Summary
TheDCEUhas officially ended with its run of 16 movies over the span of 10 years, and it’s been a doozy of a decade forDC Comics. In an effort to directly compete with Marvel for the king of comic book movies, DC and Warner Bros.’s first attempt at a DC cinematic universe was onefilled with a mixture of ideas, ranging from critical and audience receptions, and spiraling box office results.
Yet, just because there are a few bad apples, doesn’t mean the entire bunch is spoiled, and there’s a special place for the DCEU, and some of the best DCEU movies deserve to be remembered. Whilst the DC Extended Universe may be over and the dawn of the DCU begins, it’s a good time to respect what came before and look back in fondness or horror of all DCEU movies and how they rank.
16Suicide Squad
Great and Dark Potential Lost to a Studio Cut That Wanted Something Risk-Free
In need of a superhero deterrent who can get the job done without making it seem like America is liable, Amanda Waller forms the Suicide Squad: a team of imprisoned supervillains who will be forced to execute black ops missions, or else the bombs implanted in their heads will go off. Their first mission? Stio an ancient witch from destroying humanity.
Suicide Squadwas a prime example of the inconsistencies of the DCEU, and how meddling constantly interfered with the proposed work. Originally,Suicide Squadsounded like a great and gritty story from David Ayer, but it was quickly watered down into a quirky andmessy movie that has a fun cast, but not much else.
15Black Adam
Dwayne Johnson’s Passion Project Has Him Play Dwayne Johnson With Powers
Teth-Adam is bestowed the powers of ancient Egyptian Gods, where instead of being the hero of ancient Egypt, he becomes its conquerer and abuses his powers to lay waste to those deserving. Imprisoned for 5,000 years, Teth-Adam wakes in a world that has since forgotten him, and he begins to unleash his ownform of justice in this new world.
Despite being Dwayne Johnson’s passion project in the making for years,Black Adamoversteps the potential of a great villain to create a too-heroic and too-wooden anti-hero and one that further confuses audiences with the established DCEU world. Whilst there is some fun action and decent heroics from the Justice Society andBlack Adam, the movie promises a sequel that will never come.
14Shazam! Fury of the Gods
A Lackluster Sequel That Plays It Too Safe
Billy Batson and his foster siblings continue to fight for the forces of good with the powers of Shazam, except this time, the daughters of Atlas have come to create further trouble in the modern world. Billy Batson must discover the sacrifices that it takes to be a superhero, whilst trying to juggle the relationships of a brother and a son against a pantheon of villains.
Shazam! Fury of the Godsisn’t as satisfying as its predecessor and the charming “BigmeetsSuperman(1978)” doesn’t have the same charm this time around. The choice to use original villains instead ofShazam’s rostermakes for unmotivated villains, and Shazam’s personality seems far too goofy for the more serious themes of a teenager.
13Wonder Woman 1984
Unintentionally Campy and Lacking Relevance for Wonder Woman’s Story
Wonder Woman continues to fight for mankind after leaving Themyscira, and her heroics of the 1980s as her battle against Maxwell Lord, an entrepreneur with a wishing stone, and Barbara Minerva, who unlocks the cursed powers of the Cheetah, whilst also reigniting the tragic love she experienced with Steve Trevor.
Wonder Woman 1984is a tad on the messy side in terms of action and plot, and the events of the movie both interfere with what has been established about Wonder Woman in movies prior and also serve little relevance to drive the DCEU forward.
12Justice League
A Choppy Attempt at a Team-Up Event
Fearing the end of the world with the death of Superman, Batman assembles meta-humans from across the planet in an attempt to stand united and fight against the powerful enemy of Steppenwolf and the Parademon army that seek to create a scorched planet for a higher purpose. Without Superman, will the team be enough?
The theatrical version of Justice League is a tad disappointing, and the takeover by Joss Whedon does little to save the movie. It’s chopped up in the editing room with notable reshoots, with a forgettable villain, misfit jokes, and a far too fast runtime for a team-up movie.
11Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
A Wild Curtain Call for the DCEU That Features an Adventure Between Two Brothers
The finale to the DCEU involves Aquaman’s new life as the King of Atlantis, and as a father, under the threat of a villain who only knows wrath and pain. Aquaman’s entire life is threatened by Black Manta, who wields the Black Trident to amass an ancient evil of the seas. To save his family and the world, Aquaman must align with his imprisoned brother, Orm.
Whilst the chemistry between Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master and Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry is a lot of fun,Aquaman and the Lost Kingdomcertainlyfeel like a fish out of waterwith its strange exploration and new adventures. The action scenes are fun, but the odd plot is hard to follow and harder to care about since this was the whimpering end of the DCEU, but it’s still good to see Momoa treat Aquaman like a thrilling rockstar.
10Aquaman
Discover the Underwater World of Atlantis as Arthur Curry Discovers His Place as King
With the world saved after the defeat of Steppenwolf, Arthur Curry must come to terms with his identity as a half-human and half-Atlantean who is the key to stopping a war of ocean and land. Arthur Curry must unite the seas and become the rightful king of Atlantis, whilst also battling against those who deem him unworthy, like his half-brother, Orm, and the vengeful Black Manta.
Aquamanis a more light-hearted adventure and a change from the usual format with the DCEU. Jason Momoa and Patrick Wilson are definitely the standouts in this adventure, and James Wan’s underwater worlds are equal parts mystifying and horrifying, providing a new world to immerse in outside of Batman and Superman’s shadows.
9Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
A Unique and Messy Identity Perfect for Harley Quinn’s Story
When the Joker breaks up with Harley Quinn, the former psychiatrist must venture across Gotham City to rediscover herself amidst the hardest breakup of her life. With no Joker label to protect her,Harley Quinn becomes the most wanted womanin Gotham for her bad behavior in the criminal underworld, which sees her team with a young girl with a diamond of seemingly unlimited wealth and criminal demand.
Birds of Prey, or its convoluted title of theFantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn, is an experimental movie from Cathy Yan that definitely deserves a watch. Most of the issues of the movie come from its complete lack of care for the DC Comics source material, but it’s still a fun and raunchy comedy that isn’t afraid to have its own identity.
8Shazam!
A Movie That Shows What Happens if Big (1998) Mixes With Superman: The Movie (1978)
Billy Batson is an orphan who will stop at nothing to find the mother that he believes accidentally abandoned him at a fair. Yet, his life is turned upside down after his adoption, and when an ancient wizard deems him worthy to hold the powers of Shazam, embuing him with the powers of a superhero.
Shazam!Is extremely charming, and it’s essentially Tom Hank’s Big meets Christopher Reeve’s Superman. Zachary Levi is a lot of fun as the titular hero, and his attempts at being a child in the body of a hero allow for plenty of humorous moments in a DC movie that respects its golden age.
7The Flash
A Fun and Well-Hearted Movie About Scars and the Consequence of Time Travel
The trauma of losing his mother bares too much for Barry Allen, and he discovers that his powers through the Speed Force allow him to travel back through time to change the past and bring him into a new future, one where superheroes are all but myth, and General Zod has come to take claim to Earth. Without Superman, Barry must seek help from a Batman who is not his own.
The Flashis a lot of fun, even in its divisive state. It’s always a treat to see Michael Keaton in the cape and cowl of Batman, and he brings a ton of charm to this new venture. WhilstThe Flashdoes featureunnecessary cameosto bridge the DC Universe, it still has its moments of fun in the rough of dodgy CGI and odd scenes.
