SPOILERS: SUICIDE SQUAD - 5 Things That Worked And 5 That Didn't
Suicide Squad hasn't fared well with critics, but it's nowhere near as bad as they've said. It is however deeply flawed, & here you'll find a spoiler-filled look at what does & doesn't work in the movie.
If you've read my Suicide Squad review, you'll know that I liked the movie. There's a lot of stuff in there which works really well, but sadly equally as much which unfortunately ends up quickly falling flat.
If reports of some serious behind the scenes issues are accurate, we may very well have an explanation for the latter, but what you'll find here is an in-depth look at the five things from Suicide Squad which were great and five that were just abysmal. From some baffling creative decisions with certain character to that ending, it goes without saying that MAJOR SPOILERS for the movie follow from here.
Didn't Work: El Diablo's Transformation
El Diablo is a surprising highlight of Suicide Squad, especially after we learn that he avoids using his powers because he previously lost control and inadvertently killed his wife and children. The rest of Task Force X are pretty horrified by this, but that doesn't stop Diablo from confusingly declaring the team his new family during the final battle, a very sudden change of heart from someone who an hour earlier would have stood by and saw them all killed because he didn't want to unleash his abilities.
However, things get even more random when the character completely out of nowhere acknowledges the fact that his powers have a mystical background as he talks to Enchantress in her ancient language and transforms into a pretty terrible looking CGI monster. To go from shooting flames out of his hands to being an ancient demi-God is downright ridiculous, and his sacrifice would have been more heroic had he just been normal.
Did Work: Deadshot
Will Smith has made some questionable decisions in recent years, but choosing Suicide Squad over Independence Day: Resurgence was a wise move on the actor's part. He's having a blast here as Deadshot and is by far the best character in the movie. While some fans were worried that he would just be playing himself as an assassin, Smith brings a lot of layers to the role, making it surprisingly easy to root for Floyd Lawton as he fights to do what he can to get back to his daughter.
Seeing him don the mask in a couple of key sequences is also very cool, while his relationship with both Rick Flag and Harley Quinn proves to be a fascinating highlight. Where and when we'll see the character return remains to be seen, but given his very interesting ties to Batman, it would be a lot of fun for him to show up in that upcoming solo outing. Otherwise, it would be no bad thing to see Deadshot get a spinoff of his own down the line.
Didn't Work: Worst. CGI Villain. Ever.
Enchantress is a pretty terrible villain, and Cara Delevingne's performance boils down to her doing weird gyrating motions as she attempts to bring Task Force X to her side (a group we see that she could easily dispatch of, making her decision to engage them hand to hand all the more confusing). Her big plan seems to revolve around creating a machine for humans to worship that will then destroy them, and it's all horribly generic and vague. However, that all pales in comparison to her unnamed brother.
A brightly coloured monstrosity who wouldn't look out of place in a ten year old video game, there's really no point to him being here other than giving the team someone they need to destroy. Enchantress being the big bad would have been fine, especially if she was being manipulated by The Joker or something similar. Instead, her brother - likely Incubus - quickly outstays his welcome and is instantly forgettable.
Did Work: The Music
Suicide Squad's use of music has led to a lot of comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy, but I think it's unfair to say that this movie essentially ripped that one off. While he doesn't handle these music interludes quite as well as James Gunn did, David Ayer finds some great places to drop in some awesome tracks which work really well with the action playing out on screen.
There's arguably a few too many of these in the first half of the movie (we literally jump from song to song at some points), but they give Suicide Squad a fresh and fun feel it might have otherwise been lacking in. It's weird then that the second half of the movie pretty much ditches music altogether for a conventional score. Ayer could have made use of some great songs during the overlong final battle, but there's none of that, and it almost feels like the movie burned through them all too quickly in the first half and then ended up running out of options!
Did Work: The Joker
We've heard so much about what Jared Leto did to prepare for his role as The Joker that expectations were obviously at an all-time high going into Suicide Squad, so it's a shame that the character is never given a chance to shine. However, what we do see definitely works. While he's not quite as manic as Heath Ledger's version, this Clown Prince of Crime feels every bit as evil and dangerous and is like a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.
What little we see of his bizarre co-dependent relationship with Harley Quinn proves to be fascinating, and the decision to make him more of a gangster in this world works really well as that's something the comic books have often flirted with before taking things down a more cartoonish route. A Joker in control of Gotham feels far more interesting and frightening, and if nothing else, Suicide Squad will definitely leave you hoping that we see much more of him in The Batman.
Didn't Work: Er, The Joker
As good as Leto's Joker was, the fact that the actor's performance ended up being butchered in the editing room is a major problem for Suicide Squad. Whether Warner Bros. were unsure with the direction he took the character in or if it was just too dark and violent for a PG-13 rating is unclear, but the villain ends up appearing in frustratingly brief snippets which often feel like they've been inserted from another movie.
We've heard a lot about Leto sending his co-stars some bizarre gifts and that obviously stems from him sharing a key scene with them before or after the final battle. However, that's now gone from the movie as is more background on his relationship with Harley Quinn. The scene where she chases him down on a motorbike and is slapped across the face? Gone. The fact that we never even get a scene where we hear The Joker properly unleash his laugh seems unforgivable, and the character could and should have been handled much better than this.
Did Work: Amanda Waller, Evil B*tch
We've now seen a lot of versions of Amanda Waller in live-action. Arrow, Green Lantern, and Smallville have all offered up very different takes, but make no mistake about it, Viola Davis' is the best yet. From the very start, we learn what a manipulative and selfish woman she is, toying with people's lives for her own gain. However, as the movie goes on, her true nature really begins to show through.
Her threatening to kill Task Force X in order to keep them in line is at least somewhat understandable, but her gunning down her employees to save her own skin really isn't! The way she manipulates Rick Flag and June Moon is also pretty detestable, and when she jumps on board a chopper to leave Midway City, it's actually pretty tough to believe that she's going to send one back for Flag and the team; after all, leaving them there would further help her protect herself. We need to see more Waller in the DC Films Universe, that's for sure.
Didn't Work: Batman's Cameo
While that final scene between Bruce Wayne and Amanda Waller was pretty cool (though arguably wholly unnecessary; Warner Bros. still has a lot to learn from Marvel Studios when it comes to after-credits stingers), Batman's role in Suicide Squad ends up being a pretty major disappointment. The moment he took down Deadshot should have been a highlight, but is instead a sloppily shot action scene which is over and done with in the time it takes you to blink.
The Caped Crusader's pursuit of The Joker feels just as disappointing as it's been massively cut down and ends up amounting to even less than what we saw in the trailers. The hero punching Harley Quinn underwater got a few laughs in my screening, but the weirdly sensual kiss between them as he moves in to give mouth to mouth is very weird, and this scene was hurt from there being a lack of history between these character which was either shown or implied.
Did Work: It Makes You Want To See More Of These Characters
Killer Croc and Katana are two characters I could live without, but they're bound to have their fans and could easily have their stories expanded on elsewhere. As of right now, it's hard to say whether or not Suicide Squad will get a sequel, but if it does, all of these characters need to reassemble for another mission. If that does't become a reality, then it's essential that Warner Bros. find a place for the rest of the villains elsewhere in the DC Films Universe.
Didn't Work: The Ending
Are we getting a Suicide Squad sequel where the team is sent to bring these two down? Will they appear in The Batman as a team? Was this new ending tacked on to open the door to that Harley Quinn spinoff? Did the rest of Task Force X also escape? The whole things just feels very random and really doesn't work, and after seeing Harley become part of this group, it's a shame to think that she's going to revert to just being The Joker's girlfriend again. If this ending was supposed to excite fans, it more than likely failed.
What were your favourite and least favourite moments of Suicide Squad? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.