DC Animated Movies That Are Better than the Live-action Movies

My girlfriend and I were talking earlier about which movies are better, the live action films or the DC animated films. So we decided to collaborate on a post to give you guys our opinion on which movies are better. I hope you’ll enjoy reading this as much as we did writing it!

The great thing about animation is that it often fills the holes left by traditional filmmaking. However, it’s clear that these movies don’t really seem to grasp the essence of the stories they are trying to tell. So let’s take a moment to focus on the positive. And by “positive,” I mean DC’s animated output which has been killin’ it! These movies might not have the budgets of the summer blockbusters, but they can tell stories that make the live-action films look even worse than they already do.

-Chipz and E.V.

#5. Batman: Under The Red Hood 

I was so surprised when Under The Red Hood managed to make Batman look fascinating and terrifying! The movie starts off with the Joker straight-up murdering Jason Todd, the second Robin, who is later revived by Ra’s Al Ghul. Driven by anger and revenge, Jason then tries to become the new crime boss of Gotham, which finally climax’s to a stand-off between him and Batsy.

During the confrontation, Jason asks Batman why he didn’t execute the Joker after the clown killed him, to which Batman replies, “All I’ve ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn’t go by I don’t think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he’s dealt out to others, and then end him.” The idea of Batman, a man with a genius IQ and Olympic-level physique, fantasizing about torturing someone to death is one of scariest things ever.

Speaking of family: Under the Red Hood thankfully doesn’t make you sit through yet another version of the Waynes getting killed, almost as if Batman was a pop culture icon whose origin is known by pretty much everyone. If that’s still not enough for you, then consider this: The movie stars Jensen Ackles from Supernatural as Jason, Neil Patrick Harris as Nightwing, Jason Isaacs as Ra’s al Ghul, and John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) as a murder-happy Joker.

#4. Assault On Arkham 

Assault On Arkham was released in 2014, and also features voice work by Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. So you’re not just getting a better Joker; you’re getting a better Joker who’s squaring off against what many of us consider to be THE definitive Batman.

In Suicide Squad, the team’s goal is to stop Enchantress from using her big laser portal whatever. And that’s literally it. Meanwhile, Assault On Arkham‘s Suicide Squad features a black ops team that never manages to get along, with a mission that seems to change every ten minutes. Where Suicide Squad has all of these forced “We’re bad guys, but we’re true … to each other” bits. Assault On Arkham has infighting that only stops when people’s heads start to blow up.

Suicide Squad also ends with that song “Heathens” — something that radio stations had to play every six seconds in 2016 or else risk instant termination.

#3. All-Star Superman

The movie opens with Lex Luthor trying to sabotage the sun,  later, the movie also shows Superman battling an inter-dimensional being called the “Ultra-Sphinx,” and introduces things like his “time telescope,” which allows him to observe his descendants in the 84th century, or his pet space creature called a “Sun Eater.” What does Superman feed him? Suns, of course. Suns that he makes on his cosmic anvil.

All of those scenes sound silly but they serve a valid purpose because they showcase Superman’s hope, courage, and kindness. That’s when you realize the truth about the character. Superman is a God, yes, but he is human first, and he represents the absolute best of humanity. Every other Superman movie talked about it but All-Star actually SHOWED it during those scenes. And by doing so, it finally gave Lex Luthor some solid supervillain motivation.

We’ll give this guy an ‘E’ for effort…

#2. Batman vs. Robin: The Court Of Owls

There is a villainous organization that dates back centuries in this movie that tries to stop Batman at every turn. They know who he is, and they attack him in one of the worst ways possible that is almost unthinkable. They turn his own family against him. Sticking close to the storyline in the comics with the same name(Batman: The Court Of Owls) this movie ties in some good ol’ family drama and butt kicking action. I won’t spoil the movie for you but this is definitely a must-see animation.

#1. The Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

This movie is basically the beginning of all of The New 52 animated movies, and this one by far is one of the best movies to watch. They stayed true to the comics and tried to give their audience as much of it as they possibly can within roughly 90 minutes. This particular film is about The Flash messing up the time-line. He discovers nothing is the same as he knew it, not even Batman! Speaking of the devil, we get to see a very different type of Batman than what we’re used to. The Flash along with everyone else in this particular time setting, is stuck in the middle of a raging war that seems to be World War 3. This isn’t like the cartoons we grew up watching, as there are some seriousness about them and even the loss of many lives. It’s a war for crying out loud, what did you expect?! Can Flash change everything back to normal and restore the time-line?

Which movies out of any of the DC animated or live action movies are your favorites?  Do you think Warner Bros. can make a live action film that can be better than their animated films? Comment down below, as we’d like to hear from you!