Ranking the DCEU: DC’s Best and Worst Movies
These are the Best and Worst the DCEU Has to Offer
*Updated: March 2021*
Well, it looks like the DC Extended Universe is picking up steam (otherwise known as the DCEU). While it’s nowhere near as big as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it looks like it’s going to be adding to its ranks pretty quickly over the next couple of years. That’s why I’ve decided to do for the DC Extended Universe what I did for the Marvel Cinematic Universe a while ago and start ranking the movies from worst to best. I’m sticking to just movies that are part of the DCEU, so you won’t see films like Joker or Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy on here. The DCEU has divided fans since its inception in 2013, but after a few hiccups, I think that it’s heading on the right track. Here’s hoping that they keep getting better and better as this list grows.
10. Suicide Squad
While it’s arguable that Suicide Squad wasn’t a great movie, there’s no denying that it hasn’t had quite an impact on the DCEU. It has become one of the cornerstones of its cinematic universe and has led to the spin-off film Birds of Prey. The film cast Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. Of course, we also got Jared Leto’s terrible interpretation of the Joker as a “gangsta.” Despite its flaws, I believe it marked the beginning of a turning point for the DCEU.
9. Justice League
Look, I know that Justice League wasn’t everything a lot of fans hoped it would be, but the film was rocked by a horrible tragedy in the middle of production. Zach Snyder was quickly replaced by Joss Whedon, and anytime a film has to replace a director mid-production, the end result is usually not good (especially if there are reshoots). There are rumors that there’s a “Snyder Cut” out there, and I would actually love to see it (if it does exist). I honestly enjoyed Justice League. It had a lot of really cool action scenes, introduced some new heroes, and set up a big future for the DCEU in general.
8. Batman V Superman Dawn of Justice
A perfect case for the “Snyder Cut” is the director’s cut of Batman V Superman. The extra footage makes a really big difference when it comes to the pacing and tone of the film. A lot of people trashed this film even before it came out, but I liked it. Sure, Jessie Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor was a little weird, but it also introduced to Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman to the DCEU. I didn’t like that Ben Affleck’s Batman killed criminals any more than the rest of you, but that warehouse fight scene was everything I wanted to see Batman do on the big screen. All in all, I don’t think Batman V Superman is all that bad. It has highs and lows, but most movies do.
7. Wonder Woman 1984
Apparently, not even Amazonians are immune to the sophomore slump. Wonder Woman 1984 proved to be yet another disappointment in a year filled with nothing but disappointments. The film wasn’t exactly awful, but it was nowhere near as wondrous as the heroine’s first outing. Featuring a runtime of two-and-a-half hours, it suffered from the same vice as its protagonist, Max Lord (Pedro Pascal). Rather than focusing on what worked so well in the original, it wanted to be bigger and better. Well, it certainly was much bigger, but far from better. Still, Wonder Woman 1984 is hardly the worst film in the DCEU.
6. Man of Steel
This is the film that started the DECU. In 2013, Man of Steel hit theaters, and the fans started complaining. I actually really liked the way it introduced Henry Cavill’s Superman. It set him up as an imperfect being, feeling alienated in a world that is not his own. He feels disconnected from everyone around him until he makes the choice to fight for them. I personally think that the character of Superman is boring because he’s so overpowered. These flaws set him up to grow as a character over the course of the DCEU, and I still believe that was a great call.