Aug 8, 2016 I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy parts of this, but overall I'm pretty sure I enjoyed this less than Batman vs. Superman (It certainly lacks Snyder's visual sense of nerd grandeur). Like B. vs. S., Suicide Squad is DOA at the script stage and even more haphazardly stitched together with the seams showing at every turn. A Dirty Dozen-esque team of supervillains formed as a response to escalation (escalation a key theme in Nolan's TDK trilogy) is a decent idea in concept, but is executed here in the most formulaic of ways. First, it begins with 20 minutes of character introduction that plays like the cinematic equivalent of a Powerpoint presentation, including on-the-nose and grating musical cues. It then inserts inoffensive hordes of faceless zombie monsters for our team to massacre, comfortably without any moral complication (Aliens or robots would have also sufficed). What's left of the plot includes yet another giant sky portal, by now a superhero movie go-to, and excessively and laughably CGI-ed villains with no personality whatsoever. On the plus side, there is some fun to be found in the performances of Will Smith and Margot Robbie, both of whom easily elicited the strongest reactions in the theater. Smith is a certified blockbuster star and, even coasting, he is a charismatic screen presence that elevates what he's given. Though her character isn't all that interesting on the page (her one motivation is reuniting with the Joker), Robbie displays excellent comic delivery and plays Harley as a deranged, Brooklyn-accented gun moll, one who wears a mask a childlike naivete. Other characters aren't give much else to work with, but some other moments are effective (e.g. Captain Boomerang's sudden exit in one scene scored a big response). However, for a movie whose big sell is a team of "bad guys", this squad of killers becomes a likable band of misfits on a dime (WB execs clearly were taking notes from Guardians of the Galaxy.) These hardened criminals are very quickly softened as the movie goes on (Deadshot's daughter, Diablo's history, the team's general concern for one another) and it's this aspect where the movie most reeks of studio guidance, if not interference. As for the much hyped performance from Jared Leto as the Joker, Leto is...not great. His brief turn makes the Joker feel more like a rudimentary gangster than iconic villain, though I'm willing to cut Leto some slack as the script renders him a one-note plot device, one that's barely even connected to the main story. For the studio who distributed last year's Mad Max: Fury Road, a truly singular, bizarre vision that racked up critical acclaim and Oscars, WB comes across as distinctly risk averse in comparison when it comes to its own DC properties. Like Batman vs. Superman, Suicide Squad feels like the inevitable result of competing priorities and ideas and a rushed production by a studio playing catch up with its rival.
Aug 8, 2016 If Leto was given more time/importance and people would let go of Heath Ledger then his Joker would've been a standout. Easily one of the best aspects of the movie imo.
Aug 9, 2016 its almost as if GotG writers were used for like 30 percent of this film and the rest of the mediocre parts were the fault of the WB writers
Sep 21, 2016 hoping he's not the main villain i like deathstroke, but i'd rather have leto's joker. i want to see him with a starring part unlike in SS so I can get a real feel for his joker
Jan 23, 2017 I wonder if JK Simmons being in the DC cinematic universe will prevent him from rightfully taking his place as Jameson in the eventual Spider-Man sequel
Feb 7, 2017 Lol when I made this thread so long ago I was full of hope and love for the DCU. Now i'm a defeated fan. Man of Steel was great. BvS was just okay. SS was pure s---.
Feb 7, 2017 Really don't think Justice League will be good at all, they dropped the ball not having a well known villain from the comics.
Feb 7, 2017 Agreed. They should've had more momentum before making Justice League. Only movie I have confidence in at this point is the Aquaman movie. Seems like they are going for a badass 'New 52' Aquaman vibe. Casting looks good so far too. Idk if an actor has officially been casted as Black Manta yet but I'm crossing my fingers for Michael K Williams.
