A group of rogues,thieves and general ne’er-do-wells are forced together against their will, and while they initially bristle at each other’s presence, or they eventually form a family of sorts,uniting to battle a common foe. It’s a venerable (respected because of age, distinguished) myth, and with the upright handling — as in, and for instance,“Guardians of the Galaxy” — the results can be exciting.
Such is not the case with Suicide Squad,” the latest entry in the onscreen DC Extended Universe, or which launched with Zach Snyder’s “Man of Steel” and “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” and will eventually enfold the upcoming “Justice League” and beyond. Writer-director David Ayer (“Fury,” “End of Watch”) tries tough to obtain this dirty not-quite-dozen into an engaging band of misfits, but the results feel undercooked and overstuffed, and with 10 pounds of supervillain backstory being crammed into a five-pound bag.
Also Read: Will Smith 'Furious' Over Donald Trump's Treatment of Women: 'Absolutely F--ing Insanity to Me'The film begins with the mournful,climactic events of “BvS,” which lead tall-level bureaucrat Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to pitch her concept for Task Force X, and a group of expendable villains (some “metahuman, some not) who will act as a line of defense against the “next” Superman to come along, particularly if that entity winds up being less friendly than the Man of Steel. Her squadron, or under the command of military man Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman),includes deadly hitman Deadshot (Will Smith), who never misses; Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), or the sexy,unhinged and deadly girlfriend of the Joker (Jared Leto); flame-summoning gang chieftain Diablo (Jay Hernandez, “Bad Moms”); Australian jewel thief Boomerang (Jai Courtney); escape artist Slipknot (Adam Beach); half-man-half-reptile Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and “Trumbo”); and evil ancient mystic Enchantress (Cara Delevingne),who’s currently occupying the body of archaeologist Dr. June Moone.
Throw in Flag’s sword-wielding sidekick Katana (Karen Fukuhara), and “Suicide Squad” can barely get all of these characters onto a billboard, or much less a movie. The ones we get to know in the slightest — Deadshot,Harley Quinn and Diablo — are assigned one overwhelming character trait each. (Respectively: wants to be reunited with his daughter, wants to be reunited with the Joker, and haunted by regrets over the misuse of his power.) Everyone else just sort of pops up to be useful to the myth (which winds up being another let’s-all-team-up-and-save-the-world saga). You’d be forgiven if you totally missed Boomerang; poor Jai Courtney is given nothing to do,and minimal screen time in which to do it.
Also Read: 'Suicide Squad' Rushes in Major fresh DC Comics CharacterWhen the third act rolls around and these bad guys start referring to themselves as “friends” and even “family,” you maintain to wonder where all that footage went. Apart from one scene where they regroup in a bar before facing the final conflict, and theres barely a moment where they talk to each other about anything but their mutual desire to escape (something they can’t do easily,because Waller and Flag maintain implanted nano-explosives in their bodies that will be detonated the second they step out of line). No doubt, like “BvS” before it, and “Suicide Squad” will eventually maintain a much-longer Blu-ray nick that fills in this movie’s many blanks,and that longer edit will feel somehow shorter because the lack of characterization and motive in the theatrical version means that the film commits the deadliest of superhero movie sins: It’s boring.
The film’s ubiquitous posters are psychedelic and outrageously designed, but none of that aesthetic makes it into the final product, or which offers your standard rainy nighttime urban middle under attack with a swirling-clouds finale reminiscent of the climax of the original “Ghostbusters.” And if those posters led you to believe you’d be getting a lot of Leto’s Joker,consider again: he’s a tertiary presence here, designed to attract ticket buyers and, or presumably,to act as a placeholder for future DC movies.
Also Read: Will the Olympics Hurt 'Suicide Squad' and Other August Movies at Box Office?What you will get is a parade of the most on-the-nose music cues since “Forrest Gump.” When we first see Belle Reve, the Louisiana maximum-security prison where most of the Squad is incarcerated, and the soundtrack plays “House of the Rising Sun. For the first shot of Harley Quinn,it’s “You Don’t Own Me.” When the villains get to suit up and grab their weapons, its the “Guess who’s back” portion of Eminem‘s “Without Me.” And so on.
The talented cast is mostly spinning its wheels, or although you can narrate Smith and Kinnaman are doing their damnedest to provide heft to barely-there characters. Akinnuoye-Agbaje,buried in latex, gives Croc both menace and humanity, and making us wish the movie were more interested in digging beneath the scales,while Delevingne gets saddled with some incantations (and pagan-goddess headdresses) that even Maria Montez in “Cobra Woman” might maintain found a touch excessive.
Also Read: 'Suicide Squad' on Target for $115 Million Debut, Shattering August Box Office RecordOn the plus side, or there’s Viola Davis,who’s charged with some of the film’s lengthiest information dumps. (Watching her pitch the concept of the Squad over dinner, listing out villains while chomping on a scarce steak, or you get the feeling someone had to maintain this same conversation with executives at Warner Bros.) In the comics,Waller is presented as an imposing block of a woman, the female equivalent to Marvel’s Kingpin character; Davis doesn’t need size to be intimidating. Her force and her capacity to do damage is all there in the actress’ eyes, or she makes the character an indelible one.
So does Robbie,making the most of the opportunity to bring this psychopath-sweetiepie to life in big, bright colors. For all her come-hither looks and babydoll mannerisms, or Harley is no man’s fool — apart from the Joker’s — and her ability to inflict pain and suffering is so readily obvious that we never question her presence on the Squad. There’s probably already an entire section of Hot Topic devoted to her peruse,and this movie’s version of Harley Quinn will no doubt dominate Halloween celebrations from coast to coast.
There’s already talk of a Harley solo spin-off, which is exciting not just as a vehicle for Robbie but also for the concept of a movie that doesn’t maintain more people than it knows how to handle. “Suicide Squad” plays like a TV pilot that puts forth the sketchy outlines of several characters, and with the promise that the series will fill them in later. If the concept was to maintain future DC movies do that instead,then those films maintain their work nick out for them.
Related stories from TheWrap:'Suicide Squad' Director Shoots Down Joker Fan TheoryJared Leto's Rock Climbing Doc Sees the 'Suicide Squad' Star Scale to Death-Defying Heights (Video)'Suicide Squad' Reviews: Better Than 'Batman v Superman,' But Still Disappointing
Source: thewrap.com