While the various heroes go head to head in the movies, this is also the case with the studios. Disney’s Marvel Studios has had hit after hit since they started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC (together with Warner Bros) has tried to do the same, but when you take a look at their past five films Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then you can see their track record has been anything but impressive. That’s also the reason that I approached this film somewhat carefully. For the last year it has been almost impossible (trust me, I’ve tried and kind of succeeded) to disregard and stay away from it and I hoped that this finally would be a DC movie I would be able to enjoy again. Has Suicide Squad managed to do that?
Just like with Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy the Suicide Squad consists of a lot of characters the average moviegoer won’t know. The Joker and possibly Harley Quinn are known, but most others will be new to most viewers. That’s why the movie opens with a short introduction of each of them to get you up to speed. That exposition is necessary and luckily is done in an enjoyable way, but it does mean that it takes a while before the film kicks into higher gear. The squad consists of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Boomerang (Jai Courtney, who actually is pretty good here), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and Deadshot (Will Smith). These are all criminals who are being held in a secret, high security prison. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) forces them together, releases them temporarily and have them work together with lieutenant Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) to fight a powerful witch, called Enchantress (Cara Delevingne).
With so many characters it’s impossible to give them all enough time to tell their backstories, but by doing so for just a couple of them (Harley Quinn, Boomerang en Diablo) the movie succeeds in making you care about their mission and motivations. As these are all bad guys the end result is a movie with a much lighter tone than you’ve seen in previous DC universe. Now this doesn’t mean it’s all cotton candy and rainbows, the movie does have a dark edge, but it has a lot of jokes and they actually work as well.
It’s Will Smith and Margot Robbie who manage to impress the most. Will Smith shows emotion, but also does some wise cracking and has some very cool action scenes. Robbie has lots of fun in her role and that makes her a joy to watch. Akinnuoye-Agbaje really has crawled into the skin of Killer Croc as he really walks in a way which makes you think of a crocodile. And yes, during the past couple of months a lot of publicity was given to Jared Leto’s Joker, but his role in this film is so small that it feels more like a cameo. You simply don’t see enough of him to get a good idea whether or not Leto is good in the role. I do have to admit that a couple of times I did think he kind of looked like Justin Bieber with lots of makeup, but haven’t formed an opinion if that’s either good or bad. Suicide Squad is an entertaining blockbuster which is just a fun watch and is filled with a lot of enjoyable moments and action. After seeing it I can’t wait to learn more about these characters, so it has started to repair my trust in the DC-movies.
I’m with you that Will Smith and Robbie impressed the most. I was also surprised Jai Courtney was actually good (didn’t actually know it was him until now). Tho barely ten minutes of Joker? After all the BS surround the shoot, I feel ripped off!
I also hadn’t recognised him when watching, which means he did a good job 🙂
I don’t even know if it’s ten minutes, felt like less although I obviously haven’t timed it 😉
The first positive review I’ve read. Glad you liked it Nostra.
Well, I’ve seen a couple of other positive reviews over here in the Netherlands, but the ones in the U.S. all seem to quite negative. I really had fun with it and actually would like to see it again.
This is truly the first positive review I have read….as a fan, I hold little true value in not comic-enjoying reviewers who are looking for something “deeper”….I am looking for a comic book experience…..this is why I enjoyed Jonah Hex, didn’t mind Green Latern and so forth…..thank you fo a good review……(PS haaaaaaaaaaaated Ghost Busters….painful!)
Well, I don’t read comics so I just share my opinion about how they make me feel and this one I was laughing and smiling a lot. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
As for Ghostbusters, that’s a movie I also enjoyed 😉
The Joker is really only in this for about 10 minutes? I knew he wouldn’t be a huge part, but that surprises me after all the publicity he was getting.
Great review, I’m glad you liked it!
I was expecting to see a bigger part for him, so I was a bit disappointed especially considering him being so prevalent in the marketing.
Went it expecting it to disappoint, but it was a pleasant surprise.
Flawed? Yes. But is it a movie I’d watch again? YES! Critics are being way too harsh on this. Check out my review…I liked it more than most too!
Yeah, I can see its flaws as well, but it is a lot of fun. Will check that out Courtney!
Definitely one of the stronger reviews I have seen. I’m checking it out this weekend. I’ve been hesitant but hopeful from the start. Several approaches they have taken haven’t impressed me, but as someone who really liked BvS, I can look at with open eyes and not be swayed by the negative takes on it.
Thanks Keith, I understand all the critical reviews, but when it comes down to it I really enjoyed the hell out of it.
What the studio did to Leto is criminal. At least 20 minutes of his scenes were cut
Yeah, I was expecting to see so much more from him and like I mention it is not really possible to form a good idea about his version of the character because of it.
Hi Nostra. Well, I like this a lot less than you though I have to admit at least I wasn’t bored from start to finish. Will Smith and Margot Robbie were definitely the leads here, but I think it’s a travesty that they cut so much of Leto’s Joker’s scenes from here, given all the promos they’ve done w/ his character.
Yeah, wished there was more Joker as well…
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