The Films of the DCEU, ranked

As of December 20, 2023, the DCEU is officially dead. Long live the DCEU. Beginning with the release of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (2023), the DC Extended Universe (an informal-turned-formal name) has been the primary shared continuity of the majority of DC’s live-action films for just over a decade. It’s been a deeply polarizing and tonally conflicted franchise of sixteen feature films, including the divisive Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), the critically-reviled Suicide Squad (2016), the critically-lauded The Suicide Squad (2021), and a host of other hits and misses (mostly misses unfortunately). With the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and a big ol’ reset button coming to the entire film and television slate, this particular continuity has officially come to a close.

Of course, this is not the end of DC-based films. In this era of studio filmmaking, no valuable IP will go unexploited. Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux is expected to arrive in theatres this October and Matt Reeves’ The Batman: Part II is set for a 2025 release, although these stories take place outside of the main continuity. And then, with filmmaker James Gunn and producer Peter Safran taking creative control of the brand, a brand-new DC shared universe will be born in 2025 with the release of Superman: Legacy. But now, we say goodbye to this particular iteration. As we commemorate its death, let’s look back on the 16 DCEU films — the (few) good, the (many) bad, and the (mostly) ugly. For the purposes of this list, I am just focusing on the films set in the main DC continuity, so don’t expect to see Joker, The Batman, or any of the myriad of DC’s animated films here.

Opinions to follow.

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16. Suicide Squad (2016)

“This is Katana. She’s got my back. I would advise not getting killed by her. Her sword traps the souls of its victims.”

When Suicide Squad rolled around in 2016, it made the disaster that was Batman v Superman look like Citizen Kane. Suicide Squad is an absolutely incoherent trainwreck with the aesthetic appeal of having one’s corneas cut with microscopic serrated knives. This is one of the most irredeemable films I think I’ve ever seen. There are plenty of films in the DCEU that I dislike. But with all of the others, there’s at least an element or two that I appreciate. However, in Suicide Squad, there’s not a second of the film, no concept, or idea that I enjoy. From its ugly visuals, incoherent editing, atrocious characterization, boring narrative, and half-hearted attempts at being edgy (a common enough theme in this series), Suicide Squad is shockingly amateur in its production for what is supposed to be a 170-million dollar professionally-produced Hollywood blockbuster. Who let Jared Leto play the Joker? Thankfully, this film did lead to one of my favourite video essays of all time: Folding Ideas’ “Suicide Squad and the Art of Editing,” which is a moment-by-moment breakdown the this film’s strange and hyperactive editing, a detail frequently lost on even the most seasoned of film-goers.  If you’ve got 34 minutes to spare, take some time to give it a watch.

Directed by David Ayer.

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15. Justice League (2017)

“No protectors here. No Lanterns. No Kryptonian. This world will fall, like all the others.”

The epic that is the behind-the-scenes drama of Justice League is more interesting than the movie itself. After the disappointments of Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad in 2016, Warner Bros. was reevaluating their approach to the DC franchise and wanted to course-correct their upcoming crossover film, Justice League, to be more in line with the tone of chief rivals Marvel Studios. In early 2017, Justice League director Zack Snyder left the project due to a personal tragedy. To finish off production and supervise the final edit, WB brought in Avengers director Joss Whedon. Instead of just finishing reshoots and completing the editing, Whedon did major overalls to the final project, reportedly reshooting some 75% of the movie. The result is a movie that is profoundly tonally inconsistent, narratively confused, dull, and profoundly uninspired. The worst part? It’s boring. Whereas films like Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman are bad because of their filmic eccentricities, Justice League is bad because it’s just so profoundly incompetent. I will never get Superman’s weird CGI face (read more about that here) out of my nightmares.

Directed by Zack Snyder (kinda).

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14. Black Adam (2021)

“Tell them the man in black sent you.”

While the marketing campaign for Black Adam promised to change the order of power in the DCEU, all the film did was make an immediately forgettable and weight-less scrape against the franchise Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was first cast as Teth-Adam in 2014, originally to be the villain in a Shazam! film. However, with Johnson’s star growing brighter, it was eventually turned into a solo film for the supervillain. It took eight years for The Rock’s film to be produced and end up in theatres after a multitude of production delays, rewrites, directorial and executive switch-ups, and a global pandemic. And, gosh, what a bad movie it turned out to be. Black Adam is overly edgy with no actual bite, the action is poorly choreographed, the performances are over-the-top melodramatic, the tone is all over the place, and the writing is laughable. Underutilized in every film he appears in and continually playing his film career at the easiest level, The Rock might just be the worst action movie star working today. I’m so happy this film bombed.

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.

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13. The Flash (2023)

“These scars we have make us who we are, we’re not meant to go back and fix them. Don’t let your tragedy define you.”

The Flash is one of the ugliest blockbusters I’ve ever seen. Not only is its personality-less, colour-less, weight-less CGI some of the worst in recent memory, but the film itself has a deeper, internal ugliness that releases a putrid stench over the entire project. Trying to get Ezra Miller’s Flash up and running with this Flashpoint-inspired mess of a film does the brand far more damage than it could have imagined. There’s no strong antagonist, the film’s emotional core is hollow, doubling down on Barry Allen as a protagonist just makes him annoying, and the nostalgia-baiting multiverse plotline is just plain embarrassing. Hearing Michael Keaton lifelessly recycle dialogue from his own two Batman films makes for a better piece of criticism of this cynical, boring film’s existence than I could ever make.

You can read my full review here.

Directed by Andy Muschietti.

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12. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

“Devils don't come from hell beneath us. They come from the sky.”

If you thought Man of Steel was self-serious, wait until you get to Batman v Superman! I couldn’t stand Batman v Superman when it first landed in theatres. I still can’t stand it now. Snyder’s direction is dour and deathly serious, totally killing every bit of energy, passion, and enthusiasm that should have been present in Batman and Superman’s first on-screen meeting. And the infamous “Martha” scene still haunts me to this day. Batman v Superman is a movie that will plague the viewer with visions of what should have been. This should have been one of the most exciting, most anticipated, most beloved comic book movies out there. And what we’re left with is a divisive, annoying, awkwardly paced, poorly conceived, nightmare of a film. Ben Affleck makes an imposing start and the most burly Batman we’ve seen on screen, but the nuances of his characterization are totally removed by Snyder’s lack of subtlety. In 2005, BvS co-writer David S. Goyer told the LA Times that “Batman Vs. Superman is where you go when you admit to yourself that you’ve exhausted all possibilities.” This quote has always struck me as deeply funny because despite this only being the second film in the DCEU, the franchise began with no good ideas.

Directed by Zack Snyder.

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11. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

“I’m a father, a brother, a warrior . . . I’m the king of Atlantis!”

You know how they say not to go near a drowning person in the water because you'll start to drown too? That's kind of what Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom feels like to watch. This is a rather fitting film to end the DCEU on as it beautifully encapsulates my general feelings about this now-deceased franchise. Back in 2016, I had a lot of fun verbally berating the comically bad Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman. But now, these films have entered the depressing era of being bad, rather than the “fun to make fun of” era of bad movies. While Patrick Wilson tries to redeem the whole affair with his antihero turn as Orm (a character beat the film acknowledges was lifted straight from the MCU’s Loki), Jason Momoa’s irritating presence drags the film back down to the depths. Corny jokes, poorly-developed CGI, undeveloped characters, and an awkward, forced message make Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom a groan-worthy finale to a tired, stale franchise that never really went anywhere by the time it died.

Directed by James Wan.

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10. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

“Welcome to the future. Life is good! But it can be better. And why shouldn’t it be? All you need is to want it. Think about finally having everything you always wanted.”

When Wonder Woman 1984 first arrived on streaming in December 2020, I was pretty excited about it. After a year with almost no major studio releases, I was hurting for some semblance of content. Reevaluating this film in the years since I think I’ve come to a pretty dramatically different conclusion on its quality. There are parts of this that are pretty fun: the 80s setting makes for some great aesthetics, Pedro Pascal is all ham as villain Maxwell Lord, and there are a couple of good Steve/Diana scenes. But most of it is extraordinarily difficult to get through. There are some really egregious visual effects, some bad action sequences, pretty ridiculous narrative mechanics, some half-hearted attempts at thematic development, and a whole lot of filler. And the worst part of the whole thing might just be Gal Gadot’s performance. While Gadot’s performances in Batman v Superman and Wonder Woman aren’t terrible, it’s in this film that you realize just how much she is incapable of acting well.

Directed by Patty Jenkins.

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9. Aquaman (2018)

“People of Atlantis, hear me! My brother has come from the surface... to challenge me for the throne!”

Ocean man! Take me by the hand! I was ready to walk out of the theatre about two scenes into the movie when I first saw Aquaman. While the franchise has stooped to lower points than this movie — as evidenced by the fact that it’s not at the bottom of the list — that doesn’t mean Aquaman is any good. Full of clunky dialogue, poor performances, and overabundant CGI, there’s not much to like in this film. The film struggles to find a tone, alternating too quickly between intentionally indulgent melodrama and some awkwardly earnest beats. James Wan does his best to save the movie with some insane directorial choices, but it was never going to fly thanks to an incomprehensible, thoughtless script. It’s a frantic sort of movie that might be entertaining to some, but I will not stand for this sort of reckless filmmaking behaviour. It might not be at the bottom of the list, but Aquaman should be at the bottom of the ocean.

Directed by James Wan.

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8. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

“I just threw a truck at a dragon! I love my life!”

While the first Shazam! movie was a brief, light-hearted superhero romp, Fury of the Gods gets dragged down with its world-ending ambitions and annoying characters. It takes the small-scale and family-driven story of the original and replaces it with tired narrative beats, bland action, some stupid cameos, and some incredibly awkward humour. Despite the united powers of Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren, the film’s villains fall extraordinarily flat and are given no personality or charm. The characterizations of Shazam, the superhero (played by Zachary Levi), and Billy Batson, the child who transforms into the superhero (played by Asher Angel), are not remotely the same person with the two actors taking opposing takes on what is supposed to be the same character. The film never really answers the fundamental question of its own existence, instead content to just coast on the positive reactions to the first film to float a story that just isn’t very good.

Directed by David F. Sandberg.

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7. Man of Steel (2013)

“You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal.”

I’ve warmed up to Man of Steel since I first saw it many years ago.  I was initially taken aback by its gloomy tone, dimly coloured cinematography, and self-serious attitude. It wasn’t that I truly hated Man of Steel, but I wasn’t a fan. And then I saw the rest of the DCEU and realized that I might have been too harsh on Man of Steel at first glance — things can always get worse. This is a film of half-baked ideas and unremarkable, but unoffensive, filmmaking. Henry Cavill is a perfectly serviceable Superman, although the script keeps him unfortunately one-note. Amy Adams is fine as Lois Lane. The rest of the cast is just fine. Michael Shannon is the one true stand-out as he’s given plenty of time to revel in the villainy of Zod. The lighting is a little too grey but the visual effects are mostly OK. As a filmmaker, Snyder is very interested in the mythologization of Superheroes, a common visual motif through his three DCEU films. He likens Superman to Christ, a cosmic figure inherently removed from the world he lives in yet burdened with glorious purpose to save it. It’s a theme that Snyder revisits in Batman v Superman (the death of Christ) and his cut of Justice League (the resurrection of Christ). Yet all of that religious imagery seems to get in the way of just telling a compelling story. I don’t love the film — I still prefer a more optimistic Superman story — but I’ve come to terms with it.

Directed by Zack Snyder.

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6. Blue Beetle (2023)

“The universe has sent you a gift, and you have to figure out what to do with it.”

Blue Beetle would have been the best superhero movie of 2009 if it had, you know, existed fifteen years ago. It’s a very by-the-numbers film with character and narrative beats that are now cliche to the superhero genre. One can’t help but feel a distinct sense of “I’ve seen this before!” while viewing this film. However, the film handles these cliches with a sense of style, some strong core performances, and a clear emotional core. Newcomer Xolo Maridueña leads the film as the charming Jaime Reyes with the rest of the Reyes clan populated by an assortment of colourful, fun characters. This is also one of the new superhero films that leans into the visual splendour of fictional comic book cities, which is something I greatly appreciate. While Blue Beetle isn't particularly unique or interesting on its own, it’s certainly not a terrible film. In fact, for most of its run time, it’s a lot of fun.

You can read my full review here.

Directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.

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5. Shazam! (2019)

“Oh, hey. What's up? I'm a superhero.”

The name of the game in Shazam! is family fun. And the film certainly delivers on that. With its child-centred antics, whimsical sense of delight, and comedic action escapades, Shazam! is one of the few lighthearted DC adventures. The cast is excellent all around, with lots of time and attention paid to the dynamics of the central family. The film keeps things light and breezy with a laid-back story and simplified mythology. There’s not much of consequence to say about the film, but it makes for a good time! Of course, all of these lessons were later thrown away by the sequel. Oh well! At least we got one good one.

Directed by David F. Sandberg.

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4. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

“The bell’s already been rung. And they’ve heard it out in the dark, among the stars. Ding dong, the God is dead.”

Three-and-a-half years of fan campaigning and a pandemic later, Warner Bros. finally gave Snyder about $70 million to finish his cut of Justice League. The difference between the initial theatrical cut and the “Snyder Cut” is night and day. The editing, pace, tone, colouring, aspect ratio, performances, and dynamics have been entirely revamped here, making the two projects fascinating to compare and contrast. It’s an excellent demonstration of how dramatically a director’s vision can change a film and how easy it is for a filmmaker’s ideas to be warped and changed if they’re not in control. This is easily Snyder’s best DC film, although that’s not necessarily saying much. At an astounding four hours long, Zack Snyder’s Justice League is stuffed with all the usual “Snyder-isms,” but this time cranked to the nth degree. The film is maybe a little too long and a little overdone in places, but it’s certainly a compelling and fascinating cultural object. Is it a good movie? Well, that’s a difficult question to answer. Is it interesting? A thousand times yes.

You can read my full review here.

Directed by Zack Snyder (for real this time).

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3. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)

“Psychologically speaking, vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for.”

Birds of Prey will always stand out in my memory of filmgoing. That’s not because of any particular strength or weakness of the film, but because this was the last movie I saw in the theatres before the world got shut down. Although, thankfully, I did mostly enjoy Birds of Prey (and the Ridiculously Long Subtitle). While not everything here clicks for me — I think it’s humour is both a great strength and a great weakness — there’s a lot to like. The film’s visual sensibilities are excellent, the action sequences are well-choreographed and visceral, and Ewan McGregor kills as the main villain, Black Mask. The film struggles to balance setting up the Birds of Prey as a team and give proper due to Margot Robbie’s Harley, but the results are an irreverent, chaotic, if not a little too messy, adventure. It’s refreshingly low-stakes and features a pretty stellar ensemble cast of heroes, anti-heroes, and villains.

You can read my full review here.

Directed by Cathy Yan.

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2. Wonder Woman (2017)

“I will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.”

The DCEU’s fourth feature film was the franchise’s first bonafide critical hit and remains one of its best films. Spinning off of the events of Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman takes audiences back to 1918 for its titular hero’s origin story. Here, Princess Diana of Themiscyra joins Capt. Steve Trevor of the U.S. Air Force as they travel to the front lines of the First World War. Diana must come to terms with a world far more hostile and broken than she ever could have imagined as she hunts for her deadly enemy: Ares, the god of war. Wonder Woman is a charming, solid superhero adventure. The fish-out-of-water story makes for an engaging narrative angle, which is boosted with some solid action setpieces and good performances from the lead cast. The film maintains a visually oppressive atmosphere, making Diana’s relentless sense of optimism stand out against the hostile, war-torn world. The film suffers thanks to a clunky first act, but the first two acts buy a lot of goodwill from the viewer. This is also Gal Gadot’s best performance as Diana in the franchise.

If you want to get into the strange history of Wonder Woman’s creation, I highly recommend Angela Robinson’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.

Directed Patty Jenkins.

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1. The Suicide Squad (2021)

“I cherish peace with all of my heart. I don’t care how many men, women and children I kill to get it.”

And so, DC’s Task Force X bookends to this list. The DCEU’s finest hour comes in the form of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, the one-part reboot of and one-part sequel to the 2016 original. This R-rated anti-hero adventure is one of the most distinct and unique superhero films, although the word “hero” is used very liberally here, in recent years. The film has a similar premise as the 2016 original — a team of C-list supervillains on a blacklist mission for the U.S. government — but does it all with significantly more charm and style. The Suicide Squad manages to blend its ultra-violent and comedic tendencies with some strong character beats. The colours are bright, the action is extreme, the performances are larger-than-life, and the story is ever-surprising. The film also led to the existence of the very excellent Peacemaker TV series, so it deserves some credit for that spin-off alone. Gunn is now on to helm the rebooted DC Universe as co-CEO of DC Studios and, if this film is anything to go off of, we should be in for a treat.

You can read my full review here.

Directed by James Gunn.