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Best Dc extended universe (dceu) Movies

Ranked by how strongly each film carries the visual signature of dc extended universe (dceu) cinema — measured across 1,517 indexed frames from 13 films, against a 404,689-frame catalogue baseline. Not by box office, and not by vote.

Dc extended universe (dceu) films over-index on trident, lightning and superhero — the objects that make the genre recognisable before a line is spoken.

  1. 1

    Justice League (2017)

    Zack Snyder, Joss WhedonDP Fabian WagnerIMDb 6.0TMDB 6.1See in full on FrameThrower →

    Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of meta-humans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes-Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash-it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.

  2. 2

    Aquaman (2018)

    James WanDP Don BurgessIMDb 6.8TMDB 6.9See in full on FrameThrower →

    Born upon the shores of the surface world, Arthur Curry discovers that he is only half human, with the other half of his blood being of Atlanteean descent, thus making him the rightful heir to the throne of the undersea kingdom of Atlantis. However, Arthur learns that Atlantis is being ruled by his malicious half-brother Orm, who seeks to unite the seven underwater kingdoms and wage war upon the surface. With aid from Nuidis Vulko and the gorgeous Mera, Arthur must discover the full potential of his true destiny and become Aquaman in order to save Atlantis and the surface from Orm's evil plot.

  3. 3

    Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

    Zack SnyderDP Fabian WagnerIMDb 7.9TMDB 8.1See in full on FrameThrower →

    Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions. The task proves more difficult than Bruce imagined, as each of the recruits must face the demons of their own pasts to transcend that which has held them back, allowing them to come together, finally forming an unprecedented league of heroes. Now united, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash may be too late to save the planet from Steppenwolf, DeSaad and Darkseid and their dreadful intentions.

  4. 4

    Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

    Zack SnyderDP Larry FongIMDb 6.4TMDB 6.0See in full on FrameThrower →

    The general public is concerned over having Superman on their planet and letting the "Dark Knight" - Batman - pursue the streets of Gotham. While this is happening, a power-phobic Batman tries to attack Superman. Meanwhile, Superman tries to settle on a decision, and Lex Luthor, the criminal mastermind and millionaire, tries to use his own advantages to fight the "Man of Steel".

  5. 5

    Man Of Steel (2013)

    Zack SnyderDP Amir MokriIMDb 7.1TMDB 6.6See in full on FrameThrower →

    A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must now emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

  6. 6

    The Flash (2023)

    Andy MuschiettiDP Henry BrahamIMDb 6.6TMDB 6.6See in full on FrameThrower →

    When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry's only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?

  7. 7

    Black Adam (2022)

    Jaume Collet-SerraDP Lawrence SherIMDb 6.1TMDB 6.8See in full on FrameThrower →

    Reawakening after 5000 years, Black Adam becomes the world's ruthless protector: an anti-villain to take on the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman. Now in the 21st-Century, Black Adam must face off against the Justice Society of America and its heroes: Doctor Fate, Hawkman, Atom Smasher and Cyclone. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.

  8. 8

    Shazam! (2019)

    David F. SandbergDP Maxime AlexandreIMDb 7.0TMDB 7.0See in full on FrameThrower →

    In Philadelphia, Billy Batson is an abandoned child who is proving a nuisance to Child Services and the authorities with his stubborn search for his lost mother. However, in his latest foster home, Billy makes a new friend, Freddy, and finds himself selected by the Wizard Shazam to be his new champion. Now endowed with the ability to instantly become an adult superhero by speaking the wizard's name, Billy gleefully explores his new powers with Freddy. However, Billy soon learns that he has a deadly enemy, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, who was previously rejected by the wizard and has accepted the power of the Seven Deadly Sins instead. Now pursued by this mad scientist for his own power as well, Billy must face up to the responsibilities of his calling while learning the power of a special magic with his true family that Sivana can never understand.

  9. 9

    The Suicide Squad (2021)

    James GunnDP Henry BrahamIMDb 7.2TMDB 7.5See in full on FrameThrower →

    In exchange for lighter sentences, just like the anti-hero team in Suicide Squad (2016), a fresh batch of Belle Reve's meta-humans strike a deal with the cold head of Task Force X, Amanda Waller. This time, her ragtag band of super-powered convicts--Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2--ventures into the dangerous South American island nation of Corto Maltese to find the Thinker, the evil scientist in charge of the mysterious Project Starfish. However, as the band joins forces with an old leader of the notorious team, humankind is on the verge of extinction. Can the new expendables stop a menace that could mean the end of the world as we know it?

  10. 10

    Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

    James WanDP Don BurgessIMDb 5.6TMDB 6.5See in full on FrameThrower →

    Having failed to defeat Aquaman the first time, Black Manta, still driven by the need to avenge his father's death, will stop at nothing to take Aquaman down once and for all. This time Black Manta is more formidable than ever before, wielding the power of the mythic Black Trident, which unleashes an ancient and malevolent force. To defeat him, Aquaman will turn to his imprisoned brother Orm, the former King of Atlantis, to forge an unlikely alliance. Together, they must set aside their differences in order to protect their kingdom and save Aquaman's family, and the world, from irreversible destruction.

What dc extended universe (dceu) films are made of

How much more often each element appears in a dc extended universe (dceu) frame than in an average frame from the catalogue. A ratio, not a share — trident is not in most frames, it is simply far more common here than anywhere else.

  • trident112.9×
  • lightning42.0×
  • superhero40.8×
  • armor19.8×
  • cape16.6×
  • rubble11.0×
  • debris7.1×
  • dust4.8×

How dc extended universe (dceu) films are shot

Weaker signals than the objects above, and worth saying so: most dramatic genres skew dark and night-heavy, so these numbers separate dc extended universe (dceu) from the catalogue far more than they separate it from its neighbours.

  • 15%low anglevs 5% baseline
  • 32%naturalvs 44% baseline
  • 51%low keyvs 39% baseline
  • 24%widevs 20% baseline

What breaks the pattern

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020) is the least typical film here — it carries the least of what the rest of this list is made of. Which is either a failure of the genre label, or the most interesting film on the page.

Method

Every frame in the FrameThrower catalogue is tagged for shot size, lighting, time of day, camera angle, colour and the objects visible in it. This page aggregates those tags across 1,517 frames from 13 films carrying the dc extended universe (dceu) label, and compares each figure to the same measurement across the whole catalogue (404,689 frames). Films are ranked by how closely they match the theme’s over-indexed elements, weighted by how distinctive each element is; one film per series. Only films with at least 20 indexed frames and 500 TMDB votes are listed.

Machine-readable: /api/list/dc-extended-universe-dceu

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These are real movie frames, shown at reduced resolution. All rights remain with their respective owners; they appear here for study, commentary and education under fair-use principles. How these are meant to be used