Gal Gadot in 'Wonder Woman 1984' (Image courtesy of Warner Bros.)
DC Comics has gained a massive worldwide following thanks to the numerous comic book characters it has created. With each film that has come out based on their characters, DC has been able to make more of their properties known to common moviegoers. In honor of the DC Fandome event recently wrapped up, here are our the top 10 best DC movies of all time:
10. Aquaman (2018): After the underwhelming performance of Justice League, many fans had given up on the DC Extended Universe franchise. With Wonder Woman being the only hit, it did not seem worth it to give the DCEU more chances. However, under James Wan’s direction Aquaman managed to be a fun and epic story for the character. In the film, Aquaman (Jason Momoa) must obtain a powerful trident before his half-brother King Orm (Patrick Wilson) can use the underwater city of Atlantis to wage war with the humans on the surface. The film manages to be an engaging lighthearted standalone adventure for the character of Aquaman, which is what most fans were truly looking for from the DCEU this whole time. Currently the highest-grossing DC movie of all time, Aquaman is a refreshing movie and definitely worth diving into.
9. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993): It was really only a matter of time before the classic cartoon Batman: The Animated Series would have a theatrically released movie, and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm does not disappoint. We focus on Batman (Kevin Conroy) reconnecting with his former love interest Andrea Beaumont (Dana Delaney). Through flashbacks, we are given a first look of their live together along Bruce’s transformation into Batman. Meanwhile, a vigilante known as the Phantasm has been murdering criminals with Batman getting blamed for the killings. In order to clear his name, Batman must get to the Phantasm before the cops get to him, and before the Joker (Mark Hamill) can get to both of them. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is a chilling and exciting story, giving a look into Batman’s character that had not been done to such a grand scale before.
8. Shazam (2019): This movie answers the question of what it be like for a literal kid to have superpowers. We follow Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a foster child who normally gets into trouble while repeatedly looking for his real mother. After Billy is suddenly granted superpowers by a mysterious wizard (Djimon Hounsou), he takes the form of an adult (Zachary Levi) and decides to use his newfound gifts for his own fun. The film is a blast all the way through, providing several humorous and entertaining scenes through Levi’s performance, and also giving a heartfelt message about family.
7. The Dark Knight Rises (2012): The conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises focuses on a now depressed and exhausted Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) as he struggles to continue being Batman due to a recent injury and the fact that the police are after him after he willingly took the blame for the crimes of Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). Things become extremely complicated when Bane (Tom Hardy) arrived in Gotham to dismantle everything that Batman and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) have built, forcing Bruce to suit up and protect Gotham City one last time. The film is an epic send off for Bale’s version of the caped crusader, and one that brings the epic trilogy to a satisfying close.
6. Batman Begins (2005): After the disaster that was Batman & Robin in 1997, the franchise was put on hiatus, with people unsure if the caped crusader would ever show up again on the big screen. Luckily, Christopher Nolan directed Batman Begins, an epic origin story for the superhero and a movie that put the character back on the map. We follow Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) begin his journey into becoming Batman for the first time, as he vows to keep Gotham city safe from criminals. When Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), his former friend and teacher comes to Gotham with the intention of destroying it, Bruce must face his first ever challenge as a superhero and stop his mentor. The movie is a wonderful origin story for the character and renewed people’s hope in the dark knight after it was lost in the 1990s.
5. Superman II (1980): After the massive success from the first Superman movie, it seemed natural for there to be a sequel. In Superman II, Clark Kent (Christopher Reeve) must decide between a normal life with Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) and continuing his job as the hero Superman. Meanwhile, Clark must face off against General Zod (Terence Stamp) who intends to take over the world and get revenge on Clark for his father (Marlon Brando) imprisoning him long ago. The film is a worthy follow up to the first movie, giving a more action packed story and deep look at Clark’s relationship with Lois. There is even an alternate cut to the film, as the original director Richard Donner was replaced with Richard Lester halfway through the production.
4. Batman (1989): Before this film came out, most common moviegoers were only familiar with the campy and outlandish version of Batman played by Adam West. However, under Tim Burton’s direction Batman brought a more serious and exciting portrayal to the silver screen. What it results in is a massively engaging film. We follow Batman (Michael Keaton) as he goes up against the Joker (Jack Nicholson) while also dealing with the trauma from the murder of his parents and his commitment to his new girlfriend Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger). Batman is an amazing achievement for the character, as it paved the way for more films and brought the character into more worldwide popularity than ever before.
3. Wonder Woman (2017): In her first epic adventure on the big screen, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) leaves her home to travel to a war-torn Europe so she can kill the god of war Ares (David Thewlis) in order to stop World War I from continuing. Many people were nervous on how Wonder Woman would fare in her first theatrical film after the previous DCEU movies proved to be disappointing. However, under Patty Jenkins’ direction Wonder Woman is an amazing film that makes you care about the title character, her relationship with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and her journey into becoming a hero. The movie is an inspiring tale that should be checked out by any fan of the character.
2. Superman (1978): Before this movie came out, no one knew what to make of a superhero movie with this high of a budget and scale. Richard Donner directed this movie to bring the Superman character to life and absolutely succeeded. We follow Superman (Christopher Reeve) go on his journey into becoming a hero from being sent off by his father (Marlon Brando) from his dying planet as a baby to him stopping Lex Luthor’s (Gene Hackman) scheme and saving the love of his life Lois Lane (Margot Kidder). The movie’s tagline on its posters and trailers was that you will believe a man could fly. They certainly succeeded in doing so.
1. The Dark Knight (2008): After the success of Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan moved forward in directing its sequel The Dark Knight. In the film, we continue to follow Batman (Christian Bale) as he goes up against the psychotic and sadistic Joker (Heath Ledger), who plans to prove to him that Gotham is full of corruption and beyond saving, and that the former is not above abusing his power despite his best efforts to hide that fact. This movie is a masterpiece, as the gripping story takes the audience for a wild ride. Ledger‘s version of the Joker is now iconic, with the late actor winning a posthumous academy award for the role. The Dark Knight is not just the best DC movie of all time. It is the best superhero movie of all time.
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View Comments
If you have no idea about any DC Movies and/or have no concept of story, substance and cinematic style, you should not be writing these lists!
You put a cartoon in there?! The "Adam West" Batman movie was great for it's time and certainly better than a Cartoon! Also, even though the Movie went over most People's head, "Watchmen" was a very good Movie! Better than Shazam, etc.
Not worth completely going over your silly list with overrated Wonder Woman & Aquaman...So, I will just give you the top 3.
1) Dark Knight Rises
2) Joker (How do you not have Joker on there at all?)
3) Batman Begins
As an aside, I understand why Superman is on the list and it was certainly grandiose and fun for it's time. However, I would argue that Superman II is a better Movie and should be ahead of S1.