Greetings,
Yes, I finally saw Suicide Squad. Sorry, I've been busy. YOU try finishing a book, publishing it and then, trying to sell it at a book event. That stuff is exhausting. But I digress. I've been wanting to see this movie for a while, and I've heard so many conflicting reactions to it. Out of the critics I trust, which aren't many, some of them loved it, some of them liked it, some of them hated it. Therefore, I decided to do something quite novel and just see it for myself. Quite a concept, I know. So, what did I think of Suicide Squad? Well, I thought it was absolutely...okay? Yeah, that's the best I can do as far as my feelings go, but let's talk more in depth, shall we? Oh, and there might be spoilers. Warning.
Suicide Squad is basically a live action version of the DCAU Straight-To-DVD film Assault On Arkham, where Amanda Waller wants to gather a bunch of bad guys together to maybe do something good...ish. So, it's that with a bunch of stuff added on to it, and funny enough, a lot of plot taken away. Also, in the real people version, she gets them from Belle Reve Prison...because of reasons. Anyway, at least, AOA had a beginning, middle and end, and was pretty coherent. Suicide Squad was a bit all over the place, and you know that whole "Show, Don't Tell" thing that's supposed to happen? Well, they struck it and reversed it, and we got a crap ton of exposition. Now, look, I do not like movies that I have to study for in advance, but you don't have to take up nearly half an hour to give me the entire history of the characters. Serious, it could have been done in three minutes. After that, I basically was waiting for the movie to start, but we kept getting sidetracked by one-liners and the "scenes" that were there merely to house them. The whole thing felt very choppy to me, structurally speaking. I suppose that's the editor's fault, but let's blame the director, too. If you asked me if I liked this thing as a whole, I would say, not really. However, there were some individual aspects that I did enjoy. Mostly, coming from a few select actors in the bunch, so let's talk about the actors.
Okay, so we had Viola Davis playing Amanda Waller. Good choice, although, I heard that Oprah was on the list as a potential to be cast. That would have been something. "You get a neck bomb! You get a neck bomb! Everybody gets a neck bomb!" If you know the story, you'll get that joke. Will Smith was Deadshot, being very Will Smith-y, though his character did get some fleshing out, which didn't happen often here. Probably because there were like a hundred of them. Our Harley Quinn was played by Margot Robbie. She looked the part, I suppose, but sounding the part is a different story. Her accent felt a bit forced. Still, 'A' for effort. She was just too annoying, or not annoying in the way that is supposed to make you love Harley. Ike Barinholtz played a guy named Griggs, who was pretty mean but in a fun way. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Karen Fukahara, Adam Beach and Scott Eastwood playing Killer Croc, Katanna, Slip Knot and some guy named Edwards, respectively, were just kind of there. And these aren't bad actors. They just weren't given anything to work with, which is a shame. And then, there's Jared Leto as The Joker...I guess. Look, he was barely in this thing, and when he was, it just didn't work for me. He was...They made him...Okay, I'm just gonna say it. He's a pimp. He's a PIMP! That is exactly how Leto is playing him, and that is not what anyone wanted. He wasn't funny, nor was he scary, and you need at least one, but preferably both of those traits to portray The Joker correctly. And I'm not blaming Jared Leto for this. We know he can act, but how good is anyone with this kind of writing and direction.
But, as expected, the worst of all was Cara Delevingne. Yes, let's give this person a dual role, when we know she can barely handle one. Sorry, I'm getting mean, but I have to be honest. She had to portray Dr. June Moone, first of all, and what is even the heck? She looks fourteen and you're gonna cast her as a doctor? No. But at least, she could somewhat pull off playing the simpering, weak character. I'll assume that the director just said to this former model, "You know all those skeezy photographers who told you to pout at the camera? Well, do that, plus squint your eyes and make weepy noises. Ta-da! Sad acting!" However, when she had to play the Enchantress, who was - again, spoilers - the main villain, it was a massive fail. I did not buy it in the least. She reminded me of a combo of a five year old dressing up in mommy's clothes, pretending to be a grown-up and someone who is cosplaying...badly. Just...NO!
Alright, time to say some nice things. I did enjoy Jay Hernandez as El Diablo, mostly because he was the only one with an actual story and character arc, and he gave a good performance. Shock of all shocks, and not only to me, I really got a kick out of Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang. He was pretty funny, and he definitely kept me entertained. But the one who really stood out was Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag. He gave an excellent performance in this. I've never even heard of him, but I might have to do some delving into his acting past. He had to go through a range of emotions and he pulled all of them off wonderfully. And not just by comparison standards. He was legit great.
Also, Affleck showed up as sub par Batman. Boo.
Now I have to talk about one more thing - the soundtrack. What was up with it in this movie? The songs they picked? They are so flippin' random, it's unbelievable. It's like someone set their iPod to shuffle and said, "Hey, this song exists. Let's put it in the movie!" I mean, they weren't terrible songs; they were just out of place and did not fit. And they were constant, in the worst way. But, technically, it's not bad...as a mix tape!
Okay, let's finish this. Do I recommend Suicide Squad? Not wholeheartedly, but if you want to rent it some time, you might be entertained by it. Certainly, by parts of it. But no need to see it in the theater, if you even have the chance, as I am late to the party with this review. Or you could rent Assault On Arkham. Maybe compare and contrast for yourself. In closing, I guess I just expected more. Thus, my main reaction to the film is that thing that so many parents have said to their children. I'm not mad; I'm just disappointed.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
