MOVIE REVIEW: Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad (2016)

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Directed By: David Ayer

When we first found out that Warner Brothers was not only going to make a movie based on the popular, yet more obscure Suicide Squad comic, but that it was also going to be the third movie in the DC extended universe franchise we were all shocked to say the least. Not that there isn't a great story to tell there but because it seems odd to do a story centering on a bunch of villains we haven't been introduced to yet so early on. Well, it's now clear why it was positioned so early into the franchise, the movie is one giant bridge between the events of this year's BvS and next years Justice League movie, that's the bad news. The good news is that they have almost perfectly cast this movie and the ride you take with these characters is a hell of a good time, even if  the story surrounding them is rather clunky and oddly cut together.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Suicide Squad comics, the story centers on a group of super villains who have been imprisoned by the government and are brought together by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to work a task force running top secret, dirty missions for the government. In the films version they have brought together iconic villains like Harley-Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), and even more obscure ones like Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) in order to stop an inhuman threat intent on taking over the world, Under the close watch of Waller they are sent into to the city to secure a government asset and try to stop the outside threat.

The story never goes too deep and with a jumbled plot the movie finds itself going from 0 to 1,000 in the blink of an eye. We spend the first act of the film doing character introductions with each villain getting their own quick flashback to tell their tale, well, most of them. These actually work and are a source of a lot of the fun of this flick, the first forty or so minutes seem to fly by as we get quick, yet informative and action/easter egg packed back stories of the characters we are just being introduced to for the first time. Though it can sound kind of cheesy it actually goes a long way to making this movie feel like an actual comic book.

Once the introductions are done and we have been acquainted with (most of ) the team the film literally jumps right into the major plot line. Seemingly out of nowhere the movies villain is introduced and the squad is on the ground of Midway City en route to recover the asset and contain the problem. It's a bit jarring at first but once you dial into what's going on it's easy to follow, even if the villain is treated as an afterthought to the rest of the movie. 

The film's biggest issue is that we don't care about the villain and the stakes are way too high. Once the film enters the final act it's hard not to wonder where all the actual superheroes are as we watch yet again as another world ending threat attacks humanity. It all just feels way too big, not only for this team, but for their very first mission together. They want us to believe that these horrible people have bonded to the point of calling each other family in just a few hours together but the film never fully sells it. When the big emotional punches came I never found myself dialed and that's a shame really.

If you can get over the hump of a clunky story and a poor villain, which I know is a lot to ask, the rest of what this movie has to offer is pretty damn great. For starters they have cast this movie almost perfectly, which was a huge task considering how many new characters they decided to introduce here. Characters like Amanda Waller played brilliantly by Viola Davis who gives a chilling performance. Not to mention a phenomenal performance from Margot Robbie who brings to life Harley Quinn for the first time ever in live action and in an amazing way. Credit should also be given to Jai Courtney who portrays the ridiculous villain Captain Boomerang and leaves us for maybe the first time ever wanting more of him, and also Diablo played by Jay Hernandez who has probably the best character arc of the film.

There were plenty of great characters but when I left the theater I was thinking of only one, and he most certainly didn't have green hair. No, the guy who stole the show was none other than Will Smith's Deadshot and dare I say, Smith is back and better than ever. His embodiment of the ultimate assassin is as perfect as a comic book adaptation should be and after seeing what he brought to this movie a Deadshot solo outing should be green-lit immediately. 

This plays into the action of the movie as well which, despite its world threatening villain, works wonderfully even with most of the team not having any super powers. Harley kicks some serious ass with her baseball bat proving that she can more than hold her own. Deadshot steals the show pretty much every time he picks up a gun and starts a shooting gallery, especially one particular scene where does his version of a "cut and run" and it's simply brilliant. I also have to mention Diablo and Killer Croc as well who both add another type of viciousness to the battles of this movie.

I am sure plenty of you are wondering how Jared Leto's Joker panned out after he was the center of almost all the marketing for the past year. Well, I wasn't a fan of his version of this character and his entire story seemed shoehorned into this film. The time used to tell his trivial story could have been much better used developing the characters that actually matter more. The way he plays the character comes off as a bad mix of Jim Carrey's Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones Two Face, it just never worked for me and I never once believed he could be a formidable foe for Batflek. His character works fine enough in the film though and his barely ten minutes of screen-time kept me from being pulled out of the movie entirely.

Suicide Squad is far from perfect and although it is a highly entertaining movie it unfortunately furthers a few of the problems currently plaguing the DCEU. Its disjointed and there seems to be a clear difference between what the filmmakers want and what the studio wants from this franchise. This movie would have succeeded far more had it not been used as a bridge between BvS and Justice League. The stakes are way too high for an introductory story but with a stellar cast and strong performances the movie as a whole is still a damn good time. 

Any fans of the DC properties should have a lot of fun with this movie, you just have to acknowledge its problems and its easier to enjoy its triumphs. I definitely hope we see more of these characters soon, both together and in the off shoot hero stories that are coming up. They strike surprisingly good chemistry and seem to truly understand who they are supposed to be. At least they are aware of the fact that the villains of the DC universe are their biggest asset and should be used accordingly. Personally, I'm just ready for Justice League to happen so we can move on to the more intimate character stories.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!!