Ranking the DCEU: DC’s Best and Worst Movies
5. Aquaman
One of the best casting choices in the DCEU was deciding to make Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry aka Aquaman. The film plays like a classic swashbuckling adventure as the characters had to go on a quest to find a mythical treasure to stop a war. From the deepest reaches of the ocean to the deserts of Africa. Mamoa puts a rockstar twist on the character by making him a rebel turned reluctant ruler and Aquaman has never been so interesting. I thought he was great and I can’t wait to see what kind of adventures the character will get into next.
4. Zach Snyder’s Justice League
The squeaky wheel got the grease with the release of ‘The Snyder Cut.’ While it didn’t previously exist as fanboys insisted, their tireless whining birthed it into existence. Despite being unwieldy at 4 hours, this version of the movie is far superior to Joss Whedon’s 2017 version. It reinvigorated my excitement for the DCEU, whose future is up in the air. The film got some awesome new visual effects, and the characters were much richer and enjoyable this time around. But that’s expected with an extra 2-hours of footage and the runtime is really the film’s greatest weakness. While it could stand to lose an hour, another cut though is probably out of the question despite being imperfect, I’m pretty satisfied with this vision of Justice League.
3. Shazam!
I wasn’t expecting Shazam! to be half as good as it was. Fan-favorite geek, Zachary Levi, managed to capture the spirit of a 14-year-old suddenly blessed with powers comparable to Superman’s. There’s a serious learning curve for the young hero over the course of the movie, but it manages to capture the sense of heart and wonder of the character. It had a great sense of humor and a solid message about family and trusting others. It was a bit of a shift in tone for the DECU, and I like the new direction it’s heading in now. Hopefully, this is the first of many great movies to come.
2. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
I can’t begin to describe how happy I am that Birds of Prey was such a good movie. Director Cathy Yan embraces a hard R-rating as she features some of the toughest women in DC comics coming together to kick-ass and take names. It’s a wonderful combination of brutality and absurdity as the characters leave carnage in their wake as they fight their way through this film. Birds of Prey gives Harley Quinn the “solo” movie she deserves as it reflects the insanity that makes her so popular among readers. I had a blast watching this wild adventure from start to finish and believe it’s not just one of the best DCEU movies, but one of the best comic book films I’ve seen.
2. The Suicide Squad
Don’t confuse this movie with Suicide Squad, because it’s on a whole other level. Director James Gunn proves he’s one of the greatest superhero movie directors of all time with his crazy and chaotic joyride of a film that swandives into its R-rating. It features some of the strangest villains in the DCEU coming together to defeat the weirdest threat it has faced so far. Beneath the bizarre is a story crafted with heart, that doesn’t pull punches, but still shows mercy in the end. The Suicide Squad introduces some of the best DCEU characters yet and solidifies Harley Quinn as the new cornerstone it can build off. This great flick came dangerously close to snagging the top spot in the DCEU franchise, but settled comfortably in the number two.
1. Wonder Woman
To this day, I still think Wonder Woman is one of the best superhero movies ever made. It did as Marvel hadn’t and put a woman front and center in a superhero movie (Captain Marvel repeated it later). I was a little disappointed in the villain of the film overall, but Gal Gadot was fantastic as a displaced Amazon with the powers of the Gods who picked up her sword to fight for the race of men. Not only did the DCEU have a superheroine film years before Marvel, but it also had a woman direct it. Like its heroine, Wonder Woman was one of the DCEU’s original powerhouses.
There are a lot more movies coming to the DCEU over the next few years, but so far this is the ranking of worst to best. Trust me, there will be plenty of changes to this list in the future, but make sure you let me know what you think of it in the comments below.