Ranking Joss Whedon Movies

From time to time, I'll happen to find out it's the birthday of someone involved in film. To honor that person, I'll create a list in their honor. Today, that person is Joss Whedon. He's turning the big five-oh. Happy birthday, Mr. Whedon. To celebrate, here are my five favorite movies that he has been a part of, either as a writer or director.

#5

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

(2015)

Writer/Director

The sequel to Whedon's most lucrative outing turned out to be a box-office smash in its own right. We join our favorite team of heroes as they fight to stop Ultron from destroying all of humanity. It's a fun adventure, but suffers from being cluttered. There's just way too much going on. To be honest, I had this one a bit higher. Unfortunately, the further away I get from my last viewing, the lesser my opinion of it. That doesn't make this a bad movie. It is indeed solid fun.

#4

Much Ado About Nothing

(2014)

Writer/Director

Yet another one of Shakespeare adaptations that attempts to take the work of The Bard and bring it into contemporary times. It maintains, the classic Olde English that has baffled many a high school student, but is clearly set in our present. It works because there is a certain whimsy to it all, a twinkle in the eyes of every performer. Even during its most serious moments, it is played with a wink and a nod.

#3

The Cabin in the Woods

(2011)

Writer

Here, Whedon tackles the horror genre by penning a slasher flick. A bunch of teenagers go to a secluded cabin, in the woods of course, and start dying one by one. Pretty typical stuff. Not really. This is a really dark and self-aware comedy. Those are two things that work for me, more often than not. It does this time, too. Plus, they make it easier to take when we get to that totally nihilist finale. This truly is one of my favorite horror movies of recent memory. (my full review)

#2

The Avengers

(2012)

Writer/Director

As a director, Whedon has done no finer work than pulling together all the various strands of Marvel's Cinematic Universe to assemble The Avengers. The story moves swiftly without rushing to help us feel the growth of our heroes as a team. Doing this made us care for them that much more. We also didn't want Loki to win. The tremendous performance by Tom Hiddleston saw to that. We hated that guy. (my full review)

#1

Toy Story

(1995)

Writer

The saga of Woody, Buzz, and Andy starts here. This is also where we all became attached to toys that sprang to life whenever out of human sight. These weren't just animated characters on a movie screen. They were our friends. We adopted their plight as our own. We rejoiced in their triumphs and were upset by their setbacks. That began with this movie. As far as I'm concerned, there just can't be any other movie in the top spot.

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