Everyone has seen the low ratings this film has gotten from critics. No, this film did not deserve to be bashed as much as it has been. A lower rating than "Man of Steel"? Yeah... definitely not!
This is one of the better DC films I have seen, and I believe it has the rating it has because it is a DC film. Critics love to hate DC and love Marvel.
Written and directed by David Ayer, the story follows several DC villains as they are recruited to fight an evil plaguing Midway City. The characters are fun, though it is apparent who the favorites are as they get more screen time and backstory. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when the most interesting thing about these characters is what made them who they are, it's disappointing to not get as intimate a glimpse as some of the others. There was also a lot of emphasis on the fact that these are villains. Yet, they act like super heroes as opposed to people who are up to no good. Yes, they are a team, but as villains I would think they would have their own interests in mind as opposed to that of the greater good.
The suicide squad is made up of Deadshot (Will Smith) the best hitman in the world; Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) the Arkham Asylum psychiatrist turned Joker's (Jared Leto) girlfriend; the boomerang wielding Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney); Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) a man who looks like a dangerous reptile and is treated as such and El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) a gang member who has the ability to produce fire.
Also in the film are Katana (Karen Fukuhara) who is not a criminal but is there to help the leader of the group Rick Flagg (Joel Kinnaman) keep control of the squad. They must battle Enchantress who has taken control of Rick's girlfriend June Moone (Cara Delevingne). There are a lot of characters and I'm not even done mentioning them all.
All the other characters are quick cameos or killed off for no other purpose than to prove a point. The only other notable character is Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). Davis is one of the standout performances. She is devious, powerful and fearless. You never know if you should trust her or not. Waller has gained control over Enchantress, but when Enchantress escapes her clutches she sends the Suicide Squad to defeat Enchantress. Enchantress was once worshipped as a goddess, but after being forgotten for thousands of years she decides she must destroy the human race.
There are a lot of characters and most of them could have been written out of the story easily. Deadshot and Harley have quickly become fan favorites. Deadshot is a cool character, but it was essentially Will Smith doing Will Smith. Margot Robbie is awesome as Harley Quinn and I think that's why she's so popular. Harley is an intriguing character in her own right, but I feel as though she was underused in this film in term of her abilities. Characters keep mentioning she's crazy and she's known to use weapons such as oversized wooden mallets or boxing glove guns. Cartoony, but they are the character. Instead she is stuck with a bat and a gun (which is fine since she is known for her firearms skills) and though she does fight, there's nothing particularly intimidating about her especially since there was so much build up and even shots of what she does to some of the guards that get too close to her. She is a fun character, but mostly Margot Robbie was used for eye candy which is a shame since she proved she could do much more.
Oddly enough I didn't find the action sequences very interesting. I found the backstories compelling and wanted to see more of what these characters were thinking and feeling. Once they were sent into battle I lost interest, gained it when they were having drinks in the bar, and lost it when they went into battle again. The final battle was okay at most. I did enjoy seeing the full extent of Diablo's powers, but overall the villains' plan was tiring and recycled. This is how many times now we've seen villains build a magnetic field that is meant to destroy the earth?
I don't feel like counting, but it's a lot and it kept the film from being as fun and compelling as it could have been.
No comments:
Post a Comment