For someone who is a little bit tired of the fluff of Marvel lately (X-Men: Apocalypse, Captain America: Civil War, Fantastic Four, The Avengers: Age of Ultron) the DC world should be a welcome change. Something DC comics, especially those involving Batman normally have is a very dark and violent world surrounding the heroes. They're not filmed with bright colors and a ton of comic relief... it's dark times in a dark world with (mostly) villains who aren't brightly colored CGI monsters that rely on the uber-smash rock punch... they're literally insane geniuses who play mind games with the heroes and act without fear. This is how DC is supposed to be. Unfortunately, the DC extended universe hasn't started off very well. With Zack Snyder's terrible vision of the Man of Steel and the damn near unwatchable Batman v. Superman, DC hasn't brought the same quality product as Marvel has-- even if Marvel is becoming more and more mundane, brightly-colored, and kid-friendly. Already bogged down by a slew of negative reviews, Suicide Squad didn't appear to be that breakthrough film DC was looking for, but after having seen the film... don't let the reviews dissuade you if the trailers interested you. I had more fun watching Suicide Squad than I have the last two years worth of Marvel movies (three if you don't count Guardians of the Galaxy).
Suicide Squad doesn't waste any time getting its audience to know its heroes villains. We're first introduced to eventual badass Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) who is pitching the idea of getting a group of bad guys together to form a squad to take down even badder guys. We get to meet Deadshot (Will Smith) first, an assassin in prison who has is a very accurate gun, he's a wiseass, he's very much a villain, but he's got a daughter so it gives him heart. Next we meet Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), an ex psychiatrist at Arkham who turned psychopath/Joker lover who is as much screwed in the head as she is quick-witted and feisty. There's Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and some dude who can climb shit that dies in the first five minutes of meeting him. The weakness in the script comes from the fact that we're not given a whole lot of character development for everyone. Deadshot is very much human, Harley Quinn is very much insane, but we're not given a whole lot from everyone else other than a couple of bland stereotypes. They're hired to take down some sort of witch-type girl who becomes a CGI villain and weakens the movie even further. However, the chemistry between the squad, and especially Smith and Robbie, the darkness and violence of the movie make it more of a success than a failure.
So, we can start with the bad news-- the movie has its major flaws. Everything moves a bit too fast because it is a little bit over-crowded and not enough time is given to each character to make us care for each one. There are some "twists" and "turns" that aren't necessarily that creative or interesting. And the main villain of the film is too confusing. She's building a giant weapon for some unknown reason to destroy Earth for some unknown reason and she's resurrected her brother who becomes a CGI walking statue that Hulk-smashes his way through the movie. They're not crafty or clever or really all that interesting of villains. I mean, you've been given gold here with the fact that you have a group of bad guys who need to face off against someone even worse than they are. This should be someone so inherently intelligent or frightening that our ragtag team of expendable villains might not make it out alive.
Now, the good news-- the rest of it is very entertaining. And what's actually very cool about it, is that it very much reflects everything you've seen in the trailer. From the quippy one-liners, to the dark, yet neon feel, to even the soundtrack straight from the 70s and Wayne's World... it's all a lot of fun. Margo Robbie straight up kills it as Harley Quinn balancing badass and insanity very carefully and very precisely. Viola Davis increasingly becomes more and more tough and unforgettable. And finally, Will Smith who, essentially, carries the movie reminds us why we love Will Smith. He reminds us why he used to be the king of the summer blockbuster. He can take a mediocre movie and make it something fun and enjoyable. His mere screen presence elevates a movie two extra levels and Suicide Squad is no different. Take away the fact that his character is cool by itself, Smith is able to add that Fresh Prince charm and toughness to make it the most screen-worthy addition to the movie.
Then there's the Joker. There has been a heated debate in the past week as to how fans feel about Jared Leto's Joker. While I think I would agree that the "look" of the Joker was pretty stupid (slicked back green hair, lipstick, tattoos, teeth-grill, and absolutely no extension of the Joker we know and love), his portrayal of the Joker, I thought, was spot on. There are two characteristics of the Joker (outside the visual) that are always supposed to be there-- the genius and the insanity. And due to the fact that the Joker neither has much screen time nor is the main antagonist... we don't get to see the genius of the character. But, oh, do we get to see the insanity. His evil charisma shines through his shitty exterior. He's downright dastardly, but thoroughly enjoyable to watch. He's also not trying to emulate Nicholson or Ledger with his portrayal, but taking the nuance of the character and making it his own. If the next Suicide Squad focused on him going up against them, he would be a very formidable opponent.
I'm a fan of writer/director David Ayer (Training Day, End of Watch, Fury) because there's always a grittiness to his films. He doesn't use fluffy characters to populate his movies. He writes dark characters in dark scenarios that wind up being dark movies that are both uncomfortable to watch and still gratifying. He's the perfect contribution to the DC world because, much like Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan, it suits his style (unlike Zack Snyder who literally uses a green screen to jerk off). And even though there have been a lot of reports of Hollywood meddling with the entirety of the production, what winds up as the final cut of the film, though imperfect, is still a very dark and raucous ride. I mean, say what you will about the studio messing with the film, the first mistake it made was having a guy like David Ayer agree to make a PG-13 version of the film. There should never have been a PG-13 thought in their heads. I mean, the film is very violent and it toes that line of almost too violent for PG-13, but if it had just taken that extra step (like Deadpool-- which I still think is overrated), the movie would've benefited from it.
The film is a welcome entry into an already weak start to the DC universe, and it certainly doesn't deserve the type of harsh criticism it has received from critics. I had way more fun watching this movie than I did watching Captain America: Civil War (a statement I realize could take away all of my film credibility and leave me an interent pariah). I got out of it exactly what I wanted. If the trailer looks like something you'd be interested in seeing, then what you expect after seeing the trailer is exactly what you'll get.
It still should've been rated R, though. It really should've.
B
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