Ranking the DC Extended Universe Movies

Well, now that I've seen The Suicide Squad, I suppose it's time to update my rankings of the DC Cinematic Universe.  It really is insane how bad some of those movies are.  I think it's much more obvious which films will be at the top of this list, so we'll start there and work our way down.


#1. Shazam! (2019)

Shazam! is a really fun movie with a lot of heart.  It also has a different tone and type of story to tell than most superhero movies.  I love the foster home setting and giving a 14-year-old kid superpowers is a stroke of genius. 

#2: Aquaman (2018)

This may come as a bit of a shock to some.  How could Aquaman beat Wonder Woman?  I just loved how over-the-top and goofy Aquaman was.  It's a bonkers film with tons of pure insanity.  I love how the film looks.  It has amazing visual effects and cinematography.  This film is a massive schlock-fest, which is right up my alley and that puts it past Wonder Woman by just a hair.

#3. The Suicide Squad (2021)

No one should be surprised to find The Suicide Squad near the top.  This movie manages to save the franchise and make the first film look considerably worst.  Definitely the most refreshing movie in the DCEU, it's great to see a talented filmmaker get to really make his movie in the context of this universe.  It has a fantastic cast, even if some of them are underused, excellent performances, a ton of gore, and a surprisingly emotional tone.  Definitely in the top tier.

#4: Wonder Woman (2017)

I'm sure it surprises no one that Wonder Woman is near the top of this list.  It's simply a really good movie.  Gal Gadot is fantastic in the role and Chris Pine does a great job supporting her.  Wonder Woman has a really great arc; going from someone who is very naive about the ways of world to finally understanding how it works.  The action scenes are watchable for once, plus it has a ton of humor.  This movie takes the best parts of Thor and Captain America and combines it into one movie.  It's not perfect.  There are parts of the movie that could have been smoothed out, but for the most part, it's a legitimately fun movie to watch, which is more than can be said for most of the other movies on this list.

#5: Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)

While it doesn't quite match up to the first Wonder Woman, 84 is a blast of a film that gets pretty bonkers.  Gal Gadot and Chris Pine both continue to be excellent, but it's the villains that really elevate the film.  Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal are by far the two best villains of the DCEU and are extremely well developed.  Parts of the film are sloppy, but it's an entertaining ride.

#6: Justice League (2017)

I may be in the minority here, but Justice League got a bad wrap.  Sure, there are some tonal inconsistencies because of the two different directors, but I can give that a pass because most of Justice League works.  The chemistry between the various members of the Justice League is good and I would argue that the chemistry is the most important element in a movie like this.  The action is watchable, and they made the characters funnier.  It's actually fun to watch, unlike the remaining three movies.  I will agree that the villain, Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), is awful, but I like Justice League, I believe it is a very underrated movie.

#7: Birds of Prey (2020)

Margot Robbie was one of the only good parts of Suicide Squad, so it's nice to see Harley Quinn in a good movie.  Ewan McGregor is a great villain, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a lot of fun, the 3rd act is great, and the film is very stylish.  Some of the supporting characters aren't great, the nonlinear structure is messy, and it tries a little too hard to be Deadpool, but this is still a fun movie.

#8: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: (2016)

This is the last movie on this list I would actually recommend to people, mostly for the novelty of watching Batman (Ben Affleck) fight Superman (Henry Cavill).  There's a few other high points: Wonder Woman is great, Batman's raid on the warehouse is awesome, and Ben Affleck is a legitimately good Batman, but most of the rest of the movie is either depressing or bad...*cough cough* Jesse Eisenberg *cough cough*.  It's worth watching once, but I wouldn't go so far to say it's a good movie.  It's ok at best, but it certainly isn't fun to watch.


#9: Suicide Squad (2016)

This movie sucks, but I can tell there was a decent movie in there somewhere.  It was just edited to shreds by the studio, which is a real shame because Suicide Squad had promise.  I think some of the performances are solid.  Will Smith is a good Deadshot, Margot Robbie is a great Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney doesn't get nearly enough to do as Captain Boomerang, I think Jay Hernandez is great as Diablo, and Viola Davis and Joel Kinnaman both do fine jobs.  But as for Slipknot, Katana, and Killer Crock, why are they even there?  I don't blame the actors for this one.  I blame the directing, the writing, and the editing.  The villain is lame, the Joker (Jared Leto) is underused, the editing is out of whack, there are too many inappropriate songs, I could go on and on.  The point is, this could have been a good movie, and in some parts I can almost see it, but too many people dropped the ball, and we're left with one of the most disappointing movies of all time.


#10: Man of Steel (2013)

Damn, Man of Steel sucks.  Almost nothing works in this movie.  It's too dark, it's no fun, and the action scenes are nauseating.  When I re-watched it, I just wanted it to end.  I wasn't enjoying myself in the slightest.  Michael Shannon is solid as General Zod, but I really can't think of anything else I liked about Man of Steel.  It's simply miserable to watch, and that is why it comes in last in my DC rankings.

So, what do you think?  Am I an idiot, or am I 100% right?  Let me know in the comments.