Summary
DC Comicshas created an incredible history that has helped to define modern pop culture in many ways. Their comics have bled into TV and film for decades now, with a mixed bag of successes and failures. The attempted DCEU might have never really panned out, but fans remain hopeful for the DCU, which is anticipated to attempt to blend more humor with the action and serious overarching stories that have seen success for the MCU.
While DC hasn’t put together a huge winner in terms of cinematic universes yet, they have had many great cinematic endeavors to date as far as individual films go. While some of their very best superhero movies are gritty and dark, others feature agreat blend of action and comedy.
In the dying days of the DCEU, a hero new to many casual DC fans arrived in a big way.Blue Beetleis the kind of hero many were surprised to see get his own film before certain heroes had made their way into the DCEU, like Green Lantern, but that didn’t stop Xolo Marideuna from bringing the youthful Jamie Reyes to life along with a host of colorful characters that helped to populate his small corner of the DC Universe.
Blue Beetlefelt like a traditional superhero origin film, but it had such heart and a real focus on family, which was comprised of a group of hilarious and diverse characters. They, along with the freedom to work independently of other DC projects, led the film to excite many fans who weren’t perhaps expecting much from it. Additionally, the creative nature of Blue Beetle’s powers were used fully to create some very cool action scenes, helping the film feel like it blended action, comedy, and real heart fantastically well.
Although it wasn’t the first film featuring Margot Robbie’s beloved take on Harley Quinn,Birds of Preywassomething of a reintroduction to the character, as well as one of the first superhero films to focus on a team of women coming together.
Harley Quinn finds herself at odds with Ewan McGregor’s psychotic Black Mask and is forced to fight alongside other women like Black Canary, Huntress and Cassandra Cain as they all become embroiled in Black Mask’s plans. With a huge amount of action, featuring Harley Quinn’s uniquely insane brand of fighting,Birds of Preyis one of the wildest superhero movies yet.
The LEGO Batman Moviewas a spin-off fromThe LEGO Moviethat featured a host of DC Comics characters coming together around Will Arnett’s satirical take on the Caped Crusader. Although the focus may have been on comedy with a younger audience in mind, there were plenty of surprisingly great animated action scenes featured throughout as well, spurred on by the director’s true love of DC Comics.
With a plot that involves the Joker manipulating Batman so he can release the Phantom Zone’s entire complement of villainous prisoners,The LEGO Batman Moviecontainsplenty of hilariousLEGOactionand the exact sort of hilarious story that fans of theLEGOgames will be used to seeing, making for a surprisingly memorable entry in DC’s cinematic history.
Aquaman may not be the most beloved of all DC characters, but the hero has struggled back from being considered the laughing stock of the Justice League and is now well-regarded, partially because of Jason Momoa’s portrayal of Arthur Curry as a hero, a king, and a fairly crazed madman who loves risk-taking and fighting.
TheAquamanmovie featured Momoa’s character going on a wild ride as he took on Patrick Wilson’s Ocean Master and tried to claim the throne of Atlantis in the face of other threats like the monsters of the Trench and the Black Manta. Taking a different spin on an origin story,Aquamanshowed all the brilliance of Arthur Curry’s charismatic character with plenty of humor, but at the core, this wasan action-packed superhero adventureabout finding where one belongs.
Before she started to cameo in every other DC movie, Wonder Woman had her own adventures. Though it took itself seriously, as did many of the DCEU films, the firstWonder Womanmovie did a great job of blending many aspects. Diana’s home of Themyscira was a serious place filled with frightening warriors, but her entrance into the larger human world was filled with misunderstandings and comical moments.
Not only this, but the film had some amazing action both on Themyscira and in the war. Diana’s invulnerability did nothing to lessen the excitement of seeing her in action. The World War I setting and the big final fight between God-like figures didn’t stop the film from having some fun, making it feel like a serious superhero film that managed to keep important comic-book elements as well.
The Tim BurtonBatmanfilms have been somewhat forgotten in more recent times due to the Christopher Nolan and Robert Pattinson takes on the character, which has produced much more serious, gritty results.Batman Returnswas theepitome of what Burton managed to achievewith the character. It retained a campy humor that was absolutely the right tone to use for a superhero film in the 90s.
Michael Keaton’s take on Bruce Wayne, alongside the likes of the seductive Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman and Danny DeVito’s insane Penguin made for a hilarious, action-packed journey that remains hugely fun and memorable forBatmanfans.
There are few superhero films that manage to become so popular while aiming themselves at a slightly younger audience. ButSHAZAM!achieved the feel of an MCU film in many ways for the DC Universe. Such self-referential humor as Billy often mentioned Superman and the Justice League made for a hilariously fun ride, which was packed with lighthearted action throughout.
SHAZAM!shouldn’t have been able to achieve the sort of success it did in a time when DC wasn’t very cohesive, and with a character whose powers were essentially Superman’s, but with a less famous brand name. However, the gentle family fun feature packed heart in, alongside plenty of comedy and some surprisingly strong action scenes, making for a memorable entry in the DCEU.
The originalSupermanfilm, the Christopher Reeve-led dramatic heart of what would come later for comic book adaptations, set a standard that has been hard to live up to over the years. Featuring the full destruction of Krypton and Kal-El’s landing on Earth up to his first defeat of Lex Luthor,Superman: The Moviewas the full origin story of the beloved character.
Though Superman didn’t have to take on any villains capable of standing up to him physically in this entry, the action throughout was highly enjoyable. The lighthearted nature of comic books and their adaptions at this time ensured that there was plenty of comedy added to the film, and the nature of Superman’s identity as a symbol of hope ensured the film had a beautiful, meaningfully positive tone.
Though David Ayer’sSuicide Squaddidn’t receive a lot of love from DC fans, the follow-up directed by DC’s new co-leader James Gunn was received much more positively. Fast-paced, filled with surprises and incredible action,The Suicide Squadwas one of the most ridiculous and one of the best superhero movies in recent times.
Starting with an incredible action sequence, which was hilarious and shocking in the most visceral way,The Suicide Squadmoved onto a smaller group of super-villains attempting to take part in a mission to save the world. Withthe likes of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, John Cena’s Peacemaker, and Idris Elba as the exhausted leader of the ragtag crew, this movie blends action with humor incredibly well.
