James Gunn is one of those filmmakers who can blend humour into everything, including the intense moments. And that’s what I love about him. His film career began as a screenwriter with “Tromeo and Juliet” in 1996, a transgressive romantic black comedy. Later, Gunn went on to pen scripts for “Scooby-Doo” (2002) and its 2004 sequel “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.” He also wrote Zack Snyder’s directorial debut film, “Dawn of the Dead” (2004). Gunn’s directorial journey in Hollywood began with his 2007 Sci-fi horror comedy film “Slither.” Currently serving as the co-CEO of DC along with Peter Saffran, James Gunn became a popular name, especially among the MCU fans, after entering the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) by directing the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy, one of the best MCU films to date.
Few filmmakers in modern cinema can mix humour, heartfelt emotions, and deeply explore characters like James Gunn, and that too in a superhero movie. Gunn holds a unique place in Hollywood for his irreverent and bold storytelling style. He is the one who can turn a ragtag group of supervillains or spacefaring misfit characters into household names—I feel that he can even create a superhero universe of his own.
Though Gunn has limited credits as a director in his filmography, we can expect exciting projects lined up for the DC universe with him leading the studio. His recently directed “Superman” is the first film in the rebooted comic-cinematic universe, and we can count on more. Not only considering the narrative style, character arcs, and visual inventiveness, but also how each film reflects the director’s voice as a storyteller, here is every James Gunn film ranked. While every film has its own uniqueness, some of them shine brighter than others.
7. Slither (2007)
James Gunn’s directorial debut, “Slither,” is a mixture of horror-comedy and science fiction. It is a film where citizens are attacked by an alien creation that infects them, eventually controlling their bodies and minds, just like similar to flesh-eating zombie movies. A meteorite, which is actually a sluggish extraterrestrial parasite, crashes on a small town in South Carolina called Wheelsey, where it infects Grant (Michael Rooker), making him its host and eventually targets the other citizens of the town, unleashing a wave of tragic mutations. Grant also attempts to attack Starla (Elizabeth Banks), his wife, and escapes when she calls the police for rescue. He also abducts and infects a woman named Brenda, who is found by the Police Chief Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion). Her body is swollen, and larvae are growing inside her, eventually bursting out and spreading across the city to infect more.
The visuals include grotesque body horror with oozing slimy effects and humour. The film’s narrative is familiar to the alien invasion stories, and the pacing between humour and horror remains inconsistent. James Gunn’s humour has created a positive impression for me in his later superhero films, rather than in the horror genre. “Slither” has too many themes to follow in the plot: horror, comedy, and sci-fi, and it struggles to balance them. Unlike Gunn’s later films, the characters aren’t explored in depth, and it also lacks emotional depth.
With a limited budget and technology, Gunn’s directorial debut film has impressive visual elements, and it doesn’t shy away from creating gleefully disturbing effects. I wouldn’t say that “Slither” is the worst film in James Gunn’s filmography, but the filmmaker’s later films have developed a lot in various storytelling elements, making them better than this one in terms of visual quality and narrative structure.
6. Super (2010)
James Gunn’s “Super” is the first film in the director’s Superhero genre. It follows Frank Farbo (Rainn Wilson), a short-order cook who becomes a superhero, and goes by the name Crimson Bolt, after his recovering drug addict wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) leaves him after falling for a strip club owner and drug dealer, Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Farbo masks himself under a red superhero suit and is joined by overenthusiastic Libby (Elliot Page), who goes by her superhero name, Botlie, as his sidekick. The duo decides to fight against the odds, but the violence is unapologetically brutal. “Super” isn’t a traditional superhero film and contains dark humour. It is a film that doesn’t aim to be a pleasant watch. Frank is delusional, mentally unstable, and dangerous. Basically, he is a serial killer dressed in a superhero costume.
In a traditional sense, superheroes fight against villains with superpowers or weapons that humans can’t fight. But here, James Gunn attempts to glorify an anti-hero as a superhero. He attempts to share a message that “anybody can be a superhero,” but forgot to show that superheroes don’t kill, they protect and bring justice. “Super” is also a story that deeply follows human emotions like grief, incompetence, companionship, and desire for love and being loved. It also raises questions of mental health, morality, and heroism, which I recently noticed in MCU’s “Thunderbolts*” (2025).
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5. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is my least favorite film in the Guardians trilogy. This film doesn’t have a strong character-driven narrative like the other two films, even though it tries to explore the character’s emotional wounds deeply. While the first film acted as a setup, this film took the team of ragtag superheroes on a new adventure and also introduced new faces—the most memorable one being Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and Baby Groot. Most of the time, the film’s plot remained centered on Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) as it introduced Star-Lord (Quill) to his lost father, Ego (Kurt Russell), an ancient celestial being. Quill learns about his bloodline, discovering a family secret that turns out to be a threat to the entire galaxy. As the 2014 Guardians movie introduced the characters to each other, this one explores their bond while these cosmic heroes fight to protect the galaxy.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is a film where the narrative gets more introspective and a place where James Gunn’s dark humour is at its best. He gets deeper into haunting past, trauma, and abandonment issues of its characters, especially Yondu (Michael Rooker) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper), whose arcs transform into tragic figures. The film is rich with eye-popping visuals, with an incredible soundtrack, one of the best things I love about the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. Vol. 2 also mirrors the themes of love and loss like its predecessor, and it is too focused on emotions, but lacks in maintaining its pace.
4. The Suicide Squad (2021)
“The Suicide Squad” is James Gunn’s first film in the DC universe. It is a standalone sequel and a soft reboot to the disastrous 2016 film, “Suicide Squad,” directed by David Ayer. In both films, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) appoints a group of supervillains to do a mission for Task Force X in exchange for commuted sentences at Belle Reve, a prison for metahumans. In Gunn’s film, the team is sent on a mission to eliminate a secret mission called Project Starfish on the island nation of Corto Maltese. This time, new team members are joining the mission, which includes Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior).
Unlike Ayer’s 2016 film, where the narrative was underwritten and had too many characters to handle, James Gunn manages to balance all of them. He gets into each character’s emotional depth, giving us a glimpse of their past, especially exploring the loneliness behind the misfit characters with quiet moments. With his typical storytelling style, Gunn ensures that humour and action are balanced well, though the humour doesn’t land well every time.
“The Suicide Squad” is loud, chaotic, and surprisingly hyper-violent with heartfelt energy. It is a fresh take on the antihero-led film, unlike his “Super,” where the hero isn’t actually saving the world and humanity. The film is visually stunning, using poppy, colourful visuals with grotesque deaths in action sequences and an equally impactful sound design. Othe thing that shone out is Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and John Cena’s Peacemaker, who eventually got his own spin-off show, which is also renewed for a second season.
3. Superman (2025)
“Superman” is James Gunn’s second DC directorial movie and first after he was appointed as the studio’s co-CEO. The plot begins with Superman (David Corenswet) losing a battle against the mysterious ‘Hammer of Borovia,’ which is a LutherCorp CEO, Lex Luthor’s (Nicholas Hoult) weapon to fight the Kryptonian and to prove him as a threat to humanity. The film is not about how the Man of Steel arrives on Earth while his planet, Krypton, is destroyed. Here, it has been three years since he has been protecting Earth and veiling his identity behind Clark Kent, a news Reporter working with his girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), who knows about his real identity.
This film is different from Zack Snyder’s Superman movie, “Man of Steel” (2013), which starred Henry Cavill as the superhero. Snyder’s film focused on the superhero’s origin, and Gunn takes it ahead, giving us a gentle reboot of that film. Gunn’s film features the new cast members, even for the lead character. He also revised Kal-El’s suit like the one in the comic book. The film also features Krypto, his pet dog with a red cape, and the Fortress of Solitude.
What stands out in this film is that we get to see Superman’s animal-loving side. The way he patiently cares for mischievous Krypto and saves a squirrel while protecting the civilians is one of the moments to cherish. Unlike Gunn’s previous films, this one fails to explore the characters’ past or get into their emotional depth, especially Lex Luthor’s, who is set to destroy Superman for some reason. “Superman” just acts as an introduction for the James Gunn-led DC Universe, where all we can do is expect more in the upcoming films. Even though there is less action in this film, the little we get is visually appealing.
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2. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
“Guardians of the Galaxy” is James Gunn’s first MCU film with a phenomenal cast, a tight script, and a visual treat with a soundtrack of ‘70s hits. It was the first time that a lesser-known Marvel property was brought to the spotlight and shone bright. It opens with Peter Quill, aka Star Lord (Chris Pratt), stealing an orb from a tarnished planet, eventually leading to a chain of events that work together as a team to fight against their common enemy with each working for their own benefit. This group of ragtag superheroes can also be called cosmic criminals, which includes Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel).
The “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy is one of the best Marvel has ever created. James Gunn blends humour and action effortlessly in a cosmic adventure. This film is where Gunn uses all of his storytelling tools to their fullest. One of the best scenes in this film is the action sequences where the characters fight their enemies, and rock music acts as a supporting sound in the background. This combination is unique, elevating the intense moments. “Guardians of the Galaxy” is a film that follows the themes of greed, redemption, and family. The film has well-choreographed action sequences, but the humour doesn’t land well compared to the narrative’s emotional stakes. It has an incredible cast, which pays off in the later MCU movies as well, giving us various memorable moments to revisit.
1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is James Gunn’s last MCU film before he joined DC as its co-CEO. When I watched this film on its release, it felt like a heartfelt farewell from James Gunn to the Guardians of the Galaxy fans, and indeed, it is a goodbye letter to the Guardians fans. This film concludes the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy, and it was James Gunn’s storytelling style at its peak. The film’s plot covers events post the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” The team is on their last mission: to save the seriously wounded Raccoon Rocket’s (voiced by Bradley Cooper) life.
This film is Gunn’s most emotionally resonant character-driven film and his mature work in his filmography to date. Every character is given a satisfying arc where Nebula (Karen Gillan) becomes a leader, Mantis (Pom Klementieff) discovering independence, Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt) lets go of his pain, and Drax (Dave Bautista) finds his peace. Rocket’s harrowing past is deeply explored in the film, giving a glimpse of his origins in a High Evolutionary lab. Other than the emotion led narrative, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” doesn’t let its space adventure’s quality go low. It is has equally spectacular colorful cosmic visuals with sci-fi action. And once again, the film’s soundtrack is curated to underscore each beat. Overall, the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy is worth revisiting, and Vol. 3 pays off beautifully as it is Gunn’s ultimate film to date.
