With JUSTICE LEAGUE Now In Theaters, Here's A Ranking Of Every DC Comics Movie From Worst To Best
Including Justice League, Warner Bros. has released a total of 30 DC Comics adaptations over the years and we've now taken a look at each of them to come up with a definitive ranking from worst to best...
Whereas Marvel Studios has released 17 movies in the past decade, Warner Bros. (and one or two other studios) has been responsible for only 30 DC Comics adaptation over the past several decades. As you no doubt already know, most of those have revolved around Batman and Superman but there have been a lot of surprising characters from the comic book given the spotlight with pretty mixed results.
With Justice League now in theaters and dividing fans and critics alike, we've decided to take a look through every single one of these movies to come up with a ranking of them from worst to best.
From the first real superhero movie in the form of Superman's big screen debut to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy and the ups and downs of the DC Films Universe, you'll find them all here and we think it's fair to say that you may be shocked about how they fare when compared to each other.
To view this list of movies in its entirety, simply click on the VIEW LIST (ONE PAGE) button below!
30. Batman & Robin
Batman & Robin was made solely for the purpose of selling toys and, well, it shows. This movie may have embraced the campness of the TV series but it didn't do so deliberately; as a result, what we were left with was a cheesy, messy affair that even young children would probably turn their noses up at. Honestly, this one just has no redeeming qualities and is not just the worst DC movie on this list but one of the worst superhero adaptations to ever hit the big screen.
29. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
A perfect example of a movie made for all the wrong reasons, Cannon Film's attempt to continue this series went horribly wrong with a story inspired by Christoper Reeve's real-life anti-nuclear stance and special effects which the production company simply didn't have the funds or skills to pull off. The shoddy and poorly made movie ended up looking unfinished and relegated Superman to bargain bins until Bryan Singer's Superman Returns was released nearly two decades later.
28. Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex had a troubled journey to the big screen and it showed because the movie ended up feeling like a random selection of scenes thrown together in the hope of making a somewhat cohesive movie. Shockingly, it boasted a really impressive cast but even that wasn't enough to save Jonah Hex from mediocrity. It ended up being nothing more than a bog-standard action movie which was uninspired and sums up everything wrong with the genre at the time it was released.
27. Superman and the Mole Men
Yes, this really was the first Superman movie to hit the big screen even if its running time of 58 minutes is the same as most cable dramas these days! While it predates most of the releases on this list by decades, that's no real excuse for mediocrity and this corny adventure featured the Man of Steel doing battle with Mole Men (little people in ill-fitting bald caps) and rednecks, all while delivering tedious speeches about tolerance which made this feel more like propaganda than a superhero adventure!
26. Catwoman
Catwoman is one of those awful female-led superhero movies from the mid-2000s which played a big role in Wonder Woman having such a difficult journey to the big screen. Failing to embrace the source material in literally every respect, this bizarre solo adventure for Batman's longtime love interest/ally/foe took the Caped Crusader completely out of the equation and even did away with Selina Kyle. In her place was Halle Berry's laughable, half cat/half human hybrid who is better left forgotten.
25. Supergirl
After Superman had found so much success on the big screen, you'd think that it would have been no trouble at all for the same to be the case for Supergirl (especially as the Wonder Woman TV series was such a hit). Unfortunately, this silly origin story featured a pitiful story revolving around plenty of supernatural nonsense which just failed to mesh well with this superhero. Throw in a bunch of forced attempts to tie into the Superman movies and this proved to be DC's first botched attempt at a shared universe.
24. The Return of Swamp Thing
Swamp-Thing is expected to return to the big screen for Justice League Dark but he's already starred in a couple of solo movies! This sequel was real B-Movie schlock with wooden performances, terrible special and practical effects and a story which lifted some elements from the comic books but was ultimately the sort of thing you'd expect to find on the Syfy channel a decade or so ago. Hardcore fans might get something from this but it's more likely you'll just be left fuming.
23. Batman Forever
Despite being great, Batman Returns underwhelmed at the box office and that led to Warner Bros. deciding to replace Tim Burton with Joel Schumacher. The filmmaker took the franchise in a more kid-friendly direction and cast Val Kilmer as the Dark Knight for a campy movie which was definitely fun in some respects (mainly due to the work of Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones) but a cartoonish mess in others. Alas, Kidman and Kilmer's performances were so wooden, they largely negated that.
22. Steel
Shaquille O’Neal was an NBA sensation and during his heyday in the early 90s, Hollywood was confident that he could become a huge star. It's no wonder then that he was given a starring vehicle like Steel but it took no time at all for him to prove he wasn't leading man material. Based on what happened to the character in the source material, this movie had at least some potential but Kenneth Johnson's comical direction ensured that this never really managed to rise above being B-Movie garbage.
21. Swamp-Thing
Swamp-Thing wasn't that much better than the sequel which followed it but at least it had some redeeming qualities. Directed by Wes Craven, a mashup of supernatural, action, and romantic elements combined to make a fun B-Movie which could have potentially soared had special effects been as good then as they are now (the titular hero didn't look great). It was a solid enough adaptation of the hero's comic book adventures, though, and a nice nod to classic creature features.
20. Batman: The Movie
Shortly after the first season of Batman finished airing, this movie was released which essentially served as an overlong episode of the TV series! It's this adventure which introduced us to shark repellent and a lot of other classic moments, while seeing all the villains from the show come together was nothing short of awesome. However, at 105 minutes, it outstays its welcome and is arguably a little too corny by today's standards to really age that well.
19. Superman III
If you're wondering where things started going horribly wrong with this franchise, it was the awful third instalment which saw Richard Lester take the helm. For starters, Superman was split in two (his good and evil sides) and things were taken in an overly comedic direction which felt out of place for both the tone set by previous instalments and the actors involved. This was the beginning of the end for Christoper Reeve's Superman and is best left forgotten. On the plus side, it does have a handful of decent moments.
18. Superman Returns
Bryan Singer's heart was definitely in the right place when he attempted to make this throwback Superman movie but the result is an outdated and rather boring affair which was light on action and heavy on bad performances, horrendous story decisions (Lois Lane is The Daily Planet's anti-Superman scribe and the Man of Steel is a deadbeat dad), and a long list of disappointing moments. Somewhere between all of that, though, is a mildly enjoyable affair which may isn't all bad.
17. The Losers
Boasting an awesome ensemble of actors who have since found much greater success in the superhero realm, The Losers may have been forgettable but some strong action scenes and a fun story went a long way in ensuring that it was at least enjoyable while it lasted. However, it's simply not special enough to rank any higher than this and while it's a shame we probably won't get to see the premise revisited any time soon (there was talk of a TV series), it is at least fun to think about what might have been.
16. Green Lantern
The trailers for Green Lantern pointed to it being an epic space opera along the lines of Star Wars but this movie failed to do both the genre and lead character justice. The odd moments of brilliance were outshined by some horrendous storytelling, appalling direction, and a laughable big bad in the form of Hector Hammond. Even Sinestro was botched with a baffling end-credits scene and it's a shame because Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strong could have done great work together.
15. Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad wasn't necessarily a bad movie but it was a complete and utter mess! Extensive reshoots and a bizarre editing process meant that Task Force X's big screen debut was botched in a big way and regardless of your thoughts on Jared Leto's take on The Joker, the fact most of his performance ended up on the cutting room floor was criminal. On the plus side, the movie did introduce us to some great characters Warner Bros. can now do an awful lot with in the sequel and elsewhere.
14. V For Vendetta
While Alan Moore's graphic novel may have struck a chord when it was released in 1988, an argument could be made that it's a tale which didn't really work all that well in a post-9/11 world as we follow the story of a terrorist who strikes back against the West. Despite that and some dubious special effects (did we really need all those bullet-time effects?), the performances of Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman were excellent and the movie did a pretty solid job of adapting the source material.
13. Constantine
Francis Lawrence got a lot right when he brought John Constantine to the big screen but too many of the comic book anti-hero's characteristics were sacrificed to make this one fit the mould of your typical Hollywood blockbuster for it to truly satisfy. That aside, though, and the story and performances were mostly strong enough for fans to find something to enjoy here. However, it's hard not to hope John won't fare a little better when he returns to the big screen in Justice League Dark.
12. Man of Steel
A lot has been made of what happened in the final act of Man of Steel (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's story was based around it) but forget that for a moment and this was a solid enough reboot featuring the iconic superhero. It took far too long for him to suit up and Zack Snyder made some baffling story decision - Pa Kent's death, for example - but the action was what we all had been waiting to see from a Superman movie and there's no denying that Henry Cavill was perfectly cast.
11. Batman
Tim Burton's Batman was effectively the "first" modern-day superhero movie and while it may have been a little rough around the edges (The Joker being responsible for the death of the Caped Crusader's parents wasn't much better than that Sandman reveal in Spider-Man 3), there's no denying its brilliance and the way Gotham City was brought to life was nothing short of extraordinary. Jack Nicholson's take on the Clown Prince of Crime is deservedly considered iconic as well.
10. Justice League
Some of you will no doubt be shocked to see Justice League crack the top ten, especially as there's no denying it was a mess. However, between all the reshoots, screwed up story, and dodgy CGI, there's no denying how satisfying it was to finally see this team assemble on the big screen. Superman's fight with the League was excellent, while the fact we got what felt like a comic book accurate Man of Steel - at last - definitely deserves to be celebrated. There's room for improvement moving forward but this was no disaster.
9. Batman Begins
Christoper Nolan was tasked with rebooting the Batman franchise by Warner Bros. and it's fair to say the then relatively inexperienced filmmaker (at least in the blockbuster realm) did a superb job. While his approach to the Dark Knight's origin and emergence in Gotham City was very much grounded in reality, that never hurt this adventure and the performances from all involved were fantastic. Well, maybe not Katie Holmes but everyone else was undeniably great!
8. Superman: The Movie
Superman: The Movie is the original superhero blockbuster and despite being decades old, it's aged marvellously. From Christopher Reeve's pitch-perfect Clark Kent to the amazing work done by Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando, the movie did a superb job of capturing the spirits of the comic books and it's easy to see why every iteration of the character since has been compared to what we saw here. An almost flawless origin story, Superman: The Movie deserves to be fondly remembered.
7. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice wasn't the movie every fan wanted but the "Martha!" scene aside (which has become far too big of a deal in the eyes of some) but seeing these two iconic heroes finally meet on the big screen was incredible, as was them coming to blows in an epic battle. Throw in Wonder Woman - a pitch-perfect Gal Gadot - Doomsday, Lex Luthor, and plenty of references to the comics and there was lots to love here, particularly in the Ultimate Cut which was released on Blu-ray.
6. Watchmen
Watchmen proved to be a little too out there to be a box office hit but there's no denying how brilliant it is. While it may be a little bloated, Zack Snyder's devotion to the source material was admirable and it's hard to imagine any fan of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' graphic novel being anything less than 100% satisfied (unless they had a thing for giant octopuses). Watchmen deserves to be remembered as a modern masterpiece even if Snyder's other work isn't and this is easily one of DC's best movies.
5. Batman Returns
There's a lot of debate among fans over which is the better movie between Batman and Batman Returns but Tim Burton's work here arguably exceeds what he'd done a few years earlier. Sure, The Joker was nowhere to be seen but he more than made up for that with the introduction of Catwoman and The Penguin and the ideas he brought to the table here still influence much of what we see today. Amplifying the dark charms of its predecessor, Batman Returns definitely delivered.
4. The Dark Knight Rises
For some fans, The Dark Knight Rises wasn't the conclusion to the trilogy they wanted but this was a near perfect send off to Christian Bale's Batman. From his brutal fight with Bane (which featured no score and was instead accompanied only by the sound of fists hitting flesh) to his heroic sacrifice, this movie did the impossible by giving the Caped Crusader an actual conclusion to his tale. However, Nolan made it clear that Batman would live on in the hands of another hero with was a ballsy and exciting move.
3. Superman II
Superman II may not quite be up there with its predecessor in terms of grandeur but a stronger story and special effects went a long way in helping this stand out as a sequel which doesn't disappoint. General Zod, Non, and Ursa remain the bets villains the Man of Steel has squared off with on the big screen and despite some problems behind the scenes which led to Richard Donner being replaced as the movie's director, the movie did a great job of exploring exciting action and character drama.
2. Wonder Woman
One of the best-reviewed superhero movies of all-time, Wonder Woman was a real game changer for the genre and kicked the door open to female characters finally taking the lead in comic book adaptations. The work delivered by both Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot was excellent and there's not a better scene in any 2017 release than the moment Diana Prince runs across No Man's Land, leading the charge against the Germans. This movie fired on all cylinders and gave the DC Films Universe the hit it needed.
1. The Dark Knight
Nearly a decade later, The Dark Knight remains not only the best DC movie but one of the greatest superhero adaptations of all-time. From that beautifully shot IMAX opening to Heath Ledger's iconic performance as The Joker, Christopher Nolan delivered in almost every respect here and while this Clown Prince of Crime may have been vastly different to past iterations, that turned out to actually be a good thing. It's just a shame this movie convinced movie studios that "dark" and "gritty" always works!
Do you agree with this ranking of DC's lineup of movies? Would you change the order in any way? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
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