Marco: Worst To Best

## Where would *Marco 5: Epilogue* land here on this list?

Since the debut of the original film in 2005, the *Marco* franchise became the most successful Marcanese animation both in terms of critical reception and box office, making huge amounts of profit for Sony that are over $2.6 billion worldwide. The franchise also introduced us to Marco and his friends, as well as Marco's iconic and merchandisable cousins Joaquin & Emiliano, and quickly became the most popular brand in Marcanese animation. With the release of the final film *Marco 5: Epilogue,* we would start ranking the *Marco* movies from worst to absolute best. Grab some popcorn with your favorite M&M's and enjoy this good time review...

### Worst:

#### Marco 2 (2013)

Tomatometer: 83%

The cool yet arguably pointless made for cash sequel to the 2005 CG-animated smash hit, *Marco 2* severely lacks the same charm and wit of its supreme predecessor and I still question the film's fresh rating of 83% on the Tomatometer; with convoluted storylines that are like saving some fake blue topaz at the museum, decent new characters who aren't really that memorable compared to Marco & his friends, some unnecessary toilet jokes, and too much pop culture references compared to the original (still there are good ones like the film's vast references to *Star Wars,* watching Marco & his agent crew outsmart some dragonbird from *Jurassic Park,* and seeing Marco as Indiana Jones being the most epic moment). However, this sequel does have a bright side thanks to its amazing animation, catchy Pharrell Williams soundtrack, great action scenes despite it all taking place at the Houston Museum Of Natural Science, and most importantly its message about autism making people with said mental disorder smarter and kinder; along with solid voice performances from Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, Ellen DeGeneres, and Will Ferrell as the film's egomaniacal Owen. And, speaking of Owen, he might not be as good as Joe but makes it for being the genius mastermind of villainy whose plan of taking over the world by using Marco's kids as mindless goons is brilliantly executed. Perhaps the only true feeling moment here would be Melvin's tragic death and his interactions with his robot and R2D2. Still, the film also lacks the same emotional depth of its predecessor as well as Joaquin & Emiliano and instead manages to be mediocre payday children's entertainment.

#### Marco 5: Epilogue (2022)

Tomatometer: 60%

Oh... what a bummer, this film has a 60% rating on the Tomatometer and that's almost nothing compared to the other films on this list. What made this be somewhat of a failure would be its premise and animation somewhat being borrowed from *Hotel Cloudylandia 3: Traversmania* with several mediocre attempts at comedy, lame action scenes, and lots of awkward moments having to do with Marco's transformation as weird Dracula and his fatty cousin Miguel Angel gobbling up sand. Although the film's lackluster marketing pointed these things out, the final *Marco* film also has its own special benefits: new endearing characters such as the Silver Springs townsfolk and Marco's new girlfriend Talia, some funny moments including this gem of whenever Talia begs Marco to stamp out her espionage victim license, marvelous music score from the great Mark Mothersbaugh & Mark Ronson, and its complex sentimental moments (the film's opening scene would make you weep for Aileene, and Marco's sweet relationship with Talia would make you feel butterflies) that are as revolutionary as the highly-caffeinated energetic Marcoman who gained plenty of superpowers thanks to a frappe from his new girlfriend. There's also some clever moments too, among them "The AI-5000 Games" and the film's grand finale; along with an Astros game, voyage to Schlitterbahn, a train ride through Hermann Park, Bom Bin's circus fest, among other things you can enjoy at the movie theater. However, this awesome but dreadful *Star Trek* adventure might leave hardcore *Marco* fans unsatisfied to death.

#### Joaquin & Emiliano: The Rise Of Marco (2021)

Tomatometer: 74%

With plenty of good 90s vibes, spot-on 90s references, and 90s soundtrack from Mark Mothersbaugh, *The Rise Of Marco* is arguably better than the two previous films on this list and for several good reasons. We finally know how Marco became "the world's greatest spy" and how he met Joaquin & Emiliano. The new quirky characters are real time fun, thanks to their voice performances and very unique personalities: among them the wickedly lunatic Felonious 5, Joe Greed & his crazy hipster gang, the awesome at karate breakdancing Yang family, and supervillain-turned-secret agent/rock musician Elvis. Although many important leaders meet their horrible demise at the beginning, the dark absurdist humor found here makes up the film's most amusing and unexpected moments, such as the heroes' encounter with an enormously ruthless Tickle-Me-Elmo at the Galleria and Bigfoot being exposed by Marco's minions to the local police. Like its 2018 predecessor, the film still stays true to its titular characters despite having Marco as the main protagonist this time around with their signature wry gags to keep the franchise going fresh; along with Joe's greedy sentiment vending machines, ominous automatic flying saucers, and small cunning ninjas whom the Yangs kick off. Besides those vending machines, Joe's idea of some bank run by criminals is well executed and reflects corporate fraud today. The emotional scenes are as cute as Marco's new cousins Mateo & Emely - albeit Joshua's mourning over his adopted pet velociraptor - and the action's as good as always with the most epic finale in *Marco* history. The newcoming voice crew, led by Leslie Jones & Brad Pitt, do supremely fantastic jobs as the new characters.