First Three: Marvel vs. DC
Since Rotten Tomatoes collected reviews of DC’s newest live-action entry, Suicide Squad, the Internet has exploded with criticism. A civil war of fanboys (and fangirls — not playing favorites here) has also broken out in a much more entertaining fashion than a very similarly titled film. There have been accusations that critics are partial to Marvel’s entries to its respective universe and have stifled the praise that the DC Extended Universe supposedly deserves.
It’s difficult to compare the two universes since Marvel has released thirteen films and is currently in Phase Three of its feature film slate. DC has released three films in just over three years, while trying to insert plugs of its future films in the clunkiest ways possible. I’m not sure if DC is trying to achieve the same reputation as Marvel as quickly as possible. One thing for sure is that the Extended Universe’s foundation is not as strong as Marvel was able to achieve in three films. In some ways, DC and Warner Bros. do not appear to be on the same page of crafting a well-rounded infrastructure of the stories they’re telling or stories they want to tell.
It took Marvel five films before it assembled Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. DC plans to unite the Justice League in four.
How do Marvel and DC compare three films into each respective universe? Much of the dialogue in the past week surrounds critics’ opinions with fan feedback to films.
Although DC films have 64% fewer IMDb votes than the first three Marvel films, it’s safe to say that the average score will likely remain level, as the most polarizing scores are most likely to occur in the early days of a film’s release.
It’s not necessary to calculate strengths of correlation to see the disparity between Rotten Tomatoes and user votes on IMDb. The average DCEU film has less than half the rating of a Marvel film, while the average IMDb rating is only 4 percent lower.
DC may not have both hands on the reins in terms of a unified strategy of the universe’s future, but film critics should not determine the success of it. Comic book fans generally have enjoyed these first three entries as much as Marvel’s first three. And why shouldn’t they? Sure, BvS: Dawn of Justice may have been an uneven, clunky presentation. But any fan of the characters can appreciate seeing the two stand toe-to-toe in their first live-action incarnation and/or Batman fighting the way we always dreamed of.
Margot Robbie may have said it best herself:
“At the end of the day critical acclaim is really nice, but we made it for the fans. If the fans like it then we did our job.”
