Hello, reader!
Due to the recent release of Zack Snyder's Justice League cut (2021), I've decided to look back on the colorful bunch of movies in the DC Extended Universe. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, it is a cinematic universe of superhero movies by DC Comics, starting from 2013's Man of Steel. I'm ranking the two versions of Justice League (the 2017 original and the 2021 director's cut) separately, as they differ largely in quality. Without further ado, let's go!
10. Suicide Squad (2016)
Simply put, Suicide Squad is a mess. I don't completely hate it as many movie buffs do, as there are parts that I admit enjoying (Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Will Smith's Deadshot, that's pretty much it). But oh boy, the movie should and could have been about a thousand times better than what we ended up with. The concept of DC Comics (the traditionally darker and grittier of the two superhero giants) doing a movie about a group of villains seemed perfect: what a glorious opportunity for anti-hero moral dilemmas with that trademark DC gloom! Instead, the filmmakers decided that their villain-based movie would be the perfect opportunity to channel Marvel and do a goofy popcorn flick - not a good call.
Between the forced humor at every turn, the extremely generic villain, the cliché "Let's spend too long of a time fighting CGI monsters while a blue beam shoots up into the sky" final act, and Jared Leto's Joker being written so horribly that it screams "We wanted to make more money by putting this famous character into the movie but we forgot to give him anything to work with or any reason to be there", there's not a whole lot to like in this screwed-up romp other than the two decent performances mentioned above.
9. Justice League (Original Version) (2017)
When I get to Zack Snyder's cut of Justice League later in the list, remember that the theatrical cut was at second-last place. I want to highlight the difference between the two, as it's absolutely insane what a difference editing choices can make when given the same material.
To be fair, I admit that the situation was impossible for Justice League - Zack Snyder had to drop out due to personal tragedy, and they had to finish the movie with a different director. All involved have my sympathies. But my understanding of the situation doesn't mean that I should pretend that 2017's Justice League wasn't the flop that it definitely was. After years of hype for DC's greatest superheroes coming together, we got a disjointed mix of Zack Snyder's grittiness and Joss Whedon's fun entertainment. Those two didn't play well together at all.
While I liked parts of the movie, it was infuriating how subpar it was for a film of DC's greatest heroes coming together. Seeing the Snyder cut highlighted just how much of a failure this theatrical cut was, and my opinion of the 2017 version has gone further down ever since. While Snyder intended Justice League to be a long movie directed at his core audience (nerds like me), where all of the heroes (as well as the villain) have their own interesting origins, motivations and archs, Joss Whedon switched the target audience into mainstream moviegoers, therefore cutting the runtime by half.
Gone were the interesting motivations. Gone were the unique character stories. Instead of being a villain with an interesting backstory, Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) becomes a generic video game villain. Instead of being a complex hero with his own fascinating struggles, Cyborg (Ray Fisher) becomes a one-dimensional archetype. If you want a fun film of DC's heroes coming together, a poor man's Avengers (2012) as it were, this film barely has you covered, but it is embarrassing how it destroys Zack Snyder's vision of telling an actually interesting Justice League story.
8. Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020)
While far from being a great piece of cinema, Birds of Prey is entertaining and fun enough to be considered a success in what Suicide Squad failed at. On paper, it's dangerously similar to the generally reviled Suicide Squad - it's a film about anti-heroes and villains, lead by Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn. The major difference making Birds of Prey much better than Suicide Squad is that it feels much less forced. While Suicide Squad's whole vibe is "Marvel is successful with their fun and zany style so let's copy that!", Birds of Prey feels like the filmmakers and actors were legitimately having fun when making the film, with a much less gun-to-the-head feel about it. Robbie continues to kill it in the chaotic role of Quinn, and Ewan McGregor's Black Mask makes for a fairly compelling (if not amazing) villain.
7. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Wonder Woman 1984 sure is a mixed bag if I ever saw one, with a lot to be disappointed in but a lot to like. First off, here are the top five reasons why it pales in comparison to the first Wonder Woman and belongs to the "not that great" end of DCEU films:
5. The two-and-a-half-hour runtime isn't exactly justified, as parts of the film drag on too long.
4. The 80's setting with all of the "80's setting" tropes feels a bit on the nose.
3. While Pedro Pascal is a remarkable actor, his villain character Maxwell Lord doesn't really work, over-the-top antics and half-assed Donald Trump -channelling and all.
2. The final act falls flat in a clichéd manner typical to this cinematic universe.
1. The way in which Chris Pine's Steve Trevor is brought back is weird, disturbing and poorly written.
But then again, here are the top five reasons why it still is a solid sequel and better than this list's bottom three:
5. The post-credit guest role is a delightful surprise!
4. The Themyscira opening sequence is spectacular.
3. I really enjoyed the secondary villain, Cheetah, played by surprising casting choice Kristen Wiig!
2. The film has important lessons about greed and truth.
1. Gal Gadot continues to be the best part of the DCEU in her role as Wonder Woman.
6. Man of Steel (2013)
The one that started it all. The DCEU kicked off in 2013 with Man of Steel, a dark and gritty Superman reboot directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan. Like many of the films on this list, it's a mixed bag, and this time I'll start with the positives. Based on the first two thirds of the movie, I was ready to give it an 8/10 rating and to put it on my list of the top 10 superhero movies of all time. Seriously, the movie starts off incredibly well: Henry Cavill is the perfect casting for a more brooding and serious take on Clark Kent, Michael Shannon's General Zod remains the DCEU's best villain to this day, and Zack Snyder's dark and smooth-flowing style of directing works wonders when coupled with Hans Zimmer's soundtrack.
I was ready to call this the perfect Superman film, with a balance between the hero's 'truth and justice' ideals remaining intact while taking a much darker, Snyder-Nolan-esque tone. But the final act of the film weighs it down by a lot. Unfortunately, Man of Steel fell into the trope of overly long and tedious action sequences that is quite common in superhero cinema and especially DC movies. The final fight drags on for so long, and the care-free destruction of buildings and use of explosions undercuts the more somber and down-to-earth feel that the film built. That keeps Man of Steel from being in my top five, while still being a decent film when focusing on its major positives.
5. Aquaman (2018)
To borrow a joke from YouTube channel Screen Junkies (although applied to a different movie); Aquaman may not be one of the best movies ever made, but it certainly is one of the most movies ever made. This movie is simply such a Movie with a capital 'M', with all of its blockbuster tropes and general atmosphere of being full of everything. Aquaman feels like modern Hollywood threw up a random assortment of cinematic elements, and I mean it in a good way - there's so much happening at the same time, that while this keeps the film from being thematically substantial, it makes it hellishly entertaining.
There is a lot to like in the film when looking for a fun watching experience: James Wan's expert action directing, the massive visuals, the star-studded cast and the intriguing aquatic lore will all pump you up. Aquaman is so filled to the brim with various elements that it is a lot to take, but it ends up being quite fun and refreshing when not taken too seriously.
4. Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! is the purest example of a modern DC film feeling fun and light in a Marvel-esque way. It's not forced, it's not copied, it's simply legitimate fun born out love for the superhero genre. My favorite part of the film is just how much of it is devoted to exploring two superhero-obsessed kids as they discover the joys of having super powers.
For anyone who enjoyed comic book movies at a young age and fantasized about having super powers as a kid, this film will bring that feeling back with a rush of blissful nostalgia. Shazam! is colored by the filmmakers' passion for comic books and the superhero genre, and it shows. Quite a breath of fresh air in the context of a cinematic universe that generally varies its moods between "dark and bleak" and "trying too hard to be funny".
3. Wonder Woman (2017)
Where to begin with this one! Patty Jenkins does an ace job directing, Gal Gadot is perfection in the lead role, and the World War I setting makes for a nice balance between period-piece-fun and a semi-serious DC vibe. While the film does have its flaws (the third act feels inescapably dull and generic when compared to how intriguingly everything was set up; although it's not as extreme here as it was with Man of Steel), it works wonders as a whole. The debut of Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman had left viewers curious, and this solo outing provides an in-depth look at the hero that exceeded expectations.
The lore surrounding Themyscira and the Amazons is fascinating as well, adding to the movie's memorability. Also, the scene where Wonder Woman emerges from the trenches and walks through the battlefield to the backdrop of Rupert Gregson-Williams's empowering soundtrack is easily one of the greatest moments in this entire cinematic universe.
2. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
What a difference editing can make - remember when the original version of this film was on second-to-last place on this list? The same material, but finished by original director Zack Snyder according to his own vision, makes for one hell of a superhero epic. With its four-hour runtime, the Snyder Cut definitely isn't for everyone, but it very much is for viewers like myself, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
It's clear from the get-go that Snyder's take on the film isn't the "The Avengers but with DC heroes instead of Marvel heroes" flick that the theatrical cut ended up being. This wasn't just a bunch of popular characters coming together for the sake of entertainment, but rather an expertly told story where every character has their own arch and own set of motivations - something that a 2-hour team-up blockbuster wouldn't have time for. The long runtime of the Snyder Cut is completely justified, as it rewards the viewers by taking them on a journey where you actually care about the characters.
The biggest individual difference between the Justice League cuts is what scenes were used, as so many great scenes were left out of the 2017 version that the Snyder Cut ends up feeling like a totally different (and much better) story. But an equally important difference is what is done with the scenes that occur in both versions; from soundtrack and color scheme to the use of slow motion and visual effects, everything looks, sounds and feels better in the Snyder Cut. Whereas the 2017 version tried its best to be funny and light in a Marvel-esque way and ended up feeling forced, the 2021 version bathes in the trademark DC gloom that Snyder always aimed for with this franchise. This version of Justice League feels like the proper, climactic follow-up to Man of Steel and Batman v Superman that I felt cheated out of in 2017, and it was an amazing treat to get to see this version after all these years. Hats off to Zack Snyder for pulling this one off.
1. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
And here we arrive at one of my strangest and most controversial movie/TV opinions - right up there with the Kill Bill movies being my least favorite Tarantino films and the ending of Game of Thrones being fantastic in my opinion. I know that the general opinion of Batman v Superman is rather poor, and while I get where the negative criticism is coming from, I never felt any of it myself. I've always found this to be a remarkable movie, and one of the best in the entire superhero genre. Why, you ask? Let's dive right in.
First of all, it's one of those few franchise movies that truly succeed at being many things at once. Usually when a sequel or reboot dreams to big and tries too many things, it ends up feeling bloated, but not with this one; everything is balanced just right. Therefore, Batman v Superman succeeds a) as a sequel to Man of Steel (the atmosphere is very similar and the story of Henry Cavill's Superman continues in a compelling manner), b) as a Batman reboot (this was our introduction to this universe's version of Batman, played by Ben Affleck, and he immediately becomes one of the better cinematic versions of the character), c) as a hero vs. hero film (the parallel stories of Batman and Superman throughout the first act make for a gripping and believable rift between them and their ideologies, and the way they turn against each other is very well-written) and d) as a Justice League set-up (we get an amazing introduction to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, as well for some cool cameos by the likes of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and The Flash (Ezra Miller)). It's four movies rolled into one, and I love it.
Also, I was a fan of Zack Snyder's polarizing style from the beginning. While the final act of Man of Steel rubbed me the wrong way, the majority of it was top notch specifically thanks to the atmosphere created by Snyder: the serious and gloomy color scheme, the smooth flow from one moment to another that makes the whole film feel like one concise scene, all of which is colored further by Hans Zimmer's music, makes for a very unique milieu in comic book cinema. And the same atmosphere is turned to the max in Batman v Superman, making for an addicting viewing experience for my taste. There are scenes in the film, such as Wonder Woman's entrance into the big battle sequence as well as the very last moment before the end credits start to roll, that still send a chill down my spine when re-watching them, thanks to Zimmer's epic soundtrack and Snyder's sense-tingling style.
Lastly, and this may be the biggest individual factor for why I like the film so much: it has so much to say. The themes and lessons of superhero movies often range from "Literally nothing" to "Simple and generic feel-good stuff about teamwork and friendship", but Batman v Superman takes it to the next level. Whether it's Clark Kent being made into an infinitely more interesting character as he deals with a well-written god complex, or Bruce Wayne dealing with PTSD and the consequences of his violent methods, the film grapples with some very interesting philosophy that leaves one wondering. The scene towards the end where they show the graffiti saying "If you seek his monument, look around you" feels downright profound, on a level that no other superhero movie has quite reached.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I rank the top 10 episodes from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, due to popular demand.
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