Suicide Squad Review
Taking place in the DCEU (The universe in which Batman & Superman live) the government form an expendable task force consisting of some of the world’s most dangerous criminals to undergo a mission that would most likely result in the majority of them being killed (hence the name, the suicide squad). The film differentiates itself from other films in the superhero genre with its line up of ‘super-villains’, contrasting with the typical super-heroes. Popular DC characters such as Harley Quinn & Killer Croc make their big-screen debuts, yet this film perhaps most notably features the revival of one of the most iconic comic-book villains ever – the Joker. However, does the film perform as well as the trailers led us to suspect or does it fall short and into the category of disappointment as many reviews currently suggest?
In my opinion, IGNORE the reviews. Yet on the other hand, the film could also have been A LOT better.
Firstly, let’s begin with the tone of the film. In contrast to the dark and dull setting that was featured almost entirely throughout the film’s predecessor Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, the film begins and (for the most part) maintains a fairly fun and upbeat tempo throughout (strange for a film consisting of serial killers and thieves, I know). Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, the film employs retro music, such as a modern take on Bohemian Rhapsody along with more modern music such as Kanye West in order to establish a fun and fast-paced feel to this side of the DC world. The film also brags a certificate rating of 15 (perhaps due to the success seen by Deadpool) which theoretically enables it to be much more ‘adult’ than other superhero films within DC – wrong. Although the film features adult language, violence and (slightly) horror-like scenes, there was nothing in the film that really made me think it couldn’t have just been a 12A.
Considering DC is often known to touch upon violent subjects, the fight scenes were mediocre at best and there is only one fight scene towards the end of the film that (maybe) you’ll remember. (I hate to do this but -) Drawing comparisons with The Avengers, the team fight sequences are almost reflective in the fact that we see our team of protagonists encounter wave after wave of nameless villains only to experience no real danger and dispose of them easily. This accompanied by hit-and-smash fight choreography left the film feeling slightly hollow for an action/adventure film, even leaving me to suggest that the fight scenes were more boring than scenes comprising of complete dialogue. In fact, I’d even go as far to say that the dialogue and characters are what saves/makes this film. The film centres around three or four characters more than the others, disappointing if you were hoping equal screen-time for the whole squad yet perhaps obvious with the actors featured within the film. Margot Robbie unsurprisingly is quirky as Harley Quinn, maybe even being the most memorable character in the film. Will Smith as Deadshot is, well… Will Smith. Although his performance is engaging and at parts undoubtedly funny, its getting tedious to see him play pretty much the exact same character as he is in every action film. Joel Kinnaman does well to establish his place within the squad as Colonel Rick Flagg alongside co-star and model Cara Delevingne, who considering isn’t actually an actress does well in her role.
However, the character almost everyone had their eyes peeled for – the Joker – failed to make a performance as memorable as Ledger’s. HOWEVER, Leto’s performance as the infamous villain has got some serious potential and the only reason I made the previous statement was due to the fact that the character received literally around 8-10 minutes of actual screen time. As a result, it’s almost impossible to come to any conclusion on the character. For the scenes he is in, the Joker is crazily terrifying and quite possibly the most insane joker the big-screen has seen so far, and in a strange way his scenes alongside his ‘puddin’ Harley Quinn are strangely satisfying and feel as though they’ve been taken straight out of the pages of one of their comic-books.
In conclusion, much like BvS: Dawn of Justice, the film took a turn for the worse during the third and final act of the film, feeling as though the concluding scene was slightly rushed combined with an overload of CGI. However, the film was notably a very fun cinematic experience and it’s two ‘super-cameos’ increased the idea of this being a new shared universe.
Abergavenny Now rating: 7.5/10
What’s on at Abergavenny Cinema this upcoming month
Jason Bourne 12A – Friday 5th August – The Bourne trilogy, comprising Identity, Supremacy and Ultimatum, redefined the 21st century action movie with their relentless thrills and compelling central character in the form of Matt Damon’s amnesiac assassin Jason Bourne. Having discovered his true identity at the end of 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason has gone off the grid. But an unexpected sequence of events involving former associate Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) compel him to come out of hiding and embark on a relentlessly exciting global journey, one that may lead to him to ever-more important revelations about his identity.
Suicide Squad 15 – Friday 5th August – What do you do when all the superheroes of the world are tied up? Get the supervillains to work for YOU. That’s what ARGUS has been set up to do, to recruit bad guys to execute dangerous tasks in exchange for shorter prison sentences. But as ARGUS soon finds out, supervillains aren’t as easy to control as superheroes…
The BFG PG – Friday 5th August – An orphan named Sophie finds herself snatched away from the orphanage one morning by a friendly giant she names the BFG. The BFG’s job is collect, catalogue and deliver pleasant dreams to children. Sophie joins him on his travels, except they are followed by a group of evil giants, who have an altogether more unpleasant plan for the sleeping kids. Together, Sophie and the BFG must save the children from becoming the giants’ next meal!
Finding Dory U – Friday 5th August – Your favourite underwater characters return in Pixar’s long-awaited sequel to their 2003 masterpiece, Finding Nemo.
Star Trek Beyond 12A – Friday 5th August – Struggling to come to terms with his father’s formidable legacy, Kirk (Chris Pine) is still adjusting to the role of Captain and leader. Standing alongside him is half-human, half-Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto), communications officer Uhura (Zoe Saldana), Dr Bones (Karl Urban) and engineer Scotty (Simon Pegg). But when the Enterprise comes under attack from deadly new enemy Krall (Idris Elba), the entire crew is plunged into another nail-biting battle for survival.
For more reviews of films that have been shown at Abergavenny Cinema click here.
