Review: SUICIDE SQUAD

It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?

Warning: The Following Contains Some SPOILERS From Suicide Squad.

When Warner Bros. unveiled its DC Films slate in 2014, one of the biggest surprises was that the third installment in this universe will be Suicide Squad, a movie starring some of DC’s greatest villains. You would think that the studio would release, say, Justice League before a movie about the Suicide Squad. But since then announcement, the film has generated much hype with an A-list cast and a strong marketing campaign. The idea of a supervillain-led comic book movie was also enticing.

However, Suicide Squad has been torn apart by critics this week, not unlike Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. How these reviews will impact the film’s box office, if at all, remains to be seen. But after seeing the movie, I am kind of surprised by this backlash. While far from perfect, I really enjoyed Suicide Squad.

Up to this point, the DC films have been criticized by many for not being “fun.” While I had fun with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad has a much lighter and more energetic tone. I can see the general audience liking it a lot more than BvS. The movie is filled with exciting action sequences and humorous moments, and quite frankly, it’s a good time at the cinema.

The cast is inarguably the strongest part of Suicide Squad. The chemistry between actors is outstanding. Will Smith is fantastic as Deadshot, successfully leading an ensemble piece. I really want to see more of Deadshot in the DCEU. Margot Robbie, of course, is pitch-perfect as Harley Quinn. She nails the essence of the character, and she injects a lot of energy into the film. Amanda Waller is flawless as Amanda Waller, while Jai Courtney is decent as Boomerang. Karen Fukuhara, Joel Kinnaman and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje are all solid as Katana, Rick Flag and Killer Croc, respectively.

But the real surprise here is Diablo, played by Jay Hernandez. We dig deep into this character’s emotional back story, and he plays a bigger role in the film’s conflict than I expected. As for Adam Beach’s Slipknot…well, don’t expect much from this character. You probably have a good idea why that’s the case.

As for the big question on everyone’s lips: How is Jared Leto’s Joker? I was shocked by how little screentime the character had, given the marketing campaign’s focus on him. From what we’ve seen, this Joker is definitely a different iteration, but one that’s still true to the source material. Leto is good in his performance. But ultimately, I feel as if I need to see more of him before I can form a solid opinion.

Suicide Squad has plenty of DC references that fans will be buzzing over. Batman’s role, while brief, was very memorable. I was geeking out during his first scene. And the mid-credits scene…man. So good. The film does a great job with further expanding the DCEU, and it fits well within the universe’s timeline.

As for the flaws…I was surprised by how simplistic the story is. It especially becomes generic in the third act, as the final battle feels like every other major superhero movie. For a film with a unique premise – telling a story from the villains’ perspective – I was hoping for a more game-changing plot. The story is also unfocused at times, given the introduction of dozens of new characters. This affected the development of some characters.

Also, the editing. It’s not as bad as the theatrical cut of Batman v Superman, but you can tell that they cut out some stuff. The first act is particularly messy in this regard. And Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) is just terrible in this movie. The acting is over the top, her visual effects looked cheesy, and her motivation is pretty vague. She is certainly the weakest big bad in the DCEU to date.

In conclusion, Suicide Squad is a solid entry in the DC Extended Universe. It’s probably my least favorite installment to date, and it’s not quite the game-changer that we expected, but I had a lot of fun and was invested in the characters. The cast is great, the action is dazzling, and the world-building was awesome. However, the plot is generic and at times unfocused, while the main antagonist is mediocre. But if you can overlook that, then you should definitely check out Suicide Squad.