Movie Review: SUICIDE SQUAD

I think we have finally taken the anti-hero train to the max. And I do mean that. From Deadpool to The Killing Joke, we are spending a lot of time in the darkness. And while that is not necessarily a bad thing, I think we may be relying too much on the idea of bad guys gone good.

This is no more relevant than in DC’s latest foray into their DCU (or DC Cinematic Universe) Suicide Squad. Directed by David Ayer of Training Day fame, Squad attempts to salvage what little faith we have in these movies at this point. And frankly, it only slightly get us there.

The biggest note about Squad is that you won’t find it rattling you quite as bad as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is only marginally saying something because I think BVS has become one of the most hated comic book movies of all time, rivaling Spawn from the 90s. And while DC really needed to get a win back in the column, I don’t think this film will really bring it there.

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Squad is telling you the story of the Suicide Squad, a ragtag goverment project reminiscent of Weapon X which will ultimately leave you wondering why anyone would sign on for this. This incarnation shows them being gathered to take down another out of control government in the form of Enchantresses (Cara Delevingne), who Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) thought she could control. And just for reference, this version of the squad is made of Deadshot (Will Smith), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), and wranglers Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara).

Without getting too deep into the details of the story, it’s a straightforward. It begins, it ends, and frankly, it gives something coherent which DC made us think was impossible with the last film. The soundtrack is nice, the acting is superb, and frankly, most of the action sequences really give it a punch. It’s hauntingly funny, which is hard to do, and just meshes well on the story side.

But that’s where the pros end.

The biggest issue of the whole film is that context given makes all the tiny mistakes most movie fans overlook glare. Ayer, in his first comic book movie, can’t seem to grasp the the particulars of the comic book pace and tone that would allow a lot of his other style choices to go over well with an audience. Instead, he makes what he knows. A mild cop drama with action that starts slowly, includes sexual overtones, and halfway through starts a roller coaster which by the end you may be ready to get off of.

And it’s not that it’s a bad film. There are plenty where this style can work. Just not here. Due to his style choices, the lack of explanation for the background becomes so apparent that it will irk fans who didn’t come for just a romp with action. Furthermore, there are a few characters (looking at you Jai Courtney) who find themselves shoved into a cast that could have done better without them. These side characters throw off what is rather good chemistry pattern between Smith and Robbie, and make it all seem hokey.

That being said, some of the elements are worse than others. The strange truth is that I think if this was a cop movie, it would work really well. But instead, Ayer made a cop movie with superheroes in it. This distinction may seem small, but in execution it ends up being large. But all in all, if you suspend your expectations from a comic book movie to a cop drama, you might end up really liking this one. Not to mention Jared Leto’s Joker is really screen stealing. He plays the offset villain well, not stealing the show as the main focus, but taking our attention in whatever scenes he’s in.

Overall, this movie is all about expectations. If you go in looking for a great cop drama or a entertaining action movie, I don’t think you’ll be as disappointed. It’ll entertain and delight you in several ways. I think Ayer just forgot that cop films require characterization, something comic book movies don’t require nor have. But if you go in with the expectation of a good comic book film, you won’t get what you paid for. Ayer did what he knows, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’ll leave you with several glaring reasons why this film doesn’t work. And that’s a shame. It’s not great, it’s not the worst, and I would watch it 100 more times than watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice one more.