Many DC Extended Universe movies didn’t find their audience during their theatrical release. Starting with Zack Snyders’s Man of Steel, the franchise expanded into Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. However, the first positive fan reception to the franchise came with Wonder Woman, which ignited hopes for a better future for the DCEU. However, the next film, Justice League, tarnished its entire reputation, leading the franchise downhill. Now, a decade after its inception, the DCEU is about to go defunct in light of an impending timeline/reality reset of DC’s cinematic universe.
Some fans have taken to Reddit, supporting Gunn’s new venture in their own way. In a fan-curated ranking of DCEU films, James Gunn’s Suicide Squad has found the top-billing, igniting a fresh discussion on the Gunn vs. Snyder conversation hurling around social media.
Interestingly, taking the number two spot on the list is Zack Snyder’s Justice League, thus, getting the two DC Universe visionaries in a close fight on the rankings.
James Gunn’s slasher-comedy of an anti-hero team-up, Suicide Squad was a well-acclaimed and well-appreciated venture. After a long time, the DCEU saw highly positive critical consensus and got universal acclaim. Though the film’s box-office numbers were affected by the pandemic and day-and-date streaming release, it’s widely regarded as an upgrade to previous DCEU media. But is it the best DCEU movie of all time? Redditors debated this.
Well, it was way beyond Black Adam regarding everything from creative to technical attributes. But to give the movie a top-billing is bound to have some reservations.
This one comment then expanded into a full-blown, detail-oriented argument with a long list of pointers to challenge the ranking.
The top billing might be too high, but the story wasn’t senseless, as these pointers showcase.
Someone pointed out that Man of Steel could be slightly higher on the list.
With such a grounded and more human approach to Superman’s arc, which saw him struggle with his identity of being an outcast, Man of Steel reversed the idea of telling a superhero story. And hence, it deserves much due love and appreciation.
And then some fans enjoy arguing without much thinking.
Remember, whenever you want to start a pop-culture debate, don’t start it by calling Justice League a good movie.
The idea that Suicide Squad is the best film has a solid defense. DCEU struggled with the narrative structure, tone, and balanced performances for a long time. All of these aspects were getting divisive and polarizing responses. Suicide Squad set a number of those things straight. Firstly, the casting was impeccable. Margot Robbie’s performance, with her psychopathic violent doll-like expressions and delivery, gave the film a perfect lead. The Bloodsport-Peacemaker banter proved to be compelling and much-needed comedic relief. Gunn further affirmed he could make any character come to life by giving Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher valuable arcs. And bringing in Sylvester Stallone as King Shark? That was an ace move. Suicide Squad further benefitted a lot from the R-rating. It allowed Gunn to increase the blood-spatter, the gore, and the visceral cussing, which enriched the entertainment. And the film balanced the dark tone and the light humor perfectly well.
However, several fans would point out that Snyder’s movies had more soul and were much more realistic portrayals of human emotions. Exploring superheroes as people with conflicts, Snyder tried executing more layered storytelling with the slow and gradual unraveling of events and character traits throughout the franchise. Sadly, that didn’t come to fruition.
Snyder and Gunn each have a distinct sense of filmmaking. While Gunn goes for a balanced yet visually grandeur approach in this particular genre, Snyder is known for treating his scripts as mythological epics, reflected in his use of graphics and surreal effects. It would be interesting to see if Gunn’s approach could finally allow DC fans to find their favorites in the newly planned DC Universe’s first chapter, thus, surpassing Snyder.
The first and second rankings in the list could be interchangeable per the fans’ preferences. As for the rest of the movies, how about you reshuffle and share them with us?