Suicide Squad Review

In my DC Comics loving heart, I loved the characters in the film. They were ripped nearly directly from the comic book themselves, particularly the origins for all the main characters form the Suicide Squad. There are certain awesome fan service elements for people like myself and for those who know a lot more than me about the source material. The Squad itself I would daresay is great, there interaction with one another and the way they work with one another very much carries the film. Also the film is very fun and entertaining in Summer Blockbuster popcorn sense. There is very few truly deeply meaningful character development moments, but when the film does decide to briefly touch on those character building moments it works very well. These moments are particularly concentrated on the characters of Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and El Diablo. Overall the film lacks true depth, but in these character the film tries to provide some, but unfortunately does not spend enough time fulling exploring it. 

The main highlight for me is seeing these characters be brought to life on the big screen and I felt that was done rather successfully through some really good acting performances. Will Smith is very good, bordering on great, in this film. This is the best performance Will Smith has given in a very long time. This is the charismatic, charming, humorous, heartfelt, and badass Will Smith that people originally fell in love with in the 90s. It was great to see him embody a character like that again. Margot Robbie is fantastic as Harley Quinn, she embodies the psychotic, sexually vibrant, unpredictable character that has been such a big part of comic book pop culture over the last 20 years or so. Her relationship with the Joker is touched on in the film and for the first time in live action form we see their sickly obsessive love for one another. Jared Leto's Joker is one of the most visually frightening versions we've seen of the Joker on the big screen. The best way I can describe him is if Tony Montana from Scarface became The Joker. His relationship with Harley is one of such psychotic psychological dependency. Unfortunately he does not get the amount of screen time that many think he would have. From what I hear a lot of his scenes were cut out of the film, which probably had to do with forming the film into a much more PG-13 friendly cut because Leto’s Joker is very dark. Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is an icy cold, no nonsense, badass, who creates this team out of a reaction to the events in Batman v Superman. Of all the members of the Suicide Squad she is the one that I feel is truly evil.

Then there are some surprises that you didn't expect. Jay Hernandez as El Diablo has one of the most emotional and heartbreaking backstories of all the characters. Jai Courtney is good as Captain Boomerang, providing some comic relief and eccentricity to a character with a kind of ridiculous name. Joel Kinneman is good as the team leader Rick Flagg who seemingly has the most emotional investment in the mission they are on. His back and forth with Smith’s Deadshot leads to some good comedic banter as well as some confrontational moments. Personally I feel Kinneman is an underrated actor who has not found the breakout role yet in Hollywood cinema. Unfortunately Karen Fukuhara as Katana and Adewale Akinnoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc are rather underdeveloped and underutilized for there than their action scene prowess. I will say the Killer Croc makeup looks excellent. 

Here we come to negative portion of my thoughts. The plot/narrative structure is a mess. The screenplay definitely needed more than six weeks to be developed and written, because everything about the film feels insanely rushed and unpolished from a story standpoint. The plot pacing is incredible fast for a two hour film, it has very little time to breathe as a film. The film’s pace starts off fast right from the beginning and just really never lets up. As a viewer you have to strap in and hold on tight because you are in for a wild ride. The editing of the film is wildly schizophrenic at times, nearly on an Oliver Stone type level of wild. While it does create a unique stylized feeling to the film, it hampers it when it comes to cohesive storytelling. The film has a problem with balancing tones. Genre melding is a common practice in films, but the key is to know how to cohesively put those tones together and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t in this film, a lot of that is editing issues. Unfortunately the villain is one of the weakest aspects of the film, which also contribute to a weak climactic third act. Its just a very cliched, standard, and plot device type of villain. The film also relies very heavily on utilizing popular songs as music for certain scenes and while initially I didn't mind it at first because its a way for the film to actively engage the audience, there were certain points when it was unnecessary and felt excessive. That is not to say the music they use is bad, I am sure many are going to go out and buy the soundtrack.

My final thoughts on the film are I really liked these characters a lot and rather enjoyed watching the film they were in. The problem is the film they are in has a lot of glaring flaws. Flaws that I feel are there for a couple of reasons, Warner Bros. reaction to the negativity of the seriousness of Batman v Superman and somewhat meddling with David Ayer’s original idea of what he believed the film to be. Ultimately he and Warner Bros. created a film that is lighter and more entertaining than the previous films in the DCEU, but at the cost of depth of story and character. Thats not to say the film is devoid of any merit, but their is indeed some lost potential with such a richness of characters. The cast and the director keep saying they made the film for the fans and indeed it is very much a film for fans of the characters and I have to applaud them for that. I have to reiterate that even with my criticisms, I liked the film. 3.25/5 Stars

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Theatrical Cut Review

In spite of the seemingly overwhelming negative feedback the film has been getting from various places, I liked the film. As a lover of DC Comics there were moments of this film that gave me chills. There were moments that were either translated right from the comics or were homage. The film is very much fan service for people like myself. I understand how not having some type of personal connection with the material can be alienating to a viewer. Especially in a film with the issues that this film has. But, a personal attachment does not hide the fact that the film does have its flaws.

What seems to be getting somewhat universal praise even from those who hate the film, is that of Ben Affleck's portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman. I absolutely love this version of Batman. He is the darkest, most brutal, and psychologically tortured Batman that we have ever seen on film. What I find most interesting about this Batman and coincidentally what most people have issue with is that he is willing to kill his enemies. Although this aspect of the character has precedence in both the Comic Books and previous film incarnation, there has been established Batman's reluctance to kill. One of the major aspects of his character is that he is constantly teetering on moral ledge of whether to kill or not. What fascinates me about Affleck's version of Batman is what has occurred in his life to push him over that ledge? At what point did he reach the breaking point and what form of trauma was it? Perhaps those answers could come in later films? The motivation behind his need to take down Superman are established early, of all the abundance of plot elements in the film, this is the clearest. I wouldn't be surprised if Affleck himself either wrote or re-wrote hs character because it sticks out as being far superior writing than the rest of the film. The Batman v Superman elements are the strongest of the film in my opinion.

The opening 20-30 minutes of the film are excellent, the next two hours compile a messy film. The biggest flaw for me in the film is story/plot structure is rather a mess. The film tries to be many many things, which stretches the film too thin, despite its long runtime. It is a film that tries to be a sequel, a Superman film, a Batman film, and a setup film all in one. It both fails and succeeds at the same time. Also one must understand what they are getting going into a Zack Snyder film, his filmography is long enough to where there should be no surprises as to the weaknesses of his ability as a director.  He is not a director that would appeal to everyone, his style is rather blunt but beautiful at times. he has the ability to at times deliver such beautiful visuals that convey so much in just their appearance. Other times his visuals are so blunt and hit the viewer like a brick repeatedly. The action is some times fantastically well done, like the fight scenes with Batman and other times can be over the top and mind numbing, like in the third act.

Snyder also has a reputation for his films lacking substance and surely that argument has been made for this film. But, the film is not devoid of substance. it is there if one delves deep enough. The main issue is because the film structured in such a messy way, key themes are introduced but never fully developed. The film opens very interesting doorways into such themes as God's relationship with man but walks partially down the hall way and then moves onto another doorway. The material for a rich story is their, the signs are there, it just needs to be fully realized. Aspects of the plot feel rushed. The third act of this film is a DC comics fans dream to see on the big screen. I will admit I love the concept of the third act from a fan's perspective. But, had the lead up to it been much better written and structured, it would have been even more rewarding. Some of these underdeveloped writing issues could be remedied in the the 3 hour Ultimate Cut that will be released on Blu-ray/DVD later this year. Overall the film has both good and bad aspects. It is not a great film and it is not a terrible film. Despite its apparent flaws I still was able to find enjoyment watching it. 3.5/5 Stars