Suicide Squad- Film Review

Suicide Squad Film Review- 2016

There are many comic book films that have been released since the release of the first X-Men film back in 2000. There have been some excellent examples of what a comic book film should be with most of them gaining positive reviews by critics. Overall comic book films have been a safe bet for the studios which produce them and this is because people will rush to the films at the cinema. However, there are some examples of comic book films which don’t work and there are many examples of the case from X-Men origins: Wolverine to the more recent Fantastic Four remake that was released in 2015. The films that the Marvel Cinematic universe make are normally received well and while there are few films which don’t work most the films do. In the past couple of years DC comics has tried to make their cinematic universe which has had success at the box office but not with the critics. The latest entry into the DC universe is Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer and starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, the film is about a team of villains that have been assembled by the government to retrieve something from a city which has been invaded by a mystical force. So, let’s look at this Oscar winning film and see if Suicide Squad is any good.

The positives with this film is that the performances overall are consistent throughout the film, Will Smith is very good as Deadshot in this film, he brings charisma to the role and ever through the character is meant to a be an antagonist, he creates a likeable character that is very entertaining to watch onscreen. Margot Robbie is very good in Suicide Squad, she plays Harley Quinn, and the performance is very good in this film because she adds depth to her character with some good character development. The supporting cast are consistent and even Jai Courtney is decent in the role as Captain Boomerang. This film manages to get a decent performance out of Jai Courtney and that is quite a rare achievement, he isn’t as good as Will Smith, but this is one of his better performances. The performances are enjoyable from start to finish, this is probably the most consistent aspect to this film. Alongside the performances in this film, there are some good character moments in this film.

There are some good character moments in this film, but these moments are mainly from the two main leads Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Suicide Squad mainly focuses on these characters the most. The sequences that stand out in this film would be when we learn about Deadshot as a character and understand that he uses his skills because he is providing for his daughter and he wants her to do well and not become like himself. This is some excellent character development and makes a strong character arc for Deadshot. The second explored character moment comes later on in the film; the film tells us that all that Harley Quinn wants to is settle down and have a family because she has become sick of the life that she has. This is touching character moment with it raising the question of whether a person who has been in a life crime for many years and whether they can escape and leave this life behind. The final moment is the bar sequence in the film, this is sequence that sees the characters come together and they decide whether they should fight the antagonist or walk away. There are some good character moments here with them trying to adding depth to each of the characters. However, this is where the positive aspects of the film end, because this film has a whole lot of issues with this film. 

Where to begin with this film? The action sequences are a mixed bag, the action is either clear and easy to follow but boring to watch or the more intense sequence has terrible editing and framing with the action hard to follow. An example would be first main action set piece with Deadshot in this film, the sequence sees Deadshot get on top of a car and he is shooting these creatures which are working for the antagonist, the action seems dull and flat with little creativity. The one action sequence which stands out is the final action sequences, because there are so many people part of the squad fighting at once the editing makes it hard to understand what each of the characters are doing during the action, while in a film such as The Avengers the action is always clear and you know what the characters are doing because of the one take that is used, but in this film the action is confusing and doesn’t have much clarity.

Suicide Squad is not the worst film that has ever been made and while it has some basic elements the best word to describe this film is flat, the characters, action and cinematography are all flat. The film has gone through constant reshoots and this is clear when you watch it because of these different elements. The question here is doing the studio interfere too much? David Ayer is a director who can make entertaining films such as Fury, the cast and crew of this film are very talented but this is not the finest product which they could have made and this is same because there is a good version of this film somewhere but this is it. The other thing to address would be the people who wanted shut down Rotten Tomatoes because they didn’t agree with the reviews of the film. This is something which is needs to be explained, because it is not the site which gives the overall score, the critics have come together and said that don’t like this film and while it is understandable that they don’t like this film, this is a film for the fans and it services the fans very well, however this film is a mess and overall and the final product is nowhere near the standard that it should be. If you enjoy this film then great, opinions are subjective but don’t go on the internet and try to make a statement against the critics.

Rating: 5/10.

Conclusion: Suicide Squad is a film which had potential but constant studio interference is this film greatest weakness, there are elements to enjoy about this film such as Will Smith is very good as Deadshot, but the final film feels rushed and flat, it feels rushed because not many things are explained in as much detail as they should be and the special effects look unfinished throughout. The film feels rushed because the action scenes haven’t had enough time to be planned in much more detail.