Darian's 'Suicide Squad' Review

Image from Cinema Blend

By Darian Scalamoni

            In a summer full of disappointments in terms of blockbuster movies, Suicide Squad was one film that I stayed extremely excited for since I saw the first trailer released over a year ago coming out of Comic-Con. With the prospect of seeing Harley Quinn on screen for the first time in live-action, a new take on The Joker by Oscar winner Jared Leto and even a role like Deadshot for Will Smith that could put him back on the map in terms of prominence in Hollywood; the film had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, the second DC film of the year is a big disappointment, similar to Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

            You’ve all seen the amazing, flashy trailers for Suicide Squad but in case you need a reminder: the film follows a group of villains within the confines of a secret prison for metahumans and bad people who are assembled together to try and stop a potential superhuman if chaos ensues. The team is brought together by a government official named Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) who believes that these bad guys are what is necessary to bring out missions of that caliber. And she has a fair point, if they mess up, you can just throw them to the fire and no one would care due to their less than ideal pasts. The group is a ragtag motley crew of rejects and outcasts including Deadshot (Will Smith) who has killed hundreds of people for money, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) a former psychiatrist to The Joker (Jared Leto) who falls for the most notorious gangster/lunatic in the world and Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) who is also known as archaeologist Dr. June Moon who stumbles upon the wrong cave and is taken over by a spirit that is thousands of years old and turns her into a witch at the whisper of the word “Enchantress”. All interesting characters that for the most part work, the chemistry is there between actors, the abilities of these people are entertaining to say the least but the movie tries too hard to be something it’s not.

            Many people looked at this as DC’s antidote to their other films that focused too much on darker themes and gravely serious destruction and stakes, while this film relies too much on color, music and a divided tone that shifts way too often. The movie often shifts between humor and seriousness too quickly, which could be in part to blame because of the choppy editing that was reminiscent of the first hour of BvS, it’s clear to see that this movie was rushed. There have been rumors for weeks that this film isn’t the same cut that director David Ayer (Training Day, Fury) intended and also, he was given only six weeks to write the script. The script is so thin and actually forces you to root for these bad guys without enough build up to why we should. Ayer is constantly reminding the audience that these people are villains and it becomes repetitive after the third time it’s insinuated.

            I’d like to talk about the positives though as well because the film isn’t awful by any means, in turn mostly because of the performances. The MVP of the film has to be Margot Robbie as Dr. Harleen Quinzel aka Harley Quinn. The psychotic, love addicted girlfriend of The Joker is constantly just seeking the love that she gets from the Gotham City clown in a way that seems obsessive. She is in a trance with a man that changed her for the worst but it’s similar to how in reality, some people seek relationships with bad people because they believe that they can change them for good. This is seen in one of the many ideas and thought processes within Harley’s head throughout the film as she continues to miss her puddin’. Will Smith also does a great job as serving as the leader of this sleazy but entertaining squad in the form of Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot. He, unlike other characters in the film, has clear motivation on why he wants to do this mission; a reduced prison sentence that gets him closer to seeing his 11-year old daughter. You can see the pain in Deadshot’s eyes and the desire to reconnect with the one person that made him sane enough to not be ashamed for being a mercenary and killing people for money. Surprisingly, such a deep and connected character also serves as one of the funniest in the whole film. Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller though is a despicable character that makes you want to curse her out due to her own self-interest in these people’s capabilities in a world where she needs their help for maybe a grander scheme. We then get to Leto’s portrayal of The Joker who doesn’t get as much screen time as you would want to see how his take on the character will turn out. He gets a total of 7 minutes of screen time as the mobster version of Mr. J and I feel as if I needed to see more from the character to properly judge how he will be in a movie universe already filled with so many problems. He honors the history of the character without mimicking great performances of the past like Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson, rather Leto’s attempt is as if Jim Carrey was a gangster playing The Joker. Other characters like El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) get a proper origin to which you understand the reasoning behind being non-violent throughout the film, but other than him and a hilarious and underused Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), other characters such as Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Katana (Karen Fukuhara) and Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) don’t have room to shine in this ensemble comic-book flick.

            The trailers for Suicide Squad got everyone hooked to this idea of these anti-heroes mostly due to its tone and songs used, the film uses music as a design to take the viewer out of the scenes that feel jumbled or awkward. At times it definitely works, like the introduction of all the characters in the beginning of the film, but then it is used to push the movie along when it has no legs to finish a scene in a strong manner. One final issue within the film is its lackluster villain(s). Without spoiling, the bigger force in which the villain is at the conclusion is laughable due to their gyrations whilst trying to be menacing and a true force against the Suicide Squad. With their army of henchmen that are similar to the Chitauri in Marvel’s The Avengers, they act as just a barricade for the group to mow down before getting to the big bad.

            All in all, Suicide Squad has a lot of issues but also, at times could be tons of fun. The action sequences aren’t perfect but seeing Deadshot mow down armies of henchmen with bullets and seeing Harley Quinn wield her signature weapons towards their heads is entertaining to say the least. A weak script has moments of gloss which includes the gang drinking together in a bar, as well as the playful quips to each other but ultimately, Ayer needed more time to create a story worth telling for these great characters. The “Worst Heroes Ever” are just that as they give the audience no true belief that they’re trying to do good and ultimately if it wasn’t for some of the action pieces and characters, the film could’ve been a complete disaster. Instead, it’s an underwhelming hunk of glamorized tones, fonts and characters that sold the film on a level for all to want to see but ultimately, doesn’t get the job done.

6.3/10