Where to start…
I want to remind people that once upon a time in very recent history, DC Comics and Warner Brothers’ relationship produced some of the best films in its genre. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises (I would also even argue that Man of Steel should be up there) are some of the best comic book films ever made to this day.
And in The Dark Knight, you not only have one of the best comic book film of all time – you have a film that deserves to be mentioned in the conversation for the best movies of the last 30 years.
DC Comics and Warner Brothers had a very good thing going. How on earth did we go from The Dark Knight to Suicide Squad?
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Be in under no doubt – Suicide Squad is a bad film. I regret ever taking time out to watch the film. Shit, I regret not walking out of the cinema when everything in my being was telling me to do so. It is that bad.
Let me start with the positives. Will Smith, why on earth did you agree to be in this thing? The only time I felt that anyone in this film was doing any sort of acting heavy lifting was when Smith was on screen. He, at times, made a very bad script sound not so ridiculous. I also respect Leto’s take on Joker. It was different – not particularly good, but different and interesting.
But that is as far as the positives go for me.
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There are far too many negatives for me to list, but none of the disappointments are as profound to me as Margot Robbie’s Harley.
Anyone that knows me personally understands how much of a fan I am of the character Harley Quinn. When taking her animated series, video game and comic book history into account, Harley is a deceptively deep character and as tragic as anyone in the comic book world. She is also bat-shit crazy and funny as all hell. The beautiful and talented Margot Robbie can and should have done better than the end result shown in the Suicide Squad. I mostly blame the writing but I also got the funny feeling that Margot really didn’t understand the character and what makes Harley special. She came off as if she was doing a very bad impression of a New Yorker.
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The more you think about the film, the dumber is feels. Why on earth do the Suicide Squad exist? The justification for their existence is absolutely laughable. Why can’t Superman fight the next Superman?
There are so many head scratching moments in this movie that is almost becomes funny. Although reports of studio interference explains much of this issue, it doesn’t stop me from wondering why on earth this film was allowed to go out in this state. Why the hell was Eminem’s Without Me playing when the ‘squad’ were getting ready to go out on the mission? Why was Kanye West’s BLKKK SKKKN HEAD playing when Will Smith’s Deadshot was at target practice (and if you say it is because he is black and bald I’m going to lose my g’damn mind?) Popular song, after popular song, after generic pop/rock song were peppered throughout this film, mixed with your typical hollywood score and it was off-putting. Music is so important in cinema that it is often overlooked because it is hard to get wrong. Suicide Squad got it completely and utterly wrong.
Why did Viola Davis’ character straight up murder all of those FBI agents? What the hell was Killer Croc saying throughout the film? Did that Diablo character just straight up burn his whole family over some BS? Who is that Japanese girl in the mask again?
And where in god’s name is Superman?!
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The only real positive to come from this film is that it may make Warner Brothers rethink their strategy. This ‘universe building’ strategy just may not be for them and there is nothing wrong with that.
There is nothing wrong with having a stand alone Batman film where Superman or Wonder Woman or Aqua Man or Deadshot doesn’t exist. The same with a standalone Superman movie. Christopher Nolan showed the way and Warner Brothers should follow that path religiously.
@bitechoco
Just a normal everyday bloke writing about films.