Suicide Squad
Finally, I can have a look at a film so divisive that some called for the takedown of my old enemy, Rotten Tomatoes!
Suicide Squad is a DC Superhero Movie focusing on a band of bad guys from the DC roster who are recruited by the U.S Government to be superheroes.
No comment. Actually, yeah I’ll give a comment, what the HELL are you wearing?!
Going into this film so late in its theatrical run may have been a mistake. I’ve already, by osmosis, been exposed to competing, strong opinions on both sides of criticism of this film. People seem to range in opinion between, “piece of fun” and “this is insufferable garbage”. Now its time to give notes on what I thought about it.
I’m going to start, as I do as a kind human being in most scenarios, by talking about what worked well. Mainly the casting. Will Smith as deadly assassin Deadshot, Margot Robbie as the Joker’s girlfriend Harley Quinn and all the others seem to have been born to play their respective roles and I genuinely see a lot of effort being put into capturing their interpretations of their colourful characters.
On top of that, these colourful characters interact in a premise straight out of a western or an 80s TV show. This should be a lot of fun! Right?
I’m going to start small with my complaints. My first is with Jared Leto as the Joker. Like I said, nobody in the film delivers a truly bad performance and Leto is no exception. I just wish he had more time to do threatening stuff. On top of that, I’m sorry, I know there would trying something new which is always welcome but he just looks awful! He’s got these silly, silly tattoos all over and a ridiculous gangster grill and he appears to be 18. It’s not a good look.
Okay, almost a back complaint was superficial. I need a complaint that really makes me mad!
What are the fact that the people controlling the suicide squad are all morons! Every single action (and not including the formation of the squad itself, which the actually explain okay, considering) that these people perform is idiotic with a capital “J”. I know “idiotic” begins with an “I”, but these people’s decisions I think have made me dumber!
I can’t go into too much detail as to in what way these people are idiots, but involves an uncontrollable “controlled” Witch in the Squad. This witch also is a relationship with the guy the government put in the squad to keep them in check, which may have given drama to the situation if they were, say, married or siblings before she became cursed. Now he’s just a moron.
I’m sorry if this review is too fast-paced and makes no sense because that’s like the movie. Much has been talked about DC’s problem with their editing and is no more evident than here. I will remove several members of the suicide squad just so we could focus more on the genuinely interesting developed characters.
This film had all sorts of trouble in the editing room, but I say the problem is script level. There just isn’t a consistent tone at all in this piece. I suppose the studio wanted it to become lighter to combat the 911 feel of their other works, but it really feels forced.
I really think that the concept of a superhero film from the perspective of the villains is an absolutely brilliant one. Even with the whole Ghostbusters style finale and villain, if this film had more focus and more laughs it could have been cool. What there was a movie like the Arkham Asylum game? Wouldn’t that be badass?
If you remember I gave a mixed, but overall slightly positive review of Batman v Superman earlier this year. I later re-watched set film and discovered that I had been the victim of what I shall now call “surface cool”. This is when a terrible work of art tries to hide its lack of substance or style with stuff that is just really cool, like Ben Affleck as Batman or Wonder Woman.
I can’t lie to you and say that Suicide Squad is worse than BvS. Squad, for all its flaws, is not a dishonourable failure. It tries for something and failed without being pretentious or insulting (except for a bizarre scene in which Batman kisses Harley Quinn for no damn reason). Also, I can say I was bored.
Recommended Scenario: I can’t recommend this a set so that aspiring filmmakers can learn what not to do when writing or editing.
P.S. This film was written and directed by David Ayer. Fury is SO much better. You should watch that.
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