With just half the amount of movies in its filmography compared to the MCU, the DCEU has still managed to be less consistent than the laser-focused Marvel movies. According to critics, the DCEU doles out movies that are completely uneven in quality, and their Rotten Tomatoes scores represent exactly that.
Warner Bros. can release disappointing and cheesy sequels, then release a movie that gives fans exactly what they want with pinpoint precision the following year. From the very first female-led blockbuster superhero movie to the newly released reboot/sequel The Suicide Squad, there are some incredible movies in the franchise. But there are just as many or more rotten films as there are fresh.
11 Suicide Squad (2016) - 26%
Studio executives and directors butting heads happens a lot, especially when they have opposing ideas about the direction of a movie. There may be no better example of studio meddling than Suicide Squad. Critics thought that the characters were too thinly written and had a muddled and botched plot.
The movie felt like a string of music videos cut together, as Suicide Squad is so full of pop music that soundtracks its colorful visuals. Director David Ayer blames Warner Bros., but wherever the fault lies, the worst parts of the movie were at least retconned by the much better The Suicide Squad.
10 Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016) - 29%
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice cleverly interpolated the destruction of Metropolis from Man of Steel in its opening act. It was skilfully used as the catalyst for Bruce Wayne’s vendetta against Superman, but the creativity in the movie steadily declined with each consecutive scene.
The two leading heroes of a cinematic universe locking horns is one of the biggest similarities between the MCU and DCEU, but it was approached in a much better way in Captain America: Civil War. Batman v Superman didn't even live up to its name, as the two titular heroes barely fought for 10 minutes during the film. It may not be the worst DCEU movie, but it’s the most disappointing.
9 Justice League (2017) - 40%
Joss Whedon took over this film when original director Zack Snyder had to step down for personal reasons. As Whedon often takes a lighthearted approach to his work and Snyder goes in more of a dark and gritty direction, the two directors are like yin and yang.
It doesn’t make much sense as to why one would replace the other, and, according to critics, the forced jokes and wider color pallet can’t offset the chaotic action and convoluted plot. However, it was still a step in the right direction after Batman v Superman, and the inclusion of Aquaman and Wonder Woman helped the movie feel much less stale.
8 Man Of Steel (2013) - 56%
After the Christopher Reeve-led movies and the one-off Superman Returns in 2006, Man of Steel was a paradigm shift for the character. The movie saw the character in a more grounded and darker world compared to the optimistic and hopeful previous movies.
It may have seemed a little jarring at first, and that’s what critics thought, along with the fact that the action was too over the top. But for the most part, audiences disagree with critics, as it’s generally regarded as one of the better movies in the DCEU by fans of the series. On top of that, it was the introduction of Cavill’s portrayal of the character, which is one of the best depictions of Superman.
7 Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) - 59%
After Wonder Woman was the first film that made critics take the DCEU seriously, the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, did the complete opposite. Where the original movie is fun but still has stakes and tells a cohesive story, 1984 features goofy villains and is way too cheesy.
It’s the movie in the franchise that critics and audiences stand a united front on, as it’s disregarded by fans too. However, it does have some merits. It’s much more vibrant and colorful than most of the movies that came before it, and the nostalgic '80s setting gives Stranger Things a run for its money.
6 Aquaman (2018) - 65%
The aquatic superhero had been the laughing stock of DC among comic-book fans for decades. But the best thing the studio did with Aquaman was subvert expectations by turning the character into a brooding, hairy alpha male in the form of Jason Mamoa.
The actor portrayed the character as the leader he is and turned him into a fan favorite. Though a select few think Aquaman is redundant, the movie brought a much-needed dose of entertainment to the franchise. However, despite being fresh, it’s still criticized for its lazy writing and for prioritizing style over substance.
5 Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) - 71%
The differences between Zack Snyder’s Justice League and the theatrical release are like night and day. There are so many things that have been changed, even the aspect ratio, and every single one of them is better according to critics. It cleared up all of the original movie’s plot holes, actually has character development, and restored the color grading to how it was meant to look.
Though there are critics that vastly preferred this version of Justice League, it’s nothing compared to the absolute fanfare from general audiences. Fans loved and appreciated the four-hour movie more than any critic, and it’s just as well, as it was the campaigning from fans that ultimately got the movie green-lit.
4 Birds Of Prey (2020) - 79%
Being an (almost) solo movie about Harley Quinn, who was the most entertaining thing about Suicide Squad, Birds of Prey should have been much more successful at the box office than it was. The movie was enjoyed by most critics, and they thought that the fast-paced action sequences and kinetic energy were what Suicide Squad was missing.
The movie nailed everything from the female empowerment to erasing the Joker from Harley’s story arc. But it was still criticized by some who claimed that the DCEU is still suffering from messy storytelling and focusing too much on retconning previous movies.
3 Shazam (2019) - 90%
Shazam is an outlier in the DCEU for many reasons. For starters, there was such little fanfare surrounding the movie, as it went under the radar even by fans of superhero movies. But the reason why it’s so unique in the franchise is because it’s very much a family movie, almost more than it is a superhero movie. Critics praised the movie to no end for its high spirits and charm.
Where movies like Man of Steel are aimed at adult fans, and movies like Justice League are imitating MCU movies, Shazam is aimed at kids more than anyone else. It’s a refreshing direction for the series, but it still doesn’t forget that it’s part of a shared universe, as it has the funniest references to Batman and Superman. Shazam also has one of the best character developments in the DCEU, which is something the series has often struggled with.
2 The Suicide Squad (2021) - 91%
Though there are a lot of differences between the 2016 and 2021 Suicide Squad movies, the newest addition to the DCEU family isn’t actually that different from its critically derided predecessor. They are both full of radio hits, bizarre antiheroes, and the narrative extremely similar, but The Suicide Squad pulls everything off much better.
James Gunn’s latest team-up movie is a symphony of gore, colorful language, and dazzling special effects. The movie’s score on Rotten Tomatoes even beats out its spiritual sibling, Deadpool, which kickstarted the whole masochistic comedy trend audiences are currently living through.
1 Wonder Woman (2017) - 93%
Wonder Woman was the first movie in the DCEU to get a fresh rating, and it’s still yet to be topped. However, that isn’t simply because there haven’t been any great DCEU movies since, but because Wonder Woman is just that great.
It earned a bunch of accolades and praise from critics for being the first major female-led superhero movie. But that wouldn’t mean anything if it didn’t have an incredible narrative, well-written character development, and creative action sequences. Wonder Woman had all of that and more, as critics believed that Gal Gadot’s portrayal of the character was perfectly nuanced, which is something that had fans nervous when she was first cast.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/3gdXBji
0 Comments