Suicide Squad is Good, and Here's Why:

Ready to roll

Few films in recent history have enjoyed such rabid anticipation during pre-release only to be so savagely mauled by critics, almost ALL of them, when it actually came out. Mauling is the only accurate way to describe it, as critics in general have more or less compared watching it to having a dumpster fire burning in their eyes. A dirty diaper draped over their face like Batman's cowl, forced to watch through two shitty holes as the film unfolds.

I for one don't see what the big deal is. Sure it has a few things that could have been improved on (which I'll get into shortly), but no more than any other summer popcorn flick. For God's sake, the protagonists include a tough as nails military hard ass, a human crocodile, and a harlequin inspired chick named Harley fucking Quinn(get it?!?). A certain amount of leeway must be given.

Look at this shit.

Though this is clearly intended to be a fun movie(and it is), many critics are responding to the film as though they expected to see the next Citizen Cane, or more realistically, something more tonally similar to Guardians of the Galaxy. And though Guardians is a great film, and one that will no doubt inspire many others down the line, Suicide Squad tried to reach out and be something different. And it succeeded.

I've seen reviews complaining about a lack of chemistry between the characters, and this fucking baffles me. Interactions between Deadshot(Smith) and Rick Flag(Joel Kinnaman) were spectacular, as were The Deadshot/Diablo scenes. Will Smith was incredible as Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, an assassin who fetches high prices because he is known to never miss a shot, no matter how impossible. I must say I was skeptical when I first learned of Smith being cast in the roll (I'm not his biggest fan), but he absolutely stole the show in every scene he was in, even when sharing the screen with the beautifully talented Margo Robbie(which is definitely saying something). He brought one of my favorite characters to life better than I could have imagined, and I was grinning from ear to ear during some of his more impressive action sequences and smart ass quips.

Deadshot and Harley Quinn 

Speaking of Margo Robbie, she really stood out as Harley Quinn. Everything from her Brooklyn accent and attitude to her cartoonishly large hammer suited the role perfectly, and she was really able to shine in all her scenes. Hell, they even suited her up in her classic Harlequin outfit for a brief flashback scene with Jared Leto's phenomenal(tuxedoed) Joker! What more could a fan ask for?! She had excellent chemistry with the rest of the team as well, primarily Kinnaman and Smith(whos previous experience working together on Focus couldn't have hurt matters here). The thread that holds the entire team dynamic together however is the phenomenal Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, a character better portrayed here than in any other previous rendition in any medium, from animation to television and video games. She brought the character to life as if Waller herself had bargained her way(underhandedly no doubt) off the comic page and into the real world. Damn fine acting. My hats off to her, as Waller is NOT a character that can easily be portrayed with such charisma and subtlety.

Seeing Killer Crock realized in live action was pretty sweet, even though his presence was a bit lacking at times, that and I felt myself constantly struggling to understand what he was saying under that thick gravely Cajun accent when he was sparingly allowed a line of dialogue. Diablo was a pleasant surprise, I honestly didn't expect much from the character and was pretty impressed with his (eventual) contribution to the team. Katana is another that really just didn't have enough setup or screen time. I liked the character and Karen Fukuhara) did a fantastic job, but she just wasn't on screen enough to really leave much of a lasting impression.

You've got something on your teeth...

The Joker was something that took me a few moments to get used to. Its such a change of pace from what we're used to from the character that Jared Leto's performance can be a bit jarring at first, I believe this is fully intentional. Leto fully comes across as a madman with extreme power. A creature that can manipulate the weak to do anything he desires, and intimidate everyone else to do the same. Or die brutally. His performance is unnerving in exactly the right way. The choice of characterization almost reminds me of a fusion of the Animated series Joker(Mark Hamill) and Heath Ledgers legendary rendition of the character in The Dark Knight, along with a new element of neon insanity that makes the performance all the more enjoyable and unsettling. I believe this Joker, Leto's Joker, is my favorite version on film, "Damaged" forehead tattoo and all. He just perfectly exemplifies what the character is, from his costumed henchmen to the chilling laugh he lets out while unloading a machine gun out the back of a helicopter, he really owns the role while staying faithful to the (twisted)spirit of this iconic character.

This is the first movie I have seen Jai Courtney in that I didn't not want him to be onscreen every time he appeared. Congrats bro, I knew you had it in you. Now just stay away from anything with "Terminator" or "Die Hard" in the title and you'll be gold.

Enchantress, though played well by Cara Delevingne , felt seriously underdeveloped to be the primary antagonist. We didn't see enough of her human side to really get a feel for the character outside of Enchantress, which really becomes a problem when you factor in the romantic relationship she has with Flag. Much of their chemistry and connection seemed to be left on the cutting room floor, because its obvious from what remains that more scenes of this type were filmed. It just made it harder to feel sympathetic to Flag's plight, saving his girlfriend from an otherworldly being, when there are only a few scenes that they actually share the screen together. I'm going to chalk this up to poor editing, and I generally feel that Enchantress would have been more warmly received if there had been a better setup for the character. Perhaps a post credits scene in Batman V Superman could have set this up nicely, but alas, what's done is done.

Enchantress falls flat as a villain.

There are definite changes in tone throughout, and many critics have seen this as a problem. To me it makes sense, as it seems to mirror the chaotic nature of the characters and story. Once it gets past the ridiculously long(easily 20 min) character introductions, the film really moves, and finds a good pace to sink into. I am gonna say again that I feel like editing was one of the main problems with the film. At one point Killer Crock references a Deadshot line on Phil Jackson that was included in the final trailer, but cut from the final film. There were a few more examples of this throughout, and I really feel like it could have been a stronger movie with just one or two more passes on the editing bench. The music was a bit much at times as well, like the producers were trying to work in every popular song they could, hoping that it would make up for any perceived shortcomings.

Overall, this movie was a really enjoyable, fun comic book flick(Batman's cameos were all great, and The Flash sequence was pure GOLD). Are there some issues that could have been ironed out? Definitely, but no more than several other movies of the same genre that seemed to get a lot more leeway from critics when it comes to plot and editing concerns(I'm looking at you Iron Man 3 & Age of Ultron).

Don't listen to the vitriolic, hate filled reviews, their minds were made up before the opening credits. Go check out a matinee, kick back, and let yourself have some fun. if your looking for an exciting summer movie, you wont be let down.

8 out of 10

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