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Review: David Ayer’s ‘Suicide Squad’ is Dead On Arrival

David Ayer is the real-life Amanda Waller of this project, abandoning the capable A-List cast and setting them up for failure by butchering potential-filled performances with mindless editing and a burning trash ring of a finale.

 


Note from the editor: For this particular review I will be breaking away from my typical objective review format and speaking more freely about my reaction to the aforementioned film. There may be some references one could construe to be spoilers, so tread lightly if you want to maintain an untarnished viewing experience.


We’re bad guys, it’s what we do.

– Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie)

‘Suicide Squad’ is little more than a swirling vortex of trashy special effects, poor editing and ill-thought plot points. What was supposed to be DC’s equivalent to Marvel’s breakout hit ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and critical redemption after a rocky start turned out to be a mindlessly turbulent and bloated cinematic atrocity. If this was supposed to be the Marvel-ization of the DCEU, then count me out. I will take a Snyder ‘Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice’ over the senseless Joel Schumacher meets Die Antwoord on Meth drivel Ayer calls ‘Suicide Squad.’ If Ayer’s goal was to appeal specifically to hyper-hormonal 13-16 year old boys, then congratulations to Task Force X(XX). Mission accomplished.

While the talent sweepstakes of a cast including Will Smith as Deadshot, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Oscar winner Jared Leto as The Joker, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller (just to name a few) is visibly swinging for the fences, and the character adaptations are for the most part both true to the comics and with an appropriate amount cinematic liberty, the incoherent and painful pointlessness of the plot coupled with the film’s turbulent editing spoils any chance of fulfillment.

Cinematics (Cinematography, Acting, Plot, Etc.) – 2.5

The worst part of it, and this really sucks, is that all the characters themselves aren’t bad. Outside of the incoherent and disjointed plot progression and the film’s inability to decide if it’s a music video montage, art film, or action movie, the actors seemed to really capture the spirit of their comic book counterparts. Unfortunately, the editing process completely butchered any linear sense of development, with the 2 hour 3 minute runtime being treated more like a string of expanded trailers. I feel like this doesn’t let the audience see the performances, instead much of the dialogue is relegated to contrived and simplistic speeches quoting “Bad Guys” far too often and or cliche one-liners. If anything, ‘Suicide Squad’ shows that Ayer’s writing skills are cringeworthy and shallow. Films written by Max Landis (‘American Ultra’) are more put together…

While Jared Leto had rumors of mystery and intrigue surrounding his immersion into the role of the coveted clown prince of crime,  his rendition of The Joker proved to be about as innovative as the burning ring of trash that vexes the team in the film. The most confusing part, is that it looks like there was some story and dialogue before the project progressed into post-production, but Ayer for some reason has masked it with heavy use of montage and flashback.

Jay Hernandez as El Diablo in ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016).

The cast members, on the surface, perfectly fit into their respective villainous roles. While big names like Smith and Robbie undoubtedly shine, the notorious Amanda Waller (Davis) and lesser-known El Diablo, played by relative-newcomer Jay Hernandez (‘Hostel’), really do their best to insert some sense of story and emotional contour. No reflection on Jared Leto’s acting ability but, as presented in the film, the Joker has never been so unamusing on screen. While Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn had a bit more screen-time, albeit equally as uninformative, Joker’s participation was as meager at best as his vigor was fatally stifled by the heavily cut and omitted scenes. I can see a dark-hearted and nuanced Joker amidst the torrent of cuts, but unfortunately it’s far too little to even begin to re-introduce the legendary character. I won’t even get deep into how certain characters are wasted and others over-sexualized or otherwise.

Another MAJOR flaw was the fact that multiple scenes, some of which with dialogue, showcased in the trailers leading up to the film were not actually included in the film. This is mostly seen with The Joker character, making fans really wonder if the clown-smattered marketing for the film was just a lure to fill seats. Perhaps it was, or perhaps the reported re-filming due to the ‘Batman V. Superman’ fall-out left any darker-toned clips on the cutting room floor. In either case, the film ultimately feels incomplete and without a great deal of context, and sense of fluid dialogue for that matter.

A clip of Jared Leto as The Joker from a trailer that’s NOT seen in ‘Suicide Squad.’

Entertainment Value – 3

What Ayer intended to be a bullet soaked nightmare was just that, action for the sake of entertainment with absolutely no point or discernible story. The film almost immediately abandons the capable A-List cast in place of bloated special effects without any discernible purpose. At times, the camera work was active enough to make even Jason Bourne motion sick.

At the same time, you will not be bored. You may not be able to process it, because the action gets indiscernible and aggressive at times (think Michael Bay’s ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’), but it is definitely captivating. And the characters are pretty awesome. As a fan of comic books, and DC in particular, it was fulfilling to see the villainous squad on the big screen. Too bad the presentation itself was pitifully lackluster and uninspired.

 

Oh, I’m not gonna kill you. I’m just gonna hurt you. Really, really bad.

– The Joker (played by Jared Leto)

A few moments that we particularly eye-catching  include the transformation scenes for Delevingne’s Enchantress. Not only does the effect showcase the duality of her ancient witch-inhabited character, but it also is really unique and comic book worthy. With the exception of Slipknot’s awkward ’90s style of scaling buildings, most of the action was real-world (within the context of a world with metahumans) and well-done.

If Ayer had managed to bridge the gap between the story and the action content, it would have made for a much more substantial and fulfilling finale. Unfortunately, the film gives audiences a lot of glitz and guts but, without a properly penned story, it ultimately fails to find glory.

Re-Watchability – 2.5

You’re joking right? To be fair, this would be something suitable as white noise – one example being ‘Suicide Squad’ on mute during a Halloween party.

 

Watch the official trailer for ‘Suicide Squad’ below:

  • Cinematics
  • Entertainment Value
  • Rewatchability

Summary

What Ayer intended to be a bullet soaked nightmare was just that, action with absolutely no point or discernible story. The film almost immediately abandons the capable A-List cast in place of bloated special effects without any discernible purpose. At the same time, you will not be bored. 'Suicide Squad' is definitely captivating. And the characters are pretty awesome. As a fan of comic books, and DC in particular, it was fulfilling to see the villainous squad on the big screen. Hopefully the franchise will survive long enough to see proper cinematic treatment, and perhaps (read 'hopefully') with a different director. Just keep your expectations low and it's worth a watch.

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Pooya: Since his wee lad-dom, Pooya has been a sommelier of cinema. It was likely some acting bug, fallen from the dust riddled ruby curtains of an enchanted old stage that did it. Those cinematic scarabs must have burrowed deep into his brain, irreversibly altering his mind, turning the poor boy down a dismal path. From his earliest years the strange boy would aimlessly wander the aisles of countless video rental stores, amassing his trivial knowledge with vigor. These actions befuddled the boy’s parents, who still would lovingly oblige his unusual attraction to the motion picture. Often seeking refuge in the cushioned seating of his local movie theater, the odd adolescent would immerse himself in the scripted and effects riddled realities unfolding on the screen before him. During his collegiate years, he was twice spotted on stage performing bizarre theatrical rituals before awe-struck audiences. When he departed from academia, he left behind his youth in exchange for a labor routine, but the strange young man never lost his long-cultivated love of film. Recently, Pooya was approached by FilmFad.com to join their budding team of entertainment bloggers. After hours of coaxing and an undisclosed number of honey jars, he accepted their offer. Finally he had come full circle. Finally, at FilmFad.com, he was home.

View Comments (1)

  • Saw the movie tonight, and I liked it. I thought it was a lot of fun.

    We have a problem with comic book movies; and that problem is that we feel the need, as comic book fans, to have comic book based movies that non-comic book readers will take seriously. That problem reached its peak with Nolan and Snyder making art house flicks out of the spandex and cape crowd. Yes, we can have movies based in the superhero genre that make emotional and thought-provoking statements. However, its still a superhero movie. (Yes, I know the focus is on the villains, but its the genre I'm referring to.) Bright colors. Gratuditious action. Stuff on fire and blowing up, maybe not in that order. These are on the menu and they should be.

    The actors were all great. Viola Davis was an amazing Amanda Waller. There's some people who are griping about Will Smith not getting enough to work with. He's the Fresh Prince. I remember him telling me about how parents just don't understand. His performance was fun and hit notes just right. The trailers did lead us to believe that the Joker would have more of a role than he did, but I'm fine with that because I, for the life of me, do not get the rabid fandom for Joker/Harley and their abusive relationship. Margot Robbie was really fun to watch and gave a dynamic performance, but I'm not a huge fan of the character.

    This was a popcorn flick, and I ate a bunch of popcorn. It didn't have any illusions about what it was, and didn't try to be anything that it wasn't. So, good times as far as I'm concerned. 4/5 stars from me.

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