Suicide Squad : Enjoyable Mayhem

byUnknown

2

We are now three movies into DC’s cinematic universe and it seems like DC just can’t catch a break. Most didn’t like Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and critics are torching Suicide Squad. I really don’t think those movies are perfect but they aren’t that bad. Especially the Ultimate Edition of BvS. But that’s not what we’re here to talk about; we’re to discuss Suicide Squad. Truth be told it’s a good movie, nothing spectacular, but it’s not shitty. It met my expectations, it didn’t exceed them. This movie has its issues but it’s a fun movie. The plot is too simple, the editing is still not up to par, the ending was cheesy, I have some issues with the Joker sub plot but aside from all of that the movie has: great action, a dope soundtrack, it’s funny, great characters and it's FUN. Suicide Squad is fast paced, chaotic fun with a talented cast. Neutral on the Joker currently.

DC movies are generally dark and gritty, from the Nolan Trilogy to Batman v Superman. This has to be one of the first DC movies that doesn’t feel that dark. It’s still a dark movie but it feels like there’s a comedic veil over the film that makes it feel much lighter in tone. The plot is very simple. Amanda Waller assembles dangerous criminals to create a secret government unit capable of taking out meta-human threats, covertly. Waller’s strongest member breaks free from her control, starts rampaging and she sends Task Force X to stop this individual. That’s all. So yes, the story itself is weak but personally I didn’t expect it to be complex nor did it need to be. There’s also a sub plot with Joker constantly trying to save Harley but honestly the movie didn’t need that at all. The movie would have been fine without those constant interjections.

The way the story is told starts with Amanda Waller pitching the idea of Task Force X, she introduces and talks about each potential member. That’s how you learn and meet the various characters. There’s some special cameos that appear in those stories. From there, the movie goes right to the prison, shows you each characters current state, begins to form the team, deploys the team, then the action begins. This all happens in about 30 mins and it works because there are so many characters in the movie so they gave us the gist of each of them from the get-go. But still, found the editing to be questionable. Choppy at times, some shots lasted too long and some transitions are a little incoherent.

Fast forwarding a bit towards the end, personally I wasn’t a fan of how cheesy the ending of the climactic battle was handled. It’s funny because it felt super anime-esque. “I know I’ve only known you lot for like 6 hours but I will DIE for you guys in the name of friendship!” Suicide Squad needed a much better conclusion to that battle. It was anti-climactic and hopefully it’s handled better in the future if there's ever some kind of sequel to this film.

Jared Leto’s Joker has got to be the one thing I am having mixed feelings about. Mind you, I am not a Joker fan, he’s not one of my favorite villains. I’m also kind of tired of seeing the Joker (and Batman) but even so, I want the Joker to be properly portrayed. I didn’t hate Leto's Joker at all. Honestly, he looks so crazy cool, menacing and sounds terrifying. But I didn’t love it, at times I felt like Leto was trying too hard to being psychotic and it didn’t always feel natural if that makes sense. What I find interesting is that this Joker seemingly has real feelings for Harley Quinn. This isn’t the Joker abusing and really not giving a crap about Harley that we’re used to. I know this will bother many people because it gives the Joker some sort of humanity, genuine feelings, something that he’s generally devoid of. I on the other hand welcome the different take on this and want to see what happens.

Suicide Squad has a really fantastic overall soundtrack. It switches from scores to original songs made specifically for the movie in a way I’ve never heard before. The action was very good throughout the film and getting to see the various members fight using their own weapons and methods was intriguing. There’s a specific moment with Deadshot taking out numerous foes by himself that was freaking awesome. Katana’s bladework was clean, Harley's spontaneous combat style was a treat and the hard hitting Killer Croc is a powerhouse. Enchantresses’ magic and hand to hand was also really good. Suicide Squad is probably DC’s funniest movie by a long shot. From Deadshot’s little quips and stabs at the other members (especially Flag), Harley’s insanity, there’s never a dull moment. Even Captain Boomerang brought humor to the movie.

Suicide Squad’s strength comes from the characters. Not everyone got the same amount of shine or development but that’s to be expected. Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis and Jay Fernadez really brought their characters to life. Will Smith was the lead providing us with classic Will Smith charm that brought humor, emotion and action to the movie. While he’s really playing Will Smith and not Floyd Lawton, he was still a treat. Viola Davis nailed the role as the cold hearted, capable Amanda Waller. She was in charge the whole movie and was in my opinion the main antagonist of the film.

Margot Robbie nailed her role as Harley Quinn. My ONLY complaint is that her accent faded in and out the movie. I don’t know if that was intentional but either way, this is the Harley Quinn I know from the comics and cartoons which was properly translated on to the big screen. Now Jay Fernadez is personally the show stealer for me. He humanized an ex gang banger who wanted to repent for his actions and live out his life in solitude. His action and lack of action completely line up with his motivations and past experiences. If you asked me who the movie’s most valuable player was, I’d say it was Chato Santana aka El Diablo.

I feel like your enjoyment of the movie depended on what you expected going into the movie. I am very familiar with the source material and I got what I expected. Is Suicide Squad a great movie? No, it’s just a good movie with its fair share of issues but is still overwhelmingly fun. It’s okay to go to a movie and just lose yourself in the chaos; you don’t need to nitpick every last detail. Suicide Squad was meant to be uncontrolled fun, carried by the characters. Not some deep, philosophical movie on mortality or a love story. Just some good old fashion entertainment. I recommend seeing the movie at least once.