Movie Breakdown: Suicide Squad

Pre-Screening Stance:

The R-rated (it’s actually PG-13, oops) Suicide Squad is the newest entry into the DC Extended Universe.  It’s being sold as Guardians of the Galaxy meets Deadpool, which sounds like a blast, but I’m hesitant about buying into the marketing hype.  Will Smith hasn’t had a good blockbuster in a very long while, and I’m not much of a fan of director David Ayers (Fury, Sabotage).

Post-Screening Ramble:

Suicide Squad is a big mess.  It’s poorly paced, not well made (some of the CG looks lifted out of the 90s), the overall plot is weak and doesn’t make a lot of sense, the casting is hit or miss (go away, Will Smith), and – here’s the most damning part – the whole film is over-stylized and reeks of TRYING TOO HARD.  Suicide Squad so badly wants to be what its marketing has been selling it as – Guardians of the Galaxy meets Deadpool – but director David Ayers clearly had no idea how to pull that off.  So, along with his own sloppily injected ideas, he delivered the easiest parts to lift from each of the aforementioned hits – classic rock tunes and curse words.  Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to implement those bits any better than he did his own.

With all of that being said, I – somehow – didn’t actually hate Suicide Squad.  The first act is brisk and fun, and there are some good performances – Jared Leto’s Joker is solid, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is fun, Jay Hernandez’s Diablo is on point and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is adequately frigid.  It’s just too bad that once the fighting begins, the film completely crumbles and loses any discernible reason for the characters or the “story” to even exist.

If I were you, I’d save the cash and wait to see the movie via Redbox (or whatever you prefer) later this year.

One Last Thought:

Oddly enough, I wish that Will Smith had starred in Independence Day: Resurgence instead of Suicide Squad.  At least there his Will Smith as Will Smith shtick would have been easier to swallow.

One More Thought:

To be honest, I won’t be surprised if I liked Suicide Squad more on a second viewing.  I also wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up liking it less.