Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, ranked from worst to best, by Rotten Tomatoes

Credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures; from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

9. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Audience Score: 92%

"Critics Consensus: Suspenseful and politically astute, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superior entry in the Avengers canon and is sure to thrill Marvel diehards."

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Wow, do I so not agree with this score and placement. As I stated in both my list and review, I consider Captain America: The Winter Soldier not only the best Captain America movie but the best Marvel Cinematic Universe film. That’s the problem with judging a movie from its aggregate reviews; too many negative reviews lower the score and thus give potential film-goers a misleading impression. Ideally, the “Tomatometer” for Captain America: The Winter Soldier should be above 90% at the very least. That’s reflected in the “audience score” which still gives it a 92%.

Credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures; from Doctor Strange (2016)

8. Doctor Strange (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Audience Score: 86%

"Critics Consensus: Doctor Strange artfully balances its outré source material against the blockbuster constraints of the MCU, delivering a thoroughly entertaining superhero origin story in the bargain."

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Okay, I do happen to like Doctor Strange. But do I also think it’s deserving of the same score as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and placed one rung higher up the ladder? Absolutely not! Sure, it has Benedict Cumberbatch as the lead, imaginative CGI, and a clever climax, but I wouldn’t say it’s the superior Marvel movie. If you look past the visual effects and pay attention to the actual script, there’s a lot of familiar tropes from other superhero movies. Again, Doctor Strange isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not a top ten one.

Credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures; Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

7. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Audience Score: 92%

"Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect — as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor."

Source: Rotten Tomatoes

I’m in total agreement with the consensus, but not with where Rotten Tomatoes rank it among the Marvel Studios films. If The Avengers proved it was possible to bring in and juggle multiple comic book characters on the big screen and make a coherent story, Guardians of the Galaxy proved Marvel they didn’t just have superheroes. There was room for offbeat space-opera with even more offbeat characters, too, marching the beat of classic 1970s and 1980s rock. It proved such a success that even films not made by Marvel Studios have copied its style since. When a movie like that has a cultural impact, it deserves a higher score.