I hold comics very near and dear to my heart, especially superhero comics such as Marvel and DC Comics. I adore the characters and the complex narratives portrayed. Since I am a huge comic nerd, I love watching the TV and film adaptations of these stories. Unfortunately, the majority of these adaptations fall short in giving an excellent, accurate representation of the characters and stories found in the comics.

The DC Extended Universe

     Now, on the topic of bad comic adaptations, it’s not controversial to say that the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is awful. The absolute character assassination of nearly every character is criminal. There are a few films that I’ve watched and genuinely enjoyed from the franchise. 

     The absolute worst thing to come out of the DCEU can be debated between Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad. Personally, I think Suicide Squad (2016) is a bit worse. At least in Batman V Superman, they LOOK like the characters, in Suicide Squad the characters are butchered beyond all recognition. The most egregious example has to be the Joker. Jared Leto is already a terrible actor who puts on one of the absolute worst performances I have ever seen. Don’t let the film’s director fool you. This Joker is not comic-accurate, so it feels illegal to even call him the Joker. He acts nothing like the Joker and looks nothing like the Joker. I can’t even express how much I hate this movie and this portrayal of such an iconic character. None of the characters have any reason to care for each other. The film is so unimaginably lifeless that it’s actually torture to sit through. The only saving grace is Margot Robbie, but even then, the material she’s given is so bad. Harley Quinn in this movie is nothing but eye candy. She and the Joker both fall into the problem of doing surface-level crazy stuff without actually being the psychotic, insane versions of themselves we usually see. Sure, Harley licks prison bars and talks about her “voices,” but that is the most surface-level, boring way to make a character crazy. What Harley should be is a broken, traumatized person who was brought to insanity by the Joker. The whole film is terrible, and I recommend you never watch it.

     Now, my personal favorite DCEU film I’ve seen isn’t the best, and I have my fair share of issues with it. It’s Birds of Prey. This movie is so fun, and Margot Robbie is really given that chance to shine. Maybe if I watched the new Suicide Squad (2020) I would like it more, but for now, Birds of Prey has to be my top pick. Sure, some of the characters like Cassandra Cain are butchered, but it’s still a good movie underneath that. Harley Quinn is how she should be. She’s insane, but it feels real. The movie also does more with a sort of similar visual style to Suicide Squad (2016). The film is very messy, but it really is a great, female-empowering, funny movie. They could have done another surface-level, low-effort, terrible movie, but instead made one that feels like it has a lot of care put into it. Harley Quinn is such a fun character, and the style of this movie just really lets her shine. I absolutely adore this movie and Margot Robbie’s amazing portrayal of probably my favorite comic character of all time.

DC Animated Universe + Other Non-DCEU DC Films

      Now, the DCEU really gives DC a bad reputation, because not only are the comics excellent, but the animated movies are phenomenal. They’re so much more accurate to the characters and a lot better made. My favorite DC Animated Universe (DCAU) movie has to be Constantine: City of Demons. This movie is hilarious and dark, so it’s really right up my alley. John Constantine is another one of my favorite characters, and this portrayal of him is so well done. I won’t spend too much time gushing about this film or the DCAU though because my favorite DC film isn’t DCEU or DCAU at all.

      The best DC film of all time is The Batman (2020). I’m not exaggerating when I say this film is a masterpiece and one of my favorite movies ever. Robert Pattinson is a perfect young Batman, and the character development he goes through is so perfect. He starts scaring the daylights out of every low-life criminal he sees, but by the end of the film has realized that senseless violence will only breed more senseless violence, and what he needs to be is a beacon of hope for Gotham. He needs to help the people, too, and combat corruption instead of every minor, insignificant criminal. This movie has such a wonderful message, and it’s just so perfect. All of the characters in this film are so interesting and I love the changes made to characters like Batman and the Riddler. The Riddler in this movie is so interesting. He’s this weird internet terrorist celebrity, and it’s a very interesting and unique take on the character that really enhances the film. As well as the new interesting takes on the characters, the cinematography, and use of color is immaculate.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe

     I have a love-hate relationship with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Yes, some of their movies are excellent masterpieces, like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, but the majority of their movies are tired and boring. The formula is seriously getting old. 

     A prime example of how the MCU formula can ruin a movie is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This movie could have been truly amazing, but it ended up so messy. It’s a multiverse movie, but they spend 90% of the movie in two universes that are extremely similar. They should have been traveling the multiverse to a bunch of vastly different worlds to make for a more interesting and entertaining movie, but no, that would probably be too experimental. The best part of this movie is the horror elements with Wanda, which probably could have been a lot better if the director had more freedom. I really do think that Disney has an iron grip on the directors of these films and that it’s killing their creativity.

     As I mentioned, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a masterpiece. It’s a fantastic, emotional film. I adore everything about this movie. The villain is terrifying, yet you can still empathize with him and his people. I absolutely love Shuri and how she has lost her entire family and still gets through it. She almost succumbs to rage and revenge, but in the end, she realizes she needs to break the cycle of violence and make peace. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt film.

     All in all, superhero films are very hit or miss. They’re either some of the best cinema you’ve ever seen or a film that was so close yet so far from greatness. I get endlessly frustrated with these films, but I just can’t stop watching them. Despite all my anger with these films, I still love comics deeply and I really want to see these movies succeed.

     Lately, it seems like there have been more and more diamonds in the rough, so I am starting to get hopeful. I hope superhero films learn from the tanking reviews and audience disappointment and really change for the better.