Ranking James Gunn's Best Works from Superhero to Horror

With the release of Superman, the newest film from James Gunn, I decided to rewatch all of the James Gunn movies. James Gunn has had a very interesting career. He started as a writer and smaller-scale filmmaker with Slither and Super. He then got hired by Marvel to make Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. He got fired by Marvel for some tweets that resurfaced, got hired by DC to make The Suicide Squad, and then returned to Marvel to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. Finally, he moved back over to DC where he became the head of the new DCU and made Superman. James Gunn is known for his darker yet comedic tone as well as his ability to make stories about loners becoming a family. In my opinion, he hasn't made a bad film, just some more out there movies. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the seven James Gunn films.

7. Slither

Slither is the first James Gunn film but also the weakest. I do like how this movie is a bit of a tribute to 80s horror films and alien invasion films. It just has this classic movie feel that the rest of his movies don't have. It has pretty good creature effects. Considering it is a lower-budget movie from the early 2000s, things could have gone pretty bad. While it does pay tribute to 80s horror films, it doesn't fall into the traps that those films had such as having a million and two one-dimensional characters. The movie establishes James Gunn's dark and twisted sense of humor as well as his love for bloody action. I also like how the movie balances its horror and comedy. The premise is very much a horror film but the tone and line delivery make it more of a comedy. I wish it would have been a bit funnier than it was, something a little closer to the humor in Suicide Squad. What keeps this movie at the bottom for me is that it is a bit too dark and gross for my taste at times. Some aspects go a bit too far. Overall, this is a decent directorial debut that establishes James Gunn's distinct style while going a bit too far at times.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

6. Super

Super is James Gunn's dive into the superhero genre and probably what got him tapped for Guardians of the Galaxy. This movie is another dark comedy but I enjoyed the humor a lot more in this one than I did in Slither. Raine Wilson is hilarious in the lead role. He is great as this play-it-straight guy who is attempting to be a superhero but is really bad at it. This movie is basically the story of Dwight Shrute if he became a superhero and you can't tell me otherwise. I also thought Elliot Page as Libby was hilarious as this borderline psychotic girl who wants to be Frank's sidekick. Every time Libby is on screen, it is one of the funniest scenes. Super is also the purist James Gunn movie we are going to get with how dark and twisted the humor is. This isn't something he could get away with today but that is what makes it so unique. The main issue that keeps this film down is much like Slither, the film goes a bit too far at times. There is a specific sexual scene between Frank and Libby that I felt crossed a bit of a line for me. The movie also gets a bit uneven with its tone as it turns super dark very quickly in the final 20 minutes of the film. In the end, this was a very funny James Gunn superhero film that just crossed a little far over the line in the final 30 minutes of the movie.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the weakest of James Gunn's mainstream superhero movies but is still a good movie. I think this movie is a lot of fun. It is probably the funniest out of all of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie with Drax supplying a majority of the humor. It also has a lot of heart and emotion, especially in the direction of the Yondu character. I like the journey Peter goes on when discovering who his Dad is vs who raised him. I also like the relationship change that happens between Gamora and Nebula. We get to see a bit more of why Nebula is the way that she is. However, there are a few aspects that keep this movie lower on this list. I think there are a bit too many subplots and attempts to solve too many relationship problems. It also has a bit of a pacing issue with the middle act feeling pretty slow and not having a lot happen. There are also some odd tonal moments with one scene having a child getting abused being followed by Drax making sex jokes. In the end, the movie is a fun heartfelt adventure with just a few too many tonal shifts and different subplots.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

4. The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad is James Gunn's introduction to the DC side of the industry. James Gunn was a perfect choice to direct this film, with his ability to work well with ensembles and his darker sense of humor. He is allowed to embrace his darker personality style without the family-friendly limitations of the MCU. This movie feels much closer to the tone of his earlier pre-MCU works. The characters are all super solid in this film with Harley Quinn, Peacemaker, and Bloodsport being the standouts. I think this movie is what kind of helped John Cena's acting career a bit as he kind of found his niche with this style of character. Sylvester Stallone as King Shark was also really fun to see. You can't actually see him in the film but it is humorous to know that he is voicing this huge shark. The film itself has a nice aesthetic to it, giving off a style and feel of 70s war movies, especially The Dirty Dozen. The action in this film is really well done in terms of the effects and colors that are used. I also liked the Soundtrack used in this film. James Gunn knows how to pick a great soundtrack as proven in Guardians of the Galaxy and this film is no exception. There isn't a ton that I have an issue with with this film, I just like the other films on this list more. Overall, this is just a solid superhero ensemble film that allows James Gunn to go back to his darker style.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is a great return to the MCU for James Gunn. This movie does a great job of closing out the story of the past two Guardians films. It gives each character an arc as well as a natural end to their story if any characters decide not to return in the future. We also get to dive deep into Rocket's backstory and show how he came to be. I felt this was done well and changed the way you view Rocket in all of the other films. As with the other MCU films, this movie delivers a lot of funny moments. However, while some of the other films struggle with tonal shifts, this movie does a great job of not cutting the tension too much for a joke. The movie also delivers a lot of emotional moments, mostly with Rocket and his story. I also really liked the villain of the film. I think the actor who plays him does a great job of toeing the line between a mad scientist and someone who wants to make the perfect world. Finally, I felt that the movie had a really sweet ending that gives you a great feeling when you leave the movie. In the end, this film was a great trilogy capper and does a great job of closing out the stories of all of the Guardian's characters.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

2. Superman

This is the newest James Gunn movie. This version of Superman showcases the traditional values from the original 1978 movie while utilizing special effects of today's age. This is probably the most comic booky out of all of the Superman movies as it embraces the weird and wacky, such as giant monsters running through a city or a flying space dog, that is usually only found in comic books. However, James Gunn uses this weirdness in such a way that it feels normal within the story he is telling. I also like how this movie drops the audience right into the action with a Superman who has been active for 3 years. This avoids the story having to get bogged down by an origin that takes up half the movie and instead gives more time for Superman in action. Doing it this way also makes the world feel more lived in and preestablished with all sorts of monsters, metahumans, and villains already running around instead of having to take the time to find a natural way to introduce all of this stuff. From a performance standpoint, I thought David Corenswet was great as Superman. He doesn't try to copy either of the other actors in the role and instead brings his own take. Instead of playing a level-headed version of the character, he instead plays it more emotionally, with his version of Superman making decisions based on emotion instead of logic. In the end, this is a great modern-day take on Superman and helps bring in a new era of comic book movies and helps bring James Gunn to the level of top tier modern director.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. Guardians of the Galaxy

After a lot of solid hits, I still find Guardians of the Galaxy to be James Gunn's best film. This film was a huge surprise. When it was first announced, everyone thought it was odd to introduce such an unknown character team so early into the MCU. However, James Gunn and the MCU team were able to pull it off and make a fun and exciting movie and now everyone knows who the Guardians of the Galaxy are. This movie shows how great James Gunn is at taking a group of loners and turning them into a family. He is great at giving each character their time to shine as well as showcasing each of their traumas. The humor in this is some of the best that James Gunn has done with each character having a unique style of humor that complement each other. The character dynamic and chemistry between the team is also so good with the actors bantering and playing off each showcasing both the acting skills and James Gunn's writing ability. Finally, the soundtrack is a lot of fun with a lot of 70s songs playing to liven up the film being perfectly placed to fit whatever action is going on. Overall, this is a fantastic film that caught everyone by surprise and is truly what put James Gunn on the map.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A