As the DCEU is expected to reboot-but not really reboot, or only reboot everything outside of James Gunn “The Suicide Squad”-verse, or we have no idea what this actual “reboot” will look like- let’s take a look back at the ups and downs of Warner Bros. DC Cinematic Universe.
It started when Zack Snyder (“Watchmen”) was tapped to launch the universe with “Man Of Steel” with support from screenwriter David Goyer and “The Dark Knight Trilogy” mastermind Christoper Nolan. Out the gate with “Man Of Steel,” we got a different take than what we’ve seen with Superman films, as well as a stark contrast to the lighter mood Marvel films. With “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” it got even darker, and as critics bashed the tone and script choices of the film, Warner Bros. was reactionary as opposed to being revolutionary.
Marvel found a formula that worked extremely well, but WB could have forged their own path with moodier films, and darker tones, but acted swiftly to do a course correction, and intervened on “Suicide Squad” and Joss Whedon’s watered-down version of “Justice League,” and the more “friendlier” films that followed.
As Gunn is about to embark on a new era with an older Batman, introducing characters that already exist, and starting off with Superman (hey, didn’t Snyder do this?), let’s rank the DCEU films before “The Flash” comes out and resets (or doesn’t reset?) everything:
12. Wonder Woman 1984”
Look, we know it would be hard to top the first Wonder Woman film, but I don’t think anybody expected this film to be this bad. It takes the cake as easily the worst in the DCEU. The film hit streaming on Dec. 25, 2020 -on Christmas during the pandemic to hopefully lift spirits, but ultimately left many disappointed by an odd script with even more bizarre incidents like the whole Steve Trevor “resurrection.”
11 .“Shazam: Fury of the Gods”
With the announcements of WB rebooting of the universe around the release of this film, it made it hard to care for what happens about this movie and the few releases after it. The quality of this movie didn’t help much either.
10.Suicide Squad”
You can almost time perfectly in this movie when the studio stepped in. I don’t dislike this film actually, I just think it falls apart after a solid 45 minutes in,and unravels into a generic mess.
The Batfleck vs. Joker and Harley scene is one of the best in the DCEU though.
9. “Birds Of Prey”
Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn has another strong showing here with this team-up film that feels like a 1990s action flick.
8. “The Suicide Squad”
The James Gunn film isn’t quite a full reboot, but a bigger, more bombastic tale of Task Force-X. Think “Guardians of Galaxy” on steroids.
7. “Black Adam”
The Rock’s 15-year plan to “change the hierarchy of the DC Universe” never came to fruition, but at least the film was made. Kudos to Dwayne Johnson for pushing the anti-hero of color to a prominent preposition in a fun, action-packed popcorn romp.
6.“Shazam”
This is a fun, family film and that is fine. Some variance in tone (just like you see in the comics with different characters) was welcomed here.
5. “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”
Snyder is best when he is reigned in (see some of his bad ideas for “Justice League” that never happened), and this flawed film does cram a lot in, maybe too much. There’s some character mischaracterizations, as Bruce Wayne’s old, jaded Batman ( ala “The Dark Knight Returns”) is so reckless and vengeful before seeing the error in his ways. The deluxe version of this film ties in some of the loose ends of the story, but it really isn’t too hard to follow at all.
The idea of how Superman would be represented in our real world as an outsider and divisive is absolutely the way to modernize the character based upon our social climate, and is displayed perfectly here.
Hot takes: The “Martha” connection was quite clever. Sorry it turned into a silly meme.
“Captain America: Civil War” is basically the same film and formula- the difference? Marvel “can do no wrong,” and the fun cameos, which included the introduction of Spider-Man in the MCU.
4. “Man Of Steel”
Just months ago, this film was at the bottom of the list. It wasn’t the tone of the film, but there were some odd plot devices that I could just not get past, but I was so wrong. This film aged really well, and is far better than many of the films that came after it - DC and Marvel.
Snyder’s take on a modern Superman is introduced quite cleverly, and it is a shame Henry Cavill’s Superman never got a proper trilogy of solo films.
3. “Aquaman”
The film feels like an adventure- the closest to a Disney DC film you can get. Director James Wan packs a lot of storylines in here like “The Trench” and “Throne Of Atlantis,” but it flows well, and never feels too cramped.
2. “Wonder Woman”
In terms of solo films, this is DCEU’s crown jewel, and one of the best comic book movies ever made. The movie feels timeless, and Gal Gadot’s iconic portrayal will live on forever. Director Patty Jenkins gave the DCEU its first big classic.
1." “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”
Joss Whedon’s mid film does not count. Snyder’s film felt like an event ( a Super Bowl of sorts for comic fans) due to all the circumstances that surrounded it like the drama with WB doing Whedon’s version, the loss of his daughter, the fan support to get this film made, and the film actually becoming a reality due to HBO Max. Synder’s story arc/ trilogy (his personal one of redemption as the characters like Batman and Superman) comes to a triumphant close to an epic 4-hour extravaganza that blends mythology with current mythos, and elevates characters like Cyborg in a way WB could never do. This is a feel-good story- the film and Snyder’s story.
By MIKE DAMANTE
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