"Suicide Squad" Movie Review

"Suicide Squad" is one of, if not the, most hyped movies of 2016. After a teaser trailer was unleashed at Comic Con in 2015 and was then leaked online, the fervor to see this movie has been ridiculously high. I personally have also been chomping at the bit to see this movie for a little over a year now (any one of my friends can confirm this as I'm sure I became pretty annoying in my discussion of the movie and how excited I was to see it). After a great ad campaign and loads of teasers, the "Skwad" has finally hit theaters. During what has been described by many, a disappointing summer for movies, "Suicide Squad" was supposed to be the shot of adrenaline that brought the season back to life with pure villainous synergy. 

Amanda Waller as played by Viola Davis
[Found on Google Images]

I have been missing most of summer's cinematic offerings thanks to my stint with abject poverty (that's a discussion for a later blog), so I was hell bent to NOT miss this movie. I made it there opening night and was greeted with the movie I had been waiting for, and while there was a lot I really, really, REALLY liked, I was a bit disappointed because I ended up not loving it nearly as much as I wanted to. 

"Suicide Squad", for those who don't know, focuses on government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) who gathers a group of dangerous and "metahuman"criminals with no hope of ever getting out of prison to create "Task Force X", who she then makes perform covert suicide missions in return for clemency. After a supernatural threat is unleashed on Midway City and is threatening the world, Waller sends in her group of villains led by solider Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) to wipe it out and save the planet. 

If you're not a big comic book fan, this film gives you the opportunity to meet some of DC's most interesting and dangerous bad guys that haven't had any exposure on the big screen; there's Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) who is a man with the skin, teeth, and strength of a crocodile who has no problem brutalizing (and sometimes eating) anyone who crosses his

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as the impressive
Killer Croc
[Found on Google Images]

path. Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) who is an Aussie with crazy boomerang skills and a taste for robbery, El Diablo (Jay Hernandez)- a man who has devilish pyrokinetic powers, Deadshot (Will Smith); an assassin for hire who never, and I mean never, misses a shot no matter how impossible, and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie); a former psychiatrist who fell in love with the Clown Prince of Crime, a.k.a. The Joker (Jared Leto), and through a series of torture, brainwashing, and a chemical dip became as crazy and dangerous as her "puddin'" is, if not more so. 

This is the first time any of these big-time baddies have had any time on the Silver Screen, which is pretty awesome since we live in a world of reboots and sequels. Sure, new villains get introduced in super hero movies all the time, but usually it's in a rebooted franchise (X-Men and Spiderman come to mind) or it's around a continued story line for a hero/heroes (the rest of Marvel's films) but this is the first time the super villains have their own movie, and the heroes play second fiddle in the story. That right there was hugely interesting to me as DC has some of the best and most interesting villains in their comics and stories. 

Harley and Deadshot [Found on Google Images]

I was blown away by the actors in the Suicide Squad- all of their characters complimented each other nicely, and the audience can feel and see the connection between them. They had great chemistry and that really made the movie work well. According to multiple sources the cast wasn't only close on screen but they've also bonded as a group outside of filming. Will Smith recently was on Jimmy Fallon's late night talk show and even said that he hasn't had any experience on set comparable to this experience, and it shows. While the group as a whole were great together, there were a few different performances that stood out to me. 

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn [Found on Google Images]

Margot Robbie was one of the biggest surprises in the movie, as she literally nailed the role of Harley Quinn. She had the accent, the humor (including the cringe-worthy jokes that Harley was known for) and she was able to tap into Harley's insane love for the Joker, which isn't an easy love to show. She was likable but also unhinged and was so entertaining she stole just about every scene she was a part of in the movie. 

Will Smith also really impressed me with his portrayal of Floyd Lawton a.k.a Deadshot. After seeing one too many Will-Smith-movie flops, I was worried that this was going to be another round of Will-Smith-playing-Will-Smith. Rather, it was Will-Smith-playing-a-character-with-Will-Smith-humor which was perfect. The movie also included his backstory to establish his history with the audience, and it added a lot of complexity to the character in a short amount of time. Not only do we learn just what a deadly badass he is, but also he's just a dad trying to stay with his daughter and keep her safe and happy which makes him a much more relateable and layered man. 

Another character that really stood out to me was El Diablo. He is definitely the strongest and most dangerous member of the team since he has immense pyrokenetic abilities (think "Firestarter" but much more controlled), but he also refuses to use this power through most of the movie due to tragic moments in his past that shaped him into the character we meet in the

Jay Hernandez lights up the screen as Diablo
[Found on Google Images]

film. I loved his toned-down attitude and how he tried so hard to remain passive through most of the film because that adds real strength to his character. And when he does break his restraints to help the team it's incredible- I wasn't expecting him to be as amazing as he was so that was really impressive in my eyes. 

The other characters in the movie weren't without merit- I am looking forward to a Suicide Squad sequel where we get to see more Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and hopefully Katana. 

This movie was great fun, but no film is without it's faults. And while this one didn't have too many, they definitely landed a few good blows to what would otherwise be a thoroughly enjoyable flick. 

Katana and her sword Soultaker
[Found on Google Images]

My first gripe is also what a lot of other critics and movie-goers are picking at; the villain. Of course, in a movie full of villains it's extremely hard to have a bigger villain than the rest of the cast. The big baddie in "Suicide Squad" is a 6000 year old witch from another dimension named Enchantress. She can posses hosts, travel anywhere on Earth in the blink of an eye, and is damn formidable in battle. It should be easy to come up with something compelling for her, right? Well, if that's what you were thinking you would be wrong. Unfortunately, the plot took the current Super-Hero-Movie standard of "Bad guy wants to take over world for reasons,

The Enchantress played by Cara Delevingne
[Found on Google Images]

creates giant machine to do that, team has to shut machine down, bad guy beaten." Seriously, lately that seems to be the most used plot device for these types of movies. While her purpose in the film was definitely squandered, I thought the portrayal of the character was interesting. The way she moved, how she dressed, her makeup and hair- everything was very attention-grabbing for me. I wish something different could have been done with this powerful and interesting character, but it is what it is.

As much as the villain bummed me out, it's not a drop in the bucket compared to what really angered me about this movie. 

"Suicide Squad" introduces us to the new Joker who was played by Jared Leto (as previously mentioned). It's been 8 years since the Joker has been in a major motion picture; the last time we saw him, he was portrayed incredibly by the late Heath Ledger who won an Oscar for his performance. Ledger shattered all expectations when he went on screen as the Joker- he took the role to a whole other dark and twisted level that hadn't been explored in superhero films, and nothing has been able to hold a candle to it since then. Enter Jared Leto- an equally

Jared Leto as The Joker
[Found on Google Images]

dedicated and talented method actor who for months never broke character and got so into the Joker's head that his costars were afraid of him. And every time he was on the screen, all eyes were on him. When I saw and heard the Joker I was never sure if I should laugh with his jokes, be drawn in by his charismatic edginess, or be utterly terrified because I didn't know what he was going to do next. And THAT is what the Joker is all about, ladies and gentlemen. However, as much as I loved him, I wanted to see so much more of him, but I was sorely disappointed. 

All of the ads, teasers, trailers, plugs and spots strongly pushed the notion that the Joker was going to be an integral part of the film, and that was a huge draw for a lot of people. When the teasers and ads started coming out for the film, and the new look of the Joker was shown, people were really resistant to his sleek apparel and his plethora of tattoos, which of course is a far cry from the standard look of the Joker. Once that dropped, the hype around the movie really started to pick up, and the more hype there was, the more the Joker was pushed in trailers and was teased as being a big deal in the movie. But after seeing the film, he was in about 5 or 6 scenes, only 3 with any major dialog, and all of those scenes were way too short for my liking as well as the liking of other viewers, and Jared Leto himself. He was recently being interviewed by Movie'n'co about his role in the film, and  was asked what he would say to fans who wanted the Joker to have more time on screen, and he said, "To the people who want more Joker, I'd say 'Me, too'." 

With ads like this putting Harley and
Joker front and center, how could we not
think they would be a bigger part of the movie?
[Found on Google Images]

This film also introduces the world to Harley Quinn and Joker's twisted relationship. Anyone who has seen the animated series where she first appeared, or read any comics featuring her and "Mistah J" together (especially The New 52) will tell you how dark, abusive and insane their relationship is. The history of their love was first explained in an episode on "The New Batman Adventures" called "Mad Love". The basis of that story has be changed and adapted since, and was altered in The New 52 comics, which this film seems to use for their Harley and Joker origin story. However, while the movie tried to make it look slightly more romantic, they totally glossed over the abuse and head-games Joker and Harley doled out to one another which is a major part of their relationship. In this film, while he is definitely and unquestionably a bad guy, in my opinion he comes across as less abusive than Christian Grey in "50 Shades of Grey", as everything he asks of Harley, she does willingly rather than being coerced into it. And when The Joker is less abusive than Christian Grey, you're doing something wrong. 

UItimately, while these two points were really disappointing, the film is still enjoyable. I'll be interested to see what comes in the future as far as sequels and how the Squad will tie into the DC Cinematic Universe. "Suicide Squad" has already broken August box office records despite the critical beating it's been taking. And even with all of the movie's problems, I myself don't think it's warranting the dismal 26% Rotten Tomatoes is giving it. I mean, that's putting this movie on the same level as "Green Lantern." "Green Lantern"?? Really?? This film is MUCH more balanced and entertaining than that unfortunate DC trainwreck. Of course, the response to "Suicide Squad" has been almost as divisive as the reaction to "Batman v. Superman", so I guess it's really up to the audience member in question. This movie goer on the other hand, really liked the movie. I wanted to fall in love with it, but instead I just have a solid appreciation for it. This movie definitely helped DC gain closer ground to a movie that is as impressive as what Marvel is putting out, but there is still some things that clearly need to be done to close the gap between the two.