Suicide Squad

[The Dark Knight]

I can't wait for Paul to upload the review, so here it is below. You get to read it first.

Self harm hampers Suicide Squad

FOR a film that features a bunch of rag-tag convicts, Suicide Squad is safe and straightforward.
The concept of bad versus evil elicited a positive reception from me upon the film's initial announcement.
This optimism continued when the trailers were released.
The optimism soon became genuine hype when the cast and crew spoke about the film in glowing terms.
The demented method acting of new Joker Jared Leto promised something edgy and fresh from all involved.
It seemed like Suicide Squad would make the world sit up and take notice.
I thought exchanging the good guys for bad guys would surely make for an interesting inversion of the usual comic book film genre.
However, the final product represents a missed opportunity.
Suicide Squad has a wafer thin plot, un-engaging action sequences and a poor villain.
It has the odor of trying way too hard with forced eccentricity and edginess that just doesn't hit the mark.
Songs are regularly played throughout the duration of the movie, and with choppy editing, this directorial choice makes the product feel more like a series of individual music videos than a live action film.
It doesn't let the film develop any sense of satisfying or coherent flow, let alone make the film breathe.
The plot is simple to the point of being offensive.
Ultimately, it consists of the squad coming together, walking through abandoned streets, shooting a few enemies, and then having a final fight which is hard to follow given it is largely obscured in darkness.
The villain, Enchantress, is one of the worst foes you will find in any comic book movie.
Her scheme literally boils down to this: Humanity hates me, so I'll build a machine that kills everyone.
That's it.
Video games feature more background and motivation than this.
It is this generic and simple attitude that permeates the whole production.
I could understand all this is a moot point if the squad themselves are entertaining to watch.
But no, the film fumbles this aspect as well.
It's a movie that doesn't truly explore anything to the extent it could and should.
It's all superficial with nothing of note under the surface.
Deadshot is a father, and Diablo killed his wife and kids.
But that's about it.
These characters receive a large amount of screen time as well, with other squad members largely going unnoticed and underdeveloped.
Killer Croc looks cool, but rarely does anything worthy of mention.
Harley Quinn is entertaining to watch at times, but her relationship with the Joker just didn't work for me.
It could have been so much more, but instead it is one note.
The Joker is reduced to being a lovesick puppy who is seeking to reunite with his love throughout the duration of the film.
The Joker as a manipulator and an abuser?
That is nowhere to be found here, which is really disappointing and gutless on behalf of either the filmmakers or the studio.
Harley is seen by the Joker as his property, which is fine.
But here it seems like Leto's Joker genuinely cares and longs for Harley.
If scenes involving domestic violence have been removed for fear of offending the outrage industry, that is a massive disappointment and represents self censoring.
Let the characters be the characters without pandering to the critics, and fearing what they will say in response.
I would not be surprised if the re-shoots restructured the film, removed the 'problem' scenes and left us with this watered down and spineless film.
Make the film you want to make.
Having Jared Leto invest his heart and soul into this production only for the majority of his scenes to be ripped out is both insulting and disheartening.
Deeper themes and moods would have done wonders for the film, and Joker and Harley, but the ball is dropped.
The critics still blasted the film, but not for the reasons they expected.
In that case, hold your nerve and damn the consequences in presenting your vision.
We don't really get a sense of risk or danger with the squad members, or even with the threats they face.
Is it not politically correct for the villains to be villains?
It all lacks a sense of dare, and is instead replaced with forced quirks.
The Joker doesn't have much screen time, but we can only judge what we see.
Leto simply does not compete with Nicholson or Ledger at this stage, which is also disappointing for me to type.
This is not the review I wanted to write.
To type this as a DC fan hurts, but I'm all about expressing how I truly think and feel.
I genuinely believe this film damages the momentum of the new continuity given it doesn't exploit the potential of the concept and, quite frankly, offers nothing for the viewer to really get excited about.
Which is baffling because that was clearly their intent.
It's inexplicable to say Suicide Squad is actually quite a boring movie to watch.
Director Zach Snyder received a critical bashing from reviewers for this year's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Though in comparison, Snyder gave his creation visual flair, explored a range of interesting themes and actually had decent plot points that intertwined throughout and had dramatic payoff.
Snyder at least had the guts to kill Superman and comment on society at large, whereas Suicide Squad squibs any risk taking.
In many ways, Suicide Squad is the antithesis of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
If Suicide Squad represents the new business model going forward, I am concerned.
This time, I agree with the critics in critiquing Suicide Squad.
If all style and no substance is to be issued at a film, it's this one.

[The Laughing Fish]

It's disheartening to read your review, TDK. By the sound of it, Suicide Squad must've been hampered by studio meddling more so than BvS, because as Jared Leto pointed out, a LOT of scenes were removed from the final cut. Particularly for the Joker.

[Vleermuisman]

When i first saw Jared Leto as the Joker i didn't like it, because of the tattoo's and all other stuff going on.
But i was going to watch this movie in the theater, but now that i've read TDK's review i think i'm gonna pass.

[The Dark Knight]

I like Man of Steel. I love Batman v Superman. Suicide Squad didn't work for me, but that's life. I am eager for Wonder Woman, and will really get on board with Snyder's Justice League. I still have reason to be enthusiastic about the new universe.

[The Laughing Fish]

I like Man of Steel. I love Batman v Superman. Suicide Squad didn't work for me, but that's life. I am eager for Wonder Woman, and will really get on board with Snyder's Justice League. I still have reason to be enthusiastic about the new universe.

Who knows, maybe how you feel about Suicide Squad will be the equivalent to how I feel about Iron Man 2, which is in my opinion the worst film in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I'll still see SS for myself, but I won't get to doing that till next week at this stage.

[The Dark Knight]

Definitely see the movie for your yourself. Don't blindly listen to me. You may like it.

[DallyWhitty]

Did I like it? Yes. Did I love it? Nope. It's definitely the weakest of the DCEU.

If you folks had major issues with the editing and (supposed lack of) coherence in Batman v Superman, then lolhavefun because the problems are exemplified here. It's choppy. Scenes are cut short just as they're getting interesting and they try to cram in as many flashbacks as possible. It's the sort of thing that may have worked in a longer film, but in a two-hour film with so many characters, certain things get short-changed. The film's biggest problem is that there's very little chemistry between the squad themselves. We're told time and time again that these characters are essentially family, but I didn't buy it. Though Deadshot and Harley had clearly bonded (not surprising because they're the main focus).

If there's one thing I liked most about the film, it's the tone. It's a little messy, a little bipolar, but I think it worked. I have to commend the fact that despite every attempt to lighten the mood - the flashy titles, the constant blaring rock music - it still feels grungy. There's an undercurrent of dark humour throughout but fundamentally, it still feels darker than your average superhero film. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that the BBFC rated this a 15. There's nothing especially violent or sexual about it, but there's simply something in the feel of it all which is much more fitting to a 15. I can't see how they could cut anything to achieve a 12 and I figure that's why Warners decided to go with it. Well, that and the success of Deadpool.

(I'm showing my Batman fanboy here, but I had a mahoosive grin on my face during Deadshot's introduction when Batman glided into frame. It was like something out of the comics/Animated Series. I also grinned when they showed Harley wearing her traditional outfit).

Other tidbits: Will Smith is shockingly tolerable, the Joker/Harley relationship is as underdeveloped as I feared it would be, Cara Delevingne's wibbly-wobbly Enchantress was like something out of a Schumacher Batflick (and I mean that in a good way), Killer Croc's 'I'm beautiful' line made me laugh, El Diablo was a chav and the film's attempts to make him sympathetic flopped, the soundtrack was good, Amanda Waller is my spirit animal.

I'd probably give it a seven out of ten. As I said, I did like it, but I can very much understand why it's had such negative reviews. This isn't a Batman v Superman situation where I'm like this-film-is-a-masterpiece-and-why-are-people-hating-on-it-you-jokers-must-be-crazy. It's flawed for sure. Hell, it's like the RoboCop 2 of superhero films. There's an abundance of interesting ideas, none of which are really developed to their potential, but it's kinda dark and mean-inspirited and entertaining enough that I enjoyed it for what it was.

Oh, and they gave me a free poster. And the screening was packed! A couple of chicks had even tried to imitate Harley's hair.

[The Dark Knight]

My review has a few comments on the Facebook page.

Calvin Prickett
Wow, guys. I... completely agree. I agree with every single word typed. Especially in the pervasive sense of disappointment. This is a tremendously well-written review, too.

Maynard S. Hicks
You f****** nailed it: missed opportunity.

[Paul (ral)]

I REALLY enjoyed it. It did have it's problems (what doesn't) but I walked out satisfied. In contrast, I walked out of Batman v Superman conflicted.

[The Joker]

Just to throw my 2 cents in for the sheer ... heck of it. 

I enjoyed this film! However, I would say it's 3rd of the DCEU films for me thus far,
the performances, fun factor, and colorful costumes make it more of a visual treat.
Let's get this out of the way right off the bat, but yeah, the weakness of the film
are the direction/editing, and in some respects, the script. Though compared to
the other two evils, to a much lesser extent.

The direction and editing unfortunately disrupts for the flow and pace of the film. I wouldn't say it's to the extent where it's confusing like some people complained ad nauseam about with the theatrical cut of BvS, but it's just flat out disruptive in the flow. Not to mention all the scenes that's repeatedly highligted in the promotion being completely absent! There are quite a few flashback scenes in the movie, which are often used to provide expositions of characters' backstories in the middle of plot points, action sequences or dramatic builds. Though to be perfectly honest, I thought these were achieved better than the great ones from the animated film, hell while I'm thinking about it this somehow managed to be more DC feeling than the animated film with the amount of stuff they throw in here. There are also some weird and awkward transitions from scene to scene. Alot of this takes place in the beginning of the film where the film tries to establish the characters. To add to this, or to get the viewer more "into" what's going on, there's also a good bit of pop music added along with these scenes, and I would say it's as perfectly blended into the film like the "Ballroom blitz" trailer. Anyway, it's about a good 20 minutes before the actual plot of the film gets going. Easily this could be viewed as a negative, but certainly not a deal breaker either.

The script wasn't particularly strong, but I kinda knew that going in. As noted, the plot and story, is probably on the level of some generic comic books. It's a very basic, Suicide Squad-like plot. I don't think anyone will compare it to be on the same level of great comic book writings, however. It's not a bad thing, especially if you're someone who wants a DCEU break from the heavy-handedness-seriousness of Snyder's direction, I believe this is what the critics, atleast the one's I've bothered to read their reviews, are referring to when it's said there's nothing unique about the plot or script as it's pretty basic.

Also, it's by far the most Marvel like in approach out of all the DCEU films thus far, and it's really up to one's own personal viewpoint if that's a positive or negative. Humor? Yup. There's alot more of that as well. During my screening, Harley got plenty of laughs, Boomerang got a couple, and Deadshot got a few as well. Especially at the end with Deadshot helping his daughter with geometry, and probably the biggest laugh when Deadshot told a particular Squad member to slap his girlfriend on the ass, and tell her to cut this sh*t out.

On the flip side, I found it a fun movie overall. Sure, the script had issues that another turn or two around the typewriter could have fixed, but what we got is not bad by any measure at all. Yeah, it's up to the characters to really carry this thing, but they do carry it, and with considerable style. Harley is perfect. Deadshot's great. Deadshot managed to not entirely be Will Smith so kudos there. Harley needs a solo film stat and Leto's Joker, as much of it we actually see anyways, was serviceable, but I do want to see MORE of him. This Joker came across as more on the "Prince of Crime", and light on the "Clown". Though scenes like Joker & Harley laughing it up in Joker's car, or Joker manically laughing while shooting an automatic weapon is indeed, vintage Joker. With the Joker/Harley relationship, it's perfectly clear just how it is so so very very f*cked up, its actually genuine. Joker and Harley in her classic DCAU costume dancing like on her iconic tango cover was just absolutely lovely, and they, especially by the conclusion of the film, came across very much like the DCEU counterparts to another cinematic psychotic couple, Mickey and Mallory.

One thing I really found fascinating, especially in light of WB wanting to appeal to the Guardians/Deadpool crowd, is in just how willing they were willing to push the clear abuse Harley was going through, especially in the prison, let alone compared to what the Joker did to her. Sure she's biggest baddest melee bruiser of the team that's not wielding a sword that eats souls or being a giant crocodile and yet... every so often they do a shot of her vulnerability that played as so very screwed up to show the broken woman behind her cracked personality. I thought that was done quite well, and was effectively conveyed to the viewer.

All the other members of the cast/team are varying degrees of fine to really really good. Actually, Jay Hernandez as Diablo really made what they gave him work very well and gave probably the best performance in the film. Nice character development for several, some depth and dimension. Granted Croc and Katana were 2nd/3rd tier characters and I get that. Not a problem. Can't give everyone equal screen time. And I'll put Diablo's big moment (not the one from the trailer) up there with any other "f*** yeah!" moment this summer.

Boomer was perfect. As Jai Courtney played Cap Boomerang exactly how I envisioned. Be it testing the waters with Slipknot, trying to grab the guy's rolex after the firefight, playing dead during the ambush, or how he nicks off with the beer the second he's free, only to come back with an expression that says 'yeah, I have no clue about this goddamn city, i'm staying with my meat shields!" Actually, come to think of it, Jai Courtney just needs to play Australian redneck scumbags from here on out.

Viola Davis as Amanda Waller is absolute perfection. Both in terms of performance, and in her arc within the film. Viola was 'the Wall' in every sense of the word and they *nailed* her absolute ruthlessness. Incidentally, I loved that she was working out of the Ostrander building.

Oh, and the Flash and Batman scenes were fun. Especially Batman. This Batman . . . was Batman. From saving a villain from death because ... Batman. To threatening another character in the same fashion as he would in the DCUA, ... great stuff. I also liked the, "I don't want to beat you in front of your daughter." bit as well, but that's just me.

Speaking of world building, I really dug how Suicide Squad added to the peoples sentiment and mood towards Superman following his death in BvS. Where there are scenes of people wearing "Remember Superman" shirts, and appear to be looking back at when Superman was still around nostalgically. May be trivial, but hell, I enjoyed it.

Does it have flaws? You bet! Just like alot of other comic book films I could easily go down the line with. Basically to wrap this up, I can see some great potential for a follow-up (if there ever is one), and would be totally down for a sequel. Personally, I enjoyed this far far more than X-Men Apocalypse. Which had decent moments (Quicksilver's "Sweet Dreams are made of this" being the highlight) but was extremely tedious at times as well. Didn't experience that with Sucide Squad. Civil War was a overall better ensemble film, but Marvel movies need to figure out their endings. They tend to get very predictable and it seems to drag on forever towards a very foregone conclusion.

All that said, again, I found the film enjoyable. The casting was great, as these actors carry the film and gives it the charisma, and the fun factor, and  thanks to them, drive the film forward. Seeing as how they're the main draw of the film, I'd say that ultimately makes the movie itself is a success, as that means it achieved what it set out to do. Perhaps saying it's more 'Marvel' is the wrong phrase to use when describing Suicide Squad to be perfectly honest, maybe more .... 'Comicbooky'? Be aware, Suicide Squad isn't a deconstructionist venture or a attempt to make things "realistic", and unlike other comic book films in the past, it's also not the least bit emabarrassed of it's source material either. It is what it is. Its not trying to also be some sort of message piece either.

I found there was enough good to outweigh the bad but as always we bow to the wisdom of Dalton;

"Opinions vary."