Ranking All DC Movies (Worst to Best)

Full disclosure, I haven't seen all movies based on DC properties but I feel like I've seen enough to give a fairly substantial ranking of the films.  If you don't see a film mentioned you should assume I didn't see it or I forgot it...

either way don't let that get in the way of the fun of ranking things!  I should also point out I have no love for Superman as a character.  So if you're wondering why this list goes the way it does, that should help you out a bit.

Film/Rank:
#27- Batman & Robin (1997) 

Favourite Part:
I like when Mr. Freeze sings with his goons and Vivica A. Fox.  I hate that Batman and Robin don't get along and I really don't like George Clooney smirking his way through this performance.  That's not an indictment on Clooney as an actor.  I've seen him be amazing in films and I get this movie wasn't going for a serious tone, but BLAH!  When I saw this movie in theatres, I was at a time in my life where I loved every movie I saw in theatres.  That went double for movies about Batman.  So there must be something fundamentally wrong with this movie if even back then I left feeling unsatisfied.

Film/Rank:
#26-Catwoman (2004)

Favourite Part:
I like that they gave a black female a lead in a superhero movie.  I don't care for anything else in this movie.  I don't remember what happens overall but I feel like she uses her cat powers in a game of basketball and it's cringe worthy.  Is this the one where Sharon Stone is trying to kill people with make up?  Another fun fact was that there was a number of people complaining that Catwoman shouldn't be played by a black woman like they'd never seen Ertha Kitt in their life.  The movie never even says this Catwoman is Selina Kyle... but you know how certain people get if the ethnicity of a character they've seen in comic books is changed.

Film/Rank:
#25- The Spirit (2008)

Favourite Part:
This movie is so stupid and yet it has some talented people in it.  I think the problem with this movie is that it's based on a comic strip that doesn't exist anymore.  That means there aren't any modern stories to draw from and your stuck with a movie that is tethered to outdated sensibilities but with Samuel L. Jackson as the bad guy and Scarlett Johansson as his #2.  I honestly remember thinking this could be as fun as I remembered The Shadow was.  The fact that I struggled to finish it might mean I wouldn't much care for The Shadow if I watched it today or that it's just not as good as a movie that also isn't that great.

Film/Rank:
#24- Steel (1997)

Favourite Part:
There's a Shaft joke in this movie delivered by Richard Roundtree... you know... Shaft!  I also appreciate the synergy of Shaq already liking Superman and playing John Henry.  This movie skates by on my willingness to stick up for most Shaq related things.  You can't say the guy doesn't have a sense of humour about himself.  There's a scene that forces Steel to essentially make a free throw to save the world... or whatever.  See that's funny cause if you know anything about Shaq it's his atrocious free throw percentage.  It's not a good movie though.  Shaq's stilted line delivery and movement don't do the movie any favours either.

Film/Rank:
#23- Jonah Hex (2010)

Favourite Part:
Bruh... this cast is amazing!  Yeah that's Michael Fassbender in a movie that also boasts, John Malcovich, Josh Brolin, Will Arnett, Wes Bentley, the guy from The Newsroom & 10 Cloverfield Lane, Lance Reddick (You know him from The Wire and the John Wick movies), Jeffery Dean Morgan, oh and they just tack on Michael Shannon for good measure.  I'm not a Megan Fox fan but she's in there too and gets more to do than any other female in the movie so there's that.  The crazy thing is how this movie actually clocks in at 1 hour and 13 minutes without credits.  It's like an extended episode of DC Legends of Tomorrow and yet you still feel like there's stuff you could have taken out.

Film/Rank:
#22- Superman Returns (2006)

Favourite Part:
His eye deflecting a bullet.  That's the only thing I like about this movie.  Superman doesn't even throw a punch in this overlong movie about creeping on your ex girlfriend and the child she's raising with another person even though it's clearly your child.  Maybe if Singer dropped the reverence for the Donner movies and actually made his own movie, this would have been better.  Ian loves this movie though so you can listen to him defend it on this episode of LDF Podcast.

Film/Rank:
#21- Green Lantern (2011)

Favourite Part:
I think this movie is just forgettable more than it is offensively bad.  I agree that the suit shouldn't have been CG and the villain was laughable, but Mark Strong is dope in this movie and I like Ryan Reynolds.  Angela Basset is a great get.  I genuinely appreciate the star power that is attachted to Amanda Waller!  Angela Basset in Green Lantern and Viola Davis in Suicide Squad!  Even though I don't think I'll like the movie more, I still want to re-watch this movie now that I realize Hal's friend is Taika Waititi!

Film/Rank:
#20- RED (2010)

Favourite Part:
This is a fine action movie.  It still has some Bruce Wilis Charm but they did my boy, Morgan Freeman, dirty on this one.  If there are bad parts, I don't remember them, however, I don't remember loving this movie either.  The charm of the trailers didn't really translate into a film I can honestly endorse.

Film/Rank:
#19- Batman: The Movie (1966)

Favourite Part:
I mean... it's the tv show but longer right?  You get Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman all in one place.  I just don't know that it meets my high standards of watching people in tights punch people...

Film/Rank:
#18- Batman Forever (1995)

Favourite Part:
I just can't hate on this movie as much as society wants me to.  I was against Val Kilmer being cast but he's not the worst Batman ever cast.  I'm a Jim Carrey fan so I definitely got my money's worth on that front.  Plus the soundtrack is ALL THE WAY UP word to Seal!  The big plus here is the introduction of Robin.  My good friend Ben is not a fan of Robin or any Batman sidekick, however, Dick Grayson is definitely my second favourite DC character.  This means I'll take him popping up in movies anyway I can.  Even if he's more a nuisance than an ally.

Film/Rank:
#17- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Favourite Part:
My opinion of this movie is that it tried to do too much and in the process ruined the flow of the story it was trying to tell.  Do I still like watching Batman do his thing, sure.  Did I think Wonder Woman was amazing, of course.  But making Batman and Superman try to kill each other the first time they meet means that we've hit the ceiling of the tension you can build between the two in the first movie.  Where can you go with their dynamics now?  They'll just be friends or they'll fight again and we'll all think... yeah I saw this already.  There are two Spoiled Rotten episodes about this movie.  Theatrical Cut & Extended Cut.  Plus you can hear my wife's opinions on the LDF Podcast!

Film/Rank:
#16- Constantine (2005)

Favourite Part:
I don't have much of a history with Constantine.  I'm sure fans of Constantine would be able to nitpick at this movie the way I do every Batman movie, but to me it was just a middle of the road genre film with Keanu at the centre and Shia LaBeouf.  I will say it was a strong choice to not get an Englishman or a blond guy... but hey Keanu was the goods back then... maybe... kind of?  I've only seen the movie once but I didn't hate it, and I bet there's a potential for me to enjoy this movie if I re-watch it.

Film/Rank:
#15- The Losers (2010)

Favourite Part:
I'm just in the bag for Chris Evans.  I find him fun and engaging plus Idris Elba being in this movie was a nice touch too.  I was a bit disappointed to that he turned out to be the bad guy.  However, it's the one thing I remember about the movie outside of the cool sniper scene depicted above so I guess the film makers knew what they were doing.

Film/Rank:
14- V For Vendetta (2005)

Favourite Part:
Having the restraint to never show V's face was a big plus for me.  Keeping in theme with the idea of V being bullet proof even if the person under the mask wasn't.  I pretty much loved the movie when V was on screen and don't remember many details outside of that.  Which means if I watched this movie again it could go higher.  For now I just remember liking V and thinking the movie was longer than it needed to be.

Film/Rank:
#13- Suicide Squad (2016)

Favourite Part:
I'm not joking.  The work Ben Affleck did in this movie as Batman is the best he's ever done!  It's everything I want for Batman (with mixed feelings on punching Harley).  Let's not read too much into the fact that he's not around long enough for me to see him break any of the rules I've made up about what makes Batman work.  Outside of that I like this movie more than most people do because I had fun and I liked the music.  Will, Margot, Viola, and surprisingly, Jai are all great in this movie with me caring about El Diablo way more than I thought I would.  I address all the Jared Leto stuff on this episodes of Spoiled Rotten.

Film/Rank:
#12- Man of Steel (2013)

Favourite Part:
I like this take on Superman.  It's unfortunate that the next time we see him he's just sad about life, but I definitely feel this movie was a great way to re-introduce Superman.  It focused on the struggle of not feeling like he has a home while also being told you have to save the same people who would just as easily lock you up and experiment on you out of fear.  It's still Superman though so it's hard for me to re-watch but it was great the first time I saw it.

Film/Rank:
#11- The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

Favourite Part:
I don't know about re-play value, but I've seen this movie twice and it's a great ode to Batman.  Every version of the Caped Crusader is in this movie and a ton of villains are in it without ever making new ones up.  Again we get a story about Dick Grayson joining the fold, so I'm all in and I really dug Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon and Mariah Carrey as the mayor.

Film/Rank:
#10- Superman (1978)

Favourite Part:
I obviously didn't see this in theatres.  I didn't even see it till about 2005/2006.  So when I tell you that I was actually taken aback at how real this movie makes Superman feel, you know that I'm not just trying to be nice or looking back with rose tinted glasses.  I'd seen flying effects and super hero movies a plenty by the time I'd seen this movie and it still holds up.  I maintain that it's a bit clunky at times and the turning back time by flying backwards is a hard pill to swallow but here we are.  A true classic film with Superman in it in the top 10.

Film/Rank:
#9- Superman II (1980)

Favourite Part:
I watched the Donner cut of this movie and I dug it.  I don't really know why.  Maybe I like Zod as a villain?  I guess I like the idea that Superman gives up his powers for a bit.  Something they did a version of in Spider-Man 2 (a movie I saw before this one).  Either way.  It's slightly better than the first so here we are.

Film/Rank:
#8- Batman Returns (1992)

Favourite Part:
Once I got over how much this film scared me, I found it to be extremely entertaining and a great example of multiple villains being used in a film without short changing any of them.  Think about it!   Everyone has a favourite Max Shreck scene, a favourite Penguin scene, and definitely a few favourite Catwoman scenes.  Plus Michael Keaton goes in as Batman in this one.  He's got jokes, he finally knows what he wants in the love department, and I like every scene he has with the Penguin... and he DJs!  It's definitely a movie you have to grow up with.  I can see people not liking this movie if they saw it today.

Film/Rank:
#7- The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Favourite Part:
As much as I stand by my anger at this movie.  There's no denying it's bad in comparison to the two movies that preceded it and not just a bad movie overall.  I liked the characterzation of Bane in this movie and I liked Catwoman.  Even while I try to convince Aidan that it's a bad movie, I admit there are some great aspects to this movie for fans of film and even deep cut references to the comics.  BUT!  This is a movie where Batman gives up twice.  I can't abide by an interpretation of Batman that involves giving up.

Film/Rank:
#6- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

Favourite Part:
Admittedly, I didn't get this movie when I first saw it.  What with me being a stupid kid at the time.  I had to come back to it as an adult and recognize that this movie just isn't for kids.  Which kind of is the case for the show this movie is spun off of.  This is probably one of the best representations of Batman from the comics out there.  It also pulls off the trick of introducing a new character without me feeling like it was a wasted opportunity.

Film/Rank:
#5- Wonder Woman (2017)

Favourite Part:
This is definitely what Zack Snyder was working towards with Man of Steel.  Having the hero realize that humans in general can be pretty selfish and scared but they are still worth saving and it's still worth working towards changing all of that.  I won't get into specifics with this movie because you can just listen to this Spoiled Rotten episode for that.  Just know this movie is dope not just in relation to the other three movies in the DCEU.  It's dope for finally pulling of mixing optimism with the harsh reality that people can suck sometimes.

Film/Rank:
#4- Batman Begins (2005)

Favourite Part:
The best part of Batman Begins for me is Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Christian Bale's Batman but I've never been into Gordon because of his portrayal in the Burton/Schumacher films.  So when Oldman brought the same humanity to Gordon as the cartoon did I was really happy.  This is also a movie with multiple villains and I don't feel like any of them are short changed.  They all serve their purpose.  My two knocks are that Rachel Dawes is not a great character.  She just gives Bruce guff all movie and we have to take Nolan's word that it's believable that Bruce would stay in love with her.  The other knock is that this movie is so earnest.  There is little to no fun to be had in this movie.  I don't think that is ultimately bad but it made for a hard transition into the Nolan trilogy.

Film/Rank:
#3- Batman (1989)

Favourite Part:
I'm not crazy I was just born at the right time for this movie to hold a special place in my heart!  So far only Jared Leto has had the misfortune of playing the Joker and not having universal praise for it.  The Joker is such a strong character (when going up against Batman) and it's for that reason that this movie works for me to this day.  Jack Nicholson is amazing!  Michael Keaton is Amazing!  I can't see Kim Baisinger as anyone but Vicky Vale.  This movie plays out so well that I don't even care that they made Joker responsible for Martha and Thomas Wayne's deaths.  I don't care about any of the elements that spit in the face of the comic continuity.

Film/Rank:
#2- Watchmen (2009)

Favourite Part:
RORSHACH is great... even if I don't agree with his politics.  I think that's what I like best about the comic.  It shows that some of your favourite heroes would have a world view that may not really jive with yours considering their black and white view of the world.  Good vs. Evil with no grey area.  My favourite parts of the comic were when Rorshach tried to escape the cops and took some of them out before being arrested and when he's in prison and makes sure everyone knows they're all locked up in there with him.  Both of those scenes are amazing in the movie.  I know people don't like that Snyder changed the ending of this comic but I think it made sense for the movie and makes things cleaner.

Film/Rank:
#1- The Dark Knight (2008)

Favourite Part:
This is my second favourite movie.  North by NorthWest being the first.  So pardon my bias.  I've heard people say it's overrated.  That the Two-Face storyline is rushed.  I've heard people say The Joker only gets the love he does because Heath Ledger died.  My response is, if you don't like it, fine.  I love that there is a lot to dig into with this movie.  It's not something that you can easily dismiss as a comic book movie for kids.  The movie is about how far people are willing to compromise themselves.   Joker is the catalyst for all of that but the real story is Bruce hoping that Gotham can have a "white knight" in Harvey Dent and slowly realizing that can't be.  It's a complex story with a great villain in the form of Joker in the center of it all and that performance is amazing because before this movie everyone thought of Heath as the guy from the 10 Things I hate about You, that jousting movie, and Brokeback Mountain.  None of those performances factor into The Joker... it's like you're just watching The Joker live and in colour on screen.  I love this movie.

-YG