James Gunnhas staked quite a claim on the Hollywood Hills, and it’s easy to see why. Like many other directors, Gunn started out as a writer, occasionally even taking on a project just for the sake of work. What’s impressive is the fact that even those gigs resulted in something special…not always a classic, but special.
He started off inverylow-budget films, notably working for Troma early in his career. But then he was given the screenwriting reigns to an older IP, which ended up proving two things. One was that Gunn had a vision for where the project should have gone. Two was that film studios don’t always positively reinforce an artist’s vision. But, now, Gunn has the clout to make whatever he likes, and that’s a good thing for cinephiles (particularly those who care for a cape or cowl).
11Brightburn (2019)
One can almost see what producer Gunn (whose influence is heavily felt throughout) and director David Yarovesky were going for withBrightburn. A crowded superhero movie market (which Gunn himself helped populate) needs some diversity, andBrightburnattempts to serve that purpose, it just also fails to realize that, in such a crowded market, there needs to be something more to differentiate a project than “this person has superpowers and is also evil.”
Admittedly, the superheroic yet villainous adopted child angle (a clear play on Superman’s origin story) is jarring, but so too is the film’s overuse of grizzly death scenes (the film has the most disgusting shot of the human jaw ever committed to celluloid). A committed lead performance from Elizabeth Banks (who worked with Gunn onSlither) helps the film, but not enough to make it worth watching unless it’s part of a Gunn binge.
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10Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
While nowhere near as entertaining asthe best animated Scooby-Doo movies,Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashedis more tonally in line with the source material than its predecessor. And, while it does look a bit cheaper than the (financially successful) first film, it’s better-paced and slightly more entertaining.
But it’s still not a very good movie, and it wastes Alicia Silverstone in what was her biggest role in years. It also made the unfortunate decision of throwing in Seth Green’s Patrick Wisely for Linda Cardellini’s Velma to gush over, even though Gunn had always intended to portray her as either gay or bisexual.
9Scooby-Doo (2002)
2002’sScooby-Doowas a big deal for Gunn, a film that technically skewed towards the younger set but also had potential multi-demographic appeal. Gunn recognized this and originally wrote a film where characters smoked pot, clichés were deconstructed, and Linda Cardellini’s Velma was openly gay.
Unfortunately, what hit the screen is a butchered version of that vision. There’s merit there, especially for those who were about 10 when it came out, but it’s overall a lackluster movie with a regrettable use of Scrappy Doo.
8The Belko Experiment (2016)
Like the similarMayhem(starring Samara Weaving and Steven Yeun) from the following year, the underseen, Gunn-writtenThe Belko Experimenttakes place in a corporate office high-rise. Specifically, the plot follows 80 American workers stationed overseas in Bogotá, Colombia.
Then, one day, they stop having to worry about boredom and have to adjust their focus to survival. Why? Because everyone has an explosive tracker in their neck, and if 30 people aren’t dead within two hours, that number will be doubled. It’s all just one big experiment, and they’re the guinea pigs.
7Super (2010)
For a movie that at least partially functions as a comedy,Superis surprisingly gory. In fact, the whole thing can be a bit of a downer, especially given the fact that Rainn Wilson’s character is such a—as jerks might put it—“loser.”
The plot follows Wilson’s short-order cook Frank Darbo, a soft-spoken man with plenty of ambition but absolutely no drive to turn those ambitious dreams into reality. So, when the more outgoing drug dealer Jacques scoops up Darbo’s wife, he snaps and enters fantasy land, seemingly forgetting his own mortality and suiting up to take on Jacques and his gun-toting henchman head-on. In typical Gunn fashion, it ends poorly. Not for Darbo, but for the poor girl who calls herself his sidekick.
With a strong script by Gunn and tight direction by Zack Snyder, 2004’sDawn of the Deadis a standout remake,an excellent zombie movie, and worthy of being watched alongside George A. Romero’s best installments of theDeadfranchise. The suburban opening scene announces the movie as different from its forbearer, and that’s applicable to much of the movie outside the fact it takes place in a mall.
This consistently works to the movie’s benefit and shows that Gunn probably understood the assignment more than most other working screenwriters would have. And, whileDawnhas more Snyder tropes than it does Gunn, the zombie baby scene might as well have been overseen by theSlitherdirector himself.
5Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Gunn’s final adventure with the MCU is also his most moving, even if that very nature can result in a tonally mismatched film. But it’s the first MCU movie in a while to take some risks in its narrative and successfully pull them off. Fortunately,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3has proved to be more of abox office success than other recent MCU installments, e.g.EternalsandAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
Audiences have taken their chance (some more than once) to say goodbye to the current lineup of Guardians, and it’s in that regard thatGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3is truly a success. Gunn doesn’t need to kill off the characters to give them a fitting finale, or even a heroic one. Instead, he tailors conclusions for Quill, Rocket (and Groot), Mantis, Nebula, Gamora, and Drax that all feel like they were crafted with love and respect.
4Slither (2006)
Gunn managed toreinvent the zombie filmwithSlither, an extraterrestrial-infused undead movie with terrific practical effects and a cast lineup of the auteur’s favorites. Nathan Fillion in particular has a field day with the film’s lead role which, like any good creature feature, is that of a sheriff in a small town.
It’s a body horror comedy with gruesome gore and cheeky performances, which are really the two aspects a movie of its kind should nail.Slitherfeels so distinctively Gunn it both helps one understand how he’d get an MCU gig and, given the gore, make one question how they knew he’d be a perfect fit.
3Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
To be fair, the originalGuardians of the Galaxyis not only many people’s favorite Gunn film but their favorite installment of the entire MCU. It definitely is something special, one of those projects where every element of its production was perfect, with even seemingly odd-ball casting choices paying off beautifully.
It’s just that the narratives fueling Gunn’s two sequels were stronger. From the second film’s Peter Quill-focused plot to the third’s devotion to Rocket’s arc, theGuardians of the Galaxyfranchise would go more interesting places than some protagonists and an antagonist’s competitive search for a glowing thing. Furthermore, none of the Nova Corps stuff with Glenn Close or John C. Reilly really works as well as the rest of the movie, even if the two performers are about as likable as one gets.
2Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
The lighter visual aesthetic may not be quite as effective, butGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2is a narratively superior sequel with a focus on showing the potential growing cracks in a partnership’s hull. Just about every member of the Guardians has their stakes upped in the sequel, and each case is done in a way that feels true to the structure of a trilogy, of an MCU installment, and of the specific characters.
Chris Pratt’s Peter “Star Lord” Quill gets the majority of the narrative’s emotional heft, as his growing bond and eventual falling out with his father essentially serve as the movie’s central conflict. But there’s also Rocket’s attitude, which begins to ostracize him from the group, Groot’s youthfulness causing everyone trouble, Drax learning how to be a little gentler in spirit thanks to Mantis, and Gamora nearly getting killed fighting her sister. Mostly, though,Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2is the movie for fans of Michael Rooker. His Yondu gets a remarkable arc considering he was only in two movies, and most of that narrative heavy lifting is done in the quotable second film.
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