Based on the film's trailers, 2016's Suicide Squad looked set to deliver what fans wanted from the "worst of the worst" in the DC Universe, but when the film hit theatres, it all went downhill from there. David Ayer's supervillain story was slammed with a barrage of negative reviews, and while it still managed to gross almost $750 million worldwide, it didn't leave the lasting impression that Warner Bros. or Ayer were hoping for.
“It was sh–. Yeah, it was sh– reviews. I got my throat cut,” Ayer acknowledged to Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. “It was a super polarizing movie. Incredibly polarizing.”
Ayer continued on to explain how the reception left him feeling nervous about directing his latest film, Bright, for Netflix. “It’s like going to the boxing ring and getting knocked out is how it felt. And I had to go into the ring again. And directing is a confidence game, because you’re selling everyone on something that only exists in your head. The actors have to feel that confidence to trust that you know what you’re doing, and so does your crew. As a director, you set the tone. Really, it’s coming off that movie, I understood the pitfalls, I understood the dangers, I knew where the alligators hide, you know? And so I made damn sure I didn’t repeat any mistakes.”
Unfortunately for Ayer, Bright also fared very poorly with critics, though he is taking the reception in stride. In fact, the director has a special plan for the critic who called the film "the single worst movie of 2017".
“This is going on my fridge," Ayer said of the quote. "Highest compliment is a strong reaction either way. This is a f–king epic review. It’s a big fun movie. You can sure string words together Mr. [Ehrlich]. I’d love to read any script you’ve written.”
What do you make of Ayer's thoughts? Let us know in the comments! Bright is now streaming on Netflix.
About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.