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Review Suicide Squad (2016): What a disappointment. Arrow did it better!

genre: action, adventure, comic book adaptation, super hero







Ever since they announced it and when the trailers came out I was looking forward to this. It really seemed like it was going to be different from the DC movies that had been made previously and that it very much would do it's own thing but at the same time expand the DC film universe in a fun way. I guess I was a little too optimistic. 

Now I am not going to say this film is super bad or unwatchable. But it got close to it if it weren't for some redeeming factors. Will Smith as Deadshot is one of them. He brings the charm he is known for and makes it worth your while as much as he can since he is severely handicapped by poor direction and poor writing. The other factor is Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. She also was limited but brought to the screen whatever she could and she rocked. (She does not have such a tick accent as previous versions of Harley Quinn in cartoons and videogames but that is me nitpicking.) 

I did like some of the scenes where the members of the squad were bonding and fighting together in harmony. Even if this happened a little too late. Then there were moments where some of the members showed compassion or respect for each other. However at the same time this was also something that bothered me a little since the villains in this little team are a little too accepting of the situation they are put in. They were a little too caring and compassionate. It almost makes you forget that they are very bad people even if the film keeps telling you that they are. Say what you will about Arrow but in episode  "Suicide Squad" (S02E16) they brought together characters that already had been established and were shown for who they were. Ruthless criminals that would not hesitate to mutilate or kill you if it weren't for the explosive device in their neck. They weren't nice people. Another good example of where they did it slightly better is Batman: Assault on Arkham. But in that one they also failed to give enough background on the members. Actually the episode of Arrow exposes some of the big mistakes DC keeps making. They want to do too much in or around two hours and it simply does not work. Three hours maybe. I am not a fan of movies being split in two but if there was ever a reason it should have been done for this film. Where in the first part you would get introduced to the characters and what they are about with all their background and dynamics. And then a second part where we would get to see the villains (who we now are acquainted with) come into action and fighting the good fight. The members of Suicide Squad deserve that kind of respect. 

Viola Davis as Waller was good I guess but I can't believe how little she was in this and how very little background was given on her. I happen to know but people not familiar probably won't be that impressed. Rick Flag is another character that is important and is made seem important without actually explaining why that is. Well, the reason given in this film is idiotic and I refuse to discuss it. Which brings me to the antagonist in this film. The Enchantress. She is played by Cara Delevingne. Who you might know from Paper Towns.  Not that it matters much because her role could have been played by anyone and it would not have made a difference. She is mostly CGI and nothing else. Completely uninteresting and boring. No attempt is made to make her or other characters compelling. There is no real story to speak of. Just the gimmick of having a Dirty Dozen type squad fighting bad guys. At least Dirty Dozen compensated the lack of story by heavy characterization, World War 2 setting and thrills. Suicide Squad just skims the very essential parts with the consequence that you are hardly invested. And I tried people. I really did. I was rooting for this film to give me the fun I had hoped for and it failed to do that. Suicide Squad also suffers from pacing issues. It starts out decent enough but then plummets into a borefest and only manages to recover from that very late in the film. How is this even possible? You have so many colourful characters running around here. It boggles my mind. I never thought David Ayer was brilliant. Although he had proven himself with Training Day and Harsh Times to be competent as a writer and director. But here he lets down big time. It is said he only had 6 weeks to write the script. Surely he could have done better than what we have been given? I have read fan fiction with more imagination. 

You might have noticed that I have not mentioned Jared Leto and his version of The Joker. Well, he was barely in the film. And the little that was shown did not impress me in the slightest. His laugh was pathetic and he wasn't charismatic or iconic. But maybe this is not fair until I will get to see more of him in the longer cut if that ever will be released.

If you were planning to watch this in cinema I would advise against it. This is one you should wait for it to be released on DVD or to be provided by online services. Don't waste your money. 



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