SPOILER-FREE MOVIE REVIEW
For many years, I have been asked this question - "Are you Marvel or DC?"
To that, my answer has always been that I'm unbiased to both because I enjoy quality entertainment, and thus far, both studios have produced some excellent stuff which has made my movie-going experiences over the past eight or so years very fulfilling.
From mega-highs like The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War and Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to less-spectacular-but-still-entertaining stuff like Iron Man 3 or Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I have enjoyed them all.
With the release of the latest entry in the brand new DC Extended Universe (DCEU), however, I find myself edging ever-so-slightly towards #TeamDC.
Why do I say that? Well, let's put it this way,
Ever since 2008, Marvel has absolutely dominated the superhero movie genre. DC has been playing catch-up for the longest time.
With the birth of DC's universe in 2013 with Man Of Steel, the start said universe has gotten has been nothing short of underwhelming.
After the "panic button" which was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the pressure was really on Suicide Squad, the third instalment in the DCEU to really deliver a movie that would finally set the universe on track.
Hence, with DC being major underdogs to Marvel at the moment, did Suicide Squad deliver the goods?
Well, let's talk about that, shall we?
For starters, this movie knew what kind of movie it wanted to be right from the off.
It understood that we have never seen the vast majority of the diverse characters before on the big screen.
Characters like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith) and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) amongst many others have never been explored before, and due to the sheer number of characters that needed to be introduced, the filmmakers opted for a very smart approach in giving us all decent backstory to each individual instead of the typical "slow development of each new character in order to flesh them out as much as possible" thing many superhero movies do.
Sure, many may argue that this approach implies laziness or a lack of care for the characters.
I totally get what these people mean because some characters do get more development than others, but when you take into account the importance of each one, it all makes sense in the end as to why each character got the screen time they did.
It's similar to the manner in which Marvel did Guardians of the Galaxy, just that many of the characters in Suicide Squad are far better known than characters like Drax the Destroyer or Gamora were back then.
The approach also saves a lot of precious time in shaving off the extensive exposition as it makes plenty of room for more awesome action.
Right from the off, I already got a lovely feeling in me where it just felt so nice to see the DC universe unfold and how everything is now intertwined and connected.
It just feels right that characters like Batman (no spoilers here cos he was in the trailers after all) appear in the same world as these criminals, and the best part is that none of these references, cameos or easter eggs felt forced. All of them just worked and felt so natural. It wasn't like how Marvel shoved the freaking Thor vision-in-the-water scene right in the middle of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which felt so out of place and unnatural.
So nice how everything is linked now, and my word the Batman cameos were so freaking awesome. I really think that Ben Affleck is one bloody good Batman and he may even become my favourite after Christian Bale/Michael Keaton once Justice League hits theatres next year.
Let's talk about the characters, and I have to give immense praise to the characters and their actors who really stood out to me - Harley Quinn, Deadshot, El Diablo, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and of course, Jared Leto's Joker.
The casting of all of these people in particular was just spot-on.
Margot Robbie totally killed it as Harley Quinn, and she easily stole every scene she was in - apart from those she had with the Joker cos both of them together just made everyone go mad cos they were so damn good together.
She was playful, sexy, very fun and always had the right quip to say at the right moment. She played Harley Quinn exactly as how I had envisioned the character to be played the moment I heard of her casting. It's really a match made in heaven, like Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool or Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Will Smith was awesome as Deadshot, with some truly epic lines which are both inspirational and funny. He also gave so much heart to the conflicted hitman, with the super touching and heartening dynamic he had with his daughter.
He also brought his Will Smith-isms to the role, where he just has the right quips to say at the right time. He also cracks a number of jokes which are hilarious.
He played one hell of a charming badass, and I can't wait to see more of Deadshot and Harley Quinn in future DCEU instalments.
El Diablo was my personal favourite apart from Harley and Deadshot, as I truly felt sympathy for his character and all the struggles he faced with his inner-conflict over his special abilities.
Poor Jay Hernandez had to shave his eyebrows off for the part but I'm glad he did. He was terrific.
Another show-stealer was Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Damn, that woman kicked some serious ass without having to even lay a finger on any opponent.
Not only was she totally convincing in the role, but also (in my humble opinion) a solid statement for female empowerment.
She literally had all these interesting characters in the palm of her hand, being in control the whole time.
Should a movie want to be a statement for the feminist movement, look no further than Amanda Waller.
Last, and by no means least, we have Jared Leto's Joker, and oh my goodness was he freaking awesome.
He doesn't appear that much in the movie (like everyone, I really wanted more of him in Suicide Squad), but even so, he steals every scene he's in and my word, his chemistry with Harley Quinn was unbelievably good.
If you're expecting him to be the main antagonist of the movie then sorry, you'll be disappointed. Just wait for the solo Batman movie man I'm sure we'll get a proper taste of him then. His appearance in Suicide Squad is more of a teaser as to what we will see more of in future DCEU movies, and believe me, he's gonna be one hell of a good Joker.
As of now, it's obviously not fair to compare him with the previous portrayals of the character on the big screen by Jack Nicholson ("Batman (1989)") and Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight (2008)") - both iconic in their own special and messed-up way.
However, this is Jared Leto we're talking about. This guy is one of Hollywood's craziest method actors around. This is someone who stayed in character throughout the duration of filming, constantly pranking his co-stars with sick gifts. If that's not Joker-ey enough for you then I don't know what is. Once again, perfect casting by DC and Warner Bros.
As for the rest of the cast, none of them really stand out. The only one is maybe Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang - a role where he actually wasn't annoying!
Joel Kinnaman's fine as Rick Flag, although I feel that Tom Hardy (who was originally cast but had to withdraw due to filming on The Revenant being dragged on) would have done a much better job.
Oh, and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) is soooooo pretty, and also wew, Asia represent!
The film's antagonist(s) (who shall remain unnamed in case people regard it as a spoiler) was really mediocre, with their plot and character motivations being really paper-thin. They were just there because the Squad needed someone to fight.
Having said all that, though, all of the characters undergo some sort of moral transformation as the movie goes along, with some arriving quicker than others - all dependent on the individual struggles each character was facing.
There's even some nice symbolism for racism and stereotyping which I felt was really cool to see (a great example is for Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) <- WHAT A NAME RIGHT DAYUM).
On to the story, and I felt that it was simple enough, with more focus on the characters telling their stories (which, I felt was more interesting).
I'm not saying that the characters "carry" the movie though, no. They just flesh out the film by adding plenty of emotional depth and charisma.
On to the technical aspects of the movie, and that's where the movie kinda fell short for me.
Many portions of the film were really messy, with a handful of scenes feeling out-of-place as well as the editing being really choppy.
That in turn affected the film's pacing slightly, but thankfully it doesn't slow the movie down too much.
There's also no real three-act structure, or not one that I detected anyway. The movie just sort of gets to work right away and doesn't beat-around-the-bush. For me, I appreciated it but I'm sure that to some, they hated it. Whatever, this is my review so yay for no dilly-dallying.
I thought the movie was shot really nicely, with a very colourful lighting scheme which was really pleasing to the eyes after the super dark and sombre colours used for Man Of Steel and BvS. A clear statement from DC in showing the direction in which they're heading with their movies.
It was directed pretty well by David Ayer, who clearly understood each and every character portrayed on-screen (apart from Slipknot (Adam Beach) who was really surplus).
The song choices used as part of the soundtrack were bloody brilliant, with an awesome mix of classic songs from the olden days to quality modern stuff. It's easily the very best soundtrack (in terms of songs used and not composed score) I have ever heard in a movie. It's that good.
All in all, Suicide Squad was a thoroughly enjoyable time and a solid two hours' worth of quality entertainment.
Don't for one second believe the total bullshit 26% score (as of this moment) it got on Rotten Tomatoes.
This may seem super naive of me to say but what the hell, I think Rotten Tomatoes are super biased against DC movies and just wanted to hate this movie right from the off just because BvS was such a disappointment (to critics).
Once again, it's a movie for the fans - and that's not a bad thing at all. Rotten Tomatoes needs to understand that, but what do they care, they just pay their critics to vote a movie poor. Reasons why I stopped following their opinions since BvS.
Go into Suicide Squad with reasonable expectations. You all saw the incredible trailers, don't forget that.
Just don't go in expecting the next Citizen Kane cos that's just being ridiculous.
Suicide Squad was easily the most fun I've had with a movie since Deadpool in February and I would most certainly recommend it to anyone.
Also, do stay behind as the initial credits roll because there is a mid-credits scenes which is pretty important and pretty cool so yeah, no need to thank me! Enjoy yourselves.
7.5/10.
For starters, this movie knew what kind of movie it wanted to be right from the off.
It understood that we have never seen the vast majority of the diverse characters before on the big screen.
Characters like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith) and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) amongst many others have never been explored before, and due to the sheer number of characters that needed to be introduced, the filmmakers opted for a very smart approach in giving us all decent backstory to each individual instead of the typical "slow development of each new character in order to flesh them out as much as possible" thing many superhero movies do.
Sure, many may argue that this approach implies laziness or a lack of care for the characters.
I totally get what these people mean because some characters do get more development than others, but when you take into account the importance of each one, it all makes sense in the end as to why each character got the screen time they did.
It's similar to the manner in which Marvel did Guardians of the Galaxy, just that many of the characters in Suicide Squad are far better known than characters like Drax the Destroyer or Gamora were back then.
The approach also saves a lot of precious time in shaving off the extensive exposition as it makes plenty of room for more awesome action.
Right from the off, I already got a lovely feeling in me where it just felt so nice to see the DC universe unfold and how everything is now intertwined and connected.
It just feels right that characters like Batman (no spoilers here cos he was in the trailers after all) appear in the same world as these criminals, and the best part is that none of these references, cameos or easter eggs felt forced. All of them just worked and felt so natural. It wasn't like how Marvel shoved the freaking Thor vision-in-the-water scene right in the middle of Avengers: Age of Ultron, which felt so out of place and unnatural.
So nice how everything is linked now, and my word the Batman cameos were so freaking awesome. I really think that Ben Affleck is one bloody good Batman and he may even become my favourite after Christian Bale/Michael Keaton once Justice League hits theatres next year.
Let's talk about the characters, and I have to give immense praise to the characters and their actors who really stood out to me - Harley Quinn, Deadshot, El Diablo, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) and of course, Jared Leto's Joker.
The casting of all of these people in particular was just spot-on.
Margot Robbie totally killed it as Harley Quinn, and she easily stole every scene she was in - apart from those she had with the Joker cos both of them together just made everyone go mad cos they were so damn good together.
She was playful, sexy, very fun and always had the right quip to say at the right moment. She played Harley Quinn exactly as how I had envisioned the character to be played the moment I heard of her casting. It's really a match made in heaven, like Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool or Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Will Smith was awesome as Deadshot, with some truly epic lines which are both inspirational and funny. He also gave so much heart to the conflicted hitman, with the super touching and heartening dynamic he had with his daughter.
He also brought his Will Smith-isms to the role, where he just has the right quips to say at the right time. He also cracks a number of jokes which are hilarious.
He played one hell of a charming badass, and I can't wait to see more of Deadshot and Harley Quinn in future DCEU instalments.
El Diablo was my personal favourite apart from Harley and Deadshot, as I truly felt sympathy for his character and all the struggles he faced with his inner-conflict over his special abilities.
Poor Jay Hernandez had to shave his eyebrows off for the part but I'm glad he did. He was terrific.
Another show-stealer was Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Damn, that woman kicked some serious ass without having to even lay a finger on any opponent.
Not only was she totally convincing in the role, but also (in my humble opinion) a solid statement for female empowerment.
She literally had all these interesting characters in the palm of her hand, being in control the whole time.
Should a movie want to be a statement for the feminist movement, look no further than Amanda Waller.
Last, and by no means least, we have Jared Leto's Joker, and oh my goodness was he freaking awesome.
He doesn't appear that much in the movie (like everyone, I really wanted more of him in Suicide Squad), but even so, he steals every scene he's in and my word, his chemistry with Harley Quinn was unbelievably good.
If you're expecting him to be the main antagonist of the movie then sorry, you'll be disappointed. Just wait for the solo Batman movie man I'm sure we'll get a proper taste of him then. His appearance in Suicide Squad is more of a teaser as to what we will see more of in future DCEU movies, and believe me, he's gonna be one hell of a good Joker.
As of now, it's obviously not fair to compare him with the previous portrayals of the character on the big screen by Jack Nicholson ("Batman (1989)") and Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight (2008)") - both iconic in their own special and messed-up way.
However, this is Jared Leto we're talking about. This guy is one of Hollywood's craziest method actors around. This is someone who stayed in character throughout the duration of filming, constantly pranking his co-stars with sick gifts. If that's not Joker-ey enough for you then I don't know what is. Once again, perfect casting by DC and Warner Bros.
As for the rest of the cast, none of them really stand out. The only one is maybe Jai Courtney's Captain Boomerang - a role where he actually wasn't annoying!
Joel Kinnaman's fine as Rick Flag, although I feel that Tom Hardy (who was originally cast but had to withdraw due to filming on The Revenant being dragged on) would have done a much better job.
Oh, and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) is soooooo pretty, and also wew, Asia represent!
The film's antagonist(s) (who shall remain unnamed in case people regard it as a spoiler) was really mediocre, with their plot and character motivations being really paper-thin. They were just there because the Squad needed someone to fight.
Having said all that, though, all of the characters undergo some sort of moral transformation as the movie goes along, with some arriving quicker than others - all dependent on the individual struggles each character was facing.
There's even some nice symbolism for racism and stereotyping which I felt was really cool to see (a great example is for Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) <- WHAT A NAME RIGHT DAYUM).
On to the story, and I felt that it was simple enough, with more focus on the characters telling their stories (which, I felt was more interesting).
I'm not saying that the characters "carry" the movie though, no. They just flesh out the film by adding plenty of emotional depth and charisma.
On to the technical aspects of the movie, and that's where the movie kinda fell short for me.
Many portions of the film were really messy, with a handful of scenes feeling out-of-place as well as the editing being really choppy.
That in turn affected the film's pacing slightly, but thankfully it doesn't slow the movie down too much.
There's also no real three-act structure, or not one that I detected anyway. The movie just sort of gets to work right away and doesn't beat-around-the-bush. For me, I appreciated it but I'm sure that to some, they hated it. Whatever, this is my review so yay for no dilly-dallying.
I thought the movie was shot really nicely, with a very colourful lighting scheme which was really pleasing to the eyes after the super dark and sombre colours used for Man Of Steel and BvS. A clear statement from DC in showing the direction in which they're heading with their movies.
It was directed pretty well by David Ayer, who clearly understood each and every character portrayed on-screen (apart from Slipknot (Adam Beach) who was really surplus).
The song choices used as part of the soundtrack were bloody brilliant, with an awesome mix of classic songs from the olden days to quality modern stuff. It's easily the very best soundtrack (in terms of songs used and not composed score) I have ever heard in a movie. It's that good.
All in all, Suicide Squad was a thoroughly enjoyable time and a solid two hours' worth of quality entertainment.
Don't for one second believe the total bullshit 26% score (as of this moment) it got on Rotten Tomatoes.
This may seem super naive of me to say but what the hell, I think Rotten Tomatoes are super biased against DC movies and just wanted to hate this movie right from the off just because BvS was such a disappointment (to critics).
Once again, it's a movie for the fans - and that's not a bad thing at all. Rotten Tomatoes needs to understand that, but what do they care, they just pay their critics to vote a movie poor. Reasons why I stopped following their opinions since BvS.
Go into Suicide Squad with reasonable expectations. You all saw the incredible trailers, don't forget that.
Just don't go in expecting the next Citizen Kane cos that's just being ridiculous.
Suicide Squad was easily the most fun I've had with a movie since Deadpool in February and I would most certainly recommend it to anyone.
Also, do stay behind as the initial credits roll because there is a mid-credits scenes which is pretty important and pretty cool so yeah, no need to thank me! Enjoy yourselves.
7.5/10.
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