Every James Gunn Movie Ranked From Meh To Straight-Up Super
James Gunn has enjoyed quite the career since first starting off in the mid 1990s.
Entering the film industry as an ambitious young screenwriter-turned-aspiring director, Gunn quickly worked his way from low-budget independent cinema into mainstream superhero epics by the early 2010s. Controversially dismissed by Disney in 2018, the outcry of fan support soon led Disney to reverse their decision, allowing Gunn to reassert his place in contemporary pop culture by returning to Marvel and, more recently, taking over DC Studios’ film production.
Since then, Gunn has been hard at work overseeing the creative direction of the rebooted DC Universe, giving longtime comic fans a glimmer of hope regarding the superhero genre’s immediate future. As audiences count down the days to the release of Gunn’s highly anticipated Superman, we thought we’d take a look back at all of the past movies that make up Gunn’s filmography, ranking them in order from worst to best.
6. Super (2010)
The first superhero movie produced by Gunn, Super is a surprisingly forward-thinking takedown of the traditional superhero narrative. Years before the superhero genre became oversaturated by sequels, spin-offs, prequels, and crossovers within the MCU or DCEU, Gunn delivers an original comic book film that’s as darkly comedic as it is brash and hyper-violent. Though its overwhelming similarities to The Toxic Avenger and Kick-Ass might prove distracting, Gunn’s parodic take on modern-day superheroes is enough to keep viewers watching (even if they sometimes wind up looking away during the movie’s shockingly gory fight scenes).
5. Slither (2006)
After penning roughly half a dozen scripts for genre films like Dawn of the Dead and Scooby-Doo, Gunn made his official directorial debut with 2006’s Slither. Taking plenty of inspiration from cult-favorite horror films from the 1980s, Gunn conjures up an unforgettably gruesome sci-fi horror comedy with his creative work here. At times laugh-out-loud funny and occasionally nauseatingly creepy, it’s a wondrously unique debut effort that showcases all of Gunn’s foremost talents as a director: namely, the ability to blend conflicting genres while weaving in meticulous homages to his favorite movies (in this case, The Thing, Shivers, and The Brood).
4. The Suicide Squad (2021)
After his polarizing departure from Disney in 2018, Gunn quickly found employment with Marvel’s longtime rivals, DC Studios. Signing on to helm a standalone sequel to 2016’s panned Suicide Squad, Gunn inserted his own anarchic vision into 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Infusing his patented tongue-in-cheek humor into its war film-inspired narrative, Gunn finally creates a Suicide Squad film worthy of audiences’ attention. Between its hard language, gory violence, and colorful characterization, the entire movie feels almost like an R-rated version of Guardians of the Galaxy, complete with a dysfunctional cast of obscure comic book anti-heroes (including Bloodsport, the Ratcatcher, Polka-Dot Man, and John Cena’s breakout Peacemaker).
3. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
As a director rarely shown to buckle under pressure, Gunn didn’t miss a step when it came time to create an ambitious follow-up to 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Doubling down on all the foremost elements that made the first Guardians so entertaining to watch in the first place, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 offers a rapid-paced sci-fi adventure every bit as satisfying as the original. Bolstered by a growing cast of characters and an intriguing villain played by Kurt Russell, it’s an endearing character study centered around Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, as well his maturing relationship to his fellow team/surrogate family members within the Guardians crew.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
Returning to the MCU after his reinstatement by Disney, Gunn delivers one final crowd-pleasing superhero epic with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Ending his space opera trilogy with a resonating final entry, Vol. 3 also finds a way to shine a light on comparatively underutilized Marvel characters – in this case, Bradley Cooper’s pluckish gun-toting rodent, Rocket Raccoon. Spending an ample amount of time on Rocket’s traumatic backstory, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 rounds out Gunn’s tenure on the series with a cathartic endnote, allowing viewers to bid a fond farewell to the original lineup of Marvel’s marauding space vigilantes.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
While one can argue that either of its sequels are superior, Gunn’s work on Guardians of the Galaxy remains the most important in his entire career. Resurrecting the titular sci-fi-inspired superhero team for a big-budget film, Gunn illustrates his unparalleled ability to dust off long-forgotten comic book entities and establish them as household names. Effortlessly blending the superhero, action, space opera, and comedy genres together into one seamless creation, Gunn hands in his own unique superhero narrative with Guardians of the Galaxy: a hulking sci-fi adventure film that owes as much to Star Wars as it does to The Avengers. From its ‘70s-inspired soundtrack to its immersive visuals, from its fast-paced action to its infectious humor, everything about Guardians of the Galaxy remains worthy of celebration, leaving little reason to wonder about its favorable status within the MCU today.