So Suicide Squad, DC’s answer to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’ve seen the reviews, they’re not great. I saw the movie and by and large enjoyed it. It wasn’t anything spectacular, but it certainly wasn’t a disaster either. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
Is it worth watching?
What you really want to know, the reason you’re reading this review. As a longtime DC fan, I’d say go for it. It’s a fun movie, just go in with the right expectations. I was expecting an offbeat, wacky, quirky movie. That’s what I got. Nothing more, nothing less.
The Action
If you’re looking for a fight, you’ve got one. The fighting is run of the mill but there were a few scenes that got me saying “now that’s bad-ass”. Not much else to say, there’s explosions, bullets flying, and lots of destruction.
The Characters
The characters were great, all fitting their respective roles well. My favorite of the bunch was Will Smith as Deadshot and El Diablo came in a close second. Each had enough backstory to keep you in the loop but I’d say of all the characters, Harley, Deadshot, and El Diablo had the most time dedicated to their backstories. Captain Boomerang I could’ve done without but I thought the movie did a decent job portraying his character. Amanda Waller was spot on and played the cold, calculating women we’ve come to know from the comics. Jared Leto makes a decent joker, giving more of a mob boss vibe than a completely off the hinges psychopath. The main villain was a mixed bag. On one hand there was complexity to the character yet on the other hand after the intro of the movie I felt the character was underutilized.
The Story
Everyone hates a cliched story yet that’s exactly what we got. Everyone is looking for the “next big thing” when it comes to movies and I say, “why does every movie have to be bigger and better than the last”? Some call the story muddled, but it’s all about context. This movie is creating a universe, a sort of trailblazer for DC if you will. DC doesn’t have the luxury of creating multiple films when Marvel has already established a rich universe that is ever expanding. So yes, Suicide Squad is a lot of back story and it may seem like filler and intrusive at times, but from the context of the bigger picture, it has to be done. I didn’t notice any glaring flaws with how the story was structured. This is a very straight forward movie, no twists, no turns. It has a good amount of humor, so that is a big step forward for DC. It juggles grit with humor well. It also humanizes the villains, giving more than one dimension to characters many often dismiss as “baddies”.
Final Verdict
It’s a fun movie. It’s not the big blockbuster everyone will love, but as far as the DC cinematic universe is concerned, it’s a step in the right direction. The characters are fun and complex and while the story is very standard and cliche, that by no means makes it a bad movie. So go ahead and spend ten dollars on the ticket, I thought it was worth the money.
To the Moon 