6 Reasons Why Suicide Squad Isn’t THAT Bad
FeaturesMovies 14th August 2016 Jon Dingle 3
In recent memory, it would be difficult to say the least to find a film that has been more polarising among audiences that David Ayer’s Suicide Squad. It’s a film that has garnered mass negativity from critics worldwide and is dividing audiences to the point of many questioning where Warner and DC go from here.
A film described as ‘make-or-break’ for the DC Extended Film Universe in some corners, Suicide Squad is certainly narratively and structurally a mess, with clear indications that the editing process was rushed in order to fill a time quota. Nevertheless, within Ayer’s near-two-hour villainfest there are plenty of positives that still remove it from the realms of Green Lantern and Daredevil labels.
Deadshot – The MVP
So Floyd Lawton AKA Deadshot may have felt more like one of the good guys than we should have been led to believe, but the fact that we were given the opportunity to become emotionally invested in him certainly worked well with this character. Given possibly the most room for evolution, Deadshot’s constant emotional anguish surrounding his daughter made for interesting viewing and produced some of the best moments from the entire film.
Add to that the fact that this was Will Smith in his element; dropping one-liners and generally commanding the team from the get-go, and Deadshot becomes an instant hit (no pun intended). His brief entangling with Batman also serves as a reminder that he could well be a permanent fixture in movies to come…
The Joker and Harley Quinn
Admittedly, it pained us to see one of the most pivotal and important relationships in comic book lore glazed over in favour of some rather quick-fire, soundtrack-driven scenes, but there’s little to deny the scintillating chemistry between Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
Many will have been irked by the lack of presence from the clown prince of crime, but in being fed with bitesize moments between Leto’s tattooed villain and the unhinged Quinn, we certainly got a sense of something much bigger and better brewing. The insanity was there for all to see, the love for one another hugely evident and the chaos and carnage that the pair could create together only hinted at in one particular flashback scene. We were even presented with some glimpses of some classic attire we all know and love – talk about throwing us breadcrumbs.
Here’s a pair we cannot wait to see more of and, under the right direction, they can become as infamous as they have been for many years on the comic book pages.
The Soundtrack
Much like Marvel’s riskiest project in Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad looked to bring us a rather eclectic soundtrack, brimming with popular tunes that were somewhat unique and unexpected for a comic book movie.
While some may appear a little jarring in the context of the scenes that they emerge (Eminem’s ‘Without Me’ seems a little mis-placed), the majority all perfect accompaniments to the unfolding sequences. Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ plays out just as well within the movie as it did in the succinctly edited trailer, and the other featured songs blend in with the ensuing chaos with the utmost ease.
The only downside; Leto’s Joker appears longer in the Skrillex music video for the movie longer than he actually does in the entirety of the movie itself – embarrassing.
The Fun Factor
No, we’re not referring to Cara Delevingne practicing her hula dancing throughout the film. We’re addressing the simple fact that Suicide Squad, if nothing else, is actually rather fun.
Here is a film that seems to be – unfairly many may say – is being compared to Batman vs Superman, but in essence they are such polar opposite films. On one hand BvS is a grounded and dark narrative-driven piece, while Skwad is a ragtag movie about a ragtag group brought together for a mission. It was never going to win prizes for wowing us with its plot.
Instead, it does focus on its interactions between the characters and those signature moments and visuals that we can see coming alive straight from the comic book pages. Yes, the dialogue is all too stodgy and laughable for the most part, but there are plenty of moments where we can experience some brainless fun and excitement.
The stylish introduction to the characters sets the scene and from there we can revel in Harley ‘hearing the voices’, Deadshot cleaning house and even Captain Boomerang swigging his can of beer mid-battle. These are designed not to take too seriously, so we’ve just got to go with it.
Amanda Waller
As the founder of Task Force X, Amanda Waller is the ultimate villain from DC Comics whose power is great, despite not possessing her own unique skill-set or metahuman abilities. Here is a woman with a hold over the most formidable villains out there, and this needed one hell of an actress to portray such a hardened individual. Thankfully, Viola Davis was up to that task.
Her steely personality matched with a stone-like expression upon her face, only cracked on the rare occasion by the slightest of wry smiles, this is a brilliant on-screen representation of the Suicide Squad’s enforcer. From the very get-go, we know that this is a woman fully in control and there is little give in her commanding of her expendables in the field of battle.
Waller has always been a formidable presence in the comics and, albeit slightly wronged in one scene during the movie, she is just as scary and edgy on the big screen. And it looks like she’s not done just yet, either.
Future Appearances
Suicide Squad is a film that features plentiful moments which promise that we certainly won’t see the last of certain characters. While The Flash literally pops up in a flash (no joke there whatsoever), it’s clear that Captain Boomerang may offer up more to his story as we head further into the DC Extended Universe, while it’s all too clear that Harley and The Joker aren’t done yet, especially when Batman is concerned.
Another individual whose life span could certainly be of the lengthier variety is Will Smith’s Deadshot, with his flashback featuring his daughter and Batman offering up a scintillating prospect of him going toe-to-toe with Affleck’s costumed detective.
These characters alone are enough to have us looking forward to what will hopefully be a much more fruitful future for DC and Warner Bros, all spearheaded by the dominating Amanda Waller – there’s a woman we certainly want to see again!
What do you think of Suicide Squad? Let us know in the comments section below!