While Marvel thrived off of the whole cinematic universe idea, Detective Comics (DC) has tried and failed to replicate Marvel's perfectly constructed plans. It could be argued that prior to 2008, DC was ahead of marvel, with a collection of more recognizable heroes, villains, and story lines. Fast forward 11 years and they are very much living in Marvel's shadow. With a couple exceptions, most DC films have underwhelmed and left audiences disappointed, leaving Warner Bros. in a hot mess. Is the DCU temporarily on hold, or being rebooted, are we going to have two DCU's, are they still just going to keep pressing along with the first one started back in 2013's Man of Steel? Warner Bros recently signed JJ Abrams and James Gunn to huge deals to help stop the bleeding and turn things around.
For this article the criteria is a little different. Basically in addition to the 7 DCU films, everything made in or after 2005 will be included. This means the Dark Knight Trilogy, Green Lantern, Superman Returns, and 2019's Joker are all included, bringing out total to 13.
#13. Suicide Squad (2016)
This was DC's attempt to create something similar to Guardians of the Galaxy and it was an absolute mess. I had higher hopes for this film largely due to big castings like Will Smith and Margot Robbie but there were just too many characters that the filmmakers did not know what to do with. Jared Leto's joker was more of a Hot Topic employee/punk rock star than villain and doesn't come close to comparing to some of the better portrayals of the character. In my Marvel article it was hard to separate the best films, for DC it's difficult to separate the worst. I.e., it speaks volumes that this film finished dead last.
#12. Green Lantern (2011)
This movie has been mocked ever since it was made, and you know it's bad when it' star is leading the charge of the mockery. Green Lantern was just bad, stealing this quote from another write but the villain looks like "a penis meshed with a brussel sprout". the CGI and animation is horrible, and it's just too cheesy for a legitimate super hero film from start to finish. I place it ahead of Suicide Squad ever so slightly due to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively but it isn't good by any stretch.
In my entire 25 year history of watching movies, I think this was the most disappointed I have ever been. For years myself and many others longed to see Justice League brought to the big screen and could only hope it was right on par with Marvel's The Avengers, but we were so let down. I will cut it some slack, largely because the film had to switch directors midway through production due to the death of original director Zack Snyder's daughter. That being said it's time to air my grievances with the rest of the film. Firstly, the introductions of Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg are very rushed and give hardly any back story. I would have rather seen solo films for these three first, or at the very least a bit more background. Secondly, Steppenwolf is such a shit villain with no personality or motive other than wanting to enslave the universe (I think? they don't even make this super clear). And I disagree with the decision to leave out Green Lantern, who was an original JL member. While Avengers had a cast that had such great chemistry and was so in sync, Justice League's seem to have no true identity and the members of the team just sort of seem clustered together and don't mesh well. In it's defense, Aquaman and Flash provided humor that the previous DCU films lacked and Gal Gadot was once again great as Wonder Woman. Unfortunately, as is the case with many DC films, it left many of us walking out of the theater saying "hopefully they get it right next time".
#10. Batman vs. Superman (2016)
I'll admit I do enjoy the last hour when we're introduced to Wonder Woman and the trio fights Doomsday, unfortunately prior to that the film is a little boring and slow moving. At least the plot makes sense, Batman sees Superman as a controversial figure and overpowered threat to society, and Superman isn't down with Batman's vigilante lifestyle. These are the positives. On the contrary, the two bonding over their mothers having the same name was a terrible solution to their differences, Ben Affleck's Batman is a poor man's version of Christian Bale's, and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is a much more annoying and less powerful and clever version of the way the character is portrayed in the comics and other films. Overall, BVS didn't live up to the hype but it could have been worse.
#9. Superman Returns (2006)
While it wasn't the worst attempt, this Superman film (as many of them are) was a bit lackluster. A cast of relatively unknown actors (outside Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor), did an alright job and the film does a good job of emphasizing Superman's struggle to repair past mistakes with Lois Lane. Unfortunately it is a bit long winded (2.5 hours), and for a film of such length there needed to be more and better action sequences. Overall this was an incredibly mediocre film, one that wasn't a complete flop but left most of us wanting more.
#8. Joker (2019)
#8. Joker (2019)
An original take on the most iconic movie villain of all time that gave us a new back story on the character's origins and provided an ending open to audience interpretation and debate. Joaquin Phoenix gives a strong performance as a troubled and mentally ill Arthur Fleck, one that didn't live up to Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson's adaptions but was far superior to Jared Leto's. Director Todd Phillips does a great job of creating a dark, unique, but realistic back story for the villain while simultaneously leaving many portions of the plot ambiguous. There were some creative elements of Batman lore uitilized, for example the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents being a result of the riots inspired by the Joker. If Thomas Wayne was lying and Joker's mother was telling the truth, the thought of Joker and Bruce Wayne being half-brothers would add another wrinkle to the iconic hero/villain relationship as well. The film was a huge risk as it greatly deviated from the comics and attempted to recreate a villain who has been portrayed so stupendously in prior films but the end result was a film that inspired debate, conversation, and controversy.
#7. Man of Steel (2013)
While the world still craves a truly great modern Superman film, this was the best attempt in almost 40 years since 1980's Superman II. We finally saw a hard hitting Superman that was faster than a speeding bullet, but one who also was authentic and struggled to fit in with society and uncover his true roots. I enjoyed Amy Adams' portrayal of Lois Lane, who is much more active and much less of a damsel in distress than all other versions of the character, and I thought Michael Shannon made a decent General Zod as well. The filmmakers did a good job with the origin story and giving the film a melancholy feel that at times tapped into the heartbreak Clark Kent experiences. Unfortunately, Superman films are meant to inspire and provide hope, truth, and justice, and this one fails to do so. This wasn't below average, but hopefully someday the world gets the home run Superman film it deserves.
#6. Aquaman (2018)
Finally, a DC movie that actually had a pulse, sought adventure, and got away from the DCU's morbid and gloomy tone. I loved the whole concept of going on a quest to locate the Trident of Poseidon and the theme of fighting one's sibling for the right to the throne has always made for good films also. The filmmakers did a great job of making life underwater something that was visually exciting and filled with unique kingdoms and creatures, and who can blame them, 95% of the ocean remains unexplored. And Jason Momoa did a fantastic job making Aquaman his own, one who was both a badass but also a grizzly, goofy, ill-tempered, beer-guzzling individual. In terms of adventure films, it definitely falls short of classics like Raiders of the Lost Arc and Curse of the Black Pearl but it at least sought to be similar and did enough to where I would look forward to a sequel.
#5. Batman Begins
A worthy film that would kick off an epic trilogy that put all previous and future Batman film to shame. The film gives Bruce Wayne a fitting origin story and Christian Bale gives us what almost every other rendition of the character lacked, a Batman with emotion. The beginning is a bit disorganized and confusing when Wayne travels up the mountains to train with the League of Shadows, but upon returning to Gotham and introducing characters who would become beloved throughout the trilogy, such as Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox the film begins to take off. Throw in Liam Neeson as the film's villain and we had a true origin story, and we all know Christopher Nolan was just getting started.
#4. Shazam! (2019)
In a collection of dark, emotionless, DC films, Shazam is an outlier that works because it feels like a Marvel film. It's goofy, it's light, it's full of color, and it is fun, while to a smaller degree still keeping true to some of DC's roots of heartbreak and darkness. Zachary Levi is fun-loving in his portrayal of a teenage boy trapped inside the body of an adult superhero, a transformation that occurs every time he yells "Shazam!". The movie thrives off humor but also has a nice sincerity to it that taps into the good parts of humanity. Shazam! was a good ride that gave the DCU a much needed shot of adrenaline with it's light and fun tone rather than the serious and brooding one we are used to.
#3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
A true blockbuster that gave the character and the story a fitting ending that almost all of us could be at peace with, even though deep down we all wanted more Batman films with Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale. Once again Nolan does a great job with creating a villain who poses both a physical and mental threat to Batman, this time he elects to go with Bane, played by Tom Hardy, a venom injected terrorist threat who wants to be Gotham's reckoning. This film is full Hollywood, lots of explosions, car chases, and gadgets and the climax of the film is attempting to locate and diffuse a nuke with a countdown clock on it, which never gets old. Adding Anne Hathaway at Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the mix as..well we won't spoil it...further added to an already star studded cast. It's a little long-winded at 2 hours and 45 minutes and maybe a tad bit overkill with all the explosions and visual effects but it's still a terrific film and a fitting ending to an awesome trilogy.
#2. Wonder Woman (2017)
If there's one thing DC can hold over Marvel's head it's that they were the first to make a female-driven super hero movie in the modern era and they absolutely crushed it. Oh and it happened to be directed by a woman as well. The action sequences are amazingly done and the old school World War I setting adds to the film's charm. Furthermore, the movie actually has a wry sense of humor as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman doesn't understand societal norms and is always baffled at how "weird" mortals are as she attempts to fit in. What Wonder Woman does best though is not take a feminist approach, but rather highlight how the characters maternal instincts of love and compassion intertwine perfectly with her also being a bad ass. Chris Pine was perfect casting for an early 1900's romantic interest that further added to the movie's appeal. After this movie fans were no longer chirping about more Batman or Superman films, they all wanted more Wonder Woman.
#1. The Dark Knight (2008)
Was there ever any doubt? This film was so beautifully constructed, from the cast that was so in sync to the ever twisting plot lines to the epic score by Hans Zimmer to all the memorable quotes:
"You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become a villain"
"He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now....he's a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight."
"If you're good at something, never do it for free"
"Some men just want to watch the world burn".
"Madness is like gravity, all it takes is a little push"
and then of course the less meaningful but still iconic staples like "Why so serious?", and "wanna know how I got these scars?".
While many superhero movies showcase great physical battles, the battle between Batman and the Joker is one that is mental, with the Joker constantly scheming to create chaos and Batman using his detective skills to keep up. And of course we have to mention Heath Ledger's out of this world performance which earned him a posthumous Oscar, which were further supported by great performances once again from Bale, Oldman, Caine, Freeman, and Aaron Eckhart's two-face. DC has stumbled a lot since the creation of this film, but they'll always have this gem that maybe, just maybe, was the best superhero movie made by any studio.
