As a kid, I always preferred the heroes of DC Comics to their Marvel cohorts. The stoic optimism of Superman, the detective skills of Batman, the ferocious Wonder Woman, the clever and creative Green Lantern - they were the costumed crusaders I fell in love with. Some of the first comics I ever read were Aquaman and The Flash, and my favorite graphic novels will always be
The Dark Knight Returns,
Kingdom Come, and
Identity Crisis. DC Heroes are imaginative and iconic, telling terrific stories in fun yet heartfelt ways. Unfortunately, in the minds of the public, the recent film incarnations of these characters have been less successful. So much so, in fact, that any future installments in this series now hang in the balance. With all this in mind, let's take a look at the current DC shared universe and the five films that comprise it...
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Man of Steel (2013):
The Good...In all honesty, this is the best Superman origin story that we could've hoped for. It's equal parts ambition and imagination, bringing to life the crumbling world of Krypton and the humble childhood beginnings of Clark Kent. This movie is perfectly cast, especially Michael Shannon as the malicious General Zod and Diane Keaton as the gritty and gutsy Martha Kent. And the musical score, composed by Hans Zimmer, is occasionally calm, occasionally thunderous, but always a joy. Beyond that? This is simply an enjoyable action movie. Enough said.
The Bad...Well, the product placement is ubiquitous to the point of absurdity, and the religious allusions are laughably on the nose.
The Verdict...All things considered,
Man of Steel is a well-made, genuinely affecting superhero flick. It doesn't have quite the gravitas as, say, Christopher Nolan's
Dark Knight trilogy, but it gets the job done.
Final Grade: B
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Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016):
The Good...Well, if
Man of Steel gets points for aspiration, then this one deserves even more. This is, unequivocally, the most ambitious superhero movie ever made. It played every card it was able to play (and even a few that it shouldn't have). Thankfully, Zack Snyder's direction is still competent and, at times, even compelling. Plus, Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot were some truly inspired casting decisions, fully embodying their characters.
The Bad...The story is an overstuffed, melodramatic mess. I mean, it could be worse (this ain't
The Amazing Spider-Man 2), but it's bloated and self-important. And while this is fixed to some degree by the "Ultimate Edition," the whopping 3-hour run-time is obscene. Troublesome, too, is the dreary tone of the whole thing. Every scene is so
dour, every shot imbued with an unpalatable amount of doom and gloom. I'm not saying every movie has to be spat out of the Marvel assembly line, but good God! When domestic terrorism gets involved, it's safe to say the tone is a bit macabre.
The Verdict...While this movie gets far more crap from critics than it deserves, it's still nothing more than a slightly above average summer blockbuster, one easily eclipsed by Marvel's
Civil War. It certainly has its moments, but overall,
Batman v. Superman is 3 hours of meh. Sorry: 3 hours of
super meh.
Final Grade: C+
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Suicide Squad (2016):
The Good...The concept is great (right?), the production design is stunning, the makeup effects are superb, and again, the casting is pretty solid all around. The best parts of this movie? Will Smith's cool charisma, Viola Davis's authoritarianism, Jai Courtney's wild-eyed insanity, and Jay Hernandez as the tormented yet reformed El Diablo. Batman and The Flash show up, too! Neato!
The Bad...Like it's predecessor, the story structure here is a mess (also like it's predecessor, there's an overlong "Ultimate Cut" that is much better, but that's beside the point). Character motivations are muddled, action sequences are soulless, and apart from a few well-placed songs, the overall soundtrack is distracting and completely devoid of subtlety.
The Verdict...I am, admittedly, not a fan of this one. It gets points for design and a few standout performances, but that's not enough to save it from itself. A poor script, muddled cinematography, lumpy pacing, and a depressing amount of squandered potential reduces this wannabe tough-guy slugfest to little more than a faux-blockbuster that's imitation edgy - a Hot Topic teen's aesthetic with college freshman philosophizing.
Final Grade: D+
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Wonder Woman (2017):
The Good...Holy Moley, this thing ain't just a breath of fresh air - it's a refreshing ocean zephyr. Okay okay, I'm hyperbolizing a little, but you get the point, right?
Wonder Woman is arguably the best film in the DC Cinematic Universe. It's a fun romp if ever there was one - brisk, hopeful, and imbued with an undeniable forward momentum, plummeting (and pummeling) through one terrific set piece after another. Gal Gadot is impeccable as our titular hero, and equally impressive is Chris Pine as love interest Steve Trevor. It's also cool seeing a modern superhero flick set in the trenches of WWI, and all the period production design is lovely.
The Bad...Well, this isn't perfect. It's definitely a familiar movie, loaded with a dizzying degree of genre tropes and campy moments. The finale is unfortunately similar to
all of its DC kin - lots of smoke, fire, and a big gray CGI baddie to brawl. There's also an uncomfortable amount of similarities to Marvel's first Captain America movie.
The Verdict...I don't care how cliché this thing is -
Wonder Woman is phenomenal fun. If you haven't already, be sure to check it out.
Final Grade: B+
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Justice League (2017):
The Good...Once again, this franchise finds its footing in characters and casting: Batman busts skulls, Wonder Woman inspires, The Flash is funny, Cyborg is intriguing, and Aquaman is a cool reimagining. There are some jokes that land well enough, and some sequences that really crank the action up to eleven. Also - this is the Supermanest Superman that's ever Supermanned. Which I adore.
The Bad...I'm not entirely sure, but maybe the problem lies with me. I just never
once bought into it. There were some funny moments and a few solid scenes, but honestly, I couldn't take off my pair of skepticals for this one. I was never engaged on an emotional level (apart from a miniscule moment between Clark and his mother), and beyond some
oohs and
aahs from the visuals, the story never enveloped me. Oh yeah, and the villain sucked, too. Same with Superman's plastic upper lip (rewatch the first scene and tell me you don't see it too).
The Verdict...All the hype, all the universe-building, led to
this? I'm incredibly underwhelmed. This is the epitome of bland filmmaking. It's fine, sure, but it's about as memorable as a piece of toast. I'd rather soar with
Man of Steel, brood with
Batman v. Superman, laugh at
Suicide Squad, or rally behind
Wonder Woman. At the end of the day,
Justice League doesn't do the league any justice.
Final Grade: C-
