Hey gang, Valkor here. While “Man of Steel” kicked off the DC Extended Universe, it was “Batman v Superman”, which really started the ball rolling. And while BvS was met with some harsh criticism, there was still plenty who enjoyed the feature. Personally, I thought it was “OK”, just not as good as I would have liked it to be. But the DCEU continues and the next film out of the gate, Suicide Squad, is now upon us… and I’m just gonna come right out and say it – the film is terrible. I had high expectations for this one, but in the end, it didn’t work for me. Some major spoilers ahead but there is nothing in the film that would blow you away.
The events in “Suicide Squad” take place after the death of Superman in BvS and special intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) believes that there will be threats from beings with powers equal to or greater than Supes. So she puts together a team of some of DC vilest criminals to handle these threats in their own special way – Deadshot (Will Smith – Men in Black), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Slipknot (Adam Beach). The team will work under the command of Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman – Robocop) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) and should they disobey an order or attempt to escape, a small bomb implanted in their neck will detonate, thus ending their existence. Slipknot learns this early on in the team’s first mission, so don’t get too hung up on the character.
Flag has a girlfriend named June Moon (Cara Delevingne), who is also possessed by the spirit of a powerful being called Enchantress; a spirit she found and released while out on an expedition on the wrong mountain. Waller has learned how to control the spirit - by locating its heart, which she keeps close to her side. And now the Enchantress does Waller’s bidding when needed. Unfortunately, the Enchantress is aware of Waller’s control and has devised a plan that sees the release of her brother Incubus (Alain Chanoine) and the summoning of a special weapon that will wipe out all humanity. So the Suicide Squad (named by Deadshot), are sent to not only perform an extraction mission but to put a stop to the Enchantress’s destructive plans. Will they succeed in their mission? Will they rescue June from her spiritual prison? And what will happen to the team post-mission? The answers are pretty obvious, but if you really want to find out, then you’ll have to take that theatrical journey… or wait until it comes out on Netflix.
On a side note, we have The Joker (Jared Leto), who isn’t really important to the main plot; however, his sick, twisted obsession with Harley means the two should never be apart. And he goes on a mission of his own to get her back. He comes close to rescuing her, even finding a way to deactivate the bomb in her neck and extracting her from the group. But ultimately it fails as his escape helicopter is shot from the sky, but not before The Joker pushes Harley to safety. So she rejoins the team in their mission to go after The Enchantress.
"Suicide Squad" includes some fun cameos; for starters, there’s Ben Affleck’s Batman, who is important to the story as he’s the one who brings in many of the criminals. Then there’s The Flash, who brings in Boomerang. I also enjoyed Common’s appearance, which showcased some of The Joker’s crazy. Lastly, you might feel the need to walk out as soon as the credits start rolling – don’t! There’s a pretty decent mid-credit scene with Waller and Bruce Wayne, which discusses the future Justice League film.
The Good:
"Suicide Squad" won’t go down as one of the worst films I’ve seen in 2016, but it’s still pretty bad. However, the film has a few saving graces that are worth noting. For starters, there’s the sequence where Waller sits with a General, discussing her Squad and we’re taken on a visual tour of each member of the team's origins. It’s pretty exciting and a great way to kick things off. Then there're the acting jobs of Viola Davis and Margot Robbie, who were not only casting perfection as Amanda Waller and Harley Quinn respectively but excelled beyond my expectations in their portrayal of the characters. Waller is calculating, cunning, and yet her methods produce results - she’s like a female Nick Fury, with darker undertones, and I loved every minute that she’s onscreen! Then there’s adorable yet maniacal Harley, who’s sweet and sexy yet deliciously sour all at the same time – you’ll fall in love with her the instant she either says “puddin” or “Mr. J”. And as additional fan service, you get a glimpse of Harley in her jester outfit, which was a nice nod to her animated origins. I should also give a nod to Leto, who does a mighty fine job as The Joker. However, I don’t think this film gave him enough room to spread his sick, twisted wings. His role felt almost shoehorned in. Like, if this film was made without him, you would never notice a difference in the story. So there were a few things to like about “Suicide Squad”, but that’s pretty much where the praise ends…
The Bad:
First up, I felt the film lacked substance; I dig the premise of this ragtag batch of criminals forced to become a team to do the government’s dirty work. However, the overall story is a confusing mess, which I feel it doesn’t properly convey just who the “Suicide Squad” is supposed to be. The first 20 minutes does a decent job of introducing us to the squad. But the rest of the film doesn’t tell a proper story or showcase the team’s abilities in the right light. In short, it’s a little all over the place. And having The Joker bits tossed in piles onto the mess. Speaking of The Joker, he would have been a much better main villain than The Enchantress. Instead, he’s wasted in this film as a side note, which doesn’t mesh well with the overall plot. Harley’s flashback of him works, but that’s just about it. Finally, having the Enchantress as the squad’s biggest enemy is a total letdown. It would have been better if she was the main baddie in a second film, but for this one, I think she’s too big for this team to face right off the bat. Also, it takes the entire last half of the film for her to summon her “weapon”. REALLY??? It took all that time to unleash all that madness? That’s a lot of time wasted if you ask me.
The Ugly:
The Enchantress’s pimply minions were just too gross to even look at.
“Suicide Squad” is still making its theatrical rounds and if it’s something you’ve wanted to see, then go in with low expectations… because then you might enjoy it a whole lot more than I did. Honestly, I really, really wanted to this movie to be awesome, but instead it falls flat. So, out of TOV 5 stars, I’m giving “Suicide Squad” a 2.