Looking back at past interviews, rumors, and officially released material, it’s pretty obvious that The Joker’s relationship with Harley Quinn was going to be a lot more abusive. I wasn’t a big fan of the villain and the way they acted at the end was kind of silly. Every now and then there’ll be a decent one-liner (the usually-dense Croc gets some good ones) and I like that the movie wants to look like a cheesy carnival ride with neon everywhere, but this movie blows almost every opportunity, and it’s presented with so many. I wish I had gotten to see the Joker more, but it made me look forward to seeing him in another DC movie. You can read the solicit text teasing the main story from “Suicide Squad” #2 below.
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After screening Suicide Squad in the afternoon, I happened to catch an old favorite, The War Wagon with John Wayne and Kirk Douglas, who lead a team of renegades in this heist/Western hybrid. Well, that can probably be blamed on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Marvel has got this area all sorted out beautifully- the crystal clear, sparkling action scenes are swirled in a attractive palette of destruction, which leaves you awestruck instead of being infuriated. Smith plays Deadshot, the sharpshooting underworld assassin and doting father, and Robbie plays Harley Quinn, a bat-swinging, gun-toting psychopath the Joker turned out. However, there’s still a possibility for both characters to have their confrontation in Justice League movie.
I’m not sure that I’ll ever love Suicide Squad, but I liked it a lot.
Pass: Plenty of action mixed with tons of witty, dark humor; good acting by an ensemble cast.
I give “Suicide Squad” a B plus. Will Smith gets the best lines and the most action as the risky sniper Deadshot, who will kill anyone for money, but also has a soft spot in his heart for his young daughter. “And we’ll be seeing a character – perhaps not this season, but in times to come – who can be a forerunner for Harley Quinn”.
And the movie doesn’t take itself seriously. Monaghan’s Jerome has quickly become a favorite among fans and his anticipated transition into the Joker has also become one of the most buzzed-about elements of the series.
But if you brush these points aside, there’s a genuinely entertaining actioner to be had here, with Joel Kinnaman’s (Robocop) Suicide Squad field leader Rick Flag, Jai Courtney’s (Terminator: Genisys) anarchic Captain Boomerang and the always-reliable Will Smith as deadly marksman Deadshot, all playing their part in saving the film’s weak points.
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At the core of this mess are two potentially fun performances from Smith and especially Robbie. He said, “Superman is just the classic hero and the Joker opposite to any classic hero would be really interesting”. An insane new era of SUICIDE SQUAD begins here with superstar artist Jim Lee and red-hot writer Rob Williams (UNFOLLOW, MARTIAN MANHUNTER). I’ll see the sequel/spin-off, assuming there’s going to be one.
