Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn in "Suicide Squad" (Photo : Facebook/DC Extended Universe)
The jury's out on "Suicide Squad," the latest DC comics based offering from Warner Bros.
The film offers many a twist that should make it stand out: this is a team made up of villains. That opens a lot of possibilities-having no accountability or moral high ground, what limited the appeal of the Superman character. Granted, Zack Snyder has already broken that with both Superman and Batman's hands bloodied, "Suicide Squad" promises to take it to a whole new level.
The film does get messy, but not in a good way, if the reviews are to be believed. Business Insider gathered the main critiques of the film, which had comments like "a group of villains working together either makes no sense or doesn't deliver" and that the "villains don't belong in the same zip code."
There seemed to be a lack of chemistry among the cast, but even in a bad film, there are standouts. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot were praised but the impression was that the other characters were not developed, even expendable. Tech Insider mentioned that "It's just nearly impossible to build an emotional connection to about a dozen characters in a two-hour movie."
But the characters were far from the only flaw. Gizmodo called it "chaotic, manic and a total mess."
It should be recalled that the last DC movie, "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice" has also been blasted by critics but still made money. The same result is expected from "Suicide Squad" and this is probably their riskiest outing since the characters are not household names prior to the film (as opposed to "BvS").
While Warner can bank on the financial success and it bodes well for their battalion of upcoming superhero movies, the studio may have to accept their place in the Comic Book movie hierarchy, and that's one step below Marvel.
In Marvel's last release, "Captain America: Civil War" there were also a dozen characters but emotional connection was never a problem. The motivations of each character and the sides they took (even Black Panther switching sides) were clear.
While this movie was directed by David Ayer, it shared similar flaws with Snyder's "BvS." Germain Lussier of Gizmodo complained that "the goal of the Squad's mission is incredibly ambiguous, gets even murkier as the narrative unfolds, and then falls apart once all is revealed at the end."
Those were similar observations with "Batman V Superman." It was still not clear to everyone why Batman and Superman fought and why they decided to stop and work together (Martha) has actually been ridiculed.
Perhaps Warner Bros has accepted their fate. They could never compare with Marvel, let alone supplant it, but they can find their own niche. Snyder and Ayer can direct visually appealing action sequences and they did deliver in the two films released this year. Their attempts at having a relevant plot and characters that would stir sympathy from the audience went for naught and that may dictate the blueprint going forward.
"Batman V Superman" still earned $900 million just to bring the two most famous superheroes on the screen together. "Suicide Squad" should strive for more modest goals but they could still make a killing for a two hour thrill ride. As Lussier concluded, "(Suicide Squad) never feels like a true, cohesive movie. It feels (like) a B-movie-an action-packed one, but a B-movie nonetheless."
