Live-Action DC Film Ranking
by earltdayrit | created - 02 Aug 2022 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicMy ranking of live-action DC films I have watched.
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1. The Dark Knight (2008)
PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
Votes: 2,871,957 | Gross: $534.86M
One of my all-time favourite movies, filled with great action set-pieces, heavy themes, memorable dialogue and an outstanding performance from the late Heath Ledger. He is definitely among my top favourite Joker actors next to Mark Hamill. Christian Bale's bat-growl is left to be desired, yet I love to imitate it from time to time.
2. The Batman (2022)
PG-13 | 176 min | Action, Crime, Drama
When a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city's hidden corruption and question his family's involvement.
Director: Matt Reeves | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell
Votes: 787,504 | Gross: $369.35M
Probably the best Batman-centric movie, though a pretty long one. Robert Pattinson is my second favourite live-action Batman, and the rest of the cast are amazing too, especially Paul Dano as the Riddler. The third act does bring it down a little bit as the Riddler suddenly became more of an extremist towards Gotham. It is taken from the comics but it could have been saved for the sequel.
3. Superman (1978)
PG | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien orphan is sent from his dying planet to Earth, where he grows up to become his adoptive home's first and greatest superhero.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Marlon Brando
Votes: 187,583 | Gross: $134.22M
Christopher Reeve will always be my Superman as he made me believe a man can fly. I also love his onscreen chemistry with Margot Kidder. The rest of the cast is perfect for this era of Superman. The climactic time travel scene is admittedly problematic, but overall a classic superhero tale.
4. Superman II (1980)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman agrees to sacrifice his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
Votes: 114,659 | Gross: $108.19M
One of my childhood favourite movies, this is a worthy successor to the iconic original. Though that amnesia kiss at the end is very weird.
5. The Suicide Squad (2021)
R | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Director: James Gunn | Stars: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman
Votes: 409,847 | Gross: $55.82M
Leagues better than the 2016 movie, James Gunn totally saved this anti-hero team with his dark sense of humour, unique visual style, awesome action and emotional payoffs.
6. Batman Begins (2005)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After witnessing his parents' death, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Liam Neeson
Votes: 1,579,103 | Gross: $206.85M
7. Wonder Woman (2017)
PG-13 | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Lucy Davis
Votes: 699,837 | Gross: $412.56M
Ares could have been better villain if he was either recast or saved for the sequel. Meanwhile, you got Doctor Poison and General Ludendorff who are rather cartoonish for this movie. Despite the villains and the noticeably forced climax, this is still one of my top-rated DCEU films as I dug the themes, action, atmosphere and performances.
8. Shazam! (2019)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A newly fostered young boy in search of his mother instead finds unexpected super powers and soon gains a powerful enemy.
Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer
Votes: 385,074 | Gross: $140.37M
9. Batman Returns (1992)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Crime, Fantasy
While Batman deals with a deformed man calling himself the Penguin wreaking havoc across Gotham with the help of a cruel businessman, a female employee of the latter becomes the Catwoman with her own vendetta.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken
Votes: 327,575 | Gross: $162.83M
10. Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
R | 242 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Determined to ensure that Superman's ultimate sacrifice wasn't in vain, Bruce Wayne recruits a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams
Votes: 438,561
This could have been a miniseries and didn't need to be crammed into a four-hour movie. However I'm still thankful for Zack Snyder to have completed his vision for the Justice League. I definitely choose it over the theatrical cut. Though it's pretty hard to talk about these movies without thinking about the controversies surrounding Amber Heard and Ezra Miller.
11. Joker (I) (2019)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
Director: Todd Phillips | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz, Frances Conroy
Votes: 1,489,998 | Gross: $335.45M
12. Batman (1989)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl
Votes: 404,379 | Gross: $251.19M
13. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.
Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman
Votes: 1,828,208 | Gross: $448.14M
14. Aquaman (2018)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Arthur Curry, the human-born heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, goes on a quest to prevent a war between the worlds of ocean and land.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson
Votes: 520,928 | Gross: $335.06M
15. Blue Beetle (2023)
PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien scarab chooses Jaime Reyes to be its symbiotic host, bestowing the recent college graduate with a suit of armor that's capable of extraordinary powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the superhero known as Blue Beetle.
Director: Angel Manuel Soto | Stars: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Becky G, Damián Alcázar
Votes: 94,870
16. The Flash (I) (2023)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Barry Allen uses his super speed to change the past, but his attempt to save his family creates a world without super heroes, forcing him to race for his life in order to save the future.
Director: Andy Muschietti | Stars: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon
Votes: 210,615
17. Superman Returns (2006)
PG-13 | 154 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Superman returns to Earth after spending five years in space examining his homeworld Krypton. But he finds things have changed while he was gone, and he must once again prove himself important to the world.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden
Votes: 291,411 | Gross: $200.08M
18. Man of Steel (2013)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien child is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His peace is threatened when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane
Votes: 812,059 | Gross: $291.05M
19. Birds of Prey (2020)
R | 109 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroines Black Canary, Huntress, and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.
Director: Cathy Yan | Stars: Margot Robbie, Rosie Perez, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett
Votes: 264,775 | Gross: $84.16M
20. Black Adam (2022)
PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods--and imprisoned just as quickly--Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo
Votes: 274,121 | Gross: $168.15M
21. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The film continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word "SHAZAM!" is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam.
Director: David F. Sandberg | Stars: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler
Votes: 124,857
22. Batman: The Movie (1966)
PG | 105 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The Dynamic Duo faces four supervillains who plan to hold the world for ransom with the help of a secret invention that instantly dehydrates people.
Director: Leslie H. Martinson | Stars: Adam West, Burt Ward, Lee Meriwether, Cesar Romero
Votes: 35,810
23. Batman Forever (1995)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure
Batman must battle former district attorney Harvey Dent, who is now Two-Face and Edward Nygma, The Riddler with help from an amorous psychologist and a young circus acrobat who becomes his sidekick, Robin.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
Votes: 266,640 | Gross: $184.03M
With all due respect, I would have liked to have seen Tim Burton direct this one. I also would have liked to have seen Joel Schumacher's extended version. With that said, this is actually a fun watch to return to. Jim Carrey never ceases to entertain me with his manic deliveries. The same can't really be said about Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face.
24. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Batman is manipulated by Lex Luthor to fear Superman. Superman´s existence is meanwhile dividing the world and he is framed for murder during an international crisis. The heroes clash and force the neutral Wonder Woman to reemerge.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Votes: 752,603 | Gross: $330.36M
25. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Black Manta seeks revenge on Aquaman for his father's death. Wielding the Black Trident's power, he becomes a formidable foe. To defend Atlantis, Aquaman forges an alliance with his imprisoned brother. They must protect the kingdom.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard
Votes: 82,960
26. Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
PG-13 | 151 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Diana must contend with a work colleague, and with a businessman whose desire for extreme wealth sends the world down a path of destruction, after an ancient artifact that grants wishes goes missing.
Director: Patty Jenkins | Stars: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Pedro Pascal
Votes: 291,854 | Gross: $46.37M
Pedro Pascal is great as Max Lord and Kristen Wiig does a stellar job as Barbara Minerva, but the story is such a mess. Don't get me started on Steve Trevor's body swap. Overall I consider this movie to be so bad it's good.
27. Suicide Squad (2016)
PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.
Director: David Ayer | Stars: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis
Votes: 722,469 | Gross: $325.10M
28. Justice League (2017)
PG-13 | 120 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his new-found ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy.
Director: Zack Snyder | Stars: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller
Votes: 478,745 | Gross: $229.02M
29. Superman III (1983)
PG | 125 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Synthetic kryptonite laced with tar splits Superman in two: good Clark Kent and bad Man of Steel.
Director: Richard Lester | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
Votes: 74,795 | Gross: $59.95M
This was a guilty pleasure for me as a kid. I did like Christopher Reeve's darker take on Superman and his fight with his good self, while campy, was very entertaining. The villains, slapstick and overall story are what bring this movie down on my ranking.
30. Batman & Robin (1997)
PG-13 | 125 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman
Votes: 268,190 | Gross: $107.33M
This was one of the movies that introduced me to Batman and a very embarassing one at that. 'Nuff said.
31. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
PG | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
The Man of Steel crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's latest creation, Nuclear Man.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Jackie Cooper
Votes: 52,748 | Gross: $15.68M
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