In 2011, when DC Comics first introduced their new line of revamped stories called the New 52, I was beyond excited. This was my first introduction to the Suicide Squad. While the lineup was a bit different, I absolutely adored the comics. It was such an incredible cast of characters, all who contradicted each other in the funniest and most wildly unpredictable ways. Their stories were so engaging and drew me in because of their teamwork and motivations and ultimately became my absolutely favorite comic arc of all time. Now imagine a film completely devoid of any of those interesting stories or exciting characters, and you've got 2016's Suicide Squad.
Let me preface this review (probably going to be more of a rant) with the fact that I do not hate this film whatsoever. There are plenty of comic book films that have done much worse for themselves in terms of storytelling and character development. Elements of this film that I do love include the aesthetic, tone, costumes, makeup, and overall color design. The marketing for this movie was very based around a neon, graffiti-type aesthetic, which worked excellently for this movie and even settled well once it was actually released. The makeup and design in this film were great too, as seen in its Academy Award. A lot of the practical effects used fit quite nicely. One large aspect of this film that I actually didn't focus on the last time I watched it was its editing. I was actually kinda surprised at how well the quick cuts fit this tone. Even though the entire film is color-graded to make it seem more exciting than it actually is, I genuinely loved the editing. I also adore the soundtrack for this movie, even though it may seem like a loop of Top 40 hits that would be played in a Hot Topic. What I don't like about the music selection, however, is that it served no purpose in the telling of the story. It mainly seemed like the director googled "songs popular with kids nowadays" and chose an article from 2007.
I first saw Suicide Squad in theaters two years ago but I had the absolute pleasure of re-watching it recently because a friend had never got around to it (lucky him). There is nothing that I can say that hasn't already been said about this film, but here are my main issues. The introductions at the beginning of the film lasted way too long. It took up a solid twenty minutes of the film that could have easily been allocated to setting up a decent plot. From the opening scenes, it was apparent that Will Smith's Deadshot and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn were the biggest stars of this film. However, because of that, their characters were given all of this film's focus. Not rightfully so, either. Deadshot was probably the most interesting character, but that's still not saying much. A mercenary with a daughter to protect. Fascinating. Throw in a cameo from Ben Affleck's Batman and you have a "developed" villain.
As for Harley Quinn, Robbie absolutely nails it. Along with her Clown Prince of Crime, I actually really do enjoy Jared Leto and Margot Robbie's performances as the criminal duo (minus the grills on his teeth and tattoos on his face). The issue is that her character is not source material-friendly. The way she is written is just not at all how Quinn acts in the comics, as simple as that. By the time she joins the Squad, she is over Joker and becomes her own, interesting and amazing character, but that was not the case in this movie. Joker and Harley's relationship was very misleading and became the main focus of the film, which was not its intent. This distracted way too much from the main antagonist, which is a whole other problem.
Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, is a mastermind in manipulation. She was able to get Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) romantically attached, which paved the way for the creation of (what was supposed to be) the main antagonist. Enchantress' brother is the main villain that these other villains have to take down. Sounds confusing? It is. The issue is that there was no reason as to why the character of her brother even existed. What were his motivations? Where was his backstory? What is even his name? None of these questions were answered solely due to the fact that the writing only included him in order for these characters to have their big, CGI showdown in the conclusion. These story points did not connect at all, and Amanda Waller's subplot did not help either. During the majority of the film, the squad is out retrieving a package that needs to be saved from this apocalyptic meltdown. The "package" ends up being Waller herself, which, again, did not make sense for either the story or the character's motivations. Between this Waller subplot, the dynamic between Joker and Harley, and the weak-as-hell, unnecessary antagonist, this film could never even find its footing in terms of direction. Having David Ayer attached to this movie does not help that, either.
Suicide Squad is the epitome of wasted potential. With an incredible cast and boundless interesting ways to take the story, it is simply one of the most underwhelming comic book adaptations to date. Props to the art department, however, for holding my last surviving bit of attention during this movie.
My Rating: ★½
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