Film Review: Suicide Squad

OK...there have been a lot of bad reviews about this movie. Many of which, are bonafide Marvel junkies who just won't let DC Comics live to tell the tale. Below is an unbiased review of "Suicide Squad" in which a comic fan from both sides can enjoy, then make the decision for themselves. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

OK...For the standard moviegoer, this movie tags along with the aftermath of Batman v. Superman (aka Man of Steel 2), where Superman is still "dead" and the world is moving on. In Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assembles a task force of anti-heroes and misfits in order to help combat the hypothetical situation of "a Superman gone terrorist". Basically, she wants a weapon against meta-humans who may not share the views of the American people, and if stuff goes South, then they can be thrown under the bus and no one has to be the wiser. Enter the Suicide Squad...a loving father and assassin (who doesn't kill women or children); a psychiatrist-gone-crazy with a clown lover complex and a pension for baseball bats and lingerie; the Human tor--I mean a meta-human who can generate fire with an Aztec curse complex; an Aussie boomerang slinger who adores pink unicorns; a sword wielding assassin (oh and her sword traps the souls of those killed with it--including her dead husband); and a large crocodile man who enjoys throwing bad guys into cars, walks in the rain, and of course...B.E.T. (Black Entertainment Television...there I said it). To get them to cooperate, explosion devices are implanted in their necks. One screw up and boom goes the dynamite...shame someone tried it...but that's later.

The back stories of many of these characters are shown in the first moments of the film. We get to see Batman (Ben Affleck) play a role in how these characters are shaped, specifically with Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and the surprisingly well acted Joker (Jared Leto). This Harley Quinn is depicted as "an accomplice to Robin's death" in the film...so we kinda know whodunnit. The Flash (Ezra Miller) also makes a brief appearance during Captain Boomerang's story. Soooo...Plot Time...Amanda Waller decides to meet with covert scary CIA people about bringing this team-up to fruition. She gets the OK...but not before a little demonstration. Enter the "Enchantress"...a millennia old powerful witch who has possessed a young scientist named June...who is in love with Rick Flagg (a Colonel who works for Waller). So there's your leverage. Amanda literally has the witch's heart in a box so she doesn't lay waste to everyone and can be controlled...but turns out Witch-Lady has a big brother (literally...HUGE) that she releases and eventually frees herself from Waller's control. Now, because of one human, she wants to kill all humans and leave the meta-humans and those who will willingly serve her. Stop me if you've heard this story before.

After several manhood measuring contests between Deadshot (Will Smith) and Col. Flagg (other guy), the team has several bonding moments that result in Amanda's capture and Harley's apparent proficiency at bartending. Deciding to give it one more go, they engage the Enchantress, who by now is using her weapon of destruction (yeah, she's been building this throughout the entire movie) and Waller's secret knowledge to destroy the world's most secret locations and weapon stores...hmmm destroying the world's weapons so no one can oppose you...*cough* Apocalypse *cough*. After an Aztec demon slugfest, some good acting, a nice shot, a face peel, and some really unnecessary slow motion, the team wins the day (as well as some daddy-daughter time, an espresso machine, and a cable subscription to B.E.T....there, I said it again). Waller retains the team for their next assignment, but not until after someone is broken out of prison...

WARNING: There is a cut scene during the credits between Bruce Wayne and Waller where we see the beginnings of the Justice League, and apparently Waller knows about Bruce's night shift hours...so stick around for that.

Review: The movie had its points of humor. The true stars were Deadshot, Harley, and the Joker. Waller played her part brilliantly...even garnering the fear (and respect) of her larger "employees". The background scenes featuring the Flash and Batman are worth the price of admission alone, as well as Harley's background and relationship with the Joker. Captain Boomerang is pretty useless, but seeing as he is connected to the Rogue's Gallery in the Flash's storyline, I suppose they had to keep him. Diablo's storyline was the usual "can't-control-my-powers-from-birth-so-now-I'm-peaceful-but-don't-mess-with-me" scenario. They did the absolute MOST stereotyping Killer Croc, but ehhh. The plot was pretty solid, and didn't really contain any holes...I would have like to see how Katanna ends up getting her hands on Soul Caliber...but I could do without it. Everyone, although painted as badasses, seemed vulnerable and tried to engage the viewers on their stories. There were times where the movie seemed a bit too "Guardians of the Galaxy-esq" (hell, both movie soundtracks share several titles), but the plot lines were solid, characters were believable, and Superman was nowhere to be found...but this was a definite step in the right direction moving towards Wonder Woman and the Justice League. By far, the movie went away from the dark and grimy BvS themes. It seems DC may have found their stride (some superhero humor, assembling the team with post credit cut scenes between a government agent and a billionaire vigilante...all the makings of a Marv--great film), but they've got to keep it going. Some of the acting lines were just campy...fortunately, those people died, or just didn't speak much. Overall, the movie is worth seeing and would be favored much more highly than Batman v Superman... a solid 8/10.