Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis

Directed by David Ayer

The Story:
In a world of flying men and monsters, intelligence operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) decides to fight fire with fire by forming Task Force X - a team of highly powerful supervillains who are forced to fight for good, treating them as an expendable team that can be blamed if things go south.

The team consists of elite hit manDeadshot (Will Smith), psychotic fearless Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Australian robber Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), psychokinetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), cannibalistic Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and mercenary Slipknot (Adam Beach).  Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne) is also sought out to be a member of the team, as she holds the witch Enchantress in her body, a powerful witch centuries old that can be summoned by saying her name.  However, the Enchantress as different ideas and she sets out to destroy the world that once worshiped her as a god.  Waller calls upon the Task Force to take her down, and all the while the team is being stalked by the Joker (Jared Leto), who wants to free his girlfriend Harley.

The Synopsis:
There's been very few films of late that's garnered as much anticipation as "Suicide Squad."  From the first preview, fanboys have been salivating at the idea of seeing some of their favorite villains on the big screen fighting for the cause of good.  Most importantly, people were excited to see Jared Leto's take on the iconic Joker, a character last portrayed by the late Heath Ledger, who posthumously earned an Oscar for his performance (the first for a comic book movie).  Leto had big shoes to fill, and concerns were raised as to whether or not he could hold a candle to Ledger's performance.

Then the film's released, and the Joker is in the film for about a hot twenty minutes.  One of the most iconic comic book villains of all time is relegated to second fiddle, after being prominently featured in all the trailers released beforehand.  That's just one error the film made, and there's several more to be mentioned, which comes as no surprise it received generally universally negative reviews from critics.  The film did not live up to the hype.

Here are some reviews from different sources, and my thoughts on them:

Variety:
"Whereas Ayers blurred the lines between the good guys and the bad guys in such hard-R thrillers as 'Training Day' and 'Harsh Times,' and brought immersive street cred to the relatively tired cop genre with 'End of Watch,' he's saddled with a family-friendly PG-13 rating (his first) and entirely too many characters to let his gritty sensibility loose here.  Yes, he and Leto manage to invent a version of the Joker every bit as unsettling as the late Heath Ledger's immortal incarnation, turning the iconic Batman rival into a ruthless seducer, but the character barely has anything to do."

My Reply:
This review focuses on several misfires "Suicide Squad" faced.  From the start, I thought it would earn an R-rating, mostly due to the fact that the "heroes" aren't really heroic, and I expected a much more bloody fight.  When I learned it was PG-13, I groaned because I knew that, instead of a dark, gritty action epic, I'm going to get another run-of-the-mill comic book movie, which is what I received.  You could tell David Ayers really wanted to do more, and I wouldn't be surprised to see an R-rated uncut version when it's released to home video, but here it seemed that the rating really neutered a more profound story.

With relation to the Joker, I agree that Leto's performance was just as unsettling as Ledger's, and I really appreciated his take on the villain.  Whereas in "The Dark Knight" the Joker was a solitary character who was psychotic - but in a very cunning, intelligent, and thought-provoking way - Leto's Joker was one more true to the comics, especially with his relationship with Harley Quinn.  Their love story is one of legend, and most certainly not conventional, and it shows here with flashbacks and his strong desire to get her back.  Here, he's not as intellectually psychotic as he is just plain psychotic.

Vanity Fair:
"But even those stars [Will Smith, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie] eventually succumb to the Suicide Squad's grim undertow, Ayer's script forcing such erratic shifts in character and tone that it would be impossible for even the most nimble and resourceful of actors to keep their footing.  The rest of the squad don't register much at all."

My Reply:
There's been a massive difference between Marvel and DC movies.  Marvel infuses humor into their action stories, while DC tends to go darker with little to laugh about.  Here, Ayers seems to try to blend the two together, while not achieving perfection in either.  The film is dark - how could it not be? - but there's also random moments of humor thrown in.  DC has been trying desperately to form a cinematic universe as popular as Marvel's, and this is yet another misfire.

With a film featuring so many characters, it's to be expected that not every player will have ample screen time.  While each Suicide Squad member is formally introduced, more emphasis is placed on Will Smith's Deadshot (obviously, since he's one of the most recognizable actors), Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn (the one thing the film got right), and Viola Davis's Amanda Waller (the most morally corrupt of the group, it seems).  This relegates very little screen time to the remaining cast, especially with the Enchantress (who is supposed to be the "big bad" yet we know very little as to her motives), and the criminally underrated Katana (Karen Fukuhara), who's a master swordswoman who also captures the souls of those she kills in her enchanted sword.  Maybe I just like girls with swords, but I felt she could've been more utilized.

The story itself is rather simplistic, but the pacing is extremely off.  As they near the ultimate weapon of doom, the villains decide to take a break and have a drink.  There's certain reasons behind it, but it still seems very off, and serves moreso as a way to up the anticipation for the final battle, which - as most comic book movies do - occurs just when the final WMD is fully functional.  Convenient.

Speaking of the final battle, it reminded me greatly of a video game.  There was the "lesser" boss (Enchantress's brother - who also has the most terrible CGI I've seen in a big-budget movie), who stalls the heroes while the weapon can be completed, and once that boss is dispatched, it's time for the big boss.  Bowser, M. Bison, Ganondorf, Mike Tyson.  With the Enchantress, she becomes just another final boss battle, and even upgrades halfway through by attaining swords, much like when a boss is nearly defeated in a game then gains super strength (such as when Shredder turns to Super Shredder).  Ultimately, it's a laughable finale that brought back memories of the classic "Ghostbusters" movies.

Since the film is focused on a cast of misfits, it's only fitting to talk about each character, their actor, and how they performed:

Will Smith as Deadshot.  Deadshot is the most elite assassin ever, prolific in several firearms, and never misses a shot.  Here, he serves as the unofficial leader of the group, and it's typical Will Smith playing a typical Will Smith character: a tough-as-nails man with a heart of gold.  His one-liners are ones you've probably heard him say in other films like "Hancock," and it's very apparent that you're watching Will Smith acting, and not getting fully immersed into Deadshot's story.

Jared Leto as the Joker.  I already stated it before, but here he delivers a much different Joker than Heath Ledger did, mostly in the fact that everything he does, he does for Harley.  Sometimes.  When he loves her.  When he doesn't, he abandons her.  Yet he always comes back to her.  It's the ultimate offbeat romance, and he delivers a completely unnerving performance for the very limited screen time he received.

Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn.  I remember when I was younger watching "Batman: The Animated Series" and loving the character of Harley Quinn.  She was extremely offbeat, unhinged, and fiercely loyal to her "Puddin" the Joker.  Her character was so beloved, she earned her spot into Batman lore and was incorporated into the Batman comic books (she was a wholly original idea for the series beforehand).  As each Batman film was released, I was eagerly anticipating seeing her on the big screen, to no avail.  Finally, she gets her moment to shine, and it's Margot Robbie's performance that steals the show.  She looks every bit the part, and performs her to brilliance.  She gives the best one-liners and, as Amanda Waller even said, is the most fearless of the squad - if not also the most unhinged.

Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag.  Flag is the leader of the Squad, a decorated soldier who dutifully follows orders, mostly because he's in love with June Moone, and Amanda Waller uses her as leverage to make him do whatever she asks.  That's about as much we know of this character, and the start of the underused second string actors.

Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang.  Serving as one of the Flash's biggest villains, Boomerang has very little to do here, mostly because his character would be better served if the film had an R-rating.  Basically he can throw boomerangs.  Not exactly the most useful quality here, and even though Jai Courtney is from Australia - and so is Captain Boomerang - the accent is atrocious and I was surprised to find that Courtney hailed from the land down under.

Jay Hernandez as El Diablo.  After Harley, Diablo was my favorite character.  He has the most powerful power in the squad - the ability to create and use fire to his whim - but he chooses not to use it after a painful past experience.  Yet once his power is fully released, he becomes the most powerful.  I loved his pained performance, constantly battling his own inner demons as he fears what would happen if he totally "lost control."

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc.  You might not know the actor's name (nor how to even pronounce it), but he's been in several blockbuster films, most notably as Wombosi in "The Bourne Identity."  Here, he's totally indistinguishable as Killer Croc, a man with a skin condition that causes him to take on reptilian features.  Thankfully, they used good old prosthetics instead of CGI for his costume, but it did deeply dampen his use of talking.  He's not given much of a story, and basically serves as the muscle of the group.

Karen Fukuhara as Katana.  Katana's husband was murdered, and his soul was trapped in the sword used to take his life.  She keeps the sword and uses it in battle, trapping the souls of those she kills in it.  She's expertly trained, and fearless.  Unlike the rest of the squad, she's not a villain but rather serves as Flag's protector.  As I said earlier, she was terribly underused, and I would've loved to see her shine more than she did.

Adam Beach as Slipknot.  Slipknot is a mercenary who's specialty is tactical grappling and scaling.  Not the most exciting ability, and that's pretty much all we get from him.

Cara Delevingne as Dr. June Moone/Enchantress.  Delevingne serves as the Jekyll and Hyde of the group, switching from mild-mannered June to extremely overpowered Enchantress.  As Enchantress, she yearns for total power, and sets out to destroy mankind for trapping her and no longer worshiping her.  Even though she's the most intriguing character, she's relegated to just being the "big bad" and therefore not given much meat to her role, which is quite unfortunate.  One power she does possess is showing people what they want to see, which I called "Scarlet Witching" the Squad (an obvious copy of when the Scarlet Witch did the same to the Avengers in "Age of Ultron."  Or maybe it's just your typical witch power.  Either way, it got me to thinking which witch ((hahaha)) would win in a battle - Enchantress v Scarlet Witch.  I pick Scarlet Witch by a mile).

In the end, after seeing the film multiple times, I must say that it did keep my attention each time, and I wasn't bored.  The action was great, and there was a lot of Harley Quinn which left me very satisfied.  Plus it boasts the best soundtrack since "Guardians of the Galaxy."  So it's not all bad, just mostly.

 The Summary:
So it seems like I'm joining the chorus of negativity, which in a sense I am, but not because it's what all the cool kids are doing.  The film was a letdown from start to finish, and the only hint of light came from Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, a character I'd love to see in her own spinoff movie.

The Score: C+