DC Comics’ superheroes have had some successful and unsuccessful big-screen outings, with films like James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad swiftly winning over fans and sequels like Shazam! Gods’ wrath has already been forgotten. Here, we evaluate DC films from worst to greatest, starting with 2013’s Man of Steel and includes the most recent, Blue Beetle.
17. Justice League (2017)
Source: Warner Bros.
From the moment the movie’s original director, Zack Snyder, left for personal reasons, Joss Whedon, who had previously worked on Avengers: Age of Ultron, everything was a battle. Following were allegations of power abuse, set issues, retakes, and a conflict of filming styles. The end result was a very awful movie. We finally saw the somewhat improved Zack Snyder cut a few years later, after having to suffer a protracted #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign.
16. Suicide Squad (2016)
Source: Warner Bros.
Suicide Squad’s stellar cast was unable to prevent its complete catastrophe. It’s disorganised, awkwardly narrated, and ultimately tedious. The film is our first visit to Belle Reve Penitentiary, where some awful convicts are selected to be a member of a special Task Force, and it features well-known actors like Will Smith, Viola Davis, and Jared Leto as well as fan favourite Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
15. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
Source: Warner Bros.
Despite having a star-studded ensemble, Shazam! 2 fell short of its predecessor’s high standards and instead offered a drab, uninspired new adventure. Shazam! Billy Batson (also known as Shazam) makes a comeback in Fury of the Gods as he battles the daughters of Atlas, who have returned to Earth to reclaim their magic and endanger civilization.
14. Black Adam (2021)
Source: Warner Bros.
Dwayne Johnson made his DC Extended Universe debut as Black Adam at the worst possible time, but that is still no justification for a film that lacks any genuine sense of flight. Black Adam is awakened by freedom fighter Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) to assist her in fighting back against Kahndaq’s invaders, the Intergang, after being imprisoned for 5,000 years.
13. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Source: Warner Bros./DC
Zack Snyder’s grimdark aesthetic formerly predominated DC movies, with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice perhaps being its zenith. Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman engage in a battle for the ages until they realise the crucial truth that both of their moms are named Martha. Sadly, the film suffers from cheesy speech and excessive self-importance.
12. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Source: Clay Enos//Warner Bros.
Wonder Woman 1984 was bravely released during the epidemic, but it didn’t perform as well as we had hoped given Wonder Woman’s prior popularity. Diana Prince, who is currently employed at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, succeeds in raising her deceased ex-lover Steve (Chris Pine), despite having to deal with Barbara, her new coworker, who has an unexpectedly malevolent side, and the sinister schemes of the mysterious Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal).
11. The Flash (2023)
Source: DC Studios//Warner Bros.
Speaking of controversies, The Flash debuted on June 20, 2023. The film largely depended on the reintroduction of Michael Keaton’s Batman and fan-service nostalgia despite Ezra Miller’s string of scandals. In The Flash, which was directed by Andy Muschietti, Barry Allen makes a last-ditch effort to go to a parallel reality in order to stop the death of his mother.
10. Joker (2019)
Source: Warner Bros.
Unprecedented success was achieved by Joker at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, where it won the coveted Golden Lion. Additionally, it propelled the film into the Oscar competition, where Joaquin Phoenix became the second actor to win for his portrayal of the Joker and win his first Oscar. Despite receiving outstanding reviews, Joker was criticised for being “dangerous” due to its violent material and emphasis on the perspective of the Joker, which raised worries about violence in real life.
9. Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Source: Warner Bros.
The four-hour epic filled up some plot holes, improved Steppenwolf’s villainy, and gave Cyborg and The Flash’s tales more screen time. Snyder’s distinctive style was evident, and all the characters appeared to receive the judgement they deserved, even though the overall framework of the film remained virtually same.
8. Aquaman (2018)
Source: Warner Bros
Even if it wasn’t flawless, James Wan’s love of horror and Jason Momoa’s post-Game of Thrones popularity helped make Aquaman an interesting underwater journey. Arthur, the son of human lighthouse keeper Thomas (Temuera Morrison) and the Atlantean king Atlanna (Nicole Kidman), is introduced to us. But Arthur will have to assume the identity of Aquaman when Amber Heard’s Mera, a princess of the deep, arrives to offer assistance in stopping his half-brother Orm’s (Patrick Wilson) revolution.
7. Blue Beetle (2023)
Source: Warner Bros. Pictures//Warner Bros.
The principal character of Jaime Reyes, who becomes the superhero Blue Beetle after obtaining the Scarab, an ancient extraterrestrial artefact, is played by Cobra Kai actor Xolo Mariduea. It’s obvious that certain evildoers want it, so Jaime must rapidly learn how to safeguard those he cares about most.
6. Shazam! (2019)
Source: Steve Wilkie//Warner Bros.
Shazam! was resistant to Zack Snyder’s preference for a darker aesthetic, with a bright, teen-comedy attitude. The story centres on Billy Batson (Asher Angel), an intelligent but unhappy orphan who meets an old wizard and acquires the SHAZAM power, giving him an adult body (Zachary Levi) and superhuman abilities. Billy must confront a terrible enemy to defend his new abilities, and his foster brothers must go along on the adventure.
5. Man of Steel (2013)
Source: DC Studios
Superman is undoubtedly the most well-known superhero in popular culture, being seen on the big screen on multiple occasions, from Richard Donner’s magnificent Superman (1978) through Bryan Singer’s underwhelming Superman Returns (2006). Snyder produced a flawed yet entertaining film while staying faithful to his own aesthetic and upholding the tradition of the superhero.
4. Wonder Woman (2017)
Source: Warner Bros.
The effect of Wonder Woman as a groundbreaking female-led superhero film that won big at the box office and showed Hollywood executives that superhero films are not solely for males cannot be understated.
3. The Suicide Squad (2021)
Source: Warner Bros.
The Suicide Squad is an immensely entertaining action film full of strange creatures and amazing scenes, channelling the brutal violence, surprise twists, and dark humour of his horror work. In particular, scene-stealer Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) was brought back from David Ayer’s film, and fresh faces like Bloodsport’s Idris Elba, Peacemaker’s John Cena, Ratcatcher 2’s Daniela Melchior, Polka-Dot Man’s David Dastmalchian, and King Shark’s (Sylvester Stallone) voice.
2. Birds of Prey (2020)
Source: Warner Bros.
Birds of Prey, one of DC’s finest films, should have had more time to succeed at the box office because it was released just as the epidemic was beginning to spread in early 2020. Birds of Prey is both amusing and tremendously exciting, with a fantastic cast of deadly characters, from Jurnee Smollett-Bell’s Black Canary to Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Huntress.
1. The Batman (2022)
Source: Warner Bros.
The Batman by Matt Reeves is a fantastic interpretation of the DC character, even though it still can’t compare to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. In an effort to reduce crime in Gotham, Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) plays the role of retribution. This Batman is less of a superhero than he is a skilled investigator searching the dark corners of a corrupt city for enigmatic clues left by the cruel killer known as the Riddler (Paul Dano).
