DC Comics and Warner Bros. Studios haven’t had a good run
critically with films since the Dark
Knight Trilogy. While Man of Steel
was a financial success, critics everywhere have bashed and clobbered Zack
Snyder’s new approach for the DC Cinematic Universe. The reasons vary from the
films being “too dark” when compared to Marvel’s direction, to complaints that
the films don’t reflect the correct attitudes or ideals of the characters. This
year was no different with the release of Batman
v Superman: Dawn of Justice which succeeded financially but bombed
critically. Now comes Suicide Squad,
while I have to admit that it was fun to watch, it had a lot of problems that
have caused the film to receive negative attention.
Suicide Squad is
significant for many reasons and it was important that DC Comics had to do this
right. First it was going to be the re-introduction
of arguably DC’s famous villains, The Joker who is played by Jaret Leto (Lord of War, Dallas Buyers Club), the
role was previously held by Heath Ledger who unfortunately passed away after The Dark Knight. The second reason is it
would finally be the introduction of the Joker’s famous assistant, Harley Quinn
who is played by Margot Robbie (Wolf of
Wall Street). The film would also
introduce other famous villains from DC like the assassin, Deadshot played by
Will Smith (Ali, Concussion) as well
as Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang. The chemistry was present in this cast
but it was the story itself that carries the biggest flaws.
DC’s Suicide Squad is a famous story about a secret agency
that decides to put some of the most dangerous villains to use by force in
order to fight the battles normal people can’t. Created by the dangerous Amanda
Waller, played by Viola Davis (How to Get
Away with Murder), she sends them off as a team of expendables in the name
of national security. The film stays true to this aspect and Viola Davis’s
performance was on point as the dark boss of the worst heroes ever. So what was
the mission that called for the activation of Task Force X?
The film takes place some time now after the death of
Superman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice and the world is still in mourning. Now people are scared because
the world has been attacked by forces beyond their comprehension and there’s no
Superman to defend them. Things get worse unfortunately when a new threat
arises and Amanda Waller is authorized to use Task Force X to neutralize the
threat and retrieve a valuable asset. Just when things couldn’t get any worse,
the Joker arrives to throw more gasoline on the fire which only creates more
chaos. It’s a non-stop action ride that keeps your attention but asks more
questions than answers for people who don’t follow the comics. That’s been the
biggest weight on the shoulders of the DC Cinematic Universe.
This film is a lot like Batman
v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man
of Steel because it really appeals to people who know a lot about the DC
Universe. If you no nothing then you’re going to be left out in the dark
because there’s very little character development and not much backstory to
fill in the people who are oblivious. The universal problems with this film are
the main villain was weak and Jaret Leto’s performance as the Joker doesn’t
hold a candle compared to Heath Ledger. The main villain felt like the
antagonist in Ghostbusters, just
someone that had to be there to start trouble and not much thought was put into
it. For people who are seeing the film for the Joker; you’re going to be
extremely disappointed more than anyone in the film.
Jaret Leto as the Joker was an even bigger disaster than
Jessie Eisenberg who was cast as Lex Luthor but I mostly blame the direction
and creation of this character more than the actor. When the first images of
his appearance came to light, it wasn’t a welcomed sight at first. Dressed like
a gangster and covered in tattoos which is something nobody has seen before
from the famous clown prince of crime. If this was an attempt to re-image the
famous villain, then I’m sorry to say that this one shouldn’t been crumpled up
with the rest of the bad ideas. As far as the usual charismatic and spontaneous
character we’re all accustomed to, we see an approach that’s more brutal with
bullets instead of cunning and creative. The only thing I can say that was a
good thing was the fact that he had the least amount of film time; it makes
sense because it’s mostly about Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn who was fantastic
playing the psychotic and sexy femme fatale.
Will Smith as Deadshot was a great move considering he took
a more demanding lead that supplied the most comic relief as well as being the
bad ass of the group. I personally like to give this film a 7 but it gets 6 out
of 10 because it’s a great film for DC fans who know a lot about the characters
and they’re story but not for people who only know a little. I can see this
movie having a great first weekend but it will drop and drop fast with the
release of Disney’s Pete’s Dragon and
several other films coming out soon. There’s good surprises during the film and
after the credits so make sure you stay a few minutes after the film. I
sincerely hope DC and Warner Bros. takes everything they hear seriously because
the success of the cinematic universe now falls on the shoulders of Wonder Woman and Justice League due next year, good luck.
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