'Suicide Squad' Review

After Dawn of Justice proved to be less than popular among critics, David Ayer's Suicide Squad found a new responsibility fall on its shoulders. Along with further expanding the DCEU, introducing new characters and setting things up for Justice League, it also had to fix the mistakes of Dawn of Justice and ultimately save the DCEU. And while it doesn't exactly redeem things, Suicide Squad is highly entertaining and humourous film that leaves fans wanting more. The film follows a team of supervillains called 'Task Force X' who are forced into participating in suicide missions which in return, will reduce the length of their prison sentence.
I'm going to start with this films flaws, and while I hoped there would be very little of these, there were unfortunately quite a few that really bring down the film. One of the main flaws is the plot, a pretty integral part of any film. While the first act does a brilliant job of setting up the squad and introducing its members, the second and third provide a mere rehash of previous superhero movies. An underdeveloped villain with unclear motivations, a couple of plot holes and, that's right, a giant energy beam shooting into the sky. Because at this stage every comic book film needs to climax with the baddie shooting a giant energy beam into the sky. The editing doesn't do the film any favour's either and simply makes the film look messy and uneven.
Apart from a couple of minutes of background info on Cara Delevingne's Enchantress there's not a lot of development given to the films antagonists or their evil scheme, it involves a giant beam though obviously. Delevingne does a decent job of portraying both Enchantress and her alter ego June Moone but isn't really given enough to do here, she is essentially just a reimagined version of Gozer from Ghostbusters. The secondary antagonist, Incubus, gets even less development and is literally a walking mess of amateur CGI, like honestly the worst CGI I've ever seen. Jared Leto on the other hand, does a great job as the Joker and brings his own unique flare to the character instead of mimicking the performances of Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson. However there just isn't really enough of him to have any lasting impact, he's very imposing and looks pretty frightening but there isn't much he can do with his 15 minutes of screentime. That's right, after being practically plastered over this films marketing Leto's Joker gets that amount of screentime. Also the whole idea of him being 'in love' with Harley was a bit..eh, different. I'm still not quite sure if it worked or not as it completely changes their chemistry.
Perhaps the films saving grace is it's fantastic ensemble cast who all shine in their respective roles. Will Smith brings his signature wit and sass to the character of Deadshot while also managing to give him some emotional heart, a lot of focus is placed on him in the film. Margot Robbie does a wonderful job of bringing Harley Quinn to life, the voice, the attitude, the ability to be annoying yet likeable at the same time, I can't think of anybody who could have done a better job on Harley. Viola Davis is perfect as Amanda Waller, the woman who assembles the squad, stern and no-nonesense, she's just as ruthless as the 'bad guys' in the squad. Joel Kinnaman gives a strong performance as Rick Flag, the teams supervisor, while Jay Hernandez is excellent as El Diablo, a moral compass of sorts for the team which works in some ways but at times we question why a pacifist is even on the squad. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is brilliant as the Silent Bob type Killer Croc, not saying much but making an impact when he does, I am delighted that this character has finally made it to the big screen. The biggest revelation however, Jai Courtney can act?? The man who reduced Kyle Reese to a dull, lifeless character is arguably one of the funniest things about Suicide Squad as the beer drinking, pink unicorn-loving Captain Boomerang. They all do a fantastic job of bringing to life the Squad members despite being a little less villainous than they should have been.
It's a pretty stylish film all the same, bringing to life that distinct comic book aesthetic that I feel not many superhero movies have done. It's not afraid to break away from the restraints of reality and be a bit camp and colourful at times. It's visually distinctive from other superhero films, courtesy of Ayer's direction and the impressive cinematography, and this really works in the films favour. Not everything translates from comic to screen so well however, El Diablo's final form or the aforementioned Incubus for example are pretty ridiculous looking thanks to the woeful CGI. As part of its unique style the film retains a sense of humour, something Batman vs Superman was criticised for lacking. And although some jokes fall flat, generally they make for a really fun and enjoyable film. Another improvement on BvS is that it really picks up the pace, its intense and well choreographed action sequences at times make this film a thrilling experience. Everyone in this film just looks like they're having an absolute blast doing what they're doing.
Suicide Squad is a fun and stylish film that fixes some of the flaws of BvS such as humour and pacing, however its thin plot and sloppy editing inhibit it from doing anything really groundbreaking. The cast are all wonderful in their roles and bring a sense of humour to the film while the direction and cinematography create a unique style that suits the film really well. It's enjoyable for the most part and had a lot of potential, but unfortunately Suicide Squad falls into the trap of comic book movie cliché's. However, it is a step in the right direction for DC, if they can get their act together after this then maybe they can still stand a chance.