10 Best R-Rated DC Movies, Ranked (According To IMDb)

Over the years, comic book movies have begun embracing the darker side of their universes, as it’s become apparent that some aspects of the superhero world simply do not translate as well to a PG-13 rating. Films based on DC properties are known for their darker portrayals, so it makes sense that some films would be R-rated.

While still relatively uncommon, DC occasionally releases an R-rated film either live-action or animated, and, in some cases, they aren’t even related to their popular superhero universes. With the future of DC seeming to be leaning more on R-rating with the likes of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, it is time to showcase DC’s R-rated lineup.

10 Constantine (2005) – 7

Based on the Hellblazer comics, Constantine saw the cinematic debut of the iconic demonologist and spellcaster John Constantine, as portrayed by Keanu Reeves. While fans were initially divided on a dark-haired American version of John Constantine, the film itself was given fairly positive reviews on release.

Over the years, Constantine has become a cult gem with many praising the dark but well-thought-out world of angels, demons, and the human caught in between. Constantine does not shy from the gruesome elements of the comics and properly displays that John himself is not a valiant hero. Combined with a quick but beloved portrayal of Lucifer, Constantine is a unique film in DC’s lineup.

9 Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay (2018) – 7

In the second straight-to-video animated Suicide Squad film, Task Force X has to retrieve a mystical card that guarantees the wielder to go to heaven when they die. With many others after the same artifact, it leads to the Suicide Squad fighting to their limits to get the mission done.

Featuring more carnage and wild kills than James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay tackles many genres: road trip adventure, grindhouse thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, and more. Hell To Pay is a late entry in the DC Animated Movie Universe, and fans praised it as one of the better entries of that series for its unique style, R-rating, and even a twist that made DC fans do a double-take.

8 Justice League Dark (2017) – 7.1

After gaining a fanbase in both his short-lived Constantine TV series and in the Arrowverse, Matt Ryan returned to provide the voice of John Constantine in the DCAMU. Alongside Batman, Zatanna, Deadman, and Etrigan: John must find out who or what mystic is causing violent murders.

Justice League Dark was the second DC animated film to be given an R-rating, and it did not hold back. It delves deep into the seedy underbelly of the mystic side of DC with grotesque demons, brutal mutilations, and more, leading to an action/horror hybrid that sees Matt Ryan shine as Constantine.

7 The Suicide Squad (2021) – 7.4

With the newest film in the DC Extended Universe, James Gunn was given full control with a sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. The result is The Suicide Squad, a wild and bizarre but fitting action film that manages to do something unique in the oversaturated comic book adaptation space.

The Suicide Squad features obscure C-list characters, tons of graphic violence, and a giant alien starfish. The 2021 film stands out as an action film, comic book film, comedy, and war film. It’s also purely a James Gunn movie with all its dark and twisted humor and surprising amounts of character depth.

6 Watchmen (2009) – 7.6

Zack Snyder brought the Alan Moore graphic novel to life, deconstructing the genre  and making it a superhero movie far ahead of its time. Watchmen tells the story of an alternate history with superheroes are outlawed and one of them is killed, leading to an investigation.

Many praise Snyder for directly translating panels of the comic book into live-action. While he does take creative liberties, Snyder shows his loyalty to the comic by bringing it to life, resulting in a dark and bloody neo-noir that satires the history of comics and society during the Cold War.

5 Justice League Dark: Apokolips War (2020) – 7.8

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the final movie in the DC Animated Movie Universe with the culmination of years of animated films resulting in an Avengers: Endgame of DC animated films. Matt Ryan shines as John Constantine again as he deals with an apocalyptic Earth along with Superman and Raven.

Apokolips War quickly shocks fans with its brutality and graphic gore from the start. It revels in pulling the rug out from under the viewers with twists and turns left and right. It results in an action-packed finale that ends the long-running universe in a bittersweet way.

4 Road To Perdition (2002) – 8.1

This mobster film has nothing to do with the DC universe, but it is based on the DC graphic novel published under them. Road To Perdition tells an original story about a mob enforcer during the Depression Era on the run with his son after he witnesses a murder.

As much as it tells a somber story during a dark time in American history, Road To Perdition is also a story about the ties between fathers and sons. With stellar performances by Tom Hanks, Daniel Craig, and Paul Newman and proper attention to detail in replicating the era, Road To Perdition is an example of a unique mob thriller.

3 V For Vendetta (2006) – 8.1

It may be about a masked vigilante and based on a DC graphic novel, but V For Vendetta is far from a standard superhero film. In the not-so-distant future, London is under the complete control of a ruthless dictatorship that results in the mysterious masked figure known as V sparking a revolution, as well as find love in a woman named Evey.

Hugo Weaving portrays the enigmatic V with elegance and grace, while also providing an imposing anti-hero. V For Vendetta takes many concepts of what would be a superhero/supervillain story and twists it into something more than just a man in a mask fighting a villain.

2 Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) – 8.1

After Joss Whedon infamously cut and reshot Justice League for the 2017 release, fans rallied behind Zack Snyder to get his cut of the film released. After several years, Zack Snyder was given the budget to finish what he started and film extra scenes. The result is Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which many fans agree was a completely different film.

The four-hour runtime gave all the characters more development, Steppenwolf was a much more interesting villain, and most of the movie plays out completely different from the 2017 version, with the majority of Cyborg and The Flash’s roles becoming the most important in the League itself. Not only did it set up more to come, but the added scenes allowed for the introduction of Ryan Choi, Martian Manhunter, and the return of Jared Leto’s Joker.

1 Joker (2019) – 8.4

The idea of a movie about the Joker’s origin story initially can make someone tilt their head. However, Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix delivered a movie that didn’t even need to be in the DC pantheon. On its own, Joker is a disturbing yet enthralling character study showing Arthur Fleck descend into madness since life and society treat him so poorly.

From the early ’80s setting to Joaquin Phoenix’s award-winning performance, Joker proves to be something completely different in the comic book movie subgenre. Not only does it provide some social commentary, but it created a Batman mythos despite only including Bruce Wayne in a single scene.

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