1982’s Swamp Thing beats 8 DCEU films in one surprising way. It has been over 40 years since Swamp Thing was released, and while it’s nowhere near one of DC’s highest-rated films, it still does enough to beat out several recent releases. The DCEU has had a rocky timeline in recent years with a lot of projects receiving reviews that range from mixed to negative. This slump is likely why the studio has opted to reboot the DCEU, turning it into the DCU with characters being recast.
Though James Gunn and Peter Safran’s impending revamp of the DC Universe hopes to turn things around, DC will have to sit with the legacy of their recent films for now. There have been some excellent DC Studios releases such as Joker and The Batman. However, the actual DCEU has been struggling. Swamp Thing may be an 80s project that not many current fans have seen, but the fact that it outranks several DCEU films should be reason enough for DC fans to give it a chance.
1982's Swamp Thing Movie Has A Better Rotten Tomatoes Score Than 8 DCEU Movies
Swamp Thing currently has a score of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. The rating puts the film above 8 other DCEU projects: Wonder Woman 1984, Man of Steel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Justice League, Black Adam, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad. These 8 films all score below 60%, meaning they are all certified rotten by the website.
Swamp Thing (1982) | 60% |
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) | 58% |
Man of Steel (2013) | 57% |
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) | 49% |
Justice League (2017) | 39% |
Black Adam (2022) | 39% |
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023) | 34% |
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) | 29% |
Suicide Squad (2016) | 26% |
Swamp Thing was released in the 80s and still maintains a better Rotten Tomatoes score than DCEU projects released in the past decade. Of course, a film’s Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t completely indicative of its quality, but it is a good starting point to determine how well-liked it is. It may be surprising to some fans how a niche film like Swamp Thing could rank higher than so many DCEU movies, but it’s just reflective of the DCEU’s recent downward trend.
Why 1982's Swamp Thing Movie Has A Higher Score Than So Many DCEU Movies
The main reason why Swamp Thing feels like a more enjoyable watch than so many other DCEU movies is because the project doesn’t take itself too seriously. The consensus among critics is that while Swamp Thing isn’t a quality production by any means, the viewer can appreciate the film for what it is. Matt Brunson of Film Frenzy said “It remains one of Wes Craven's most entertaining and least pretentious outings," while Keith Phipps of The Dissolve said that "the world is duller for not letting oddball efforts like this slip into theaters once in a while.”
Related
10 Actors Who Could Play The DC Universe's Swamp Thing
A Swamp Thing film was confirmed to be on the horizon for the DC Universe. Here are 10 picks for actors who could easily fill the role.
Where Swamp Thing falls flat in its execution, it makes up for in pure entertainment value. The 8 DCEU movies that Swamp Thing ranks above also fall flat in various ways, but they feel much duller because of the serious tone they run with. Even for a film like Suicide Squad which is meant to play like a comedy, fans can tell that the studio still wants it to be taken seriously. Swamp Thing is a product of its time without trying to be more, simply translating to pure entertainment that so many other DCEU movies just don’t have.
Release Date February 19, 1982
Runtime 91 Minutes
Upcoming DC Movie Releases
-
Release Date July 11, 2025
-
Release Date June 26, 2026
-
Release Date October 2, 2026
Source: Rotten Tomatoes
English (US) ·