"Suicide Squad" Movie Review

Suicide Squad - Rated PG13 -
3.5 out of 4

Starring:

Will Smith as Deadshot
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
Jared Leto as The Joker
Karen Fukuhara as Katana
Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang
Jay Hernandez as Diablo
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc
Cara Delevingne as Dr. June Moon/Enchantress
Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg
Scott Eastwood as Lieutenant GQ Edwards
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Ezra Miller as The Flash

The movie itself was a fantastic piece of filmmaking. There were several love stories intertwined with the main story. First, it had Rick Flagg and Dr. June Moon aka Enchantress. Then there was Deadshot and his daughter. Next, there was Diablo and his family. Last but not least, there was Harley and Joker. With all these love stories and the loss involved with each one, it's safe to say that there was plenty of emotion to go around. Several scenes were downright heartbreaking even.

The only issues I had with the characters was that Slipknot had literally NO role whatsoever, Captain Boomerang was pretty much useless and yet he was supposed to be among the worst of the worst, and there wasn't enough Killer Croc. More Croc, less Boomerang please!

The film establishes quickly that Amanda Waller has an idea to bring together a group of supervillains and force them to do jobs for the government. If they complete their missions, then they get time shaved off their prison sentences. If they fail or try to run, then they will be killed. How do you kill a supervillain? By implanting a miniature bomb in their necks that can be detonated by either of the remotes which are held by Amanda Waller and Rick Flagg.

Rick Flagg works for Amanda as the group leader. He watches them and makes sure they are following orders to the letter. Rick, unbeknownst to the group, is in love with Dr June Moon, who is possessed by the witch Enchantress. Waller is in control of the witch's heart so of course she thinks she can control Enchantress easily. The love story between Flagg and June is important but it isn't prominent.

Deadshot is a hitman who never misses that is paid first and snipes later. He has an ex-wife that is now dating a walking trash can and he also has a daughter. He would do anything for her and he wants to be back home with her desperately.

Diablo is has the power to control, create, and manipulate fire. He can be a human firebomb and he can create a light show. If he's angry, however, he can't be stopped until he calms back down. I won't give away what happens with Diablo, and I certainly won't give away his flashback which explains why he is the way he is in present time. Let's just say that it's the most heartbreaking of all.

Katana has a love story going on too, but it is only lightly touched on, most likely being saved for a future installment. I could give it away, since it isn't really important to the overall story, but I won't. It's much better if she stays a mystery because you find out when the team finds out, unless you already know Katana from the comics.

Harley and Joker has, perhaps, the main and most important love story of all. The relationship they have in the comics is perfectly paralleled on screen. There is one scene in particular that doesn't fit the Joker or Harley's personality. It feels like it would be something found in Boyz in the Hood or something like that. Considering that's the only problem with the couple, and the film, that's really nothing to complain about.

In the other DC films that feature the Joker, Joker's the villain. In this film, however, the villain is actually Enchantress. After finding and releasing her brother's spirit, Enchantress takes over Dr. Moon's body and joins her brother in the hopes of taking over and ruling humanity. They suck the souls from their victims, turning the remaining bodies into faceless warriors that are quite hard to kill.

I thought that Enchantress was underplayed. She wasn't very interesting, but that's only because there was only just enough information to help the plot move forward but not enough to make you like or dislike her. Dr. Moon, however, was emotionally invested with Flagg so that made the final confrontation difficult. He couldn't bear to think what he would have to do if Enchantress wouldn't leave Dr. Moon willingly.

The other villain of the story was actually Waller herself. She was the one in charge and she had some scenes that were completely unexpected. Even when Flagg sympathized with the group, Waller continued to see them as things she could control rather than people with lives that have been shattered because of the bad choices they have made.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this interpretation of the Joker. I had my reservations too. The pictures made him look like a meth head pimp but the final version that was put into the film was spectacular. I forgave the tattoos the second he used the one on his hand creepily. The laugh certainly wasn't Hamill or Ledger but it fit this version's personality well. Overall, I was impressed with him.

This film deserves high praise. It makes zero sense why critics are bashing this film. The action sequences are spectacular, the CGI is impressive, the acting is mostly perfect (except for a few times where Margot's accent slips, bless her little heart), and the musical choices fit perfectly. I give this film a 3.5 out of 4.