So I finally got around to watching Justice League (probably shouldn’t have done that) and looked back at the exceptionally underwhelming DCEU (Although they have begun the right the ship). Before I get into the actual countdown, I just want to say, the main reason why I loathe some of the DC films of recent years, is it seems like they build their movies off of the assumption that everyone already is well aware of the backstories of their heros, and therefore skip out on any real character building, or proper storytelling, leaving undeveloped, shallow, and uninteresting characters (they literally made up cyborg’s powers as they went along for Christ’s sake). I beg people learn to realize that JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE A CHARACTER, AND THEY ARE IN THE MOVIE, THAT DOES NOT MAKE IT A GOOD MOVIE. *Deep sigh*…let’s get this over with.
(Disclaimer: I realized about half-way through writing this list that, since Justice League, DC’s releases have actually been pretty good, so sorry for the gloom and doom)
7. (Worst) Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice
This film baffles me at just about every level. It is truly a BAD film. Now, full disclosure, I’ve only seen the theatrical version, but that doesn’t change the fact that they beat the dead horse that is Batman’s backstory like a drum, give some of the worst dialogue in any film (much less the superhero genre), throw meaningless plot devices (and an out of place dream sequence) in everywhere, and present a plot that plays out like a drawn out Justice League trailer. Horrible CGI, completely skimming over characters, and complete lack of logic make it borderline unwatchable. And I won’t even go into the “Martha” scenes.
Verdict: F
6. Justice League
Justice League follows in the footsteps of BvS as expected, making pretty much all of the same mistakes, plus some new ones. Once again, they fail to develop the newly introduced Flash and Cyborg (and literally make up cyborgs powers as they go along), spew horrible dialogue, and lay out a plot that is basically an unoriginal mashup of other blockbusters. *The Not-Avengers try to stop the Not-Aliens from using the three Not-Allsparks to wipe humanity out of existence.* Real original… Throw in some of the WORST CGI ever put into a final film past 2003 (Steppenwolf looks like a ps2 cutscene), and it is a borderline unforgivable film. On the bright side, Barry does have a few fun moments, and his back and forth with Cyborg gave their characters some heart. Snyder cut or not, this one fell REALLY flat.
Verdict: F
5. Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad, to me, is a mixed bag. DC’s poor plot standard is back, with the entire story pretty nonsensical from a logic standpoint, but where suicide squad succeeds is in a few of its fun characters. Will Smith’s Deadshot is well developed and has an interesting backstory (THAT IS ACTUALLY SHOWN), Margot Robbie is great as the unstable Harley Quinn, and Jai Courtney steals the show as Captain Boomerang. Unfortunately, the rest of the characters don’t really stand out, and aside from Will Smith’s initial target practice, the action is underwhelming as well, with an overly CG’d mess of a climax. Finally, not only is Jared Leto’s Joker awful, he has no reason for even being in the movie. His side plot is completely irrelevant to the plot as a whole and doesn’t do any justice in any way. Sadly, In the end, the negatives vastly outweigh the positives
Verdict: D+
4. Man of Steel
Man of Steel is not a bad movie at all, and it actually gave some hope to the early stages of the DCEU. The darker tone was received positively in the wake of The Christopher Nolan Batman Trilogy, and Henry Cavill plays the dual role of Superman / Clark Kent with Poise and talent. Man of Steel’s shortcomings are in its over-hyper action sequences that aren’t very easy to follow, the shear level of destruction caused without repercussion, and it’s somewhat goofiness (specifically The tornado scene) that clashes with the serious tone. Overall, Man of Steel was a fair start to DC’s attempt at universe building.
Verdict: C+
3. Aquaman
Aquaman does something (much like Wonder Woman) that recent DC films have begun to do very well, in that it is fantastic at world-building, and embracing the unique qualities of the title character. James Wan was a perfect fit for Aquaman, due to his keen eye for detail in visuals, and the style of many of the action sequences (specifically hand-to-hand scenes) is breathtaking. Aquaman also has probably the best villain in the DCEU in Black Manta, and Jason Momoa does a great job. It does unfortunately have quite a few downsides. The entire desert sequence doesn’t work, and there are a few moments here and there (specifically the tsunami) that come out of nowhere and serve only as plot devices and cop outs to holes in the writing. Most egregiously, The CGI action is pretty terrible looking, which is a shame, because the live-action action scenes are so fantastic. In the end, Aquaman is still in the top half of DC’s lineup, and is a good watch overall.
Verdict: B
2. Wonder Woman
WW is actually probably some people’s favorite of the DCEU, and rightfully so. WW is a DC movie that finally played to the originality of its character and the uniqueness of the world that they reside in. Gal Gadot is fantastic, and Chris pine works exceptionally well with her on screen. WW excels in story telling and character building, but much like Man of Steel, fell short in the action department. The Snyder-Esque overuse of slow motion and hyper action that the DCEU has headscrathingly embraced are ever present, and unfortunately the third act drops off sharply in quality, as the “big reveal” is laughably telegraphed. That being said, Wonder Woman is still great! And one of the best to be released for the DC brand.
Verdict: B+
1. Shazam!
Shazam is my undisputed best of the DCEU. As the years have gone by, directors have finally realized that they don’t need to emulate Christopher Nolan’s dark tone to make a good film. This serves especially well, since the light heartedness of Shazam is what makes it so great. Zachary Levy plays the part perfectly as the embodiment of a young adult in a superhero body, and there is a bit of symbolism in that the entire story is about Billy (Shazam) realizing the responsibilities of his power, to his family, and of maturing in general. The story is great, the supporting characters are great, the visuals are great, and the villain is great. There are fantastic moments throughout, and it has the most heart of any film in the DCEU. A sharp contrast to the shallowness of BvS and Justice League, Shazam hits every mark it needs to.
Verdict: A
FlickFix 