Entry posted by Jean Valjean
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Look at that poster. Doesn't it look fun? As in, everything's-off-the-wall-in-you-face-so-fun-that-it's-insane? I not only wanted to like this movie, but I also had a lot of confidence going in that I was up for a good time. My verdict now that I've seen it? Well...it's okay. It isn't bad, but - look, I'm not going to get too much into the details, but let me explain from the beginning.
The movie starts off pretty eccentric, finding fun ways of introducing us to all of these characters. It has an offbeat style that reminds me a little bit of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and that's awesome. It's the type of creativity that I expected from this film, what with it's "Bohemian Rhapsody" trailer and drug-trip poster. It's a whole lot of style without much substance, which worked just fine for me. The problem is, the movie didn't maintain this stylized approach, and quickly fell into feeling like a normal movie, free from its more risque tropes. Suicide Squad had the potential to be 2016's Mad Max: Fury Road, where the director had a million and one crazy ideas bursting from his noggin that he just barely managed to jam into one movie; that's what the idea behind this film lent itself to, and that's what the advertising brought me to expect. However, it isn't quite that movie.
In fact, not much happens in Suicide Squad, when you take a step back. The actual story doesn't get moving for the first third of the movie, which is dedicated to introducing us to all of the characters. The introductions mostly stick to showing instead of telling, which is a smart move, but it they still don't show us a story, and they can't conceal the major pacing issues that this film has. Because when it comes down to it, nothing happens for the first third of the movie, save for the introductions. While those introductions are fun, they postpone the fun premise of the film that you paid to see. When Suicide Squad finally gets its titular group together, it feels like the story only lasts for two acts. They get together, go up against the bad guys, and don't come across too many challenges. The action isn't as interesting as other superhero movies, and especially not as inspired and adrenaline-pumped as Fury Road. The story can basically be summed up as "Suicide Squad fights minions until they meet the Big Bad." There aren't too many interesting challenges or twists along the way. It's unfortunate, because I wanted to see the director do everything that could possibly be done with a villainous group like this, and he only showed us some of the things that can happen when you assemble a group like the Suicide Squad.
With all that having been said, there are many upsides to this film. The characters are enjoyable, and as someone who has read the comics, I feel that they were pretty loyal to these characters. Harley Quinn could have been a little more insane, but insanity is hard to write and she still felt like Harley Quinn. Floyd Lawton (Deadshot) felt just like the character that I know from the comics, and Captain Boomerang was the fun little trouble-maker that I've come to love. I loved El Diablo from the comics, and I loved seeing him come to life in this movie. The one who shines the most is Amanda Waller, who is exactly who she's supposed to be, and Viola Davis should be proud of her performance. There were other characters who didn't get as fleshed out, but they're still loyal to their comic-book origins. Perhaps the one area where some might complain is with the Joker, who seemed a little too sane, and whose character was defined mainly by his relationship with Harley Quinn. However, I give the film a pass here, because he wasn't in this film in order to showcase the things that make him the Joker, but rather to showcase the things that make Harley Quinn who she is, and he succeeded. I'm sure that in future films, when he's given the freedom to be the main star and exist for his own sake (and Batman's), you'll see a far more definitive version of the Joker, and his insanity will really shine through.
From what I hear, many people have been entertained by this film, which is good. I won't deny that it's entertaining, or that it's unique. Unfortunately, it's nowhere near as entertaining or as unique as it ought to have been, at least by my estimation. That won't stop me from recommending the film to the curious moviegoer, though. If you're interested in this film and want to watch something villain-centric, go ahead and give Suicide Squad a go.
Oh, and one last thing: stay afterward when the credits start rolling. DC caved and started mimicking Marvel by including a mid-credits sequence.
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