So with Captain America 2 hitting the first week in April, it seems like a good time to look at the upcoming movie list and see what looks good.  And what looks really not good.  So here is a list of 20 upcoming movies that interest me for various reasons.

Captain America 2 The Winter Soldier:  Marvel has yet to really miss yet, and Cap 2 doesn’t seem likely to be the first misstep.  I thought the first one was very charming and this one is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, who I best know for their work on Arrested Development and Community.

Draft Day: I’ll admit it, I like Kevin Costner.  A lot.  Here he’s in a movie about football, directed by the guy who directed Ghostbusters.  I am at least intrigued.

Amazing Spider-Man 2: I didn’t care all the much for the first Amazing Spider-Man.  It didn’t seem to add anything to the Spider-Man movie we already had.  The more I hear about this one the more it sounds like a mess.  Because nothing helps a movie like jamming in a ton of villains.  Still, the first one was good enough that now that its past the origin maybe it can be something new or interesting.

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Jack Ryan is almost a really good spy movie. It does mostly everything right and is closer to plausible than most of its ilk. However, it lacks the spark to be truly memorable. As well made as it is at points, it is still rote, seeming to only go through the motions of its genre.

Jack Ryan, based on the Tom Clancy character and played by Chris Pine, is a grad student who joined the military after 9/11. Injured during the war, he came home to arduous physical therapy, where he meets both Cathy, his beautiful physical therapist and eventual fiancé, and Harper, who invites him to continue serving his country as a CIA analyst. That is all covered in the first twenty or so tedious minutes. It sets up that Jack is a heroic, patriotic genius. Possibly necessary information, but it is delivered inelegantly. The movie picks up after that, with Ryan uncovering plot at the same time his girlfriend starts to unravel his secret life in the CIA. Soon, he is whisked off to Russia and he goes from being an analyst to an operative.

Shadow Recruit is ostensibly a thriller, with Ryan navigating the shadowy world of espionage, but there are few twists or betrayals. Everything is what is seems. The accounts that Ryan uncovered do hide a terrorist plot, so he must steal information to get the date that it is supposed to be executed. The Russian villains make it seem like a remnant from the Cold War, but since this is based off a book series from that era I guess that’s understandable. The good guys are if anything too good at their jobs. Other than being slow to uncover the plot that threatened to destroy the USA, they tend pull things off with the minimum of hitches, despite Ryan being untrained as an agent and Cathy playing a large part.

While the plot is somewhat trite, the film is buoyed by largely good acting. Pine is fine as the hero, especially after his first kill where he is understandably shocked. Kevin Costner plays Harper almost like the spy version of a sitcom dad, tough but fair. He does have some lines seemingly added to make him seem mysterious in trailers, which cloud things a little. Director Kenneth Branagh plays the Russian baddy, Cheverin, with charm and just enough menace to seem legit. Keira Knightly’s Cathy could do with being a little more fleshed out, but it still a solid character. She takes to Jack’s job with more enthusiasm than one would expect and does better with the deception that he does.

Shadow Recruit plays like the expected start of a franchise. I almost hope it does. The pieces are all here for a solid spy thriller. All that’s missing is the thrills. As long as the plot isn’t so pat as this one, a sequel could go from being okay to being genuinely good.

It is difficult to examine this film without comparing it to its direct predecessor. Unfortunately, it is not a comparison that does the film any favors. The Desolation of Smaug doesn’t quite have the same energy as An Unexpected Journey. That really isn’t a flaw, it’s not supposed to have that energy. That unexpected journey is nearing its end and the party of dwarves and hobbit and sometimes wizard is tired. That makes this movie somewhat less enjoyable than the first, especially since the existence of the third film keeps it from having any conclusions either. Still, there are moments that have just as much kinetic fun as any film and the gravitas that the first one failed so spectacularly with works better here.

It is more Hobbit. The first half hour or so could have easily been part of the previous film with no one noticing. I am going to assume people have read the book and know the general flow of the story, so if not beware spoilers. It starts with encounters with the bear-man Beorn, then they get lost in the Mirkwood, captured by giant spiders and once they get free are captured by elves. It is the same sort of roller coaster ride feeling that made the first film so enjoyable and it peaks with the wonderful, funny escape via barrel. That is definitely the high point of the movie. It is kinetic and fun; it just brings a smile to the viewer’s face. The dwarves are stuck, for the most part, in their barrels while the Elves try to thwart their escape. At the same time, a pack of Orcs show up trying to kill the dwarves. So the dwarves float in the barrels while the Orcs and Elves fight each other to get them. It is cartoonish in the best way. After that things take a turn for the somber, though the movie never loses its comedic bent.

The additions and changes in this one seem more fundamental than in the first movie. There was some rearranging and plenty of additions in An Unexpected Journey, but it was mostly making background stuff explicit and giving the movie an antagonist that the first half of the book lacked. In The Desolation of Smaug, the changes are greater. Yes, the Hobbit never let the read know exactly what Gandalf was up to, only that he had to deal with a Necromancer. This film shows us that. Not a problem, especially since they made the decision to split this into three movies. Then there is the appearance of Legolas. Logical, since the dwarves go through his home, but his role is greatly expanded from anything that was in the books. Then there is Tauriel, a laudable attempt to balance the almost wholly male cast before this. Honestly, she fits right in. None of the changes in and of themselves are bad, but added up the changes make it feel like the film was getting too far away from the book at times.

The film greatest failure and its greatest triumph is the dragon, Smaug. Bilbo’s encounter with the dragon had the opportunity to mirror his encounter with Gollum from the first movie. Again he is separated from the dwarves and must get by on his own. His whole encounter with the dragon is wonderful. Then the dwarves get involved. It is the same problem that the first movie had, that at the end the dwarves had nothing to do, but the extended escape sequence not only loses the point of having Bilbo at all, but also lack the energy that made the barrel ride scene of goblintown s enjoyable. It feels flat and padded and greatly lessens the threat that Smaug supposedly is. If he is so dangerous, how do a double handful of dwarves evade him so casually? It really is a letdown.

I haven’t lost my faith in Peter Jackson. I eagerly await the third and final film. The dreary nature of the second half of this movie makes it hard to come out with as good a feeling as the first film. It does a great job of hammering home how selfish the dwarves quest is at its heart. The first film paints it as a noble attempt to reclaim their homeland, this one makes it clear that there are other considerations. The Desolation of Smaug is a film with significant hills and valleys and unfortunately, it ends at its lowest point.

The second helping of the Marvel Movie Universe this year is Thor 2: The Dark World. While it is not without its flaws, Thor 2 is a slick adventure that should sit in the upper echelon of Marvel films.

As with the first Thor, the science fantasy world of Asgard remains the film’s most enthralling feature. It manages to feel alien while the inhabitants feel real. At least the named ones, anyway. The combination of fantasy and science fiction allows the film to mash up notes from Lord of the Rings along with Star Wars, resulting in a unique mix of familiar elements. One minute it’s a large scale pseudo-medieval battle, the next a dogfight with fanciful space ships. All of it is fun.

Also like the first film, the best parts feature Thor and his Asgardian allies Sif and the Warriors Three. They don’t have near enough screen time, but there short time is when the movie is at its best. That and Loki, who always delights. However, the plot hinges on Thor pining for the human Jane Foster and Jane doing the same for Thor. When Jane’s search for Thor has her uncover a long hidden Asgardian weapon, the two lovers are reunited and then a great evil strikes. The rest of the Earth based characters are charming, but feel largely superfluous, as though their parts in the movie were created so they would have parts in the movie.

The biggest flaw in the movie is the villain, Malekith. He’s played by Christopher Eccleston, which should have made for a slam dunk bad guy. Even his Dr. Who had undercurrents of menace about him. But apparently deciding that they could only afford one antagonist with personality and they already had Loki, Malekith has almost zero characterization. He wants to return the world to darkness, because that’s what he wants to do. He is a non-presence.

The other thing working against this film is just how slick Marvel Studios has become at pumping out these superhero movies. They have been doing two a year for half a decade now, they have the formula down pat. But it makes it hard for the film to differentiate themselves. Anytime Thor 2 feels like a superhero movie, mostly anytime it is on Earth, there is a sense of déjà vu. The otherworldly Asgard is new and interesting, that is where the films strength is. The more is revolves around that the better it is. Fortunately, while it works hard for the connection to Earth, to keep Thor connected to the other movies, most of the action takes place in Asgard and Thor 2 is all the better for it.

One more thing that must be noted, while there is much praise in the Marvel movies for Downey Jr’s Tony Stark, Loki is by far the best character in the universe so far. His rage and bitterness held in check just barely by his charming façade makes for the best villain. As does his familial connection to the hero Thor. Thor might be able to defeat Loki easily in a fair fight, but Loki would never let a fair fight happen and Thor has no desire to fight him. Despite his claims to the contrary in the film, it is clear that what Thor desires is his brother back and that desire colors all of his interactions with Loki.

Thor 2: The Dark World is simply great fun. It hits that perfect balance between action and comedy that made movies like Indiana Jones and Iron Man so popular. It make the slightly stale Marvel superhero formula fresh again. And unlike some other of these connected movies, the ties to other movies are completely organic. Thor 2 is easily the best superhero movie of the year and the best such sequel since X-Men 2.

Near the start of the summer I made a big list of the movies I wanted to see over the summer. Then I didn’t end up going to see most of them. I didn’t consciously avoid the cinema, I just didn’t make time to go. So instead of having enough movies seen to make a real top 10 list, I can only remember seeing 8 movies. Assume anything else I saw would rank below these movies if just because I forgot seeing it. Honestly, with a few exceptions, I found most of the movies I saw this year flawed, if enjoyable. To the countdown

8: Star Trek: Into Darkness – I liked this quite a bit coming out of the theater, but the more I thought about it the less I liked it. It doesn’t hold up well to scrutiny. It also trades a little too hard on Wrath of Khan nostalgia. Still, I didn’t hate it.

7: Oz The Great and Powerful – I don’t know, I enjoyed it, but nearly forgot about it within a month. There were definitely some really nice visuals in this that much I do remember.

6: Man of Steel – It is still a flawed take on Superman, but I can’t help but enjoy it anyway. The moments where is gets things right makes me yearn for a whole movie that gets Superman.

5: Iron Man 3 – I’ve never like the Iron Man movies as much as everyone else seems to. This was a well-made superhero movie, but there isn’t anything here you haven’t seen before. Downey, Jr is still highly entertaining and the action is passable. But it is definitely one of the lesser Marvel Superhero movies.

4: GI Joe 2 – It is dumb as hell, but highly entertaining. Bruce Willis may have phoned in his performance, but The Rock was awesome as were the ninjas. I liked it more than I should have.

3: 42 – A really solid baseball drama. I really liked Harrison Ford in this, and really the whole movie was entertaining. Just a solidly good movie.

2: Pacific Rim – There is a significant gap between movies 2 and 3 on this list. Below this are okay movies, above are great movies. Pacific Rim is like nothing else seen in theaters this summer. It is original spectacle, something that is hard to find in this day and age. It is better than any giant robot movie should be. I loved everything about this movie. The fight scenes were great, so were the monsters and the robots. This movie, people. This movie.

1: The World’s End – This is pretty much a perfect horror comedy. I guess its horror, isn’t that where alien invasions generally fall? It is the perfect complement to the other two Cornetto movies, Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. I’m not sure I like this better than Hot Fuzz, but it is close. It is great to see Pegg be the screw up for once, while Frost is the together one. I love all the little details in the background, like how the names of the pubs tell what is going to happen in them or how the character’s names tell their roles in the group. I wish I could watch it again right now.

I missed a several movies I wanted to see. Most importantly Monsters University. Excluding Cars 2, that was the first Pixar movie I’ve missed since Finding Nemo. Also, after seeing it on Tarantino’s Top 10, I wish I would have seen the Lone Ranger. I’ll see both of them eventually.

As for the rest of the year, I plan to see Thor 2 and Hobbit 2. I will absolutely see those two. I might see Ender’s Game and Anchoman 2. These are iffy. I am considering seeing The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Frozen and 47 Ronin. These are unlikely.

If Thor and The Hobbit deliver as they should, this should still be a pretty good year for movies. Top heavy, but good.

The reboot Star Trek finally gets a sequel, and it’s pretty much what everyone should have expected from a sequel to that movie. All the problems big Trek fans had with the first are still there, as are all the things non-fans loved. I am more of the later than the former, so again I enjoyed this movie for what it was, a finely executed summer action movie. Still, there are some parts, which fair warning I will spoil later, which are at the very least problematic.

Though I am far from an expert on these characters, Into Darkness does a great job of portraying the crew and of letting each member have a moment to shine. While the stars are definitely Kirk and Spock, everyone else has their role to play. Chekov gets to put in an uncomfortable position as head of engineering because Scotty sticks to his guns when Kirk is being reckless. Of course, Bones goes around being grumpy everywhere.

Abrams again directs. While I don’t remember it being as egregious on his signature lens flare as the previous movie, it still feels like one of his. It is competent and well executed, but ultimately feels safe. The action scenes are clear, exciting and numerous. The plot manages to be both twisty and predictable. It is just a well-made blockbuster. Not bad but ultimately forgettable.

The big deal with the movie (HERE COME THE SPOILERS) is that the villain is Khan. Just like the original Star Trek 2 had Khan, so does this one. There are two ways of looking at the second half of this movie: it is either a loving tribute to most people’s favorite Star Trek or the most craven of nostalgic pandering. All of the big scenes from Wrath of Khan are in this movie. Most of them transpose Kirk and Spock, but they are there. There’s Kirk’s plea to take him and save his crew, Kirk and Spock on opposite sides of glass while one dies, KHAAAAAAAAN!!!, etc. After first viewing the movie I was on the side of loving tribute I was one the side of loving tribute, but I am now leaning more to craven pandering. Wrath of Khan was about getting old, about the Enterprise crew, Kirk especially, accepting their mortality. Into Darkness is a little bit about growing up, which would be fitting counterpart, but it’s really not. It is yet another metaphor for the war on terror. Maybe the growing up connections are greater than I remember, I really need to see the movie again to know for sure. The Nimoy cameo, though, is absolutely pandering, and it leads me to think that the rest if just pandering as well.

Whether it is pandering or not, the crowd at the theater I was in loved it. They were annoying vocal in their reactions, cheering a clapping at appropriate moments, which I found disruptive to my viewing. Not that Star Trek Into Darkness needs close concentration. As an action movie it is an unqualified success, less so of a Star Trek movie. Not that there are many good Star Trek movies.

The third Iron Man movie is everything I’ve come to expect from Marvel’s superhero movies: charming, slickly produced, highly entertaining and completely hollow. Iron Man 3 is a good movie, but suffers in comparison to last year’s Avengers. Like the Avengers, its main selling point is spectacle. Unfortunately, Iron Man 3 cannot match the Avengers on that front. It does have a greater focus on character than the Avengers; it takes the Tony Stark character into some logical new areas but unfortunately lacks the focus to clearly explore them.

Iron Man 3 has the usual Marvel high production values. Like the precious movies, it makes the viewer believe in the character and his fancy suit. The villain’s powered minions are less effective. They just sort of glow and are only vulnerable when the plot says so. Blows that do nothing one time are lethal the next. While the fight scenes are well directed, they lack consequence. Nothing anyone does matters until the script says it does. Still, it looks really good.

Robert Downey Jr. continues to be perfect as Stark. As always, he is perfectly snarky and self-centered. Paltrow is great as Pepper Potts, and likewise for the villains. Even though he didn’t direct this one, Favreau screen time as Tony’s bodyguard Happy is expanded, and he manages to feel more necessary than he has been to this point. Iron Man 3 is just an all-around well-made movie.

There are several important developments for Tony in this movie, but they are not pulled off well. First is him experiencing PTSD after the events of the Avengers. A laudable and logical development, but it is largely dropped halfway through. There is also the starting monologue about creating our own demons, but it is not really followed up with what happens in the film. It adds up to a movie with a lot of good ideas that doesn’t quite execute them.

Still, I am feeling spoiled by the Marvel movies of the last half decade. A superhero movie of this quality a decade ago would be lauded as the best action movie ever. But now I want more. I have seen Marvel get the characters right and tell a origin story or a decent follow up, now I want a movie with themes, a movie with some brains behind the glitz. Say what you will about thee flaws of Nolan’s Batman movies, but they at least tried to deeper meanings. Iron Man 3 makes some strides in this direction, but its feeble attempts only serve to highlight how empty the whole thing is.

This review is sounding more negative than I intended. Iron Man 3 is a very good movie. It has everything one should expect in a popcorn movie. It scratches that superhero action itch as well as any movie. It is definitely better than the second Iron Man, mostly due to the lack of a shoehorned in SHIELD subplot. Now that the Avengers is its own thing, Iron Man doesn’t have to waste its time setting it up. So go see Iron Man 3. It is a solidly good movie.