At the time that I’m writing this piece, Suicide Squad is currently ranking No. 1 at the box office for its second week in a row. It’s already made over $400 million globally since its opening, and according to box office media analysts, SS is turning out to be “one of the top 20 debuts of all time”.
I suppose it would be fair to start by saying that I didn’t hate Suicide Squad as much as I thought I would. Despite the many many many reasons why I should have completely hated it - from the flashy in-your-face marketing that made me fear for a terrifying nerd-influenced return of scene culture, to memories of the huge disappointment Batman v. Superman was when it first released - I surprisingly didn’t. Understand that these expectations came before the several stories of the man, Jared Leto (who would be playing one of my favorite characters of all time, mind you), and his obnoxious, egotistical and purely asshole-ish nature backstage, and it was before its first reviews trashed it, destroyed it and dragged it through the mud. Though I did literally cringe at some points (which I’ll get to later), it’s not like it was another Fantastic Four remake that would have me staring in disgust for two hours straight - though admittedly it is hard to be THAT bad. Truthfully, it wasn’t as horrible as I thought it would be, and that was, perhaps, the biggest plot twist I experienced throughout the whole movie.
After watching it, my brothers and I tried to rationalize what I was feeling. As just a movie, an action movie with comedic parts to it, SS was alright. Albeit, the storyline felt pretty rushed. Fight scenes were a little less than climactic. Joker’s role outside of flashbacks seemed pretty pointless beyond aesthetic purposes. But as just that, an action movie, it was fun to watch. I laughed at their jokes. I liked the high energy soundtrack. Will Smith was great as Deadshot. And I am definitely one who likes to root for the villains, so putting the villain-protag Suicide Squad on the big screen was a refreshing change after all these do-gooder plots.
But when I thought of SS as a superhero movie - a movie within the DC Cinematic Universe that uses already written and well-known characters - that’s when the disappointment and the anger sets in. Especially when it comes to two of the (arguably) most iconic and beloved characters, Harley Quinn and the Joker.
Between the sheer ruthlessness of Amanda Waller to control these highly dangerous criminals to fight ancient magical forces, and the revelation that these highly dangerous criminals are still people with families and human sides to them (with some exceptions for Killer Croc), there’s little space for the comic book universe’s favorite evil “couple” (using that term loosely). I know that these partners in crime are far from the movie’s focus, but Harley and Joker presence - being the well-known and iconic characters they are - were highly anticipated in Suicide Squad’s release, and the result was complete and total dud. And while I don’t have any problem with the lack of Jared Leto Joker in the final product - because, well, Suicide Squad really isn’t Joker’s story - from the very beginning, and I do mean the very minute Margot Robbie makes her appearance on-screen, all I can think of is how the Harley Quinn that fans (including me) have known and loved is simply… not here. And how Warner Bros replaced one of the most amazingly complex and developed characters with a pretty face who just so happens to have a bat.
Harley Quinn - grinning, playful, and dangerously psychotic but sweet at heart...
Replaced by Joker's Hot Gangster Girlfriend.
I could go into all the cinematically fan serviced details that went into her introduction - from her conversation with her prison guard who spoke like he was already jacking it, to her cage dancing and climbing up on another gangster at Joker’s whim (only to be killed when he didn’t wanna do anything with another man’s girl), up until the literal cringe moment where Batman, BATMAN, of ALL PEOPLE, after knocking her out, just CANNOT suppress his urge to forcibly kiss her while she was unconscious. And she laughs before he knocks her out again.
I’m able to look past the fishnets, the hot pants, and even the “Daddy’s Little Monster” shirt. If anything, I really doubt that Harley will ever return to her classic jumpsuit, but it’s been done and from the looks of her New 52 comics, the pigtails and the roller derby clothes are here to stay - and that’s alright. It wasn’t a matter of what Margot Robbie wore, and for the most part, I think she could play a good Harley Quinn, one day.
But even though Harley has always been sexy in her own way, she has never been a sexual character. Does she like to have fun? Definitely. Does she like to laugh? Of course. Is she still kind of a psycho? No doubt. But she is a character who loves with all of her heart, even if it means staying with an abusive monster like the Joker, who treated her like a punching bag. She cares deeply about her friends and loved ones (Poison Ivy, Deadshot, her future tenants in Coney Island) and does what she can to make them happy.
The way this new Suicide Squad movie writes her - though she does definitely still love and care deeply, as we see at the very end of the movie - so much of her playful free spirit nature has been glossed over by some super fetishized “Cute-&-Psycho” trope, which is entirely problematic in and of itself. It enables the idea that the more emotionally broken a person is (especially women), the more sexually open they are, and the more they can be taken advantage of. None of this is what Harley Quinn stands for.
Her relationship with the Joker is the biggest example of this. Yes, it’s most certainly true that she loved the Clown Prince despite his violently abusive behavior. She always returned to his side despite emotional and physical distress. But though some people look at the pairing as “relationship goals”, there was NOTHING good about their relationship and it took a near-death experience and the care of Poison Ivy for Harley to realize just how bad her circumstances were - so I don’t understand at all why in SS, Joker and Harley seemed to actually have a romance between them. Joker never really loved Harley, and even if he did, their relationship looked nothing like what the movie showed.
And like I said, the movie didn’t even need the Joker. But I guess they put him in there to add hype to the movie, and of course - because Harley is nothing without him. Which is why he lives. Why else?
Okay. So character ranting aside, I do have to admit that as a whole, Suicide Squad wasn’t bad. Most people won’t be bothered by Harley and Joker’s characters - and if you’re not, I don’t blame you because they are not the focus of the plot anyway. If you want to be entertained, watch it. Enjoy its jokes. Enjoy its mega-mash of a soundtrack. Enjoy the new perspective you see, from Deadshot, from El Diablo, and of course Harley. I certainly did. Even if I have my (many) complaints.
No doubt, though. The minute they decide to do a live action Mad Love movie, I will probably hate it for real. Until then, Suicide Squad passes. I guess.
