In 2009 Warner Bros. announced a film based on the DC comic book series known as "Suicide Squad" was being put into production. On September 2014 David Ayer was signed on to direct and write for the film with the cast being filled over the next several months including big names such as Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, and Jared Leto signing on.
The film began to get some serious hype. I mean come on, it's about a bunch of super villains saving the world, with characters like the Joker and Harley Quinn being promoted as having big roles. Further more, the official teaser trailer was leaked in the summer of 2015 and might I say it looked AWESOME. Everything seemed dark, sinister and Jared Leto's Joker looked like it had the potential to be the best. With a creepy arrangement of "I started a joke" in the background I, along with many many more comic book nerds out there believed DC was gonna nail 2016 (along with BvS).
DC continued to build the hype from there. Trailers, posters, clips, trailers, interviews, and oh - more trailers. I thought this movie could actually do what no other film had been able to do - dethrone Guardians of the Galaxy as my favorite super hero film. It had EVERYTHING that I could ask for in a super hero film including:
Will Smith (my favorite actor), The Joker (my favorite villain), It's ABOUT villains (I've always liked well done villains over heroes), a soundtrack that had Bohemian Rhapsody, Heathens and a few other solid songs which made up for a promising soundtrack, and to top it all off... A Batfleck cameo. (I love Batfleck)
Could it get any better? (Well I guess if they could some how get Ghost Rider in there it would but pretty close.)
But there was one thing I noticed as the promotional material continued to be released: Everything seemed more and more cartoonish, lighthearted, and just an overall less serious feel then when for example the first teaser was released. Even the music hinted at the change in vibes. I was still excited about the film but began to be cautious and not allow myself to get too hyped (I probably was too hyped but hey whatever).
What really gave it away that the film might not be what I was hoping for was this: Warner Bros began some reshoots of the film in late spring - early summer 2016 due to the company wanting a more "lighthearted and comedic tone" for the film especially after BvS was criticized for being to dark and "somber". But there is a problem with this. You don't just reshoot or change the tone and feel of certain parts of a movie, or an album/song, or a musical etc. It's not smart.
The official poster for DC's Suicide Squad even showcased the bright colors and cartoonish feel that the overall film encompassed
Eventually August rolled around and I walked into the movie theater with one of my buddies to go see the movie I had been more excited about then any other film in 2016. Being somewhat of an optimist, I hoped for the best but no longer expected it to be great. Needless to say the first word I could use to describe the film was this: Disappointment
Suicide Squad was not just a disappointment, it was one mess of a film. The beginning act of the film was strangely paced and I was begging it to slow down as they introduced character after character with strange, confusing, intro to each one with too much cartoonish colors and about four song changes in less then a minute. Making for one HECTIC beginning to the film. The final two thirds of the film had a slower pacing once the Squad was sent on their mission but as a whole the film was uneven and choppy. Even worse - you could tell where they added and/or changed scenes to make it lighter (remember they reshot some parts of the film AFTER they had finished it).
Something the cast had hyped up was David Ayers' directing and his ability to make strong, well written characters. While that may be true, the films' plot (along with the pacing) made for characters who were undeveloped and hard to care about. And to be honest, the film made me wonder if Ayers really gave everything he could. It gave me a sense of "not well done" and like they just threw together an action blockbuster with nothing else to offer.
The film tries to much to imitate the edgy, dark, and twisted vibes from Deadpool, while also bringing in splashes of bright colors, quips and a team that hopefully rivals (and fails epically) Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, while also having a soundtrack that wants to much to be like Awesome Mix Vol 1 (which will NEVER happen by the way). Trying to be a mix of both doesn't work and inevitably they cancelled each other out making the film very muddled and leaves you wondering what the film was trying to accomplish.
My final critique to Suicide Squad is what may arguably be the most important part of a film - Plot. It made absolutely NO sense. Which added to the hectic feeling and strange pace. Things were said and done repeatedly that you are scratching your head over, while the mission that the Squad are sent to take on is one of the dumbest you've ever seen while lacking all possible creativity. Random characters are thrown in that you then forget are even there (Katana, Joker) due to their lack of involvement and/or importance to the plot. Throw in a villain that has nothing special and compelling about her (Enchantress) and you've got a boring, non revolutionary, uneven paced super hero flic (with only a few spurts of action that keeps you relatively entertained for only a moment) that is Suicide Squad.
Now to say there was absolutely nothing good about the film would be a lie. First off: Robbie was phenomenal. I knew from watching the trailers that Harley Quinn was in good hands and is something to continue looking out for in the DCEU - and Smith? Well watching my favorite actor nail his part despite the bad film that was surrounding him once again reminded me why he's my favorite actor. Both these actors deserve A's for their performances.
Hernandez, Davis, Courtney, and Kinnaman did very well despite the fact that they (along side the rest of the cast) did not have a lot to work with. And having Ben Affleck's Batman make an appearance was even in a way a breath of fresh air. But it speaks volumes about the quality of the film to say his cameo was one of the few positives to the film. Also: Heathens is one heck of a great song. Kudos to TOP.
Smith and Robbie proved why they are A-list actors with their respective performances in Suicide Squad
And then there is the one question mark/meh part of the film:
Jared Leto's Joker. The film hyped him up so much and the final product was around 11 minutes of screen time (over 15 if you get the extended edition). His role in the film was such a non-pivotal role that by the end of it I think they would have been better off without him. The Joker was in the film so little I don't think it's possible to grade or critique his performance. Whether it was good, bad or even just plain weird I couldn't say. Being my favorite character in fiction - I am definitely interested in seeing more of Leto and specifically the dynamic between him and Affleck's Caped Crusader.
And to be honest, things like the tattoos and teeth really didn't bother me. It's just another interpretation of the character that I believe has yet to truly be shown. It could end up being terrible. Or we might end up saying Leto was brilliant. All I can say is: You can't lay the verdict down now on Leto's performance after no more then 15 minutes of screen time (extended cut time).
Leto's performance received mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. But in the end, there was not much to go off of regarding his performance due to less then 20 minutes of screen time.
All in all, Suicide Squad is a befuddled mess that can't decide what it wants to be, all the while throwing in mindless action, undeveloped characters and a boring plot that the likes of Will Smith and Margot Robbie couldn't save no matter how great their performances turned out. I give it a 3.5 out of a ten star rating.
And as for you Leto... Let's just say I'm not holding my breath.