Spoiler free reviews

[The Laughing Fish]

'Suicide Squad' Is A Blast, But Reviews Are A Dumpster Fire Of Hyperbole

by Todd Kenreck, Forbes.com

Ahhh, but a blast of what exactly? Suicide Squad is fun, scrambled, and contains an excellent cast. But why all the salty reviews? Why the edgy and upset headlines? Several critics hate Suicide Squad with the intensity of an angry toddler, which isn't unexpected since the DC cinematic universe seems to be their favorite punching bag. First thing you have to understand is that there is a character named Captain Boomerang in the film, so calm down your expectations of seeing something remotely rational. I've read the comics for Suicide Squad on and off again for years and David Ayer blew me away with his surprisingly faithful adaptations of the characters and by capturing the feel of the comics. Suicide Squad isn't the grim, dark Batman V Superman, and it isn't the silly heart of gold criminal group from Guardians of The Galaxy. These are hardened homicidal criminals in a world of flying aliens and a rich guy who likes to dress up like a bat – so buckle up and expect things to get super weird and disjointed.

Jared Leto's Joker took me a while to warm up to but by the end of the movie I loved this new version of The Joker. Leto's performance is intense, uncomfortable and you don't doubt for a second that The Joker is a real, unhinged psychopath. His chemistry with Margot Robbie who plays Harley Quinn is undeniable, which is a good thing because she steals the show. Margot Robbie's Harley is twisted, nuanced and delightful. She captures all of the character's broken logic and conflicting ideologies. Harley is fiercely capable and independent but not when faced with her paramour, The Joker. They are both slaves to each other, and it is clear The Joker can't not love Harley, which is an intriguing performance decision because ultimately despite all of his evil, this relationship is the one thing that humanizes him and the one thing that dehumanizes her. Harley convinces herself that she is okay with this clearly unhealthy life, but deep down she just wants to have a "normal" relationship which is also still slightly off and absolutely dated. Harley is not a hero, not a role model, not a healthy example of who a woman, or who any person should be and you have to be okay with understanding that a character's existence and actions in a film do not condone those things.

Will Smith is fantastic as Deadshot, blending a heavy mix of comedy and drama into almost every moment for the character. On several occasions Deadshot got a round of applause from the audience after some exceptionally epic and jaw dropping moments. Viola Davis is amazing as Amanda Waller in this movie; she walks in and owns the world with such cold-blooded detachment that it makes you realign your idea of what a villain is. This is a movie that relies less on the plot line and the main villain than on the performances of a nearly perfectly-cast film. The main threat in the movie goes from Ghostbuster-style campy to uber creepy several times, this defines the movie itself because it does feel like a film that has been second guessed by the studio. Oddly, the inconsistent style of Suicide Squad works for it because of the instability of the characters and the diverse range of backgrounds they all come from in the comics.

Suicide Squad very much serves as the narrative and likely tonal connective tissue between Batman V Superman and Justice League with some brief cameos and a touch of extra world building for the DCU. Is this a perfect film? No, but it is a fun film that is getting raked over the coals while movies like The Avengers: Age of Ultron are for the most part immune, despite similar problems in plot, studio meddling, tone, agency, too many characters and a portrayal of a villain that definitely missed the mark.

Suicide Squad is ultimately a victim of not being a Marvel film. Critics for the most part bashed Batman V Superman for its dark atmosphere, so Warner Bros. tried to pivot at the last minute with Suicide Squad and they got bashed again for that. When Justice League comes out and it isn't a shot for shot remake of The Avengers then it will get slammed for that as well – and if it is a success it will be accused of stealing the Marvel formula. Having a soundtrack isn't an exclusive right of Guardians of The Galaxy, by the way, do I need to refer anyone to The Watchmen, The Crow or just about every action movie ever made? My advice to fans and the creators of Suicide Squad is this – forget about what the critics are saying, just make up your own mind and try to let yourself have fun. When there is a half-man-half-crocodile in this film fighting alongside someone wielding a katana named Katana, you know what you are getting into. I give Suicide Squad an 8/10.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddkenreck/2016/08/05/suicide-squad-is-a-blast-but-the-reviews-are-a-dumpster-fire-of-hyperbole/#715b2804bb4b

I don't appreciate the jab at Marvel, although the point about Age of Ultron is quite spot on.

So many people with polarizing opinions about this movie. I saw some people who loved BvS felt really let down by this, and vice versa. My biggest concern is a lot of scenes have been removed, as Jared Leto confirmed.

Unfortunately, it looks like I'll have to wait for another week to see it because I have to save cash for a dental appointment to take care of this damn wisdom tooth. 

[Paul (ral)]

The Dark Knight's review now live

http://www.batman-online.com/features/2016/8/6/review-self-harm-hampers-suicide-squad-2016

[Silver Nemesis]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, TDK. It sounds like I was way off the mark about this being the best DCEU entry. Ayer's a talented guy. Not always consistent, but talented. And the first trailer – with its gritty, almost Nolan-esque aesthetic – looked awesome. So I'm really disappointed to hear it's such a mess. I still plan to see it and form my own opinion, but my expectations are a lot lower now.

[Azrael]

Back in April, friend of mine said this will be the worst movie of the summer. Sad to say, he was right.

[The Dark Knight]

Back in April, friend of mine said this will be the worst movie of the summer. Sad to say, he was right.

Yeah. Believe me, I wanted to like the movie. I'm one of the biggest DC supporters you will find.

[Silver Nemesis]

I saw the movie this afternoon. What follows is just my opinion, and I'm not saying anyone who disagrees with me is wrong. But personally, I thought it was bloody awful. It's the worst film I've seen in theatres this year and I'd rank it bottom on the list of live action Batman films.

It's a complete mess. There's no narrative structure, no ambition with regards to subtext or layered characterisation. Deadshot, Harley and Diablo are the only remotely interesting protagonists in the picture, but even they're ill served by the shallow material they're given. The tone felt really awkward, trying to skirt between dark/gritty and comedic/quirky. It fails on both scores. The theatre I saw it in was about 60% full and there wasn't one laugh out loud moment in the entire film. A few people sniffed quietly at one or two of the jokes, but none of them outright laughed. I didn't chuckle once.

I did like Deadshot. I thought Smith was solid in the role and it was fun seeing a variant of the classic Marshall Rogers costume in live action. I also enjoyed seeing Batfleck back in action, though his screen time amounts to little more than a cameo. It was also nice to see Stranger Things actor David Harbour in a supporting role. There are some nice visuals too. The dark, murky look of the film is probably the best thing it has going for it. I can't help feeling there was a more interesting story to be told regarding the back-story of Harley and the Joker. We see snippets of this in the form of frustratingly brief flashbacks, but none of them are expanded upon in any real depth. Her transitional arc from psychiatrist to psychopath probably would have been a far more compelling narrative than the one we're given. They should have made that film instead.

Of course the character everyone's talking about is the Joker, but I find it hard to judge Leto's interpretation based on what little we've seen. His storyline felt superfluous to the main plot and his scenes were so obviously truncated, out of sequence and sloppily edited that they often felt more like trailer clips than complete narrative sequences. Based on what we do see, I thought his voice was a little too similar to Ledger's. Beyond that I don't have a whole lot else to say. I imagine his performance will work better when taken in context with the deleted scenes, but here it feels like a lot of posturing – lots of quirky mannerisms and ticks – without anything really substantial or cohesive. There's no underlying philosophy to correlate with the visual elements like Nicholson and Ledger had. It doesn't help that this take on the Joker is heavily influenced by Azzarello's version, which is one of my least favourite of the Joker's comic book incarnations. Consequently Leto is my least favourite live action Joker. I hope that changes when we see more of him, but for now I'm just not feeling it. 

I found the soundtrack annoying and overbearing. They were obviously going for that Kick-Ass/Deadpool thing of playing chirpy licensed songs during moments of violence, but here it felt tired and overdone. The jokes universally fell flat, the action scenes were pedestrian, the characters were mostly one dimensional. The movie was only 2 hours long, but it felt more like 3. At one point Deadshot asks Flag "When will this end?" and I found myself wondering the same thing repeatedly throughout the second half of the film.

I'm crushingly disappointed with this movie. I honestly thought Ayer would pull it off, but clearly something went wrong. I'm glad I saw it so I could formulate my own opinion, and I'd advise anyone else who's curious to do likewise. But I honestly find myself agreeing with the critics on this one. I've got mixed feelings about the previous two DCEU films, but this is the first movie I'd call a flat out disaster.

Final rating: 4/10

[The Dark Knight]

Good review, Silver. Completely agree. Have you seen my review on the film, by any chance?

[riddler]

My review (minor spoilers)

Overall the expectations I went in with were probably higher than they should have been. The narrative and overall plot were very difficult to follow. Like Batman v Superman, it wasn't a bad film in its own right but there were many plot points which could have been elaborated on. I figured there would be more humour but there isn't.

Harley Quinn deserved more of a backstory. It was faithful to the comics but they rushed her transition from lonely psychiatrist to anarchist. It's a very compelling story of the psychiatrist attempting to turn the inmate sane but the inmate turning the tables and turning the psychiatrist insane. So much so I think there was enough material to make a Joker/Harley film on its own (though I guess a prequel could be still in the cards).  Still for what we got, Harley Quinn was very well played and she definitely resembled her comic counterpart.

Will Smith ends up stealing the show from Harley. He's more intimidating and frankly more dangerous given his combat skills. The only part of the character I didn't like was having the hardened criminal with the daughter he aims to please is getting rather clichee. Still Smith himself nails his role. Harley is separated from the Joker for most of the film and so Deadshot ends up her grounding rod for most of the film. The brief scene with Batman and Deadshot did have surprisingly good chemistry.

Affleck got four scenes. Three as Batman, one as Bruce Wayne. He didn't have a lot to work with but did a good job with what he had.  I feel it's premature and unfair to compare Leto to the other Jokers. The Joker doesn't have a lot of screentime and most of it is in flashbacks or dream sequences so there wasn't much room for character development.

Viola Davis may have ended up as the unsung hero with honourable mention to Joel Kinnaman. I was heavily reminded of the Nick Fury/Phil Coulson relationship from the Avengers. Without spoiling any plot points, the two use similar plot points to motivate the team.

Overall it was a very enjoyable film. The stakes are always high when you have super criminals on the loose. I am hoping for more films with these characters, particularly Deadshot and Harley. I think the reason people feel underwhelmed is that it may not have met their expectations. Expecting a humour packed film of bad guys doing bad things for an entire film was unrealistic. The first act was the strongest with the characters being introduced, the second act definitely stalls and suffers  as if the film wanders aimlessly wondering what to do next but the third act redeems the film.It ends in a way in which there aren't necessarily unresolved cliffhangers but it does open up for a world of more films and excitement on what happens next.
Final grade 7.5/10

[Silver Nemesis]

Good review, Silver. Completely agree. Have you seen my review on the film, by any chance?

I've read your review twice. I looked over it when you first posted it in the message boards, then I read it again more thoroughly after I saw the film. I thought it was well written, though I was initially hoping I'd be able to provide counterarguments to the points you raised. Having seen the film, I'm afraid I can't. You were spot on. I get that a lot of people will like this film, and that's cool. I certainly don't want to deter people who enjoyed it from discussing it here. But for me, it was a shocking disappointment. I know David Ayer is capable of better than this, and I know the source material can lend itself to superior adaptations. I didn't particularly care for the Assault on Arkham animated film, but even that was a lot better.

One thing in particular that's been bothering me is how poorly structured it was. Throughout the opening act we're given frustrating glimpses of storylines that look a lot more interesting than the central plot:

•   The Joker corrupting Quinzel and her transformation into Harley
•   Deadshot's relationship with his daughter and his rivalry with Batman
•   The troubled romance between Flag and Moone while they're on assignment

Any one of those stories could have made for compelling viewing. Instead we're only given edited highlights in the form of musical montages and short clips. And that's another major problem I had with the film – it's composed of moments/snapshots instead of proper scenes. Take for example the Alex Ross–inspired snapshot of Harley and the Joker dancing. Sure, it's a nice bit of fan service. But that's all it is. There's no context. I've seen cosplayers and fan films recreate that image before now, but I was hoping a theatrical recreation might ground it in some kind of storyline. It's as if they shot a bunch of separate sequences and didn't know how to assemble them into a coherent narrative, so they just strung together a load of montages and set pieces with the barest minimum plot to tie them together.

I keep hearing people describe this film as "fun" and I wish I could see it that way. But I honestly didn't have fun watching it. The first half of the film bombards you with enough quick cuts and flashy images to hold your attention, but as soon as they reach the city it becomes a tedious slog. They should have made either a light-hearted comedy or a dark and serious thriller, but they try to have it both ways and it simply doesn't work. But like I say, this is just my opinion. Maybe I'll find something to like about it when the initial disappointment loses its sting. If nothing else, I'm expecting some interesting fan edits.

[The Joker]

Take for example the Alex Ross–inspired snapshot of Harley and the Joker dancing. Sure, it's a nice bit of fan service. But that's all it is. There's no context. I've seen cosplayers and fan films recreate that image before now, but I was hoping a theatrical recreation might ground it in some kind of storyline. It's as if they shot a bunch of separate sequences and didn't know how to assemble them into a coherent narrative, so they just strung together a load of montages and set pieces with the barest minimum plot to tie them together.

In terms of the Alex Ross inspired Tango scene, it's context was a simple visual reference. Illustrating the romance, or "Mad Love" between Harley and the Joker. What we get out of Harley and Joker's relationship is provided via flashbacks, and in terms of the Tango scene, it's simply a great fan service added visual reference to their 'mad love' that's decidedly edited and filmed to appear more surreal-dream-like than something more grounded and reality based.

Sure, it's a extremely edited version of Harley's origin, and I would have preferred a more detailed account, which evidently was shot, but I personally had no problem understanding the gist of what was being shown to me during my screening. If someone can watch a show like NCIS and follow the plot, then following Suicide Squad isn't even a issue.