When he finally transforms into his bony green alter ego Abomination for a CG smashathon in Harlem, it becomes almost impossible to care.

Recommended for you: Once More with Feeling – 10 More of the Best Remakes


28. Dar-Benn – The Marvels (2023)

“I always come back.”

Continuing what Ronan the Accuser started, Kree warrior Dar-Benn seeks to unite the two powerful Cosmic Bands in order to open portals across the galaxy to pillage resources from countless worlds to restore her dying planet of Hala and reassert her species’ dominance in the galaxy.

The problem with Dar-Benn is not her evil-for-the-right-reasons master plan or her relative threat level to our heroes (which is considerable considering that with space-magical enhancement she can hold her own against three formidable supes at once), it’s that there’s nothing else to her.

We needed more time for layers to come though Zawe Ashton’s broad, pantomimey performance and she too often feels like a retread of the kinds of villains we’ve seen in the MCU many times before, just a means to an end.


27. Ava Starr/Ghost – Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

“It hurts. It always hurts.”

The Marvels Review

A scientist’s daughter with an unnatural condition that causes her to painfully phase in and out of the physical realm, Ghost resorts to stealing Pymtech to survive.

Ghost is an admirable attempt to make something interesting out of a gimmicky physics-based villain. The character is let down not by Hannah John-Kamen’s engaging and tortured performance but by her essential irrelevance to the film’s main plot and lack of enough meaningful screen time. It’s almost like they only decided late in the day that Ant-Man and the Wasp should have an antagonist at all, and that may have been the wrong decision for this particular movie. 


26. Ronan – Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

“I don’t recall killing your family. I doubt I’ll remember killing you either.”

Ronan is a Kree fanatic who courts war and is gathering enough power to wipe the planet Xandar from the galaxy.

Ronan, with his war paint, samurai helmet and big hammer has a strong look, and thanks to Lee Pace he is given an imposing presence and a rumbling voice. But you’d struggle to claim he had much in the way of depth as a character. He wants a weapon to destroy a planet because because he’s from a war-like race and that’s about it, though Pace’s affronted expression and confused “what are you doing?” as Star-Lord dances in front of him as he’s trying to trigger an apocalypse is pretty memorable.




25. Darren Cross/Yellowjacket – Ant-Man (2015)

“Did you think you could stop the future with a heist?”

Ant-Man Review

Hank Pym’s protégé, ouster and successor at his company, Yellowjacket seeks to weaponise and sell Pym’s shrinking technology to the highest bidder.

Marvel has a lot of evil CEOs in its rogues gallery and Corey Stoll brings plenty of punchable arrogance to his performance as Darren Cross. He murders rivals and exterminates animal test subjects without second thought, seemingly motivated by Pym not trusting him with the secrets of his technology (though really it’s because he enjoys doing it). 

Cross does have probably the most gruesome villain death in the MCU so far, and it’s no more than he deserves.

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MCU Marvel Cinematic Universe Movies Ranked https://www.thefilmagazine.com/mcu-marvel-cinematic-universe-movies-ranked/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/mcu-marvel-cinematic-universe-movies-ranked/#respond Tue, 28 Nov 2023 18:10:45 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=35187 Every Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie ranked from worst to best. List includes 'Iron Man', 'Black Panther', 'The Marvels' and 'Avengers: Endgame'. By Sam Sewell-Peterson.

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It might seem an obvious way to start a piece counting down every entry in the biggest movie franchise in history with an over-used quote from the same franchise. But we’re going to do it anyway, so take it away, Nick Fury: 

“There was an idea…”

Said idea was different to almost every version of the big screen superhero seen previously. Rather than each costumed hero existing in their own sealed-off vivariums, what if they could all share one interconnected universe containing a single ever-evolving and expansive story?

Once the idea gained traction, billions of dollars, and many “phases” of franchise continuity, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) became the envy of every studio with a lucrative intellectual property to siphon and thus many attempts were made to replicate the success of the “Marvel Formula”.

Much like the James Bond series in the decades before it, the MCU is primarily a producer-led franchise, the ultimate mastermind behind the project being Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, though distinct directors like Jon Favreau, Joss Whedon and Taika Waititi have certainly left their mark on their respective entries in the ongoing series.

What keeps us (and wider box office audiences) coming back, aside from the ever-increasing levels of superhero spectacle and long-form storytelling borrowing liberally from 80-plus years of comic books, is the time you’re afforded to grow to love the characters and their relationships with each other, especially in the ambitious team-up Avengers movies.

In this edition of Ranked we at The Film Magazine are assessing every entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and because fans have very different opinions on the best, the worst and everything in between regarding this series, we’ve attempted to find a balance between average critical consensus and general audience reception, as well as genre innovation and the lasting impact on popular culture, to order all of them definitively from worst to best.

Ladies and gentlemen, for your consideration… Every MCU Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Ranked.

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).


33. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

“A guy dressed like a bee tried to kill me when I was six. I’ve never had a normal life.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Review

The Ant-Man films are probably the most inconstant sub-series in the MCU, quality wise, but because the final chapter of their trilogy tries to go both big and small, it well and truly overreaches itself.

Pitting the Lang/Van Dyne family against Kang the Conqueror in the Quantum Realm, force of nature Jonathan Majors playing a fascinating villain isn’t quite enough to save Peyton Reed’s threequel from being just an eye-catching jumble of mismatched, tonally confusing ideas.

For Kang’s first, less maniacal appearance and the start of this whole Multiverse Saga, make sure to watch Season 1 of ‘Loki’.




32. Eternals (2021)

“We have loved these people since the day we arrived. When you love something, you protect it.”

Eternals Review

Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) is a great director, no doubt, but she was just not a good fit for the MCU in this story of space gods guiding humanity’s progress. Considering the usually grounded and singular vision of her work, this was a particularly crushing disappointment for most audiences.

The ambition and epic millennia-spanning scope of Eternals sadly did not pay off in this jarring, misjudged slog of a final product that couldn’t even be saved by a stellar and diverse cast. 


31. The Marvels (2023)

“Listen to me, you are chosen for a greater purpose. So you must go. But I will never let you go.”

The Marvels Review

The Marvels smartly builds a lot of its appeal around its central team-up of Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan as their power usage causes them to swap places across the universe, but their found family warmth and oodles of charisma can’t overcome all the film’s flaws.

This needed more purposeful storytelling, a villain that doesn’t feel like a retread of what came before and more direct confrontation of the darker implications of the story. The musical elements will likely make an already decisive movie more so, but the MCU overall could do with some more audacious imagery like what Nia DaCosta does with alien cats.

Watching ‘Wandavision’ and ‘Ms Marvel’ through beforehand will certainly help you connect with two of the three leads that bit quicker.


30. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

“Whosoever holds these weapons, and believes in getting home, if they be true of heart is therefore worthy, and shall possess… for limited time only, the power… of Thor!”

Thor: Love and Thunder Review

Taika Waititi is the kind of distinct voice that gave the MCU a jolt in the arm when it was most needed, and he was vital in reinvigorating the Thor series, but the tonal balance and technical polish certainly felt off in 2022 release Thor: Love and Thunder.

Good performances from Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale, and some memorable set pieces aside, Thor’s latest adventure battling a god-killer with his now superpowered ex-girlfriend Jane Foster at his side feels like too many mismatched stories smashed together.

Recommended for you: Taika Waititi Films Ranked


29. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

“One son who wanted the throne too much, and other who will not take it. Is this my legacy?”

The God of Thunder’s third film appearance tries to live up to its title with a story of dark elves trying to snuff out all light in the universe. Sadly, a late change in director – Alan Taylor taking over from would-be Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins – and extensive Loki-centric reshoots didn’t help an already disjointed film feel any less so.

Thor’s dynamic with his Earthbound friends is still funny and more Loki (shoehorned in or not) is always a good thing with Tom Hiddleston in the role, but the storytelling is inconsistent at best and Christopher Eccleston under heavy prosthetics as Malekith may be the most boring villain in the MCU so far.




28. Iron Man 2 (2010)

“The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself, which is tantamount to indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on what state you’re in.”

The MCU’s first direct sequel went bigger and darker with Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark fighting a vengeful Russian inventor, a rival industrialist and potentially fatal health problems. Unfortunately, this ended up being a much less focussed, overblown and not all that compelling movie.

Scarlet Johansson makes her debut as Black Widow here, though she’s just a generic sexy spy at this point and not yet given the dimensions other writers would later bestow. The action is decent enough, but you wouldn’t lose out on much of you skipped over Iron Man 2 on your next MCU rewatch.


27. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

“You know, I know a few techniques that could help you manage that anger effectively.”

Lacking the clear intentions and boldness of many subsequent MCU movies, The Incredible Hulk is stylistically old-fashioned but works slightly better if you view this as a big-budget tribute to sympathetic monster movies (this one was made by Universal, after all).

A movie filled with false starts and one-off appearances (most obviously Edward Norton’s Bruce Banner would be recast with Mark Ruffalo for The Avengers in 2012), very little was carried over to the wider franchise right up until Tim Roth’s reappearance in ‘She-Hulk’ fourteen years later.

This is generally uninspiring stuff, with its most interesting man-on-the-run elements cribbed from the 1970s ‘Incredible Hulk’ TV show.

Recommended for you: Where to Start with Universal Classic Monsters

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MCU Movies Ranked – The First 15 Years https://www.thefilmagazine.com/every-mcu-marvel-cinematic-universe-movie-ranked/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/every-mcu-marvel-cinematic-universe-movie-ranked/#respond Sun, 04 Dec 2022 21:00:25 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=21400 All 30 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, from 'Iron Man' to 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' released 2008-2022, ranked from worst to best. List by Joseph Wade.

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the most popular franchises in history, as proven by its position as the 9th highest-grossing media franchise in any medium ever. Since its relatively recent inception in 2008, this juggernaut of the film industry has amassed an estimated $39billion from box office receipts, merchandise deals, home video sales and so on, with an astonishing $26billion of that coming from the box office alone. The thirty-strong series of films has grossed more across the board in 15 years than Batman has in 83, than Barbie has in 35, than The Simpsons, than James Bond, than Dragon Ball, than Call of Duty. It truly is a phenomenon.

On the screen, Marvel Studios’ trusted output has been received positively by critics and audiences alike, the majority of its thirty feature releases being well received and worthy of their hype, even their so-called “calculated risks” being more often refreshing to their already established formula than detrimental to their overall output.

Cinema has been forever changed by the dawn of Marvel’s big screen dominance and old-school serial approach to storytelling, Disney’s newly ordained crown jewel inspiring every rival studio and aspirational production company to gobble up trusted IPs and set forth plans for so-called Movie Universes based around everything from fellow superheroes to famous board games, reinvented children’s cartoons to horror characters.

In this edition of Ranked, we at The Film Magazine are putting the world’s most influential film franchise under the microscope to compare every feature length Marvel release with one another to determine which MCU films are the best and which are the worst, judging each on artistic merit and cultural impact.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter


30. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

the incredible hulk 2008 movie screengrab

To this day, Louis Leterrier’s 2008 MCU contribution The Incredible Hulk is the forgotten member of the family. And, while this isn’t necessarily this distinctly average film’s fault and is actually more to do with Edward Norton refusing to return to his role as the Hulk following strained relationships with both director and studio, as well as how the rights to the Hulk character are locked in a contract that limits Marvel Studios from telling a standalone story with Mark Ruffalo, a lot can still be said for how dated this film is – The Incredible Hulk playing a lot more like Spider-Man 3, Fantastic Four and X-Men: Origins – Wolverine than the later and much more tasteful Marvel Studios offerings to come in this list.

Recommended for you: Every X-Men Movie Ranked


29. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

The worst of a bad bunch of uninspired sequels, Alan Taylor’s Thor: The Dark World not only seemed absent of the comedy and much of the mythology of the original Thor film but it also hit at precisely the wrong time – that being between the much more highly anticipated Iron Man 3 and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the year after the original The Avengers.

Thor 2 was generic in a Suicide Squad “angry swirl of evil descending from the sky for no reason” kind of way; a movie so uninspired Chris Hemsworth has openly spoken about how he almost quit the role because of it; a perfectly serviceable sequel (especially at the time), but one of little consequence or imagination that few get excited to rewatch – an MCU entry that time hasn’t been very kind to.




28. Iron Man 2 (2010)

The first Iron Man was such a huge success creatively, artistically, critically and financially for Marvel Studios that a quick-turnaround 2nd movie was demanded to bolster Phase One’s launch – a period in the history of the MCU that was a lot more rocky than many are willing to admit.

Iron Man 2 was a failure in all of the ways Iron Man was a success, apart from financially, offering bland and sometimes barely comprehensible moments of action, dialogue and character. As a result, Iron Man 2 fits right in alongside the likes of The Amazing Spider-Man as a very particular brand of cheesy and uninspired comic book movie that was made more to earn a quick buck than it was to fulfil any creative or artistic need. It has its moments – which movie starring Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man doesn’t? – but thankfully the MCU has proven itself to be better than this in its other phases since.


27. Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)

Ant-Man 2 Movie

Coming between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame – ie, post-snap – Ant-Man and The Wasp was put in an awful position to succeed, the creative minds behind the film having to choose between embracing the actions of Infinity War or ignoring them altogether. They chose the latter (at least until the film’s final moments), but what fans wanted was something of an indicator as to what was to come in Endgame, or at least a taste of post-Infinity War’s MCU landscape, and the comedy-centred light-heartedness of an Ant-Man movie was an example of Marvel Studios not taking a minute to read the room.

More than that, Ant-Man and The Wasp felt scaled down from the original, its outlandish creative ideas brought into line with the wider MCU look and feel of things, making what seemed like a promising sequel to a moving and hilarious comedy one of the studio’s most formulaic and typically “superhero movie” releases to date – the “formula” not being necessarily bad, but certainly overplayed.


26. Eternals (2021)

Eternals Review

Eternals came with a lot of hope and expectation given the nature of the original material it was being adapted from and how it was the first MCU entry to be directed by an Oscar-winning director (Chloé Zhao). Ultimately, it proved too much of a mix of the trusted Marvel formula and director Zhao’s trademark directorial style, the clashes between action and existentialism forcing a disjointed rhythm in the filmmaking that made Eternals feel way longer than it was (which was one of the longest MCU films in history) and hit home way less effectively than anyone would have hoped.

As a product of the world’s largest production arm, Eternals was hopefully diverse from cast to crew, but ultimately this release had two authorial presences that seemed to clash on screen, this already troubling combination being amplified by its position in the MCU as a part of the studio’s fourth phase and thus responsible for a number of story elements and character introductions barely relevant to its standalone narrative.


25. Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)

Thor: Love and Thunder Review

Despite featuring one of the most empathetic and exceptionally-performed villains in Marvel Cinematic Universe history, Thor: Love and Thunder was a messy fourth instalment in the God of Thunder’s individual franchise, a film that flipped between tones as if at a loss at how to create both meaningful drama and laugh-out-loud comedy.

In comparison to post-2012 Marvel releases, the action was relatively poor too. Gone were the exceptionally choreographed sequences of the mainstream Avengers films or the differing styles of Black WidowDoctor Strange and Shang-Chi, and in its place were bland and almost inconsequential battles repeated, a few moments of awe failing to rectify for a movie’s worth of oversights.

Thor: Love and Thunder is an enjoyable time at the movies. It will make you laugh and it does have some interesting moments, but these pros are simply too few and far between to make for a strong (or even meaningful) MCU entry.


24. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 Robert Downey Jr Shane Black Movie

Adored by some and maligned by others, Iron Man 3 simply came about much too early, screenwriter-director Shane Black’s offerings of genre and trope deconstructions – most notably the choice to twist a genuinely fascinating villain into a trope-ridden stereotypical bad guy as a form of commentary – being things usually reserved for the dying days of a genre, not for one of its peaks.

This film was the follow up to The Avengers where Tony Stark had almost died, so Black’s smarts didn’t hit as they could have much later in the studio’s line-up – people wanted emotion and stakes, as well as suitable conclusions to character arcs, and Black’s work was seen to undermine that, the very strong work in several aspects of this film ultimately shunned to the background of a film dominated by a creator’s singular intention seemingly forced into the canon at the wrong time.

Recommended for you: 5 Great Comedies from the Past 5 Years That You Should Watch To Keep You Going

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10 Most Important Comic Book Movies Ever https://www.thefilmagazine.com/10-most-important-comic-book-movies-ever/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/10-most-important-comic-book-movies-ever/#respond Mon, 16 May 2022 15:30:17 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=27558 What are the most important comic book movies of all time? Which superhero films are the most influential? Find out in this Movie List from The Film Magazine by Joseph Wade.

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Comic book film adaptations have become the gold standard of fantasy escapism on the big screen and the subject of devotion for masses of people. Like the westerns and musicals that came before them, superhero movies have represented a peak in genre popularity that has held lasting appeal. Having made tens of billions of dollars so far, these adaptations have become studio tentpole event movies for an entire generation, their reach being one that can cross divides such as age differences, class differences, political allegiances, nationalities, and even languages.

Batman, Spider-Man, The Avengers and more have become the new Hollywood A-List, and the movies of Marvel, DC and so on, have proven to be greatly influential when it comes to the direction of Hollywood itself. Their importance is unquestioned, their power and dominance unrivalled; but what are the films that brought us here? Which comic book movies have been the most important in establishing the genre, shaping it, moulding it?

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we offer the 10 Most Important Comic Book Movies Ever. These films have been judged with regard to their importance to the landscape in which they were released, their lasting influence, and their roles in bringing about change and revolution to both the comic book genre and, further, cinema itself.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter.


1. Superman (1978)

There were superhero films released before Superman in 1978, but besides the TV movie Batman (1966) there was little by way of memorable fare or major productions. Richard Donner’s big budget studio-driven offering changed all that.

By 1978 Superman was already a cornerstone of American culture, a poster boy for the best of the best and the values we should all strive to uphold. He was America’s unproblematic hero in a time of great division, heightened paranoia, and conspiracy come to life. Warner Bros put an astonishing $55million behind bringing him to the big screen, which in relation to modern day $200-300million movies may not seem like a lot but in context to releases of the time was an astronomical amount: just a few years earlier The Godfather had been made for $6million, Jaws for $9million, and Star Wars for $11million; even 80s hits like E.T., Indiana Jones and Back to the Future were made for under $20million. But Superman embodied society’s need for escapism and, as such, the budget seemed well spent. Superman birthed the modern superhero’s position at the top of the box office, crowning its run with close to $300million in box office receipts at a time of great financial destitution, but perhaps most importantly it reminded the world that Hollywood could still offer the best form of fantastical escapism, the burgeoning television market left in the dust.

Clean cut, better-than-good heroes have rarely been so exceptional, and the superhero genre would not be what it is without Donner and star Christopher Reeve in particular. The themes, tropes and expectations founded in their work have since proven to be the backbone of every film on this list.

Recommended for you: Superman Movies Ranked




2. Blade (1998)

A studio actioner led by an African American was important even before the mainstream conversation caught up, and Blade was probably the first non-Batman comic book adaptation to look and feel like the superhero juggernauts to come.

Without Blade we would not have got the next film on this list, nor many of the comic book films released in the 2000s. Wesley Snipes’ vampire hunter was brought to life in a sub-par era headlined by Steel and Judge Dredd, and yet it burst through the narrow expectations set by other films in the genre to become something altogether more memorable. It was, in the midst of the late 90s’ boom of youth culture, embraced as the antithesis of the campy, family-orientated, (mostly) cheap movies that had made up the comic book adaptations of the decade, its R rating (18 in the UK) giving it an edge that the rebellious teens of Generation X ate up as readily as their hardcore wrestling and Nu metal. Blade all-but saved superhero cinema after its brief Batman bubble was brutally burst by Joel Schumacher and Warner Bros in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, and set a new template for what comic book adaptations could be. The rest is history.

The proof of Blade’s importance as an early comic book film comes via this one simple fact: before Blade, Marvel had only ever allowed one of their properties to be adapted for film and released in cinemas, the box office dud Howard the Duck – after Blade, they partnered with studios on eighteen different releases in the next ten years, two Blade sequels included. This 1998 film was revolutionary for comic book IP licensing and thus the future of the blockbuster landscape, and Wesley Snipes’ on-screen presence helped to legitimise the comic book film adaptation as a concept whilst reinforcing the importance of representation on screen.

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100 Greatest Films of the 2010s https://www.thefilmagazine.com/100-greatest-films-2010s/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/100-greatest-films-2010s/#respond Wed, 01 Jan 2020 20:58:21 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=16513 The Film Magazine's selections of the 100 Greatest Films of the 2010s, a decade in which some of the most important work the art form has ever seen has been produced.

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An entire decade of cinema has come and gone, and during the 2010s the industry has evolved exponentially with criticism transforming in line with this evolution and the development of internet trends particularly. We’ve seen filmmakers rise to prominence and others fade from the public eye, we’ve welcomed new stars and sadly lost many more. What follows are the 100 Greatest Films of the 2010s; a list collated, ordered and written by Jason Lithgo and Joseph Wade of The Film Magazine to commemorate a decade of cinema that has come to shape many of us, the writers of this list included. We’ve ordered the films based on a number of factors with the most important being artistry and value to the art form, but the others being critical reception and audience reaction.

Lists like these are created with the utmost passion and love, but they’re also created to engage your own thoughts on the subject. If you have any thoughts you’d like to voice, please make sure to leave them in the comments at the end of this article or tweet us!

List set by UK release dates.


100. The Avengers (2012)

Dir: Joss Whedon

The 2010s may not have spawned the era of superhero films, but it was certainly the decade they were risen to their current record-crushing heights, and arguably none of that would have been possible without the exciting first-ever team-up of Marvel’s mightiest heroes in the Joss Whedon directed The Avengers (also known as Avengers Assemble) in 2012.

Starring would-be A-Listers personifying iconic characters, fantastical elements and all-out action, The Avengers was an important moment in time both from an industry standpoint and an audience standpoint, the formula it worked to coming to define the entire decade.

Recommended for you: Every MCU Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Ranked


99. Short Term 12 (2013)
Dir: Destin Daniel Cretton

98. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow

97. Blue Valentine (2010)
Dir: Derek Cianfrance

96. Black Panther (2018)
Dir: Ryan Coogler

“Marvel’s boldest move yet in many ways. It’s one of the darkest and most violent of the studio’s offerings so far, but it’s also one of the most fun and full of life.” – Sam Sewell-Peterson’s review.

95. The Kids Are Alright (2010)
Dir: Lisa Cholodenko

94. Good Time (2017)
Dir: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie

93. Under the Shadow (2016)
Dir: Babak Anvari

92. The House That Jack Built (2018)
Dir: Lars von Trier

91. Bridesmaids (2011)
Dir: Paul Feig

90. Amy (2015)
Dir: Asif Kapadia

89. Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Dir: David O. Russell

88. Booksmart (2019)
Dir: Olivia Wilde

“this picture’s strong and tasteful mix of characters [work] to compliment the progressive themes of this genuinely funny, hearty and at times downright emotional movie headlined by two superlative performances. Not since Superbad has the genre delivered such a bonafide classic.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

87. Snowpiercer (2013)
Dir: Bong Joon Ho

86. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Dir: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

“This is more than a superhero movie, it’s a defining moment in modern cinema.” – Joseph Wade’s review.

85. Gone Girl (2014)
Dir: David Fincher

84. Only God Forgives (2013)
Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn




83. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Dir: George Miller

Mad Max: Fury Road was so much of a surprise smash hit with audiences and critics that it became a meme. “From the director of Babe: Pig in the City” became the running joke, George Miller’s exhile into mediocre studio-driven fare well and truly ended by his return to the Mad Max franchise he’d built from the 70s onwards, Fury Road earning 10 Oscar nominations (including 6 wins), a moment that marked an important evolution for the Academy that had for over a decade refused to acknowledge most action films in any way, shape or form at their popular and prestigious awards.


82. Dogtooth (2010)
Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos

81. The Skin I Live In (2011)
Dir: Pedro Almodóvar

80. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Dir: Lee Unkrich

79. I Saw the Devil (2010)
Dir: Jee-woon Kim

78. Amour (2012)
Dir: Michael Haneke

77. Inception (2010)
Dir: Christopher Nolan

76. The Babadook (2014)
Dir: Jennifer Kent

Recommended for you: 10 Best Horror Movies of the 2010s

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A Tip of the Cap: Saying “So Long” to Steve https://www.thefilmagazine.com/a-tip-of-the-cap-saying-so-long-to-steve/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/a-tip-of-the-cap-saying-so-long-to-steve/#respond Fri, 17 May 2019 18:29:21 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=13688 Jacob Davis says "so long" to Captain America Steve Rogers in a spoiler-filled piece on the famed hero's on-screen journey.

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The Russos put together a superhero film in Endgame with dozens of heroes, a time travel plot that visits past movies and an epic battle for the fate of humankind. They had to walk the line of fan service, balance the lighthearted and the dour, and give satisfying conclusions to arcs going back eleven years, established by different writers and directors. I am once again stunned by their ability to execute such an unbelievably difficult task. Kevin Feige, the Russos, and the whole of the MCU have set the cinematic standard for event films.

Beyond the impressiveness of being able to successfully make this film, what I like about Endgame is that it’s wholly contingent on past films while also existing as its own chapter – to call this Infinity War 2 would be reductive. The characters follow new arcs in this film; Thor deals with his failure to save the world and resulting depression, Tony has to choose between the greater good and his own self-interest in a new way, and Cap… his journey is probably the most interesting.

Goodbye Captain America

I’ve never been a fan of Captain America. I found the character boring because his defining trait was being super moral. He’s the ultimate good guy that constantly puts the needs of the many over his own. He’s the antithesis to Tony, as evidenced in Avengers, Ultron and Civil War (I was Team Stark in that battle, superhero regulation is the real inevitability). In The First Avenger, Steve Rogers is scrawny but plucky and brave. He epitomizes what Captain America is expected to be, and receives the Super Soldier Serum to gain his superhuman abilities. 

Even with the serum Cap is still human, but not in the same way as Tony Stark. When he wakes up in The Avengers, Cap is a man out of time. His old-fashioned good guy stereotype might have been a necessary counter-balance to Tony, but it wares on a viewer like me who has watched too much “Breaking Bad” or “Game of Thrones”. What is Captain America’s flaw? The fact that I’m asking that betrays the heart of the problem; he’s more Captain America than he is Steve Rogers. While this could very well be intentional, it makes for a boring film character. Meanwhile, the other characters in the MCU feel like real people rather than a virtuous paragon that embodies the Protestant ethic, and the decision to make Captain America that paragon in a post-Iraq (and post-Vietnam, and post-Iranian destabilization, and post-Indigenous American genocide, etc.) world struck me as discordant. Captain America as a symbol for the ultimate good is boring.

In Endgame, I really think Cap shows growth from previous films. Where he once would use brawn, he uses his brain – when Captain America gets on an elevator with undercover HYDRA agents, a reenactment of the scene in Winter Soldier, he poses as an agent of HYDRA himself to accomplish his goal rather than beating everyone up. He uses an underhanded move in a fight, punching himself (from The Avengers timeline) in the groin. I also enjoyed his presence in the final battle, and I found his will and strength endearing rather than annoying. Captain America is given an opportunity to use his strong will in a badass way during the fight with Thanos, continuing to get up and fight even after he’s thought to be taken out. Fulfilling the foreshadowing in Ultron where he alone could somewhat budge it, he wields Mjolnir in a last ditch effort to try and stop Thanos, proving that he is “worthy”. I’ve never been more excited to see Cap in such incredible moments, and the image of a bruised and bloodied Cap holding a broken shield makes for some sweet looking shots. Chris Evans nails the performance.

But it isn’t Captain America I was really impressed with; it was Steve Rogers.

The seeds for Steve’s ending are sown in a scene where he is helping people cope with the Vanishing. Steve is dressed in a plaid shirt, leading a support group because of his experience of coming out of the ice and adjusting to a new world. He’s forced to reflect upon his old life once again when he and Tony travel to 1970 where he sees Peggy Carter. Agent Carter is what he has missed the most through all of his experiences, and he sees her through a window; so close, yet so far. He can’t approach her because she knows he’s gone, and it will ruin the mission. Finally, when the job is done, Steve returns to the past to live out his life with Peggy. An aged Steve Rogers is shown at the end, and he won’t kiss-and-tell, but we know what he’s been up to. He passes the mantle of Captain America to his friend Sam Wilson (Falcon). He’s no longer a soldier out of time, he’s an old man who got to live out his life the way he always wanted. It’s in these types of moments across the films where I have liked Cap; where he stops being a super man and becomes… just a man.

I still wouldn’t call myself a Captain America fan, but the Russos did a fabulous job with him in this film. He doesn’t solely exist as a symbol for good, but is himself a human like Tony, Peter Quill, Clint and everyone else. Endgame serves as a worthy send off to Steve Rogers, the first Avenger, and that’s all I could have asked for.

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Loki: The Development of One of Marvel’s Greatest Villains https://www.thefilmagazine.com/loki-the-development-of-one-of-marvels-greatest-villains/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/loki-the-development-of-one-of-marvels-greatest-villains/#respond Wed, 24 Apr 2019 03:31:23 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=13588 He became one of the most iconic superhero villains of all time. In this feature, Francesca Militello charts Loki's development from prince to villain to brother between 'Thor' and 'Infinity War'.

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With the long-running original Marvel movie saga culminating with Avengers: Endgame, it seems like there is no time like the present to assess and pay tribute to one of the studio’s most noteworthy and influential villains: Loki.

The brother of Thor, played by Tom Hiddleston since Thor in 2011, has been central to the God of Thunder’s solo franchise and has even become a go-to name for Avengers movies, most notably playing the villain in the studio’s debut team-up The Avengers in 2012.

His entanglement with the centre-most characters of Marvel lore have made him one of the most recognisable and highly respected characters in the whole of superhero cinema. In this article, we’ll follow the development of this now iconic character from a brother to a man lacking a place to belong, to the meanest guy in the galaxy and right back around again.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Thor, The Avengers, Thor: the Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.

Thor (2011) – Loki’s Debut

Tom Hiddleston Loki Thor

We first see Loki in a flashback of Thor as a child, the two brothers joyfully playing and then listening to Odin talk about the future and the responsibilities of being a good king. Both kids are eager to be worthy of Odin’s expectations to defend Asgard, but Thor’s destiny is made clear from the beginning: he is to be the king of Asgard.

Child Loki is shown, importantly, to be more shy than his somewhat obnoxious sibling, planting seeds for his dastardly tactics later in life, but it’s quite clear that during his youth he did not hate his brother. It’s pointed out that most of what we are to see will be the result of the parenting of their King and Queen father and mother, that the circumstances which cause them to grow apart will not be the choice of the brothers themselves.

In the film’s present day, Loki arranges a break out of Frost Giants in Asgard during Thor’s coronation, something forcefully pushed home by the choices of director Kenneth Branagh behind the camera and actor Tom Hiddleston’s acting choices in front of it. It’s assumed Loki doesn’t believe his brother is wise enough to be a king, with the underlying nature of Loki’s self-assurance and ego coming to the fore when he reinforces Thor’s ambitions for revenge to his face and then lambasts the plans as “madness” in public – welcome, the God of Mischief.

Even here, Loki doesn’t hate Thor (telling his brother he loves him dearly), but resentment is soon set alight by the revelation that Loki is not Asgardian but instead an adopted Frost Giant bound to a life away from the throne he has sought all his life. Loki is quickly established as an outcast, the core to his relateable villain persona, with his actions from this point seeming more understandable even in the midst of his viciously resentful motivations. To Loki, it’s easier to start over than to adapt to his newly realised standing within his adopted family.

There’s a scene where Loki confronts Odin about his birth – an acting masterpiece by Hiddleston. With tears in his eyes, he yells at Odin that he was just another tool in his hands ready for when he would have needed him. Odin’s reaction is also very emotional, which we know is somewhat out of character, with him falling into the so-called “Odin’s sleep” out of the shock and distress caused by his son’s actions. If the two had been afforded the opportunity to finish their confrontation, perhaps things would have gone very differently, perhaps the events of Thor would not have occurred.

This event is in fact a turning point for Loki’s character, as from here he only cares about gaining more and more power, getting back at Thor in the process by taking away his throne and ‘his precious Earth’ (as he says in The Avengers – 2012). Loki was used to form an alliance, so why shouldn’t he be angry? His entire existence is a political convenience – this is understandable to us, sympathetic even. This cannot condone his actions or be an excuse for how nasty and evil he became, but it does accurately illustrate his internal turmoil and the reasons for him to become how he eventually is in The Avengers (2012).

Thor is filled with moments that showcase Loki’s unique and mischievous talents, the Prince convincing Thor that Odin is not in Odin’s sleep but is in fact dead, and that Thor is to blame. By the time Thor learns of the truth, Loki has unravelled to the point of utter viciousness and desperation, his self-harming behaviour pushing him further and further into darkness, the rage and lack of control Hiddleston presents in the scene being key to illustrating the desperation beneath the bad. Here, he surrenders to his anger and rage, effectively stamping his ticket to his own demise.

The crux of Loki’s story occurs in the film’s conclusion however, where even after abandoning himself to evil and rage he still reaches out for Odin’s approval, the King of Asgard’s refusal to accept Loki causing his son to cast himself into the abyss of the universe both physically and metaphorically. Loki’s decision to fall into the unknown of space ends Thor’s journey but he only becomes worthy at the cost of his closest ally, a theme that will replay itself in future movies. Loki, like Thor, must learn to accept his duty, albeit a different one to that he first saw for himself…

The Avengers (2012) – Evolution Into A Complete Villain

Tom Hiddleston Avengers Movie

The Avengers was always going to be about the heroes at the centre of the concept, but the picture actually opens with its villain Loki. The God of Mischief, angry and fallen into madness from his last confrontation with Odin, has found a new purpose in avenging Thor, ironically the mirror image of the Avengers’ task. Most importantly, Loki’s choices in this film will lead to his death in Infinity War, The Avengers acting as something of a 2nd act for the character.

It’s established fairly early on that Loki’s pact with the Chitauri is one in which he does not have control, the group threatening to kill him if he does not succeed. Loki is determined to take Thor’s treasure of Earth, but he remains somewhat sympathetic in doing so because of this, endearing himself to us even in the midst of his apocalyptic anger.

The most emotional and meaningful scenes featuring Loki in The Avengers are, much like in his other films, his dialogue with Thor. Though fleeting, the exchange between Loki and Thor on Earth when Thor attempts to take Loki back to Asgard is based in brotherly love, Thor pleading with his brother even in spite of his recent actions. It’s clear that Thor still considers Loki to be his brother even if Loki can no longer see it, but Loki is lost to misplaced ambition or, more accurately, to his pursuit of belonging – he even says in the scene that he’ll prove himself as Odin’s son.

As the film progresses and Loki establishes the upper hand in his war with Earth, he has another important confrontation with his brother, Thor this time offering one last opportunity for redemption during the movie’s climactic battle.

“It’s too late”, Loki claims as Thor pleads with him to stop. It is through these three words that we’re given insight into his own perception of the universe he inhabits; one that is deeply unkind to him. This not only enforces his villainous status in this picture but also issues reminders of his previous arc in Thor, Loki still suffering the effects of losing his life purpose, family and sense of belonging.

In this confrontation, Loki almost hesitates, the Joss Whedon directed close-up showing him to be almost crying. This scene, which illustrates the struggle inside of Loki, helps us to link the wars he rages with the wars within himself, the God in a man’s world having otherworldly power to play out his inner turmoil on a planetary scale. Loki expresses that Thor can no longer appeal to sentiment, Loki’s position as outcast son and prince brought to the fore ahead of his decision to maintain his fight, to seek control.

Loki of course loses in his battle to control earth, owing to the unforeseen bravery of Tony Stark (Iron Man), and is whisked away to Asgard by Thor to face punishment for his crimes. By the end of The Avengers Loki is down and he’s lost everything, but he’s home. And home is where we find him in Thor: The Dark World.

Thor: The Dark World (2013) – Loki’s Path of Growth

Tom Hiddleston Thor 2

In this film, we find Loki where we left him: in chains, brought to face Odin’s judgement for his crimes committed on Earth.

We don’t actually see him in action until about the 35 minute mark when we are immediately aligned with his point of view, the somewhat endearing villain (by this point a fan favourite) looking out from a cell towards other prisoners in one of Asgard’s jails.

The first contact Loki has is with his mother, this choice to quickly realign Loki with his central family group offering hints at fixing the broken relationship caused in the first Thor movie. He rejects her pleas, but his reestablished presence in their lives is brought to the fore, Loki reaching out for his mother’s hand as the hologram disappears.

The point that lights the match in The Dark World is the death of the Queen, Thor’s mother and Loki’s adoptive mother. This event, which sends Asgard into mourning, reunites the two brothers as Thor requires Loki’s assistance to leave Asgard through a secret path in search of revenge. The meeting between the two brothers here perhaps shines more of an insight into Loki than at any other point in the movies, his true sadness and grief masked to his brother via a more confident hologram, the real Loki trapped within his own image, the fulfilment of his wish to be truly excommunicated from his family feeling much more brutally horrific in reality than he had anticipated. When the hologram disappears, Thor bares witness to the rubble that remains of Loki’s life, the villain of two previous movies now the most sympathetic character in this second franchise entry.

Many quips, witty exchanges and sarcastic comments later, and it’s clear that the issue between Thor and Loki is that neither man can trust one another given their histories of keeping monumental secrets from one another.

Thor’s “I wish I could trust you again” is responded to with “trust my rage” by Loki in the midst of their reconciliation, the foundations of their life-long brotherhood holding strong even after such horrendous events. Thor can’t trust anything Loki says or does, but he can trust that he knows the parts that form the foundations of Loki’s character, and trusting Loki’s rage is something he can do.

Thor: The Dark World wasn’t as well received as a lot of other Marvel Cinematic Universe entries, but seeing Loki and Thor team together against the Dark Elves was very good fan service and perhaps the best example of Marvel pulling off a loveable anti-hero. It is because of this and the question of whether Loki was motivated by love and respect for his brother or his own selfish pursuit of freedom and the throne that the film’s conclusion, which sees Loki embody Odin’s likeness to finally take rule of Asgard, brings so much intrigue and joy.

We will also know soon what Loki did to Odin in Ragnarok…

Thor: Ragnarok (2017) & Avengers: Infinity War (2018) – A Path Towards Redemption

Tom Hiddleston Thor 3

Thor: Ragnarok picks up where the last Thor instalment left off – Loki is on the throne of Asgard.

As ruler, he is careless about state matters and does not bother at all about the chaos of the nine realms; he just has fun impersonating Odin and painting himself as a benevolent ruler and the savior of Asgard – a hilarious addition to the Odin-son saga that sought to quickly erase much of the second film (which Thor actor Chris Hemsworth reportedly hated). Almost immediately Thor discovers that Loki is performing as Odin and the reset button is well and truly hit, comedic shenanigans set forth with Thor’s insistence upon Loki taking him to wherever he has deserted their father.

In the reuniting of the two sons with their father, Odin makes the point of calling both Loki and Thor “my two sons”, firmly bringing the Loki story-arc to a conclusion and affording the character the opportunity thereafter to find redemption with regards to Asgard and, most importantly, with regards to Thor. Unbeknownst to us, it would be the satisfying arc conclusion we didn’t see killing the character in the movie that followed… Infinity War.

Infinity War is the final stage of Loki’s character arc, Tom Hiddleston’s character already undergoing redemption in Ragnarok and needing that one last act of honourable defiance to solidify him as an ally to Thor once and for all.

At the beginning of the film, Loki chooses the life of his brother over that of the Tesseract knowing that he may plunge the universe into chaos by doing so and embracing his death in turn. Coloured with typical Loki trickery, the act of sacrificing himself to his former master Thanos in order to save Thor illustrates Loki’s overcoming of his darkness, the demons that plagued him quite literally exchanged for the light of the love given to him by his adoptive family. Here, Loki effectively tells Thor that above Earth, the Tesseract or indeed the universe, it is family (or more accurately his brother) that means the most to him, and that he’s willing to give his life to prove it.

Prove it he does, and Loki becomes one of the first casualties of Thanos’ reign of terror, the God of Mischief playing his final trick.

Or has he?

Perhaps the biggest question to come from the scene – other than “is he really dead this time?” – is “why did Loki take the Tesseract in the first place? Was he not redeemed in Ragnarok like we thought he was? Does he know something we don’t know?

Perhaps this is something to be theorised over in the future or, perhaps more realistically, this moment simply serves as the final reminder of Loki’s ongoing internal struggle, the taking of the Tesseract emblematic of a character eternally at odds with himself, the good overcoming the bad at the most testing of moments to prove that evil may have consumed him at different stages but that it never owned him.

“I assure you brother, the sun will shine on us again.”


Will Loki’s death be another fake one, or will his inclusion from here on out be played out in flashbacks? Can a character this remarkable be truly gone for good? Let us know your opinions in the comments!


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MCU Movies – The First 10 Years Ranked https://www.thefilmagazine.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-movies-ranked/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/marvel-cinematic-universe-movies-ranked/#respond Tue, 28 Aug 2018 14:16:35 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=10598 Every movie from the first 10 years of the MCU (2008-2018) RANKED worst to best. 20 movies overall (including Infinity War).

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There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people to see if we could become something more. So when they needed us, we could fight the battles that they never could.

Marvel Studios have been the standard bearer for all superhero films for the past 10 years, presenting 20 movies to increasing audiences the world over and earning around $17.3billion at the worldwide box office. The studio has created 10 separate franchises since its debut film Iron Man in 2008, digging into the once exclusive comic book properties of the likes of “Ant-Man” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” to present fresh and always entertaining takes on a genre that they have come to master above even their most intimate of contemporaries. In this edition of Ranked, we have judged each of the 20 Marvel Studios Avengers-related movies from worst to best based on their quality and historical importance. As always, we encourage you to share your thoughts on social media and in the comments below, but for now it’s on with the list…


20. The Incredible Hulk (2008)

the incredible hulk 2008 movie screengrab

Director: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Ty Burrell, Tim Blake Nelson, Lou Ferigno

When The Incredible Hulk went into production, the characters of Bruce Banner and his gamma radiated alter ego were perhaps the biggest pop culture icons left at the behest of Marvel Studios after auctioning off their X-Men, Fantastic Four and Spider-Man to other companies. The duality of Banner’s character therefore seemed like the perfect choice for an audience-grabbing introductory film; one which would feature more fun and chaos than the Ang Lee presentation from 2003. If audiences didn’t see Iron Man earlier in the year, then they’d surely see this. History would have it that audiences did turn up to see Iron Man, and as such the lack of quality on offer in The Incredible Hulk was more obvious than it may have otherwise been. The movie was up and down, offering some half-decent fan service in amongst the rage and chaos but failing to deliver in terms of an interesting story or reason to care. In the aftermath of the release, it became clear that Leterrier was never entirely confident in directing the picture and had only taken the job after being rejected for his passion project Iron Man, and star Edward Norton threw the whole production under the bus by claiming he had ‘basically written the movie’. The Incredible Hulk now stands far afoot the bottom of the Avengers list in terms of quality, and can be considered as perhaps the only severe misstep of the studio’s entire universe. The film remains canon, with William Hurt’s continued presence being evidence of this, but having switched out Norton for Ruffalo it’s clear that this is the one film on this list Marvel are trying to forget about.


19. Iron Man 2 (2010)

Iron Man 2 Movie 2010 Robert Downey Jr

Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Bettany, Jon Favreau

Iron Man 2 felt like a big deal back in 2010. It was the third movie of the would-be Avengers universe and had cast the recently reconciled Mickey Rourke hot off the back of his triumphant return to prominence in The Wrestler. Underneath the hype there were grumblings of malcontent however, with Don Cheadle being substituted in for Terrence Howard following a pay dispute in which Marvel reportedly refused to offer Howard the same money for the 2nd movie as they had offered Downey Jr., and the story of Edward Norton’s future within the universe seemingly putting an end to early plans to have Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers team-up to take down a rebellious Hulk (as hinted towards in the post-credit scene in The Incredible Hulk). Ultimately, this landed Iron Man 2 in the zone of “safe sequel”; a film which delivers on all of the original movie’s promises but did little to exceed expectations. Still useful in how it was offering an appropriately colourful take on a superhero genre in the midst of Nolan’s darker Dark Knight trilogy, this Jon Favreau follow-up is perhaps less well remembered now than it was way back when, and we can all see Marvel’s biggest faults – presenting believable threats to their heroes – poking their ugly heads, but this is by no means a bad movie in the same sense that The Incredible Hulk was; just more of a forgettable one.


18. Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Thor 2 Tom Hiddleston Chris Hemsworth

Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings

Speaking of forgettable; is there a movie on this list that has as few special moments as Thor: The Dark World?

For the 2nd instalment of the Thor standalone franchise, and coming in the aftermath of The Avengers in 2012, The Dark World felt safe in many of the ways that Iron Man 2 did, though it also shared The Incredible Hulk’s unique trait of being a universe instalment that Marvel would look to move on from, resetting many of the lingering story threads in the first few minutes of its follow up Ragnarok in 2017. The Dark World did its job, presenting fans with more of the beloved relationship between Thor and Loki, and worked to introduce more of the unique planets and beings from the comic books, but it was lacking in anything beyond the typical faceless villain stereotype as a threat, and the film suffered significantly as a result of this. Thor 2 was very much the Iron Man 2 of the Thor franchise, only the relationship between Thor & Loki as well as the presence of a few characters that have since been forgotten about – as played by Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård and Kat Dennings – were just enough to pip the Iron Man sequel in this list.




17. Iron Man 3 (2013)

Iron Man 3 Robert Downey Jr Shane Black Movie

Director: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Jon Favreau, Rebecca Hall

Iron Man 3 is one of the more controversial entries into Marvel’s Avengers universe of films, and the entirety of the reason as to why is the film’s twist. Warning, there are spoilers ahead…

Screenwriter-director Shane Black had previously worked with Downey Jr. on Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005 and therefore seemed like an easy, creative alternative to the Iron Man franchise’s exiting Jon Favreau. The issue was that Black was noteworthy for tackling genre conventions and therefore sought to deviate from the typical ‘rise of an ultimate villain’ character arc, seeing it as too much of an obvious path for Iron Man 3 to walk down. As such, the movie developed a believable, identifiable threat in the form of Ben Kingsley’s Mandarin, only for Tony Stark/Iron Man to discover that the character was simply an actor relaying lines on behalf of another villain, a villain who turned out to be much less identifiable and interesting, and much more like the lacklustre villains that had populated the universe to this point. In 2013 audiences had grown tired of under-developed villains with little to identify with, so Iron Man 3’s tease of a great villain proved too much for many. It was a moment which overshadowed the film and became the topic of discussion regarding the movie itself, which other than this moment was actually quite fun though somewhat forgettable.

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Full Avengers: Infinity War Box Office Analysis | UK Box Office Report Apr 27-29th 2018 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/avengers-infinity-war-box-office-analysis-uk-27-april-2018/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/avengers-infinity-war-box-office-analysis-uk-27-april-2018/#respond Wed, 02 May 2018 04:55:58 +0000 https://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=9731 Full reports on 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018) in the UK, North America and worldwide, as it sets all kinds of records at the box office. Take a look at how it compares to other superhero movies and the historical importance of the film in this week's UK box office report.

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Avengers: Infinity War has wielded the power of the infinity gauntlet to crush all in its path and establish a new highest grossing opening weekend of 2018, hitting £23million across its four days of release and leaving all other films in its planet-sized shadow. Here are the top 5 films at the UK box office for the weekend of April 27th-29th 2018:

The actual total for the opening weekend of Avengers: Infinity War is £23,100,677, the highest grossing opening weekend at the UK box office of any Marvel Studios release, and by far the highest grossing opening of any superhero film released since the beginning of 2016.

Here’s a chart of the opening weekends of every Marvel Studios film to date:

  1. Avengers: Infinity War – Apr 2018 – £23.1million
  2. Avengers: Age of Ultron – Apr 2015 – £18million
  3. Black Panther – Feb 2018 – £17.7million
  4. Avengers Assemble – Apr 2012 – £15.8million
  5. Captain America: Civil War – Apr 2016 – £14.5million
  6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – Apr 2017 – £13.1million
  7. Thor: Ragnarok – Oct 2017 – £12.million
  8. Iron Man 3 – Apr 2013 – £11.4million
  9. Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 2017 – £9.4million
  10. Doctor Strange – Oct 2016 – £9.3million
  11. Thor: The Dark World – Nov 2013 – £8.7million
  12. Iron Man 2 – Apr 2010 – £7.7million
  13. Guardians of the Galaxy – July 2014 – £6.4million
  14. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Mar 2014 – £6million
  15. Iron Man – May 2008 – £5.4million
  16. Thor – Apr 2011 – £5.4million
  17. Ant-Man – July 2015 – £4million
  18. The Incredible Hulk – June 2008 – £3.25million
  19. Captain America: The First Avenger – July 2011 – £3million

Here’s a chart of the opening weekends of every superhero film released 2016-present:

  1. Avengers: Infinity War – Apr 2018 – £23.1million
  2. Black Panther – Feb 2018 – £17.7million
  3. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Mar 2016 – £14.6million
  4. Captain America: Civil War – Apr 2016 – £14.5million
  5. Deadpool – Feb 2016 – £13.7million
  6. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – Apr 2017 – £13.1million
  7. Thor: Ragnarok – Oct 2017 – £12.4million
  8. Logan – Mar 2017 – £11.9million
  9. Suicide Squad – Aug 2016 – £11.3million
  10. Spider-Man: Homecoming – July 2017 – £9.4million
  11. Doctor Strange – Oct 2016 – £9.3million
  12. Kingsman: The Golden Circle – Sept 2017 – £8.5million
  13. LEGO Batman – Feb 2017 – £7.9million
  14. X-Men: Apocalypse – May 2016 – £7.4million
  15. Justice League – Nov 2017 – £7.3million
  16. Wonder Woman – May 2017 – £6.2million

Including Thursday previews, the overall box office accumulation for Infinity War is £29.4million, making it the third highest grossing movie of 2018 after just four days of release, sitting behind only Peter Rabbit and fellow Marvel release Black Panther in the overall charts.

Infinity War has therefore had the third highest grossing opening weekend in the history of the UK box office, sitting only behind Spectre (£43.1million) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (£34million) when including previews, and behind only The Force Awakens (£24.3million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (£23.8million) when not including previews.



In North America, the story is even better for Infinity War as the latest Avengers movie set all-time record high totals for Saturday and Sunday to accumulate $257,698,183 (£189million) in its opening weekend, setting the new record for an opening total in the region, surpassing former record holder Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ accumulation of $247.9million (£182million). In total, the movie earned 84.3% of all box office takings in North America over the weekend, the 2nd highest percentage ever behind only Avengers: Age of Ultron which set the record of 84.5% in May 2015.

All combined, Avengers: Infinity War took the historic mantle of highest grossing opening weekend of all time in a worldwide context, taking $640million (£470million), just under $100million (£73.4million) more than previous record holder The Fate of the Furious (2017) and around $110million more than Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned in 2015. Somewhat remarkably, Infinity War achieved this record despite not yet being released in China – a market that was vital to the total The Fate of the Furious reached in 2017 – with the film being held back for a further 2 weeks. If Infinity War does nearly as strongly as its Avengers predecessor Age of Ultron did in the country ($260million), then the film will be way beyond $1billion by mid-May, and given solid staying power could become the highest grossing movie in history when all is said and done.

Elsewhere in the top 5, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society found success as an alternative to the big superhero movie of the weekend, earning more in its 2nd weekend at the UK box office than it did in its debut weekend, taking £968,681 compared to £825,777. The movie, promoted as being from the producers of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is clearly being aimed at an alternative audience to that of the superhero action team-up, and upon setting such a hold in its 2nd weekend is proving that it could be around for at least a few more weeks, raising the possibility of the little known British movie topping up further its already quite impressive £3,043,623 total accumulation.



Here are the 15 highest grossing movies at the UK box office for the weekend of 27th-29th April 2018:

  1. Avengers: Infinity War – weeks on release: 1 – weekend: £23,100,677 – total: £29,400,000
  2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society – 2 – £968,681 – £3,034,623
  3. A Quiet Place – 4 – £920,235 – £9,871,073
  4. Rampage – 3 – £735,856 – £7,816,910
  5. Peter Rabbit – 7 – £585,713 – £39,634,873
  6. The Greatest Showman – 18 – £300,947 – £45,974,245
  7. Truth or Dare – 3 – £246,426 – £2,193,619
  8. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (1982) – £225,428 – £2,079,998
  9. Cendrillon – Met Opera 2018 – 1 – £212,366 – £212,366
  10. Ready Player One – 5 – £203,129 – £15,884,060
  11. Black Panther – 11 – £185,217 – £50,205,573
  12. Beast – 1 – £166,295 – £166,295
  13. Duck Duck Goose – 5 – £143,716 – £3,530,841
  14. Love, Simon – 4 – £143,540 – £3,540,552
  15. Isle of Dogs – 5 – £120,808 – £5,735,046

The biggest news from further down the chart is the sudden and substantial drop-off of Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player Onewhich dropped around 65% between its 4th and 5th weekends to move from 4th in the chart to 10th in one fell swoop; likely signifying the end of its box office chart run this coming weekend. The likely explanation for such a drop off is the arrival of Avengers: Infinity War at competing screens in some of the country’s biggest multiplexes, but does signify that Ready Player One will likely top out at £16million here in the UK. Worldwide, the film has done pretty well for Warner Bros, so far accumulating $545million (£400million) in spite of its debut coming at a time of the year where box office success is not usually guaranteed. This current total is just over 3-times that of its production cost, signifying a success as far as original action-scifi movies go in the contemporary marketplace.

In contrast to Ready Player One’s drop-off however is the performance of The Greatest Showman which seems to defy the odds week after week to stay in the top 10, this weekend rising from 7th to 6th with a total of £300,947, only £3,500 less than it made last week – the 17th weekend of its run. Should the Hugh Jackman starring musical land a top 10 spot again this coming weekend, it will mark 19 weekends and 5 entire months as a top 10 box office hit and likely surpass the £46.4million takings of Despicable Me 3 to become the 4th highest grossing 2017 release here in the UK.

And finally, Marvel’s other blockbuster box office hit Black Panther also set a landmark this week, surpassing a total accumulation of £50million to make it the 4th highest grossing movie of the past few years, behind only Star Wars: The Last Jedi (£82.2million), Beauty and the Beast (£67million) and Dunkirk (£55.9million), though it is seemingly on its last legs.

If you like this article, please share it with friends, leave a comment, bookmark our homepage, interact with us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. If you’d like first access to our weekly box office top 5 videos every Tuesday, then make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and switch on notifications. Next week we’ll have more on the performance of Infinity War as it looks to break 2nd weekend records in North America and chases down the landmark totals of the Star Wars films here in the UK. For a spoiler free review of the film, please click here.



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Ten of the Best… British Actors https://www.thefilmagazine.com/ten-of-the-best-british-actors/ https://www.thefilmagazine.com/ten-of-the-best-british-actors/#respond Thu, 15 Oct 2015 03:27:32 +0000 http://www.thefilmagazine.com/?p=2907 Find out who made Francesca Militello's list of 10 of the Best British Actors, here.

The post Ten of the Best… British Actors first appeared on The Film Magazine.]]>
After my two articles about German actors and actresses, I wanted to give you a little overview of British talents, some of whom are prominent and others that still have to win their spurs. These names are indicative so don’t consider this to be a definite ranking.

10. Ralph Fiennes

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Ralph Fiennes as Count László Almásy in The English Patient (1996)

Ralph Fiennes, who also made his debut as director for Coriolanus (2011), is definitely one of the most well-known British actors. He has received many awards and prestigious nominations in his long-standing career, including a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance as Amon Goet in Schindler’s list (1993) and Best Actor for his leading role in The English Patient (1996). He is also recognisable for his portrayal of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter Saga, though most recently he has starred as Monsier Gustave H. in the comedy film The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). He’s a British great because he’s a talented and eclectic actor who has portrayed many different characters throughout his long career, making it really difficult to define in what role he was most convincing and moving. My personal favourite is perhaps the role of Charles Dickens in The invisible woman (2013). I’m certainly looking forward for his upcoming projects.

9. Benedict Cumberbatch

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Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock (2010)

Benedict Cumberbatch is a famous English actor whose prolific career skyrocketed after the BBC TV-Series Sherlock (2010) reached worldwide success. From that moment on he has starred in many important and well-known film productions as well as a number of critically acclaimed theatre roles. He starred in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Thinker Tailor Soldier (2011), The Imitation Game (2015), and he also lent his voice in The Hobbit series for the character of Smaug (the Dragon). He also played Richard III in the famous TV adaptation of Shakespeare’s History plays The Hollow Crown (2012-2016). His theatre career includes A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2001), Romeo and Juliet (2002), As You Like it (2002), Frankestein (2011) and Hamlet (2015). He’s one of my personal favourite English actors because of his interesting and captivating portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series as I didn’t know him before watching that show and I must say that I’m very grateful to this series for letting me know such an amazing actor. He’s currently very busy with his schedule, filming a number of different new projects, so prepare to see him again very soon on the silver screen.

8. Tom Hiddleston

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Tom Hiddleston as Loki

You cannot write about British talents without including Tom Hiddleston. Along with Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes, he is perhaps one of the most famous British actors worldwide. His most acclaimed role is perhaps the one of Loki in Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012) and Thor: The Dark World (2013). I also watched his performance in War Horse (2011) as Captain Nicholls and I found it quite impressive despite how he wasn’t a leading character. He also starred in a lot of TV films and period dramas like The life and adventures of Nicholas Nickleby (2001) and Return to Cranford (2009). His best known roles are as Henry IV in The Hollow Crown and mostly for role of the villain Loki which earned him several nominations. His next role will be as central character Thomas Sharpe in the horror film by Gulliermo del Toro, Crimson Peak (2015). The biopic I Saw The Light (2015) and the action-drama film High-Rise (2016), which was presented at BFI in London this year, will follow soon after. He’s certainly one of my favourite actors and a very talented one.

7. Burn Gorman

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Burn Gorman as Major Hewlett in Turn : Washington’s Spies (2014)

Burn Gorman is an American-born English actor. You might know him for his role as Major Edmund Hewlett in the American TV-series Turn:Washington’s Spies (2014). I really enjoyed his performance in this show and I think this role is actually one of his best ones. Major Hewlett is kind-hearted, loyal and caring, and Gorman conveys these emotions with a shrewd confidence. I’m currently waiting to see him again in the third series. Apart from this role Burn Gorman has an interesting career with his role as Karl Tanner in the HBO Game of Thrones (2013-14), though he also starred in the TV adaptation of Charles Dickens’s Bleak House (2005) and worked with many theatre companies. I’d keep an eye on his career because I’m sure he’ll get more success and credit in the future.

6. James McAvoy

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James McAvoy as Robbie Turner in Atonement (2007)

James McAvoy is a famous Scottish actor who first won my attention with his role in the World War II drama Atonement (2007) based on the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. He was superb with his portrayl of young private Robbie Turner. This dramatic part earned him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA nomination. He also won a BAFTA Award for his role in Filth (2013). In my opinion, the actor should have won his nominations for Atonement and The Last King of Scotland (2006) too. McAvoy is also well-known for his role as the young professor Charles Xavier in  X-Men: First Class (2011) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). He will reprise his role again in the upcoming X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). He recently starred in the drama film The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2015) with co-star Jessica Chastain, and also has a prolific theatre career. I’m waiting for his next role as Viktor Frankenstein in the American horror film Victor Frankenstein (2015).

5. Matthew Rhys

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Matthew Rhys as Dylan Thomas in The Edge of Love (2008)

I couldn’t leave out Matthew Rhys. Rhys is a Welsh actor mostly known for his role in the American TV-Series Brothers & Sisters (2006-2011) as Kevin Walker. He starred in the BBC adaptation of Dicken’s novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood (2012), and he’s currently starring opposite Keri Russell in the TV-Series The Americans (2013). I very much enjoyed his performance as Mr Darcy in the BBC TV-series Death Comes to Pemberley (2013). It was a good performance, though my favourite is probably the one as Dylan Thomas in the drama film The Edge of love (2008), as he seemed to be completely absorbed by the role and I think it has something to do with the importance of the preservation of Welsh heritage and culture. Speaking of which, he is a speaker of both English and Welsh, and starred in the 2014 TV-film Under the Milk Wood which was made to honour the poet Dylan Thomas. I admire his commitment to preserve Welsh culture and his acting career, and I think he should be more famous and have worldwide praise for his work.

4. Jack Lowden

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Jack Lowden as Michael in The Passing Bells (2014)

Lowden is a young Scottish actor best known for his role as Michael in the WWI BBC Mini-series The Passing Bells (2014). He has had a lot of success in theatre for his roles, winning a Lawrence Olivier Award for his role as Oswald in Richard Eyre’s adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts. He was also described as ‘Outstanding’ for his performance in the theatre adaptation of Chariots of Fire (2012). Since 2013 he’s been joining important BBC productions such as the upcoming War and Peace adaptation that will be released in January 2016. He’s also in cinemas at the moment with the new Peter Pan film Pan (2015), as Dobkins. He may also be recognisable for his minor role opposite Jack O’Connell in the war drama 71’(2014). I must say I can’t wait to watch his new projects as unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend his stage plays. In fact, it was only after watching his touching performance as the young German soldier Michael, that I knew he was going to have a lot of success and make it to the big screen. In that TV-series, his monologue with his girlfriend about how it was living in the trenches really managed to tug at my heartstrings – he was so convincing that I couldn’t hold back my tears. He’s a young and promising actor who I’m sure is poised for great things.

3. Jack O’Connell

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Jack O’Connell as Luois Zamperini in Unbroken (2015)

Jack O’Connell is an English actor who became widely recognisable for his role in the independent film Starred Up (2013) and he made his Hollywood breakthrough thanks to his role as Luois Zamperini in the WWII drama Unbroken (2015), directed by Angelina Jolie. For his rising career he won a BAFTA Star Award in 2014; for his portrayal of young and troubled James Cook in Skins he won a Best actor Award at the TV choice Awards. Although I don’t doubt his skills in both Starred Up (2013) and Skins (2009-2010), I haven’t actually seen him in those roles. I’m putting him on this list for his outstanding performance as Luis Zamperini. I loved this film and the story was moving and interesting, especially in the way it centered on the idea of survival and on the complexity of human nature. I couldn’t think about any other actor to act in this film apart from O’Connell; he was that good. I also had the opportunity to watch his performance as Gary Hook in the Drama film 71’ (2014). His acting skills are really impressive and these two parts are, for me, great examples of how much he can achieve in the future.

2. Aneurin Barnard 

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Aneurin Barnard as Richard III in The White Queen (2013)

Among any list of young British talents I must include Welshman Aneurin Barnard who became famous after his majestic and convincing performance as Richard III in the BBC TV-series The White Queen (2013) and has since acted in a number of period dramas such as Moonfleet (2013), Cilla (2014) and The Scandalous Lady W (2015), alongside Natalie Dormer. After seeing him in the The White Queen I became interested in his career and I watched all his films prior to his Richard III role. I discovered that he was already a talented, convincing and gifted actor; in all his roles he puts across something of his own and I loved every role he played from the devil-may-care and cheeky attitude of David Bailey in We’ll Take Manhattan (2012) opposite Karen Gilian, to young Davey in Hunky Dory (2011) or Claude in The Truth About Emanuel (2013). His role as the young husband Tommy in the horror film Citadel (2012) is also worth mentioning. In all of these roles his performance stood up and I was always happily surprised. Aneurin Barnard also won an Oliver Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Spring Awakening – for his role as Melchior. I’m waiting to see his next role in War and Peace this January and his other role as Mykola in The Devil’s Harvest (2015) again opposite his The White Queen co-star Max Irons. Among all his performances thus far, my favourites are Richard III in The White Queen (2013) and Bobby Willis Jr. opposite Sheridan Smith in Cilla (2014), for which he should have been praised more. I’m quite sure he’ll get the fame and recognition he deserves very soon as he’s an incredibly talented actor.

   1. Eddie Redmayne

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Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Wraysford in Birdsong (2012)

Eddie Redmayne recently won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his outstanding performance as Steven Hawking in The Theory of Everything (2015). Playing the role opposite Felicity Jones, who also delivered an impressive performance as his wife, his acting was so true and his performance so striking that I knew he was due an award. Even so, I actually knew of him before this great success and worldwide fame. In fact, I watched him in the two part television drama Birdsong back in 2012; a drama based on the novel of the same name by Sebastian Faulks. He played Stephen Wraysford who fell in love with Isabelle Azaire, the wife of his boss. The story is complicated but the two main characters played by Eddie Redmayne and Clémence Poésy are both engaging and their chemistry on screen helped to bring about a way for the audience to identify with the characters. Moving forward, Redmayne is to star in The Danish Girl (2015) opposite Alica Vikander, Ben Wishaw, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Sebastian Koch. With a stellar cast, the film seems already promising. I hope to enjoy his upcoming projects and that he will keep up with his career.

5 Iconic British Actresses

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