Suicide Squad : Unbelievably Bad, Undeniably Fun

Directed by David Ayer 

Produced by Charles Roven, 

Richard Suckle 

Written by David Ayer 

Based on Characters from DC Comics 

Starring 

Will Smith, 

Jared Leto, 

Margot Robbie, 

Joel Kinnaman, 

Viola Davis,

Jai Courtney, 

Jay Hernandez, 

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, 

Ike Barinholtz, 

Scott Eastwood, 

Cara Delevingne

Production company:

 DC Entertainment, 

RatPac-Dune Entertainment, 

Atlas Entertainment 

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures

After the release of one of the most anticipated superhero match-up between two of DC Comic's iconic characters in Zack Snyder's Batman V Superman : Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros. has unleashed another monster that definitely divided fans and critics alike in David Ayer's Suicide Squad. Based on the original comic book series from DC, it follows a group of villains (which are mostly from the Batman world, I think) teaming up to fight evil. Just when you thought BVS was the most polarizing superhero film of all time, here comes another one.

Honestly, I was more hyped to see Suicide Squad last year than to watch BVS. The trailer (which was supposed to be exclusive for the fans attending the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International but was eventually leaked online) showed us something new. Something we haven't seen before. Something to really look forward to. It's trailer was way better than the final trailer of BVS. With the slow, creepy cover of the Bee Gees "I Started A Joke," as sung by a female artist playing in the background which clearly mimics Disney's trailer for Maleficent (2014) which featured Lana Del Rey's cover of 'Once Upon A Dream', I was already sold to seeing it in 2016. Then, came the Blitz trailer, which was soundtracked by an interesting, diced up version of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," featuring more and more amazing footage from the film that actually made me cry. I knew from that moment that this is gonna be my most favorite superhero movie of the year. Not BVS. Not Captain America : Civil War. Not Deadpool. Not XMen : Apocalypse. This.

Then, something happened.

I saw the film.

First 30 minutes of the film, I was already feeling giddy while watching Viola Davis slay the role of Amanda Waller, as she introduce each of the members of the "squad". I really loved the short intros to each of these villains, paired with the colorful caricature backgrounds and neon letters all through out the screen. Yes, the introductions were a bit short, but it was I need to appreciate each one of them. I love the intro for Deadshot (played by the very likable Will Smith), which tried to make his character more human and more relatable as a mercenary who kills to support his daughter. Harley Quinn's (Margot Robbie) intro which featured almost all of the Joker's scenes in the film was okay. It was just a bit too unbelievable. But I guess in a movie where you have monsters and meta-humans fighting together, I really can't complain about that. But the character that really grabbed me by the heart was El Diablo a.k.a Chato Santana (played by Jay Hernandez). His character is the one whom I really appreciated a lot. Unlike his fellow "squad" members, he's not really a ruthless villain but more of a sympathetic meta-human, brought down by his tragic fate. The way he tries to do his best to avoid using his powers really shows a lot about his character. He's broken, trying to find a purpose in life. Which I can somehow relate to (but that's another story).

Then, the characters went into action and poof!

I honestly don't know what happened. Maybe it was the way the film was edited. Maybe it was the writing of the script. But past the 30 minute mark, the film went crazy. And it was just so bad. I don't really do scathing reviews of superhero movies but I just want to understand why the remaining of the film went that bad. I mean, it started off really good, but then as it goes on, it turned into something really bad.


It was the first time that I found myself lost with what's happening in the movie. I found myself asking "What the fuck did I just missed?" when all of a sudden, I was watching the squad being thrown into battle already. The transition was just so badly done, that it felt like you missed half an hour of the story. When I watched Star Wars : The Force Awakens last year, I fell asleep for like five to ten minutes into the climactic part of it, but I didn't felt like I missed something from the story. On the other hand, I was all eyes on the screen the whole screening of Suicide Squad but I felt like I was missed a lot from it. The film's first half (everything past the 30 minute mark) also suffered from really bad pacing. I think the coppy editing of the film was the one to blame as it flet like he scenes were all pasted and stitched all together to form a sequence that felt so disconnected.

Luckily, everything changed for the better during the other half of the film, when the "squad" was already in the battlefield. The film's transitions and pacing became a bit smoother than the previous half. The film started to head to a straight direction. The characters have more funny exchanges and throwing of jokes and insults to each other. The story becomes more clear. The action scenes were more fun and exciting. Despite all this, I still can't say that Enchantress (played by a very gorgeous looking Cara Delevigne) and his brother, Incubus were that good as antagonists. They weren't doing much all throughout the film, but to send hordes of really disgusting and creepy looking monsters whose heads were full of eyes all over (which was, at least, so disturbing to look at that I was trying not to stare at them directly).

The real heroes of the film were it's leads, from Viola Davis, Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Jared Leto (hough he wasn't really present in much of the film, but everytime he's on screen, he's just so lovely to look at, and that's enough for me). If it weren' for them, the whole film wouldn't be as enjoyable as it is. Margot Robbie's turn as the psychotic Harley Quinn was really a big treat to fans. She was so natural in her role that I actually think that it made specifically for her only. Will Smith was also commendable as Deadshot, though probably it's because he's just too likable as an actor, that it's so hard not to love his turn as the mercenary from Gotham turned hero. Of all the supporting cast members, Jay Hernandez is my favorite in his portrayal of El Diablo. I just love him so much that I really felt bad that he died during the finale of the film, so he probably wont be in the sequel.

Final Verdict:
I really want to hate the film because let's admit it, it was a bad film. Yet it was able to redeem itself during it's other half and gave the fans and other viewers what it promised. It is what it is - a movie about bad people doing some good stuff. And it is undeniably fun and entertaining. So I'm willing to give it another chance in it's sequel.


Highlights: 

• El Diablo unleashing hell while they were being cornered by those zombie/ monster army sent by Enchanctress. Amazing.
• Amanda Waller shooting her own assistants in front of Rick Flagg. What a mean, old bitch!
• A heartbroken Harley Quinn (who thought her lover - The Joker - had died after their chopper crashed) sitting on top of a car while rain pours in. My favorite Harley Quinn moment.
• The Finale as Harley Quinn, Deadshot and the rest of the squad tried to destroy Enchantress' destruct-O-matic machine like whirlpool of matter thingy. Rendered in cheesy slow-mo. I just can't stop laughing.

Rating:  ✰✰✰ out of 5 stars