"Thank Squad!" or "Oh God!" - Suicide Squad Review
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney.
After Warner Brothers' commercial and critical disappointment with superhero throw-down Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, people began to doubt the studio's ability to deliver a strong entry in the already crowded superhero genre. Then low and behold, the advertisement campaign for Suicide Squad gripped our attention and caught our eyes, promising a zesty and fresh tone in comparison to BVS's relentlessly bleak mood. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers fail to deliver on their promise and manage to deceive us with their misleading promotional material by producing an uneven and thoroughly underwhelming flick.
Taking place after the dramatic events of Batman V Superman, the government entrust Amanda Waller, a ruthless official, to assemble a team of "meta-humans" she labels the "worst of the worst" that can be used to oppose others of their own kind if the situation arises. Unsurprisingly, a force with a genocidal agenda begins to wreak havoc on the city with the intention of world domination, and Task Force X (or the Suicide Squad) must use their abilities to execute the mission.
Undeniably, there are many factors that contribute to the enjoyment that can be experienced when watching a film. Aesthetically pleasing and innovative cinematography is appreciated. Acting performances of a high calibre are certainly desirable. However, first and foremost, a coherent and well-structured story is of utmost importance - and something Suicide Squad does not possess. Word on Hollywood Boulevard is that the script was penned by writer/director David Ayer six weeks prior to the commencement of production, and boy, do the results show. The decision to have all of the central action take place over a single night was a neat notion, but the execution was poor and there was a significant lack of urgency as the characters ambled from A to B around the deserted city. Flashbacks are inserted sporadically that deserve more exploration and time to breathe in order to have the desired impact of eliciting emotion and helping to construct character arcs, particularly that of Harley Quinn's (Margot Robbie). On top of that, in an effort to provide the various members of the Suicide Squad with character-building backstories. ultimately none are assigned adequate origins and are under serviced by the writer/director at the film's helm.
Practically every character is underdeveloped, and that results in a disconnect between the audience and fictional personalities. A fine example of this at play in the film is the relationship dynamic between Rick Flag (Joel Kinsman) and June Moone (Cara Delevingne), who involuntarily find themselves engaged in a warped threesome (not literal) with the Enchantress, an ancient witch who inhabits June as her host. As June rarely speaks in her uninhabited state and because Rick Flag is two-dimensional and unlikeable, their subplot becomes completely forgettable. Speaking of forgettable, Katana, as one of the most interesting and alluring Squad members, spends most of her time on-screen mute and is spoke on behalf of the increasingly frustrating Rock Flag. Killer Croc, one of the most visually arresting characters is similarly and unfairly neglected, as is Captain Boomerang, and Slipknot...the list regrettably goes on.
Arguably, Ayer's biggest sin against storytelling is the generic, derivative and cartoon-esque foe. Predictably, the villain wants to take over the world, for a reason that is never explained. Said villain has an army of faceless cronies that our anti-heroes can slaughter whilst allowing the film to maintain a PG-13 rating. The villain creates a mass of CGI destruction and garbles in camp elucidation. Yeah, Suicide Squad is guilty of delivering the exhaustive and eye-roll worthy antagonist we all dread. Additionally, model turned actress Cara Delevingne does nothing to elevate the role, and her bemusing physicality and digitally distorted voice equate to a laughable performance.
Thankfully, not all of the actors deliver disastrous renditions of their characters in such spectacular fashion, and with a more flattering script and better edit, the handful of strong performances could have been something mightier. Although his time on screen is brief and fleeting, Jared Leto certainly makes an impression as one of the most famous Western villains of all time, the Joker. Most of the Oscar winning actor's work has been glaringly left on the cutting room floor (as well all of the other seemingly cool parts of the film) - hopefully one day it'll see the light of the director's cut. Meanwhile, Will Smith injects his movie-star pizazz as Deadshot, the expert marksman with a heart of gold. Smith manages to strike the tone that was promised in the trailers, with his character delivering playful one-liners whilst harnessing a sense of moral dilemma. Margot Robbie as fan-favourite Harley Quinn also tries her best to elevate the material beyond its worth and proves to be the most dynamic and exciting member of the Squad - even if she is largely defined by her relationship with Mr J. However, the MVP award must be presented to Viola Davis, who brings austerity and her natural gravitas to Amanda Waller, Task Force X's puppeteer who is unafraid to cut their strings, even if her character is often relegated to the mouthpiece for exposition. Ayer never succeeded in developing any of these character or allowing them to leap off of the screen, but with appropriate time and guidance, he could make them soar.
Overall, whilst hardcore DC fans will certainly get their kicks out of Suicide Squad, the film remains a disjointed and sometimes nonsensical effort. As aforementioned, so much footage from the film was omitted, which raises the question; is studio interference in the post-production phase butchering the floundering DCEU? Or are the filmmakers themselves torpedoing the success of these comic book properties? The true test will be 2017's stand alone Wonder Woman flick. With an impressive trailer that debuted at Comic Con, things are looking hopeful. But to amend the popular phrase - twice bitten, thrice shy...
EB
Cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney.
After Warner Brothers' commercial and critical disappointment with superhero throw-down Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, people began to doubt the studio's ability to deliver a strong entry in the already crowded superhero genre. Then low and behold, the advertisement campaign for Suicide Squad gripped our attention and caught our eyes, promising a zesty and fresh tone in comparison to BVS's relentlessly bleak mood. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers fail to deliver on their promise and manage to deceive us with their misleading promotional material by producing an uneven and thoroughly underwhelming flick.Taking place after the dramatic events of Batman V Superman, the government entrust Amanda Waller, a ruthless official, to assemble a team of "meta-humans" she labels the "worst of the worst" that can be used to oppose others of their own kind if the situation arises. Unsurprisingly, a force with a genocidal agenda begins to wreak havoc on the city with the intention of world domination, and Task Force X (or the Suicide Squad) must use their abilities to execute the mission.
Undeniably, there are many factors that contribute to the enjoyment that can be experienced when watching a film. Aesthetically pleasing and innovative cinematography is appreciated. Acting performances of a high calibre are certainly desirable. However, first and foremost, a coherent and well-structured story is of utmost importance - and something Suicide Squad does not possess. Word on Hollywood Boulevard is that the script was penned by writer/director David Ayer six weeks prior to the commencement of production, and boy, do the results show. The decision to have all of the central action take place over a single night was a neat notion, but the execution was poor and there was a significant lack of urgency as the characters ambled from A to B around the deserted city. Flashbacks are inserted sporadically that deserve more exploration and time to breathe in order to have the desired impact of eliciting emotion and helping to construct character arcs, particularly that of Harley Quinn's (Margot Robbie). On top of that, in an effort to provide the various members of the Suicide Squad with character-building backstories. ultimately none are assigned adequate origins and are under serviced by the writer/director at the film's helm.
Practically every character is underdeveloped, and that results in a disconnect between the audience and fictional personalities. A fine example of this at play in the film is the relationship dynamic between Rick Flag (Joel Kinsman) and June Moone (Cara Delevingne), who involuntarily find themselves engaged in a warped threesome (not literal) with the Enchantress, an ancient witch who inhabits June as her host. As June rarely speaks in her uninhabited state and because Rick Flag is two-dimensional and unlikeable, their subplot becomes completely forgettable. Speaking of forgettable, Katana, as one of the most interesting and alluring Squad members, spends most of her time on-screen mute and is spoke on behalf of the increasingly frustrating Rock Flag. Killer Croc, one of the most visually arresting characters is similarly and unfairly neglected, as is Captain Boomerang, and Slipknot...the list regrettably goes on.
Arguably, Ayer's biggest sin against storytelling is the generic, derivative and cartoon-esque foe. Predictably, the villain wants to take over the world, for a reason that is never explained. Said villain has an army of faceless cronies that our anti-heroes can slaughter whilst allowing the film to maintain a PG-13 rating. The villain creates a mass of CGI destruction and garbles in camp elucidation. Yeah, Suicide Squad is guilty of delivering the exhaustive and eye-roll worthy antagonist we all dread. Additionally, model turned actress Cara Delevingne does nothing to elevate the role, and her bemusing physicality and digitally distorted voice equate to a laughable performance.
Thankfully, not all of the actors deliver disastrous renditions of their characters in such spectacular fashion, and with a more flattering script and better edit, the handful of strong performances could have been something mightier. Although his time on screen is brief and fleeting, Jared Leto certainly makes an impression as one of the most famous Western villains of all time, the Joker. Most of the Oscar winning actor's work has been glaringly left on the cutting room floor (as well all of the other seemingly cool parts of the film) - hopefully one day it'll see the light of the director's cut. Meanwhile, Will Smith injects his movie-star pizazz as Deadshot, the expert marksman with a heart of gold. Smith manages to strike the tone that was promised in the trailers, with his character delivering playful one-liners whilst harnessing a sense of moral dilemma. Margot Robbie as fan-favourite Harley Quinn also tries her best to elevate the material beyond its worth and proves to be the most dynamic and exciting member of the Squad - even if she is largely defined by her relationship with Mr J. However, the MVP award must be presented to Viola Davis, who brings austerity and her natural gravitas to Amanda Waller, Task Force X's puppeteer who is unafraid to cut their strings, even if her character is often relegated to the mouthpiece for exposition. Ayer never succeeded in developing any of these character or allowing them to leap off of the screen, but with appropriate time and guidance, he could make them soar.
Overall, whilst hardcore DC fans will certainly get their kicks out of Suicide Squad, the film remains a disjointed and sometimes nonsensical effort. As aforementioned, so much footage from the film was omitted, which raises the question; is studio interference in the post-production phase butchering the floundering DCEU? Or are the filmmakers themselves torpedoing the success of these comic book properties? The true test will be 2017's stand alone Wonder Woman flick. With an impressive trailer that debuted at Comic Con, things are looking hopeful. But to amend the popular phrase - twice bitten, thrice shy...
EB
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