Plot
This is a “balls-to-the-wall” action film first and foremost. The typical plot points are laid out accordingly. Form a super-team, kill lots of generic bad guys, and finally fight the “big boss”. Josh and I went in to this film with very low expectations. We read the reviews online and expected to view a train wreck. The plot is lacking but it’s an ACTION film through and through. The action sequences are orchestrated very well and the gunplay and hand to hand fighting look amazing. The story premise is the typical “hero” team fighting together to defeat a common enemy. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and there is minimal downtime. The motivation of the main villains in the film are left up to interpretation. The film never really explains the endgame for the antagonists. Do the villains want world domination, genocide, terrorism, revenge, wealth, etc…? The motivation and reasons just are not explained. The plot suffers tremendously because of this. Viewers just don’t seem to care about the villain in this film. The film is full of plot holes and WTF moments. I don’t think the film deserved all of the hate that it received. The writing and plot are far from perfect, but the film is not terrible either. If you are on the fence about seeing this film take a chance you may be pleasantly surprised…just don’t expect “Oscar” quality writing. There are numerous plot holes present as well. Some scenarios are not set up or explained. There are also some issues with continuity and the suspension of disbelief.
Visuals/Special Effects
The special effects and visuals in this movie are actually pretty good. The CG is handled adequately and the costumes and set locations are great. The film does falter in some areas. The character designs for the majority of the squad are spot on and awesome. Then there is Killer Croc! The scaling of this character’s head and limbs are way off. Killer Croc is supposed to be a huge, hulking, monstrous predator, but instead looks like an average sized man with reptilian skin and a huge head. The instances where CG is used to convey superpowers worked well. There are not any visuals that will blow you away, but they are not terrible either. The overall mood and tone of the visuals are pretty satisfying. The scope of locations within the film is small so the viewer is isolated to the prison scenes and dark city streets. This small scale helps keep the film grounded and focused which is a plus. Bullet shells, gunfire, explosions, blades slicing through the air, and thuds of baseball bats to craniums are prevalent throughout the film and the sound effects give each a visceral and raw edge that really helps to sell the violence…even with a PG-13 rating. The rating does hinder the visuals in my opinion. Blood and gore should go hand-in-hand with a film about a secret villain task force. The sound sold a lot of the brutality but the visuals needed the occasional spurt of blood or decapitations or bullet riddled corpse to really touch on the sadistic and unforgiving nature of the members of the Suicide Squad. These characters enjoyed killing in the comics and where brutal. The film doesn’t really unveil this side of them to the audience. There was nothing earth shattering or ground breaking regarding the special effects. The effects team used what they had to get the job done and it still comes across good...not great….but good.
Cast/Characters
The Cast and Characters carried the movie for me. Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) was a pleasant surprise. I was worried that her character would be too over the top or annoying. I was wrong! Her comedic timing was spot on, minus a couple cringe worthy one-liners. She was definitely cast for her eye-candy factor and also delivered on that front as well. This portrayal of Harleen Quinzel is sexy, bold, hilarious, and just the right amount of bat-sh*t-crazy!!! She is the only character who seemed to fully embrace the fact that she is evil and a “bad guy”. Jared Leto (The Joker) does not have a lot of screen time but actually did a good job in the role. His joker channeled equal parts gangster, sociopath, psychopath, wild animal, and drug addict. He snarled and moved with the mannerism of a caged tiger on screen, almost predatory in nature. The chemistry between this Joker and Harley Queen was palpable and worked well even though the interactions where limited. I am actually intrigued by this iteration of the character and look forward to seeing him in the DC movie universe. Sadly the other characters are underdeveloped and not properly utilized throughout the film. The majority of the screen time is allotted to Will Smith (Deadshot). Smith is by far the biggest “Star”, but his character should not have been. Deadshot was not the leader of the team in the comics, and he was a mercenary who was motivated my MONEY. This film portrays Deadshot as a misunderstood father, which is very Will Smith-like, but not Deadshot. The screen time should have been a little more equally distributed among the other cast members. If 70 percent of the time is spent with Deadshot and Harley Quinn, there isn’t enough time in a roughly two hour film to familiarize the audience with the other less known members. This is the biggest strike against this film in my opinion. This is a team of over the top personalities and backstories but the audience is never given the chance to identify with the them.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was quite good. The infusion of Hip-Hop, Rock, and Oldies actually helps to drive the film.
Lasting Appeal
As a comic fan this movie was pretty good. As a movie critic this film was lackluster. The film was not an epic failure however. I do not agree with the hate this film received. It is a flawed film, and still an overall solid first film in a franchise if the studio chooses to pursue that route. The characters need to be front and center and represented equally. This film was way to Will Smith heavy. The action was great and the overall idea was awesome. The issue with this film was the execution of its plot devices and set pieces. This can all be evaluated and corrected for another film. This film also seems to act as a small bridge between Batman vs Superman and Justice League. I am excited about the Justice League film and I would also like to see at least a second suicide squad film. DC still has a ways to go to capture the mystique that Marvel films have enjoyed at the box office. This film isn’t a giant step forward but it keeps the boat afloat.
Scores: 1-10 (1=Poor---10=Amazing)
Leonard:
Plot-6
Visuals/Special Effects-7
Cast/Characters-6
Soundtrack-7
Lasting Appeal-7
Josh:
Plot-5
Visuals/Special Effects-7
Cast/Characters-6
Soundtrack-6
Lasting Appeal-7
Plot= 5.5
Visuals/Special Effects= 7
Cast/Characters= 6
Soundtrack= 6.5
Lasting Appeal= 7
Overall Score
6.4/10
Pros:
“This is a “balls-to-the-wall” action film first and foremost...”
“The special effects and visuals in this movie are actually pretty good. The CG is handled adequately and the costumes and set locations are great”
“the sound effects give each a visceral and raw edge that really helps to sell the violence…even with a PG-13 rating
“Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) was a pleasant surprise.”
Cons:
“The motivation of the main villains in the film are left up to interpretation. The film never really explains the endgame for the antagonists.”
“The rating does hinder the visuals in my opinion. Blood and gore should go hand-in-hand with a film about a secret villain task force.”
“The majority of the screen time is allotted to Will Smith (Deadshot).”
“The audience never believes that the team of villains are actually villains…”