 With the Wonder Woman sequel on the way and Birds of Prey coming out soon, I thought it would be fun to reflect on the DCEU movies, see where things stack up on this episode of Hot Takes. How do I eloquently describe the Suicide Squad? Other than saying it's a pile of human waste. And that is really the nicest way I could phrase it. The story is utter nonsense and the direction is comically bad. It feels like a movie that was completely changed in the editing room. There are 600 pop songs in this thing all within the first 10 minutes and some of which that have been butchered beyond repair. Eminem's song comes to mind. There's no central character, the villain is a twerking mess, and Jared Leto's Joker is a billboard of stupid. Now, at a certain age bracket, this movie becomes very watchable. Hell, even enjoyable. My seven-year-old son, for instance, thinks it's awesome as he's a big fan of Killer Croc. So unless you're a small child, you have Margot Robbie to look at and really nothing else. So that's it, huh? Or some kind of Justice League? It's remarkable how underwhelming this movie was. It had Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, The Flash, and Aquaman. Most of these characters are top of the food chain in popularity, yet it failed so badly to resonate with the audience. Director Zack Snyder gets a lot of crap online, and I think that's because they have to offset the diehard fans he also has. I myself happen to really appreciate Snyder's filmmaking, and I have no doubt that he would have made a truly epic Justice League had he not been dealing with a personal tragedy, which led to a second tragedy, this film. Much like Suicide Squad, Justice League feels like two completely different movies mashed together, and that's probably because it was. Joss Whedon added color, comedy, and some truly lame moments to what was clearly another bleak Snyder affair. That said, it moves at a brisk pace, and there are some cool action moments. It feels very cartoonish due to some poor dialogue, a campy Batman, and that sad, sad CG mustache. And also much like Suicide Squad, it's something I think kids would really enjoy. Then again, they enjoy all the Shreks. All of them. Son of a bitch brought the war to us. The citizen cane of superhero movies to some. Not even joking. EBS to me is a painful mess. A beautifully shot mess, but a mess nonetheless. Dr. Seuss. There's definite passion poured into every frame, and that's what makes things so much worse. Snyder's 300 is probably in my top 100 movies of all time list, if I ever made such a thing. That would be insane. And that's due to the balls out action and unique vision he had. Easy to parody, sure, but very hard to emulate. I don't know who's making the moves over at Warner, but dear god, this film is like making a great sandwich only to have four other cooks throw in their ingredients. Even though we have some really delicious sections, it's just completely ruined by the time the meal is done. A dumb CG monster, an emotionless death, tacked on characters, and a joyless feel to everything make BVS a gigantic disappointment. I put this higher on the list because it shows actual creativity, passion, and just a bunch of other visions that were missing in Justice League. That is to say when the studio isn't interfering and cramming in any sort of MCU idea they can think of. Speaking of generic, Shazam is probably the closest the DCU will ever get to being the MCU without actually being in it. It's a very paint by numbers flick that also happens to share the things most people like about the Disney films. It's funny, has a great cast, shows emotion, and doesn't need to be the most epic movie ever. The last act is definitely a mess, and the tone is all over the place. However, the relationships make this one for me, and knowing nothing about the character perhaps kept me more invested. And somehow Shazam's intentionally silly costume looks less pathetic than Batman's in Justice League, keeled over in the grass like a dumbass. Aquaman is a love story, a rom-com, a globetrotting adventure, a horror film, a dramatic struggle for power. It's dumb, loud, epic, cheesy, slick, and everything else. This is one of the most inconsistent films I've ever seen. Nothing adds up. The music ranges from a song ripped from gladiator to pitbull butchering a classic Toto Jam. There's so much idiocy jam packed into this adventure, I can't help but laugh and find joy in it. Plus as a bonus, if you're in for an action movie one day and a mystery the next, you can just watch A Chunk of Aquaman. It has everything you didn't know you needed, and far too much more. I had no interest in the Wonder Woman movie. She was shoved into Don of Justice with no character or backstory and Gal wasn't exactly the spitting image of a strong Amazonian, or a beauty of course, but the last remaining weapon by Zeus? Hardly believable. I thought all this until I saw Wonder Woman. Now I'm a believer. She carried the picture with ease and quickly became one of my favorites in the DCEU. The dramatic romance set to the backdrop of World War One also worked very well. A lot of people knocked the final act, but I dug the crazy power of love leveling up. Yes, Aries looked pretty ridiculous, but considering the current Warner lineup, I mean, I'm gonna take a win where I can get it. Man of Steel was the beginning of the Snyderverse, a drab, somber affair that really digs into Kal-El's origins. I always liked Richard Donner's Superman movies, probably the same way that kids like the Suicide Squad today. Young, naive, full of hope. But those that say the Donner movies hold up are fully tricking themselves. They're just laughably outdated in the effects department. There's no other way around it. It's just that the tech has grown incredibly fast and Snyder takes full advantage. Man of Steel has this fair share of haters, and some of those criticisms are fair. I still have zero issue with Kal-El and Zod causing massive destruction as they battle. Those are the consequences that should be shown, and the movie wasn't called Superman for that reason. This is the best Superman movie I've seen, and I'm bummed that Henry Cavill didn't get to truly become the character. Instead, having an origin, being promptly killed off, being resurrected, only to be killed off again, off-camera. Because the actor I don't think is playing him anymore. Maybe he is. Who knows what's going on over there. There you have it, my thoughts on the DCEU. It's a mixed bag for sure, but one that is looking a bit more optimistic. Especially with the Wonder Woman sequel, and hopefully more Aquaman and Shazam in the future. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, leave me your ranking, and make sure to like the video and subscribe if you care at all about me or this channel, otherwise just walk away, that's fine, I understand. And I'll see you next time for another episode of Hot Takes.