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Description
"Because of these great powers—your speed and strength, your x-ray vision and super-sensitive hearing—you have a great responsibility."

After looking at pretty much every animated project that's based on the works of DC Comics, the time has come to cover the majority of their live action projects whether it's movies or TV shows. Some of these have helped change the landscape of comic book movies while others give the genre a bad name.
Also, i'll be looking at some of their projects based on DC's imprints.
Let's begin by taking a look at these film serials which are among the very first comic-to-film adaptations, with some of them even leaving an influence on the lore of their respective characters.

Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941):
During an archaeological expedition to the volcanic Valley of the Tombs to find the lost secret of the Scorpion Kingdom, a device of great power, the Golden Scorpion, is discovered hidden inside a sealed crypt. While examining it, the device's quartz lenses are aligned and powerful energy beam erupts, causing an explosion, resealing the crypt.
This allows young radio broadcaster and expedition member Billy Batson, who obeyed the warning on the crypt's seal not to enter, to be chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam. The wizard grants Billy the powers of Captain Marvel whenever he repeats the wizard's name. Captain Marvel's powers can be used only to protect those in danger from the curse of the Golden Scorpion.
The crypt's entrance is quickly cleared, then Captain Marvel utters "Shazam!" and quickly resumes his Billy Batson alter ego.
The Golden Scorpion's power lenses are divided among the scientists of the Malcolm Archaeological Expedition so that its power can only be used by agreement of the entire group, who then return to the U. S. after their discovery.
An all-black-garbed-and-hooded criminal mastermind, calling himself the Scorpion, steals the ancient device after their return and sets about acquiring the distributed lenses.
Several expedition members are killed in the Scorpion's quest, despite Captain Marvel's continual efforts to thwart his plan. Deducing that the Scorpion always seems to know what happens during the scientists' meetings, Billy later confides to his friends, Betty Wallace and Whitey Murphy, his suspicion that the Scorpion may be one of the Malcolm archaeological team.
Discovering that one of the Golden Scorpion's power lenses was purposely left behind, cleverly hidden in the very crypt where it was first discovered, Billy and the surviving scientists agree it must be retrieved.
It's now up to Billy to protect his friends, and thwart the Scorpion's plans.

Batman (1943):
The story follows Bruce Wayne/Batman, and his ward Dick Grayson/Robin, as they become secret government agents following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They become aware of a Japanese sabotage ring operating in Gotham City.
Bruce's girlfriend Linda Page asks for his help in finding her uncle, Martin Warren, who was abducted by the ring after he was released from prison.
Dr. Tito Daka, the leader of the ring, plans to steal the city's radium supply to power his invention, a hand-held ray gun that can dissolve anything hit by its powerful beam. He forces from Warren the location of the vault where the radium is stored.
Daka sends his henchmen, along with a zombie that he controls by microphone via an electronic brain implant, to steal the precious metal. Batman discovers the plot and eventually routs the gang after a terrific battle.
In his secret Bat's Cave, the Batman interrogates one of Daka's henchmen, who reveals the radium was to have been taken to The House of the Open Door, located in the mostly deserted "Little Tokyo" section of Gotham City.
It's now up to Batman and Robin to find Daka's lair, retrieve the radium, and put an end to the sinister agent's plans.

Superman (1948):
The story follows Kal-El as he is sent to Earth by his parents just as the planet Krypton explodes and is later raised as Clark Kent by a farm couple. They discover that he has great powers so they send him off to use his powers to help those in need.
After his foster parents die, the Man of Steel heads to Metropolis under the bespectacled guise of Kent and joins the staff of the Daily Planet where he meets fellow reporter Lois Lane, cub reporter Jimmy Olson, and their boss Perry White, in order to be close to the news.
Soon after he is sent out to get the scoop on a new rock that a man has found that he calls Kryptonite, and Clark passes out; then and there Superman discovers that his weakness is Kryptonite.
Whenever emergencies happen, he responds in his true identity as Superman. He also prioritizes in thwarting a nefarious plot of a villain who calls herself the Spider Lady.

Batman and Robin (1949):
The story follows Batman and Robin as they tackle a new crime wave plaguing Gotham City. Behind this is the masked and hooded criminal mastermind known only as The Wizard.
The Wizard’s henchmen steal a device invented by Professor Hammil that can take over and remotely control any vehicle.
Knowing that The Wizard will use this to bring transport in Gotham City to a standstill, it's now up to Batman and Robin, with some assistance from reporter Vicki Vale and police commissioner Jim Gordon, to stop The Wizard’s men from getting the pieces they need to power the device, and also discover the Wizard's true identidy.

Atom Man vs. Superman (1950):
Lex Luthor, the Atom Man, invents a number of deadly devices to plague the city of Metropolis, including a disintegrating machine which can reduce people to their basic atoms and reassemble them in another place. But Superman manages to thwart each scheme.
Since Kryptonite can rob Superman of his powers, Luthor decides to create a synthetic Kryptonite and putters about obtaining the necessary ingredients: plutonium, radium and the undefined 'etc.'
Luthor places the Kryptonite at the launching of a ship, with Superman in attendance. He is exposed to the Kryptonite and passes out. Superman is taken off in an ambulance driven by Luthor's henchmen, and he is now under the control of Luthor. Superman is placed in a device, and he vanishes into "The Empty Doom".
It's now up to Superman to escape the Empty Doom, and put a stop to Luthor's plans.

The stories of these serials are all pretty basic "good guy takes on the bad guy" plots, but they do manage to be entertaining as they do have some pretty solid and fun action, some nice special effects for the time they came out, most of them are pretty faithful to the early comics, and they do have a certain charm to them for being among the first ever comic book movies. Not to mention some of these did make an impact on the lore of some of the characters. For example, "Batman '43" introduced the Batcave which wasn't a thing in the comics at the time. But these serials also have some problems like "Adventures of Captain Marvel" having to little to nothing to do with the comics, "Batman '43" having a very outdated and uncomfortable anti-Japanese tone, "Atom Man vs. Superman" reusing a bunch of stock footage from "Superman '48", all of them having some boring and really far-fetched moments, and it wouldn't be until "Atom Man vs. Superman" where a villain from the comics would be featured as all the ones prior were all made up for their respective serials.
The action scenes in all these serials are pretty solid as they do give them the excitement that audiences come to see such as the heroes and their allies taking on the main villain or a group of their thugs, the chase scenes, the gunfights, the heroes getting into tight spots and getting out of them in the nick of time, and escaping certain death situations.
The production values of these serials are all pretty nicely done for the time and do look very good such as all the different sets and setpieces being very well built and having a great amount of detail, the actual filming locations featured are well utilized, the lighting is pretty solid and effective, and most of the costumes and clothing are very nicely crafted, especially the costumes for Batman and Robin, Superman, and Captain Marvel respectively. However, there are a few costumes that do look ridiculous like Lex's Atom Man suit.
The special effects of these serials are nicely crafted as they did what they could for the time, and for the most part, they do pay off such as the flying scenes and super powers for Superman and Captain Marvel, the gun-blanks, the explosions, and so on. But like most effects in movies during this time, there are some that haven't aged well. Also, the "Superman" serials use animation to depict him starting to fly or landing, and they're mixed with the live actor. Th animation itself is very well done, but the transitions from the animated Superman to the live actor don't mix well.
The characters are all very basic and do rely on basic tropes, but given how the majority of film serials had basic characters to begin with, i'm willing to give it a pass. But some of these characters are memorable and decently likable in their respective serials like Captain Marvel, Batman and Robin, and Superman all being pretty solid protagonists of their respective serials, and Betty and Whitey from "Captain Marvel", Alfred and Linda from "Batman '43", Lois, Jimmy, and Perry from both "Superman" serials, and Vicki and Commissioner Gordon from "Batman and Robin" are all good supporting/side characters. But a lot of the other characters in these serials tend to be very forgettable, and the villains tend to be pretty weak and cliched like Scorpion in "Captain Marvel", Dr. Daka in "Batman '43", the Spider Lady in "Superman '48", and the Wizard in "Batman and Robin". The only decent villain in all of these serials is Lex Luthor in "Atom Man vs. Superman".
The acting is pretty solid as a good chunk of the actors in these serials all deliver some solid performances such as Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel, Frank Coghlan Jr. as Billy Batson, Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Douglas Croft and Johnny Duncan as Dick Grayson / Robin, Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent / Superman, William Benedict as Whitey, Louise Currie as Betty, Nigel De Brulier as the wizard Shazam, Shirley Patterson as Linda, William Austin as Alfred Pennyworth, Noel Neil as Lois Lane, Pierre Watkin as Perry White, Tommy Bond as Jimmy Olsen, Jane Adams as Vicki Vale, Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon in "Batman and Robin" and Lex Luthor in "Atom Man vs. Superman", Gerald Mohr as the Scorpion, Carol Forman as the Spider Lady, Leonard Penn as the Wizard, and more. But there is some acting that can be weak, and J. Carrol Naish's performance as Dr. Daka is very uncomfortable.
The music in all of these serials is pretty solid as the scores in all of them are pretty well composed and they do manage to capture the serials' action-packed and heroic tone.

Overall, while these serials each have flaws, they are some nice watches as they can be a lot of fun and very entertaining. But i would really only recommend them to the hardcore fans, and to people who are curious about the birth of comic book movies.

Description
"Because of these great powers—your speed and strength, your x-ray vision and super-sensitive hearing—you have a great responsibility."

After looking at pretty much every animated project that's based on the works of DC Comics, the time has come to cover the majority of their live action projects whether it's movies or TV shows. Some of these have helped change the landscape of comic book movies while others give the genre a bad name.
Also, i'll be looking at some of their projects based on DC's imprints.
Let's begin by taking a look at these film serials which are among the very first comic-to-film adaptations, with some of them even leaving an influence on the lore of their respective characters.

Adventures of Captain Marvel (1941):
During an archaeological expedition to the volcanic Valley of the Tombs to find the lost secret of the Scorpion Kingdom, a device of great power, the Golden Scorpion, is discovered hidden inside a sealed crypt. While examining it, the device's quartz lenses are aligned and powerful energy beam erupts, causing an explosion, resealing the crypt.
This allows young radio broadcaster and expedition member Billy Batson, who obeyed the warning on the crypt's seal not to enter, to be chosen by the ancient wizard Shazam. The wizard grants Billy the powers of Captain Marvel whenever he repeats the wizard's name. Captain Marvel's powers can be used only to protect those in danger from the curse of the Golden Scorpion.
The crypt's entrance is quickly cleared, then Captain Marvel utters "Shazam!" and quickly resumes his Billy Batson alter ego.
The Golden Scorpion's power lenses are divided among the scientists of the Malcolm Archaeological Expedition so that its power can only be used by agreement of the entire group, who then return to the U. S. after their discovery.
An all-black-garbed-and-hooded criminal mastermind, calling himself the Scorpion, steals the ancient device after their return and sets about acquiring the distributed lenses.
Several expedition members are killed in the Scorpion's quest, despite Captain Marvel's continual efforts to thwart his plan. Deducing that the Scorpion always seems to know what happens during the scientists' meetings, Billy later confides to his friends, Betty Wallace and Whitey Murphy, his suspicion that the Scorpion may be one of the Malcolm archaeological team.
Discovering that one of the Golden Scorpion's power lenses was purposely left behind, cleverly hidden in the very crypt where it was first discovered, Billy and the surviving scientists agree it must be retrieved.
It's now up to Billy to protect his friends, and thwart the Scorpion's plans.

Batman (1943):
The story follows Bruce Wayne/Batman, and his ward Dick Grayson/Robin, as they become secret government agents following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They become aware of a Japanese sabotage ring operating in Gotham City.
Bruce's girlfriend Linda Page asks for his help in finding her uncle, Martin Warren, who was abducted by the ring after he was released from prison.
Dr. Tito Daka, the leader of the ring, plans to steal the city's radium supply to power his invention, a hand-held ray gun that can dissolve anything hit by its powerful beam. He forces from Warren the location of the vault where the radium is stored.
Daka sends his henchmen, along with a zombie that he controls by microphone via an electronic brain implant, to steal the precious metal. Batman discovers the plot and eventually routs the gang after a terrific battle.
In his secret Bat's Cave, the Batman interrogates one of Daka's henchmen, who reveals the radium was to have been taken to The House of the Open Door, located in the mostly deserted "Little Tokyo" section of Gotham City.
It's now up to Batman and Robin to find Daka's lair, retrieve the radium, and put an end to the sinister agent's plans.

Superman (1948):
The story follows Kal-El as he is sent to Earth by his parents just as the planet Krypton explodes and is later raised as Clark Kent by a farm couple. They discover that he has great powers so they send him off to use his powers to help those in need.
After his foster parents die, the Man of Steel heads to Metropolis under the bespectacled guise of Kent and joins the staff of the Daily Planet where he meets fellow reporter Lois Lane, cub reporter Jimmy Olson, and their boss Perry White, in order to be close to the news.
Soon after he is sent out to get the scoop on a new rock that a man has found that he calls Kryptonite, and Clark passes out; then and there Superman discovers that his weakness is Kryptonite.
Whenever emergencies happen, he responds in his true identity as Superman. He also prioritizes in thwarting a nefarious plot of a villain who calls herself the Spider Lady.

Batman and Robin (1949):
The story follows Batman and Robin as they tackle a new crime wave plaguing Gotham City. Behind this is the masked and hooded criminal mastermind known only as The Wizard.
The Wizard’s henchmen steal a device invented by Professor Hammil that can take over and remotely control any vehicle.
Knowing that The Wizard will use this to bring transport in Gotham City to a standstill, it's now up to Batman and Robin, with some assistance from reporter Vicki Vale and police commissioner Jim Gordon, to stop The Wizard’s men from getting the pieces they need to power the device, and also discover the Wizard's true identidy.

Atom Man vs. Superman (1950):
Lex Luthor, the Atom Man, invents a number of deadly devices to plague the city of Metropolis, including a disintegrating machine which can reduce people to their basic atoms and reassemble them in another place. But Superman manages to thwart each scheme.
Since Kryptonite can rob Superman of his powers, Luthor decides to create a synthetic Kryptonite and putters about obtaining the necessary ingredients: plutonium, radium and the undefined 'etc.'
Luthor places the Kryptonite at the launching of a ship, with Superman in attendance. He is exposed to the Kryptonite and passes out. Superman is taken off in an ambulance driven by Luthor's henchmen, and he is now under the control of Luthor. Superman is placed in a device, and he vanishes into "The Empty Doom".
It's now up to Superman to escape the Empty Doom, and put a stop to Luthor's plans.

The stories of these serials are all pretty basic "good guy takes on the bad guy" plots, but they do manage to be entertaining as they do have some pretty solid and fun action, some nice special effects for the time they came out, most of them are pretty faithful to the early comics, and they do have a certain charm to them for being among the first ever comic book movies. Not to mention some of these did make an impact on the lore of some of the characters. For example, "Batman '43" introduced the Batcave which wasn't a thing in the comics at the time. But these serials also have some problems like "Adventures of Captain Marvel" having to little to nothing to do with the comics, "Batman '43" having a very outdated and uncomfortable anti-Japanese tone, "Atom Man vs. Superman" reusing a bunch of stock footage from "Superman '48", all of them having some boring and really far-fetched moments, and it wouldn't be until "Atom Man vs. Superman" where a villain from the comics would be featured as all the ones prior were all made up for their respective serials.
The action scenes in all these serials are pretty solid as they do give them the excitement that audiences come to see such as the heroes and their allies taking on the main villain or a group of their thugs, the chase scenes, the gunfights, the heroes getting into tight spots and getting out of them in the nick of time, and escaping certain death situations.
The production values of these serials are all pretty nicely done for the time and do look very good such as all the different sets and setpieces being very well built and having a great amount of detail, the actual filming locations featured are well utilized, the lighting is pretty solid and effective, and most of the costumes and clothing are very nicely crafted, especially the costumes for Batman and Robin, Superman, and Captain Marvel respectively. However, there are a few costumes that do look ridiculous like Lex's Atom Man suit.
The special effects of these serials are nicely crafted as they did what they could for the time, and for the most part, they do pay off such as the flying scenes and super powers for Superman and Captain Marvel, the gun-blanks, the explosions, and so on. But like most effects in movies during this time, there are some that haven't aged well. Also, the "Superman" serials use animation to depict him starting to fly or landing, and they're mixed with the live actor. Th animation itself is very well done, but the transitions from the animated Superman to the live actor don't mix well.
The characters are all very basic and do rely on basic tropes, but given how the majority of film serials had basic characters to begin with, i'm willing to give it a pass. But some of these characters are memorable and decently likable in their respective serials like Captain Marvel, Batman and Robin, and Superman all being pretty solid protagonists of their respective serials, and Betty and Whitey from "Captain Marvel", Alfred and Linda from "Batman '43", Lois, Jimmy, and Perry from both "Superman" serials, and Vicki and Commissioner Gordon from "Batman and Robin" are all good supporting/side characters. But a lot of the other characters in these serials tend to be very forgettable, and the villains tend to be pretty weak and cliched like Scorpion in "Captain Marvel", Dr. Daka in "Batman '43", the Spider Lady in "Superman '48", and the Wizard in "Batman and Robin". The only decent villain in all of these serials is Lex Luthor in "Atom Man vs. Superman".
The acting is pretty solid as a good chunk of the actors in these serials all deliver some solid performances such as Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel, Frank Coghlan Jr. as Billy Batson, Lewis Wilson and Robert Lowery as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Douglas Croft and Johnny Duncan as Dick Grayson / Robin, Kirk Alyn as Clark Kent / Superman, William Benedict as Whitey, Louise Currie as Betty, Nigel De Brulier as the wizard Shazam, Shirley Patterson as Linda, William Austin as Alfred Pennyworth, Noel Neil as Lois Lane, Pierre Watkin as Perry White, Tommy Bond as Jimmy Olsen, Jane Adams as Vicki Vale, Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon in "Batman and Robin" and Lex Luthor in "Atom Man vs. Superman", Gerald Mohr as the Scorpion, Carol Forman as the Spider Lady, Leonard Penn as the Wizard, and more. But there is some acting that can be weak, and J. Carrol Naish's performance as Dr. Daka is very uncomfortable.
The music in all of these serials is pretty solid as the scores in all of them are pretty well composed and they do manage to capture the serials' action-packed and heroic tone.

Overall, while these serials each have flaws, they are some nice watches as they can be a lot of fun and very entertaining. But i would really only recommend them to the hardcore fans, and to people who are curious about the birth of comic book movies.