Superman changed the world the day he decided to rule our skies with his presence. It changed even more when Batman’s vigilante prowess earned him the keys to Gotham.
With these meta-humans floating around, we mere humans need our own guarantee that we’ll be safe if Batman and Superman decide that they’ve had enough of us “normals” and wanted to create their own version of normal.
Enter: Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).
In a new world full of glorified freaks, you need to fight fire with fire. Waller’s answer: Task Force X – a.k.a. the Suicide Squad.
The Story
The overarching plotline follows the Suicide Squad being approved for recruitment and then having to save the world from an accidental mole in their unit. The sub-plot follows the Joker (Jared Leto) searching for his devoted Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie).
The overall plot is pretty good, actually, it’s one of DC’s better films since their Superman reboot. David Ayer’s adaptation of John Ostrander’s comic was pretty close…well considering it’s an ever evolving series. Let’s face it, it’s nice to hear a bit more dialogue after Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice had Jesse Eisenberg talking the whole time while the two protagonist were stuck in a stare-off.
The sub-plot on the other hand, as much as it made sense, made the Joker more like Harley Quinn and less like the Joker that the comics present him to be. What I mean is, the Joker’s always been presented as a selfish, Batman-obsessed lunatic who was only using Harley to do his bidding. Although we do see a little of that side in the film, the sub-plot undermines the character development and portrayal of the Joker as he is seen as caring rather than ruthless.
The Cast
Viola Smith was as conniving as she was menacing. Her fearlessness was matched by her fierceness as she forced her point for the need to use villains to protect humans from the so-called ‘heroes’. In a film full of bad guys, she the worse guy that you’ll love to hate.
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag was the perfect portrayal of a tortured soldier willing to do anything for ‘God and Country’. He was as endearing as he was fierce and, at times, he was pretty funny too!
Cara Delevingne proves that she not just a pretty face as she takes on a role that calls for duality. As Enchantress, she was purely evil as she fights for her freedom from the hands of Waller. As June Moon, she was relatable and had the audiences wanting the best for her and Flag throughout the whole film.
Will Smith must have asked to skew his character a little considering he was funnier than the comics portray Deadshot to be. Although, his comedic side was forgivable when Deadshot’s fatherly side is shown. We see the protective and distant mercenary whenever he’s with his daughter Zoe, played by Shailyn Pierre-Dixon.
Margot Robbie accurately portrayed the beloved Harley Quinn. Rocking the current HQ attire to all of her loveable antics, Robbie brought the psychotic-lovesick-clown to life. I will say her Harleen Quinzel was less believable, but then again, we didn’t see as much of her as we did Harley Quinn.
Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang was also pretty accurate, but with the changes with Deadshot, we don’t really see the competitive nature between these two characters that the animated films highlight. (Then again we see that more between Deadshot and Flag.) Regardless, Courtney’s Boomerang was dead-on and hilarious.
Jay Hernandez was my favourite. He was believable, relatable and, for the most part, heroic. I’d say he was more hero than villain considering his tortured past and his personal decision to give himself up to the authorities was the basis of his character evolution.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s portrayal of Killer Croc was undermined by all the other big names and ‘beautiful’ people. I wish he played a bigger role throughout the film, but I am glad he received a more central part towards the end of the film.
Karen Fukuhara was great as Katana. Although, for a jam-packed film, I wasn’t sure if her character was used as much as she should have been. Sure she was Flag’s protector, but her character seemed as though she was forced into the story. But, hey, for her first film, she did really well!
Jared Leto’s Joker was over advertised for someone who was barely in this film. I don’t know what everyone was going on about and I don’t really know why Leto himself committed so much to character with so little screen time. Look, I get it could be for future Batman films, but seriously everyone needs to relax. In saying that, Leto did a great job in separating his Joker from his predecessors, so, congrats dude.
Overall… DC fans will love it regardless of what the critics say. Personally, I didn’t have high expectations and I was pretty surprised with how it all turned out. The opening was a little unnecessary and redundant, but it set the scene. As much as the Joker was oversold, I was glad to see that the Squad made their movie theirs.
sL Star Rating: ★★★
Next on sL: TBA or Bad Moms