The DC Extended Universe is over and done. With James Gunn taking the helm as DC’s head honcho and spearheading a new creative initiative for the publisher on the big screen, we can now take a long look at the fifteen movies of the DCEU and give our final, definitive ranking on where they fall, from worst to best.
15. Batman vs Superman
Strangely, it’s not easy to decide on a worst DCEU movie. Sadly, the majority of the films in the shared universe were varying shades of mediocre to terrible. Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice falls on the terrible end of the spectrum, with nonsensical plotting, an oppressive atmosphere, and a lack of anything fun happening onscreen.
14. Suicide Squad
David Ayer’s abysmal 2016 outing, Suicide Squad, took what should be a fun concept and made it feel like a chore. How is a riotous adventure with Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot not fun to watch? The worst DCEU movies committed the cardinal comics sin of taking themselves way too seriously.
13. Justice League
Joss Whedon’s cut of Justice League is a barely-coherent mess. There’s glimmers of something great in there, but it’s buried under reshoots and a nonsensical plot. Weirdly, Zack Snyder’s four-hour (!!!) director’s cut is a phenomenal movie, but it’s nearly a different film altogether due to using yet more reshoots. We’re also not going to list Justice League twice, so consider this a ringing endorsement for the Snyder Cut if you’ve got four hours to sit down and watch it.
12. The Flash
Ezra Miller’s recent legal troubles lingered over The Flash like dark storm clouds, delaying the film’s release multiple times and causing a serious headache for Warner Bros. The movie, it turns out, is also not even good. It tries to emulate the highs of the Flashpoint comics arc without ever telling a functional story—or showing us competent visual effects.
11. Man of Steel
Zack Snyder’s take on Superman is too dour, too broody, and too mean to be the version of the character people love from DC Comics. Still, this movie has its fans. It’ll never be accepted by longtime DC readers, though, because of the controversial choice to have Superman kill General Zod, an act that violates one of Superman’s core character tenants.
10. Wonder Woman 1984
Fans hoped for a stronger second outing for Patty Jenkin’s interpretation of Wonder Woman. Sadly, the second WW film failed to capitalize on its bananas script or the manic energy Pedro Pascal brought to the screen and got bogged down in its own weird plotting and melodramatic action.
9. Black Adam
Putting Dwayne Johnson in a skin-tight bodysuit and having him be morally ambiguous for two hours doesn’t make for a compelling Shazam! spinoff. While the casting was great, this movie needed more heart, more action, and better visual effects to really move the needle in the crowded superhero movie genre.
8. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Expectations were high for the second Shazam! film after the first was such a breath of fresh air for DC. Sadly, Fury of the Gods didn’t live up to the heights of its predecessor due to an unfocused script and a lack of satisfying character arcs. It’s still fun, it’s just missing the heart seen in the original.
7. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
You might be sensing a pattern here: after a trio of great solo outings, the DCEU couldn’t keep up the momentum for their sequels. The Lost Kingdom has an uneven tone, a weird narrative, and a misplaced sense of urgency that rushes through what should be major plot developments. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not a good movie either.
6. Birds of Prey
Birsd of Prey got unlucky. It was an underappreciated movie released in 2020 (yikes) that starred an all-female leading cast and offered a great showcase for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. This was a redemption arc for the character after her misuse in Suicide Squad, and the under-loved film deserved far better commercial performance than it got.
5. Blue Beetle
Did anyone go see Blue Beetle? It was a complete box office flop, but it was a really good movie that didn’t deserve to underperform as much as it did. It’s a charming, family-oriented film that might have performed better if other recent DCEU outings hadn’t been so underwhelming.
4. Aquaman
James Wan’s Aquaman uses Jason Momoa to perfect effect, telling a Shakesperean epic with a huge scope and some genuinely awesome visual effects. If you can watch this movie without cracking a smile, you’ve got a heart icier than the depths of the ocean.
3. Shazam!
Now we’re talking. Shazam! is a joyous movie that actually lets its protagonist enjoy the raw thrills that come with being a superhero. It also features truly scary bad guys, appropriately world-threatening stakes, and a tone that knows how to whip between funny and heavy with enough aplomb to keep things moving. This is how you make a comic book movie.
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2. Wonder Woman
Patty Jenkins seemed to capture lightning in a bottle with her first outing on Wonder Woman. Everything from the music to the visuals to the stellar script all come together to make some serious movie magic in this thrilling period piece. The only blemish is a muddy third-act CGI fight, but that’s not enough to derail the fun going on here.
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1. The Suicide Squad
James Gunn’s entry into the DCEU saw him take a mulligan on the much-loathed Suicide Squad’s botched attempt at the fan favorite team. He kept Harley Quinn and Rick Flagg from the original, paired them with Peacemaker, Bloodsport, Ratcatcher, Polka-Dot Man, and King Shark, and made the best freaking DC movie yet. Thankfully, this movie will stay canon to the events of the new DC Universe, as will its awesome spinoff show, Peacemaker.
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