Suicide Squad: Bad Guys in a Terrific Film
The trailers for the third film in the DC Cinematic Universe have been universally praised and have been of very high quality. The trailers seemed to give the film a more light-hearted vibe, a vibe that differed greatly from the previous entry, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. With a powerhouse cast that consists of the Fresh Prince himself and the first movie incarnation of Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad easily became one of the most anticipated releases of 2016.
It seems that the trailers were deceiving, however, as the film has a 26% on Rotten Tomatoes, being viewed as even worse than both Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice by critics. Suicide Squad seems to be yet another critical failure for the DC Cinematic Universe, which already had trouble with critics with the two previous entries.
Are the critics right in bashing Suicide Squad, or is this yet another film critics are being unfair towards?
The cast is truly phenomenal. Most of the actors bring their comic characters to life and supply them with this certain energy that makes them unique and standout. Will Smith and Margot Robbie are the two most enthusiastic of the whole cast, but that’s not to say that the other members weren’t enjoyable; in fact, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje were also very entertaining. Viola Davis also gives a powerful performance as Amanda Waller, the character who is responsible for gathering this team of dangerous criminals.
Not only is the cast phenomenal, but almost all the characters who are introduced in this film are fleshed out so elegantly that when certain characters get into dangerous situations, the majority of the audience will begin to worry and care about these characters’ well-being. The characters that stood out the most were Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (WillSmith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez).
One of the biggest selling points of Suicide Squad was Jared Leto’s interpretation of the Clown Prince of Crime, otherwise known as The Joker. He was featured heavily in the film’s marketing, appearing in every trailer. While not living up to the iconic portrayal by the late Heath Ledger, Jared Leto’s Joker was enticing enough in the few minutes he appeared in the film.
Speaking of the Joker’s under usage, it feels like there are a lot of scenes that are missing from this movie. Scenes that were in the trailer seem to be totally absent, and a few characters don’t get the necessary backstories they deserved. For example, there is a moment in the trailer where the Joker is shown with the right side of his face burnt, but that scene doesn’t appear in the movie at all. Hopefully, there is an extended version of Suicide Squad that will be released on DVD, just like with the Ultimate Edition of Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.
The villain is very disappointing. There seems to be a trend with blockbusters nowadays where the plot, characters and actors are near perfect, but the villain is always the weakest link of these movies. When will we see a great villain again that joins the ranks of Hannibal Lecter and Loki?
Yes, Suicide Squad has its problems, but to say that it isn’t enjoyable would be a lie. It’s unique and stands out from its two previous films and even some entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With a phenomenal cast, intriguing characters, and an underused yet intriguing interpretation of the Joker, it’s a shame that a lackluster villain and a sense of incompleteness bring this movie down a bit.
Despite the critical sparring, Suicide Squad has made over $675 million at the box office, almost quadrupling the film’s $175 million budget. While a sequel hasn’t been announced, the amount of revenue Warner Brothers has made off the film will no doubt shine light on a second Suicide Squad film; in fact, according to Cinema Blend, a Harley Quinn spin-off movie could be in the works and “would also be the second female-led movie in the DCEU, following behind Wonder Woman.”
The next DCEU film will be Wonder Woman, which will be released on June 2nd, 2017. Hopefully, Wonder Woman will be the first DCEU film to hit with both critics and fans and continue to be a financial success.
