Let’s start off by saying that this one is a fun one. For those of you who rely heavily on the all mighty Rotten Tomatoes’ rating, give me a minute to explain myself. I can completely agree and see why it received the critic rating that it did (27%), but also feel that it received a large amount of backlash simply because of its correlation with “Batman vs. Superman.” That movie understandably received a 27% because it was an artistic mess as Zack Snyder tried to emulate the style of his Watchmen film. It was as if Snyder had taken the entire movie and crumbled it into a paper ball to try to make it more compact, and emphasized a cheesy connection between the title characters. While still cheesy, “Suicide Squad” is not that at all. In essence, “Suicide Squad” should have received a rating between 35% - 50%. I know that is still a terrible rating, but it’s important to give credit where it is due. “Suicide Squad” is definitely far from being the defibrillator that the DC movie universe needs, but it is still fun and brings a better sense of entertainment than “Batman vs. Superman” did.
The movie opens with a brief prison introduction to the unrelenting figure that is Floyd Lawton/Deadshot (Will Smith) and the psychotic nature of Dr. Harleen Quinzel/Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), and then cuts to Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) where the movie actually starts. The movie takes no time in introducing the squad as Amanda Waller gives her team proposal to her superior. The story is interesting enough for it to not seem like it is dragging, but it feels like there is something missing throughout the film. The character portrayals aren’t exactly identical to comic book standards, but they fit well with the movie. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is one of the few who gets as closely to source material as possible with her undying loyalty to the Clown Prince of Crime, her crazy minded antics, and her “I do what I want” attitude. A few of the other villains are portrayed a little differently than the comics. It was almost as if each actor placed a little bit of themselves into these villains. Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) are all great, but seem like they stray from the traditional portrayals of each character as they do their best to back up the film. However, Will Smith’s portrayal of Deadshot was refreshing. In essence, Will Smith’s rendition of Deadshot can be and should be called “The Fresh Shot” as he is able to get the core of the character down and manages to add a little “Fresh Prince” to the deadliest sharpshooter in DC comics.
As I’ve said, the movie is far from flawless, but, as a movie, “Suicide Squad” does what it is supposed to do, which is to keep me from asking myself when the movie will end and walking out of the theater. With that said, the movie fails greatly due its editing. The film looks like it is cut in a fairly sporadic matter as in there’s no real sense of time. What I mean is that the events that take place in “Suicide Squad” are events that span for more than a few days, but for some reason when watching this movie, it feels like one long and stretched out day. Although the story was coherent, the editing still manages to make it still feel jumbled.
One of the biggest disappointments about this movie is the Joker. The hype surrounding this new Joker was insane, but the hype is not met due to the lack of screen time that this Joker receives. This version of the Joker is a very different take on the classic villain than what most people will be used to, but Jared Leto still manages to freak you out in a way unlike Heath Ledger did. When it comes to Jared Leto’s acting he did exactly what the Joker does: strike an uncomfortable sense of evil and madness in people. While Jared Leto’s Joker was great, the problem is that the story could have done just as well if they had kept the Joker scenes out of most this movie. It is almost as if they try to intertwine two different stories unsuccessfully with the Joker and the Squad. It’s always fun to see the Joker and Harley, but just not this time. I am not knocking Leto’s acting skills, but rather the need for some of his scenes. As a result of the lack of scenes, this particular version of the Joker does not have the depth that Heath Ledger’s Joker seemed to have (granted this movie isn’t a movie about the Joker at all).
You can tell that this movie suffers from an attempt at emulating the camaraderie and general theme that is within “Guardians of the Galaxy.” How did “Guardians of the Galaxy” excel where “Suicide Squad” seemed to fail? The latter fails to delve into each character even in the smallest sense, which ultimately results in the lack of connection you feel for anyone that isn’t Rick Flagg, Deadshot, or Harley Quinn. Diablo is the only other character you get a sense for, but then quickly forget about as Deadshot, Harley, or Flagg reenter the scene. In “Guardians of the Galaxy” you get the bulk of story from Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Gamora’s (Zoe Saldana) backgrounds, but still manage to gain a sense of connection to the other characters like Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel), and Drax (Dave Bautista). Unfortunately, that same feeling seems to be absent throughout “Suicide Squad.”
So, overall the movie was alright and entertaining. Would I watch it again? Probably not within the next decade, but maybe one day. This movie definitely isn’t a priority movie, but something you will enjoy if you do end up watching it. This is the type of movie to watch if the first two or three movies you pick happen to be all sold out or cancelled and you really feel like watching something, but then don’t want to settle on a foreign movie. That is when you pick “Suicide Squad.” After “Batman vs. Superman,” at least there is still nowhere else to go but up, and at least the soundtrack album is pretty good.
Was it worth the money I paid? Yes…during matinee.
Next up at bat for DC is “Wonder Woman.” Let’s see if she can bring some life into the DC movie universe.
