Full disclosure: Never read any comics. My yardstick is just the comic book movies, and various cartoon movies.
Finally managed to catch it in the theatres before it got taken down. I am glad I did. This movie wouldn't be enjoyable on a small screen. I am not gonna go all in and say this is a terrific movie or anything.
It has lots and lots of problems, with editing (the musical cues are great, and I loved the songs, but it felt more like a music video than an actual movie scene. So many song changes in a span of barely twenty minutes). The villain is really really weak. Not to knock too much on Cara Delevigne's acting prowess, but getting her covered in CGI (below that I am pretty sure something out of Victoria's Secret) and swirling to a make-believe blueish green thingy shooting a beam into the sky is not a good villain. Her motivations, her brother?!, her eventual vague take over the world plan, everything reeked of rehash and tired screenwriting tropes. Lastly, Jared Leto was so...boring as the Joker. You could literally see him trying to dial up the crazy to 11 and it all came across as fake. I did not like his performance one bit. Not gonna compare it to Ledger, but even as standalone character, he was so forgettable. Maybe the good stuff was left on the cutting floor, maybe. But what was on screen, didn't impress me.
So, lest I appear all too negative, let me give you the positives. It is a very entertaining and fun movie. I was not bored at all, and that is mainly due to the excellent chemistry of the Suicide Squad itself. They worked against each other really well, even if the movie was interested in telling the story of only three, and the rest were supplements.
Will Smith is terrific as Deadshot. He was badass, and broken down when it needed to be. He inserted genuine moments of levity. His command and charisma came across in his character, and it was a very good performance. Good thing he chose this over
Independence Day: Resurrection.
Margot Robbie is, without a doubt, the show stealer of this whole thing. She dialled the crazy to 11 and sexy was merged into it, somehow. Her deranged performance, along with the energy she put into the role, worked wonders. Her presence elevated the movie for me. Her comedic timing, her expressions, everything. She worked well with Will Smith, much more than she did with Leto.
Viola Davis does what she does best: playing a badass. Her Amanda Waller is the case of perfect casting like Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man.
Joel Kinnaman is also great here. He had a straight badass role, but he inserted some real humanity into it, even if he had the oldest trope to play: lover trying to save his beloved. He had great banter with Will Smith.
Jay Hernandez and Jai Courtney (yes, him, fellas) are also pretty damn good to watch. Killer Croc and Katana are given a bit of a short thrift, but in a movie stuffed with so many characters, it's not surprising.
P.S. Really disappointed with the
Batman scenes in the movie. I thought he would be doing something cool or some shit. He was just...there. I am not sure how I feel about this Joker against the Bats. We have seen one perfect outing of that fight, let's do something fresh.
Deathstroke seems like a step in the right direction.
6/10