Karen Gillan Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Karen Gillan-whose latest project "Sleeping Dogs" releases in theaters tonight.

Karen Gillan's Filmography Ranked:

17.Oculus (D+)

16.The Bubble (C)

15.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (C+)

14.The Party's Just Beginning (B-)

13.In a Valley of Violence (B)

12.Stuber (B)

11.Spies in Disguise (B)

10.Thor: Love and Thunder (B)

9.Dual (B)

8.Gunpowder Milkshake (B)

7.The Big Short (B+)

6.Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (B+)

5.Avengers: Endgame (A-)

4.Jumanji: The Next Level (A-)

3.Guardians of the Galaxy (A)

2.Avengers: Infinity War (A)

1.Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (A)

Top Dog: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (2023)

After all of the bullshit James Gunn had to deal with on the road to getting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 made, he responded to that unique string of adversity by making the perfect finale to the GOTG trilogy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 is an emotional, heartfelt ride that uses Rocket's previous untold past as the escaped creation of a maniacal scientist whose hellbent on building a perfect society (Chukwudi Iwuji) to explore how this misfit superhero team brought together by fate were able to overcome the trauma they each endured through the strength of the familial bond they formed. There's a lot of wildly entertaining, funny superhero stuff in here too, but the beauty and grace in which Gunn wrapped up the shared and individual narratives for the Guardians is what I'll always cherish most about this wonderful movie.         

Bottom Feeder: Oculus (2014)

The breakout film from indie horror darling-turned-streaming service horror limited series showrunner juggernaut Mike Flanagan is one that never clicked with me. Despite being kind of ahead of its time with its themes of familial grief and mental illness that have been at the center of so many films in the genre released over the past decade, Oculus' wonky pacing and silly supernatural elements prevent its messages from landing with any sort of real potency.     

Most Underrated: Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

The Next Level is easily one of my favorite blockbusters of the past five years. They did an excellent job of keeping what worked about the original (heart, mining situational humor out of its body-swap gimmick that makes its primary cast playing against type, turning Jumanji into unpredictable open world adventure video game environment) while changing enough about the plot/character dynamics to keep things fresh, the new cast members (Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Awkwafina) all excel in this wild world and Kevin Hart's Danny Glover impression had me laughing to the point of tears nearly every time he opened his mouth. 

Most Overrated: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017)

This remains kind of unfair as I've yet to get around to the rewatch I've been promising to make since Vol.3 came out last May. With all that being said, my current take of Vol.2 being overrated remains intact for now. As of right now, it remains the only time I've seen Gunn struggle to find a balance with the tone of a movie and deliver dramatic elements that feel more corny than sincere-which makes the film frustratingly uneven despite all its strong elements (humor, action, Kurt Russell's performance as Star-Lord's father Ego).