DC Comics Movies

69 movies in this series

Truth. Justice. Reboots.

Now Playing Podcast covers the entire cinematic sprawl of DC and DC-adjacent comic book movies, from Richard Donner’s Superman and Tim Burton’s Batman through the Nolan trilogy, and the Snyder and Gunn eras.

But it doesn’t stop at the headliners. Forgotten TV movies, prestige adaptations from Vertigo, gritty crime dramas, animated theatricals, oddball misfires, cult curiosities, and the occasional talking super-pet. Heroes. Antiheroes. Supervillains. And more than a few questionable studio decisions.

The Now Playing Podcast crew examine the full DC spectrum, from billion-dollar tentpoles to projects people swear never happened, tracking how one comic publisher’s characters have been reinvented, rebooted, and reinterpreted for generations of moviegoers.

Movie Reviews

Superman and the Mole Men

Truth, justice, and the podcasting way!

Reviewed Apr 9, 2013
Reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane arrive in the small town of Silsby to witness the drilling of the world's deepest oil well. The drill, however, has penetrated the underground home of a race of small, furry people who then come to the surface at night to look around. The fact that they glow in the dark scares the townfolk, who form a mob, led by the vicious Luke Benson, intent on killing the strange people. Only Superman has a chance to prevent this tragedy. Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

The New Original Wonder Woman

Cold War justice in star-spangled shorts

Reviewed May 30, 2017
After a dogfight with a German plane, U.S. Army Air Force pilot Steve Trevor crash lands on an uncharted island in the Bermuda Triangle. Paradise Island is inhabited only by women, and their existence has been kept a secret for thousands of years. Learning of the Nazi German threat to humanity, the Amazon princess Diana is chosen to accompany Trevor back to the United States to battle the Third Reich. Garbed in a skimpy red, white, and blue costume and armed with a magic lasso that forces anyone within its grasp to tell the truth, Diana uses her powers as Wonder Woman to battle the forces of evil. Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Legends of the Super Heroes

The movie Now Playing Podcast was never meant to review!

Reviewed Feb 23, 2016
The adventures of many of DC Comics greatest superheroes and villains. In the first episode, "The Challenge," the superheroes must race against time to stop the diabolical super-villains' plot to destroy the world. In the second episode, "The Roast," the superheroes pay tribute to Batman and Robin in the form of a roast which even the villains attend. Genres: Action, Comedy, Science Fiction

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Two and a Half Supermen!

Reviewed May 28, 2013
With global superpowers engaged in an increasingly hostile arms race, Superman leads a crusade to rid the world of nuclear weapons. But Lex Luthor, recently sprung from jail, is declaring war on the Man of Steel and his quest to save the planet. Using a strand of Superman's hair, Luthor synthesizes a powerful ally known as Nuclear Man and ignites an epic battle spanning Earth and space. Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Now Playing Approved

Batman

I have given a name to my podcast, and it is Now Playing

Reviewed May 22, 2012
Having witnessed his parents' brutal murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne fights crime in Gotham City disguised as Batman, a costumed hero who strikes fear into the hearts of villains. But when a deformed madman known as 'The Joker' seizes control of Gotham's criminal underworld, Batman must face his most ruthless nemesis ever while protecting both his identity and his love interest, reporter Vicki Vale. Genres: Action, Crime, Fantasy

Batman Returns

Batman Returned this summer Christmas gift, can I?

Reviewed May 29, 2012
The monstrous Penguin, who dwells in the sewers beneath Gotham, joins up with corrupt mayoral candidate Max Shreck to topple the Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant Selina Kyle finds out, and Shreck tries to kill her, she's transformed into the sexy Catwoman. She teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly unexpectedly when she confronts the caped crusader. Genres: Action, Fantasy

Muriel’s Wedding

Mercury In Retrograde

Reviewed May 30, 2023
Socially awkward Muriel Heslop wants nothing more than to get married. Unfortunately, due to her oppressive politician father, Muriel has never even been on a date. Ostracized by her more socially adept friends, Muriel runs into fellow outcast Rhonda Epinstalk, and the two move from their small Australian town to the big city of Sydney, where Muriel changes her name and begins the arduous task of redesigning her life to match her fantasies. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Tank Girl

Isn't Keanu Reeves in this? No, that's Johnny Pneumonic. ...

Reviewed Feb 26, 2013
After a comet disrupts the rain cycle of Earth, the planet has become a desolate, barren desert by the year 2033. With resources scarce, Kesslee, head of the powerful and evil Water & Power Corporation, the de facto government, has taken control of the water supply. Unwilling to cower under Kesslee's tyrannical rule, a pair of outlaws known as Tank Girl and Jet Girl rise up, joining the mysterious rebel Rippers to destroy the corrupt system. Genres: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Batman Forever

Podcast-gasm!

Reviewed Jun 5, 2012
Batman faces off against two foes: the schizophrenic, horribly scarred former District Attorney Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, and the Riddler, a disgruntled ex-Wayne Enterprises inventor seeking revenge against his former employer by unleashing his brain-sucking weapon on Gotham City's residents. As the caped crusader also copes with tortured memories of his parents' murder, he has a new romance, with psychologist Chase Meridian. Genres: Action, Crime, Fantasy