Year-Ender 2023: From The Marvels to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Ranking All Superhero Movies of This Year From Worst to Best! (SPOILER ALERT)

Let's say 2023 has not been a good year for superhero movies - the live-action ones, that is. Whether it is from Marvel Studios or DC, their interconnected superhero universes have seen their worst releases - both in terms of critical acclaim and box office appeal - while people are deep in conversations about superhero fatigue. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced two box office failures in a year, a strange occurrence that has never happened to them before when theatres are in normal business, and as per some reports, they are planning to slow down on their projects. The DCEU, meanwhile, is going through a revamp under the supervision of James Gunn and Peter Safran, who are rebooting the franchise, which means the releases of the existing DCU films don't really matter to the future. This was one of the many reasons why fans are believed not to have turned up in numbers in theatres for their big releases, while the studio also didn't seem to care much for the quality of these movies. Year Ender 2023: From Barbie to Oppenheimer, Take a Look at the Biggest Hollywood Hits.

That said, 2023 wasn't a complete washout. The MCU still had one good film that closed out a trilogy featuring a ragtag team of unlikely heroes with a bang, incidentally directed by the man who is now expected to change the fortune of the DC Universe. There are two incredible animated superhero movies, one of which has a huge chance of getting nominated at the Oscars for Best Animated Feature, unless a certain technicality (two scenes involving real actors) could prove its undoing.

So without further ado, here's us ranking all the major superhero films from Hollywood in 2023, from Worst to Best. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

I was in double minds about keeping this film in the lowest rank, or the next one. Impact-wise, both are equally bad. But Quantumania - a film that dips itself into so many greenscreens and dull CGI visuals that it loses any of its visual sheen - had just one positive - Jonathan Majors as Kang, and see how it turned out to be. Quantumania forgot why we liked Scott Lang's Ant-Man as a character and places him in stakes that are a little beyond his paygrade. And what's more, the one great consistent aspect of the Ant-Man movies - Michael Pena's Luis - was absent from here. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was so bad that it wasn't only one of the worst MCU movies, if not the worst, but it also made fans lose interest in Kang as the overarching villain in the MCU's future. Now with Majors' indictment in a domestic assault case, that has become a final nail in the coffin for the character in this franchise. Less said about MODOK and his tiny ass, the better! Ant-Man and The Wasp – Quantumania Movie Review: Paul Rudd's Marvel Film is a Bland Adventure That Exists Only to Set up MCU’s Next Phase.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

The most recent film on this list is also a very unappealing and underwhelming film that is almost snooze-worthy. Interestingly, it is also the right movie to close the perennially in-trouble DCEU in its present form - a movie that is a mess as a result of clear studio meddling and a director who quite possibly had given up on it. We only see very few glimpses of James Wan's expertise in the film, and the poor actors, despite the best efforts, especially Momoa, are stuck with boring scenes and bad dialogues. Neither the VFX is good nor the story has anything worthwhile to say, even though it deals with global warming. The fact that the plot seeks inspirations from much better superhero movies only seems to be its another undoing. Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom Movie Review: Jason Momoa and Amber Heard's Superhero Flick Has Become DC's 'Quantumania'.

The Flash

If Ezra Miller had been a good boy, perhaps... perhaps we could have looked at The Flash in a kinder light. I mean, the Flashpoint storyline is interesting, the film has good performances and there are a couple of moments that do connect with you, like the final conversation Barry Allen has with his mother. It was also joyous to see Michael Keaton return as Batman, and also disappointing to know this would be the only time we would see Sasha Calle as Supergirl, since she made a really good superhero. That said, the film has its own set of major problems, including iffy CGI and a problematic recreation of dead actors through CGI for that infamous multiverse scene. Also, let's all agree, the DC Animated Studios did Flashpoint in a much better way; in fact, that movie was pretty dark and awesome, and quite gutsy enough that DCU could never pull off. Between this and disappointing finale season of CW series The Flash, the fans of the scarlet speedster surely had a bad year.

The Marvels

The Marvels is a pretty decent MCU film, enjoyable when it wants to be, and quite pacy for its own good. Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel is an utter delight, and the inclusion of her family members does help in the fun quotient of the movie. Not to mention, she has good chemistry with Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris. However, The Marvels continues MCU's problem in writing a strong antagonist, and some of the character arcs don't feel consistent. Like Nick Fury, for example, who is cracking jokes throughout even though we saw him morose and fatigued in Secret Invasion that came before. The pacing also creates problems as it doesn't leave much space for character development, while the 'tragic' ending doesn't exactly raise many emotions as it feels like a forced setup for the multiverse.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods

The Shazam sequel was quite decent, and some even say it is an improvement on the first film, though for the writer, both feel the same. Yes, Zachary Levi and Asher Angel still play the same character in two very different personalities, but the film has a heart and a nice supporting cast in the form of Billy Batson's family, including the scene-stealing Jack Dylan Grazer's Freddy Freeman. However, the antagonists, played by Lucy Liu and Dame Helen Mirren, are pretty forgettable and so are the action beats. The Wonder Woman cameo, the second of the year since she also appeared in The Flash, was also annoying since it played into the convenience of the plot - who knew Diana Prince could raise the dead - and Gal Gadot was clearly greenscreened into the scene.

Blue Beetle

If Blue Beetle had released a couple of years before, perhaps it could have gotten a warmer reception. It is a generic but still heartwarming origin story, where you do end up caring for the Mexican immigrant hero and his lovable family. Xolo Maridueña makes for a likable protagonist, and there are some fun moments in the movie. Susan Sarandon, however, felt miscast as the main antagonist, and some of the action beats were pretty unmemorable.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

If most of the live-action superhero movies sucked in 2023, the year was quite good for the two animated superhero films that came out in this period. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem redeems the amphibian fighters after Michael Bay did them bad with his live-action adaptations. The humour was enjoyable, the camaraderie was genuine, the voice cast was fantastic, the writing of the characters was good, and the animation was great. It’s a film with a lot of heart that is elevated by the synth and piano-based score of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

There might be this writer's bias in elevating this film to the second spot, but hey, sue me; this is my list. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, presumably the last hurrah for the team we knew as MCU's Guardians till now, is not the best film in the trilogy - that honor is still reserved for the first film. There are tonal issues, Adam Warlock's character feels forced into the plot, and there are also some character inconsistencies like Peter Quill forgetting his space suit. But where GOTG3 strikes the best are in the emotional beats and in the action scenes (especially the 'one-take' corridor fight scene). Bradley Cooper does his best voice-work as Rocket Raccoon, and the character gets a heartbreaking origin story that will make you reach out for your tissues. And what's more, the film manages to give a fitting, emotional closing tribute to most of the legacy characters without even killing one of them - James Gunn surely did a number here on us - and that's saying something! At a time when MCU is really struggling with its live-action movies, GOTG3 makes you believe there is still something of a life in this show.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse isn't just a tribute to Spider-Man; it's a celebration of the art of animation itself. A true triumph for the medium, every inch of the frame bursts with vibrancy and intricacy, offering the perfect pause-and-savor moments for potential desktop wallpapers. The film goes beyond by introducing different worlds, each with its unique art style – Pavitr Prabhakar's Mumbattan is a visual delight. With a beautifully crafted story that delivers genuinely heartfelt moments, it's a triumphant cinematic experience that beckons you back to the theaters for more. To top it off, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse seamlessly weaves in additional references, paying homage to the wall-crawler's remarkable 60-year legacy. The abrupt ending might have thrown off some viewers, but it is definitely an interesting cliffhanger making us desperate to see how the story would unfold when Beyond the Spider-Verse arrives.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 23, 2023 10:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).