3: Avengers: Infinity War
The movie that changed it all. Thanos’ already iconic snap was one of the best moments in all of cinema in 2018, and the film that proceeded it was a masterfully executed thrill-ride that tied together a decade’s worth of work expertly.
The Avengers films themselves have long been hailed as a testament to how much hard work and planning goes into the MCU, and there is no better example of that than Infinity War. Directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, do an incredible job of bringing everything together here, and the film’s final few moments are among the best in the history of the MCU.
Thanos’ snap has easily been the most talked about film moment of the year, and with the name and the first trailer of the next movie having now finally been released, fans around the world are buckling up for what will no doubt be an incredible finale in 2019.
2: Black Panther
Is Black Panther the most important superhero movie of all time? Almost definitely. Is it Marvel’s best movie of all time? Only time will tell.
Black Panther shocked the world back in February when it smashed box office records and received critical acclaim for its representation of African-American culture, it also served as a reminder of just how important and influential superhero movies can be in these increasingly difficult times.
Outside of that though, it is still an incredibly impressive film and one that looks to snag Marvel their first ever Best Picture nomination early next year. There is also an argument to be made that Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is the finest villain the MCU has ever seen, and it’s an argument I’m more than happy to agree with.
Jordan’s performance is complex and harrowing, exactly like the character himself, and it helps set the movie aside from the rest of the MCU pack. Whether The Academy will choose to acknowledge that, however, remains to be seen.
1: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
For all the (deserved) praise I’ve heaped on most of the other movies on this list, there is still no denying that the superhero genre as a whole is starting to feel a little bit saturated. The very fact I can make these lists every year and have so many entries speaks volumes about the sheer mass of superhero movies we are getting at the moment.
In such a crowded field, it can be incredibly difficult to do something that is considered new and exciting while also leaning on pre-existing entities, but that’s exactly what Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse manages to do.
The film effectively takes everything we know about Spider-Man’s mythology, all of the tropes of the superhero genre, and some absolutely incredible animation throws it into a blender and puts it all onto the big screen.
Written by Phil Lord, the film has all the meta references you’d expect from the one half of the duo who gave the world The LEGO Movie, while also managing to feel like a true Spider-Man tale that will satisfy fans and also introduce a whole load of new characters to a wider audience.
It’s a magnificent piece of work and one that has deservedly been met with a lot of praise. Hands down, this was the best superhero movie of 2018.
How would you rank 2018’s superhero movies? Let us know in the comments below…
Liam Hoofe
