Ever since the first trailer premiered for Suicide Squad, my mind has been nearly captivated in complete awe and wonder. I kept thinking that this film would be the one to unshackle the binds of demise left behind by Batman v Superman and Man Of Steel. With each new trailer - retrofitted to perfection with iconic rock anthems such as Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" - my anticipation for the premiere of the film only grew more intense and at one point, I would have paid nearly any price to see it.
Suicide Squad, even after all that's been said, does have some truly interesting and unique qualities that could make it one helluva good time for the fans. I'll do the best I can to avoid spoiler territory for those of you who've yet to see the film and are still on the fence about heading to the theaters this weekend.
And before I continue, please be noted of still possible - SPOILER ALERTS -
Kind Of Right And Also Very Wrong: Harley Quinn
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Months ago, it was diagnosed and believed by many fans that Suicide Squad would be taking a drastic deviation in Harley Quinn's original origin story. Based on the trailer, it appeared as though the Joker somehow kidnapped Dr. Harleen Quinnzel, forced her into a tank of radioactive material, and completely removed her ability to think and speak for herself. Now, setting that aside, I can reveal without getting too deep into spoiler territory that the film did give due justice to Quinn's original backstory. So for those of you who are truly looking forward to that aspect of it, you'll be in for quite the treat.
There were much better alternatives to the cosplayer's wet dream she wore.
On the negative side: While given the most screen time of the three prominent female roles in the film, Quinn was also given the least amount of respect. It felt like in every scene, her shorts just kept getting shorter and shorter till they were pretty much just cheaply cut together homemade underwear. Neither Kitana nor Amanda Waller were treated with such blatant disrespect by the filmmakers, at least when it came to the dresscode. And while I agree the use of Harley's original costume would've felt slightly unnecessary for such a modern and gritty take, there were far better alternatives to the butt floss she was saddled with for the majority of the movie.
Woah, Woah, Wait. What's Going On Here?
There were several times during the film where I looked over to the other members of the audience and wondered if they were watching the same movie I was. I constantly wondered if I was missing something, like maybe I had an extended blink session or slipped into a mini-coma because nearly every act of the film felt like there was something missing. I don't know if scenes were cut for time, cut by studio demand, or never filmed to begin with but, guys, it's so much more than noticeable. Bright lights and flashy effects don't distract all of us.
Villains Deserve So Much Better Than This
There's no easy way to say this. Enchantress sucked as a villain. And this was through no fault of Cara Delevingne. She did the best with what she had. My only real complaint is that instead of finding a worthwhile villain, Suicide Squad just grabbed what was handy and tossed it into an overused cliche of a plot that barely works and a set up for that plot that doesn't make any real sense to begin with. My advice is to not think too hard about it when leaving the theater. Or at all, if you can manage.
Cara Delevingne did a good job considering what she was given.
I can understand the many obvious struggles that come with an ensemble film, but if your villain is the worst part of the film and not in a good way, there's a pretty good chance you're headed the way of the Halle Berry Catwoman disaster. For those who know, that's pretty much the worst thing that can happen to a superhero movie.
Cara Delevingne is a stellar actress and her talents were severely misused in a character I really wanted to care about but just couldn't manage to gather the effort. Why should I waste time investing my feelings into this girl if even the filmmakers refuse to do so? In all honesty, they may or may not have been better off just going with the Joker as the main villain instead. The main part of the problem was jumping into a story that had no real time to set up and seemed like it was rushing to copy what was done in the first Avengers film.
Thank God For The Financial Success, But Heed The Warning, Warner and DC!
Suicide Squad has managed to defy the best efforts of the many critics hoping to spare anyone else the tragedy of what they endured. And while it is a world's distance away from being the worst superhero movie ever made, it's not that far from the edge. We live in a world where studios are in a constant war to see who can pump out the better alternative to one another. We have Fox Marvel vs Disney Marvel, Marvel TV vs DC TV, and now DCEU vs MCU. If you're constantly focusing on trying to outdo what's already been done, you're going to miss the opportunity to make something new, unique, and fun.
I don't think it was intentional to give Suicide Squad the appearance it was trying to mimic - at a much faster pace - the story structure and tone of Guardians of The Galaxy, but it definitely came off that way, at least to me.
Financial success and some truly great performances by a particular trio of actors, is of right now, the only real thing this movie has going for it in terms of keeping the DCEU alive and moving. While it may be too late to go back and fix what's been done, it's not too late to learn from mistakes and work them into the possible bright future the DCEU still has time to achieve.
We The Fans Must Take Responsibility, Too
I'll say it: A solo Batman movie, Wonder Woman, and a Man Of Steel sequel should've come way before Batman v Superman. They would've given DC and Warner the time to set up both BVS and Suicide Squad, introduced us to Joker and Harley Quinn in a way that wouldn't have felt rushed, and let fans get to know the rest of their favorite comic characters in way that didn't feel like someone slamming the entire menu's worth of food on your plate before you've even had time to order an appetizer.
This all happened because DC and WB couldn't pace themselves or sacrfice impatience for dedication. But fault also falls, in part, on us the fans. We let them do this. We let them make Batman v Superman as a direct sequel to Man Of Steel even though the whole plot of that movie could've been done without Batman. We let them do it because we wanted Justice League and we let them know we wanted it as fast as meta-humanly possible. And because of that, Warner saw dollar signs instead of fans. That's on us.
We must demand better. These stories and characters deserve better.
If we don't say anything, they're obviously not going to listen. We can't just keep hoping next time will be better. We have to demand it be better now. The DC universe has two films coming up that can either prop it from its wasteland of effort or finish hammering down the final nail the coffin. For me, if DC fails on the same level with Wonder Woman as they have with Suicide Squad and all others before, I'm done with the franchise. A fan can only take so much ignorance and disrespect.
I pray they take these reviews, these plights, into deep consideration as they move forward. It may already be too late to save Suicide Squad, but it's not too late to save the franchise. Time is on your side, Warner. Go back, do reshoots, hire better directors, bring in the people who created these stories to write the movies for you, and let the damn directors do their freaking jobs! It's like nobody learned a thing from X-Men: The Last Stand.
In closing, am I tossing this franchise to the wind? Not yet. Did I love Suicide Squad? Some parts of it, yeah. Is there still potential for these characters in the future? You bet your bottom dollar there is. Should you go see the movie? I say, give it a chance. Watch for yourself and the let everyone over at Warner Bros. know exactly how you feel about it.
Remember fans, demand excellence or you'll get mediocrity.