Suicide Squad - Spoiler-free Review
You must be registered for see images
Ok, I know it may be a bit late for this as the majority of people already saw the movie but I kinda broke the rule with this one so just bear with me for a while. As anticipated as it has been, I believe we've all seen the performance of SS has been... underwhelming. The boxoffice numbers aren't impressive and the critics didn't like it very much, so it's looking almost as bad as BvS (one could argue it's worse this time since BvS atleast earned a considerable amount of money) but is it really so?
Well, it's a mixed bag. A text-book example of the term at that. While the casting has been excellent (yes even Leto but more on that in a sec) the execution and the route they took with the film lays it all to waste. Well, to an extent atleast. We all know the SS has always been about the badzies being bad and entertaining us. The gritty feel of the DCEU is well present here but it feels kinda vague and hallow and it mostly has to do with the characters and the plot. While the actors do their best to make these characters come to life and the main stars (clearly Margot, Smith and Leto) absolutely nail their respective roles the side characters leave much to be desired and the interactions between the squad members feel more than forced at times.
You must be registered for see images
uh-oh...
For example, a good portion of the movie aims to present the characters as these brutal psychos but ends up playing to their nice side quite unrealistically as the movie nears it climax, giving us this sudden sense of morality and friendship which really could've been pulled off better. It also doesn't help when these introductions, which should've focused on summing up their backstories actually end up doing so in an unclear and rather ambiguous way proving to be simply a bunch of easter eggs and winks to the comic comunity while being no more than disturbing pandering for the uninitiated.
Still, the biggest problem about this movie seems to have stemmed from WB's interruptions of Ayer's creative visions. The movie plays like a totter. One moment you're feeling this sense of helplessness and great realism and in the other the characters behave in a completely different way with the tone suddenly changing from silent and mysterious to punky and hip-hop. Kinda like how the trailers went. It's quite clear there were 2 versions of the movie, one Ayer envisioned and one WB deployed as damage control against a catastrophic reaction to BvS. The end result is muddled and eccentric.
You must be registered for see images
And it stinks.
To top it all off, the plot is as disappointing as it can be. I'll stay true to the spirit of the thread and not spoil anything but I'll just say it's your generic "save the world against a boring villain" kind of thing. Did I mention the villain? Well, they're a cardboard cut-out with no personality what so ever. I won't say the villain wasn't intimidating or cool, but they're simply a cliche.
Still, the movie is not without it's merits. The movie's strongest point is definitelly it's cast which does a marvelous job at portraying these characters. Above all, my hats off to Margot Robbie for being the best Harley Quinn I could ever imagine. She was just fantastic and I'd go see the movie 10 more times just to see her again. Another star is Will Smith who really seems to be getting back into the game after being mildly forgotten. He dominates the movie along with Margot and as such the characters of Deadshot and Harley are really well-developed and you will care about them. (Though this comes at the expense of the side characters being void of all development but w/e)
Finally, Leto's Joker... I love this Joker, I gotta say I do. At first I thought he wasn't gonna work but really, the guy nailed it. It's very different from the classic clown prince of crime but he does his best in respect to his new interpretation. If Joker was ever to be a super crazy, narco, maffia boss this is how he'd be. Also, his interaction with Harley is pure perfection and is easily my favourite aspect of this movie.
You must be registered for see images
Music is also one thing that needs to be mentioned at the pros list. The movie had really good background and it would get you hyped, sad and happy when it needs to. Action scenes, while nothing revolutionary, prove to be entertaining enough to keep the thing going. While they're nowhere near the ideal level, they're clear enough to see what's going on and the coreography is decent.
Conclusion:
Overall, Suicide Squad turns out to be a rather underwhelming product with it's generic plot, clumsy execution and waste of potential, but isn't a total trainwreck as the excellent character portrayal, catchy music and decent action scenes (along with the fantastic introduction of the characters) will be sure to satisfy the fans. So, even if the movie didn't meet the general expectations, it did a marvelous job at bringing the main characters to life and if you're a fan of them, you owe it to yourself to see this movie. (Atleast twice.)
Pros:
- Great acting
- Dynamic between Harley and Joker
- Great soundtrack
Cons:
- Disappointing story
- Bad villain
- Lack of development for secondary characters
SCORE: 3/5
