"Suicide Squad" is DC’s answer to Marvel’s "Guardians of the Galaxy," or at least that was my feeling when I saw the promotional materials for it. I mean, it had a snazzy soundtrack that had Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody," a cast of cool/weird characters and an array of amazing actors. So why are so many critics bagging on this movie?
Let’s put my opinion on the spotlight right now. I absolutely adored the movie. The characters are awesome and funny, the action is amazing, there’s a Batman cameo; I could go on for ages, but I won’t. That being said, I do understand what some critics are saying about the movie.
One of the main complaints about the film is about Jared Leto’s Joker; it’s not so much his performance of the iconic character, but rather how much he does in the film. If you go in expecting the Joker to be a rather large thorn in the Squad’s side, then you’re going to have a bad time. Even worse, his scenes feel as though they just move through the story, instead of in tandem with it.
The character of Slipknot was really just there for one purpose that had nothing to do with the main story. Likewise, although enjoyable, the character of Katana was not necessary. As great as she is, I wish more could’ve been done for her instead of feeling shoehorned in at the last minute.
Enchantress, one of the biggest magical powerhouses of the comic book universe, is presented here as a common magic user.
Probably the biggest upset of the entire movie though, and I will have to agree with what a few critics said about the film here, is that the last act of the movie becomes a little watered down and predictable, which is a tonal shift from the first two acts of the movie where it felt as unpredictable as a task force lead by a few villains.
Is it as bad as "Green Lantern" or the new "Fantastic Four" movie that Scott Mendelson from Forbes insisted it was? Obviously not. That’s ridiculous. Anyone with eyes can see that. I mean come on.
The film is, by far, not the worst comic book movie ever made. Are there better? Of course; Civil War has raised the bar ten-fold, but Suicide Squad is not horrible. It’s pretty freaking great actually.
The best parts of the film are going to have to be the characters of Amanda Waller, Deadshot, Harley Quinn and surprisingly, El Diablo. Waller dominates every scene she is in, making herself feel like a giant; you could see why she earned her nickname as “the Wall.” It’s when she takes a back burner in the last act of the movie that affects the film.
If you didn’t know this was an ensemble movie, you’d believe that Deadshot and Harley Quinn were the main characters of the bunch. Margot Robbie nails the character from the get-go, imbuing her with not just her trademark insanity, but also brings about an underlying depth to the character that not many people would know she has.
Will Smith’s assassin for hire is obviously fantastic; it’s good to see Smith brings his usual Will Smithiness to his character, and yet I didn’t feel as though I was watching Will Smith play Will Smith as an assassin, but rather a well-rounded character that just so happened to be played by Will Smith. Does that make sense?
The sleeper hit of the entire film, though, is the character of El Diablo. A man with a darkened past who just wants to stay out of the fight and do his penance. Played by the Jay Hernandez, this quiet character makes a loud enough bang in the move that immediately makes you connect with him in more ways than one. He’s funny and noble and just plain bad-ass, you want more of this character the moment he leaves the screen.
The other members of the team, Killer Croc and Boomerang, are pretty good as well. Boomerang is just hilarious every time he opens his mouth, and Killer Croc is intimidating and hilarious, throwing one liners around, but you leave the theater wishing they could’ve said and done more. The same can be said of Rick Flag: great as a soldier, but overshadowed by everyone.
To recap, is the movie horrible? Not by a long shot, but it can be improved. It’s a fun and exciting movie and in the future, not just for this movie’s sequel, but for all of them, I hope they move away from the big monster/machine third act that comic book movies are known to do and instead, do something a little bit different.
When taking your seat for the movie, don’t go in expecting "The Godfather." Never helps. Instead, like what a few characters say in this film: “Have a little fun.”
