The DC Cinematic Universe has been a bit of a rollercoaster, to say the least. Before it even began, DC ran into trouble with the release of 2011's awful Green Lantern movie and even 2012's lukewarm The Dark Knight Rises. It was a relief when WB announced plans to begin anew with Man of Steel and kickstart a universe into motion. The response to MoS was less than stellar, so WB then called upon the popularity of Batman to raise interest in the film's sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While this happened, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014 proved that D-list heroes coming together as a team (without film setup) could be as or even more popular than many A-listers, so WB's response was to greenlight Suicide Squad. This was a solid move considering the postive reception for Assault on Arkham, which just so happened to release the same year as GotG.
July 2015 gave us our first look at Suicide Squad, even though the footage from comic con was never meant to be released in HD on the Internet. I, like many fans, was hyped as the marketing trucked along. I thought it was fantastic that WB was not showing too much new footage in the trailers and saving the surprises for the actual film. Jump forward to March 2016: BvS is critically panned, even disliked by many fans. The common denominator among critics was that BvS lacked "fun" and was too dark. This, coupled with poor editing and a very cluttered plot, caused the film to be an utter disappointment. But DC fans stayed hopeful, as Suicide Squad amped up its own marketing (the trailers were pretty incredible), and was just around the corner. There was still faith that the DC Universe could be turned around.
Here we are in August. And Suicide Squad was kinda disappointing too.
Now I'll admit, Suicide Squad is far better than its predecessor, BvS, however let's be completely honest: this movie had some major issues. But you've already read enough articles and reviews online and know exactly what I'm talking about: poor editing, hollow characters, a messy plot, terrible villain, etc. I'm as upset as you are about Jared Leto's Joker being cut from the film almost completely (for SS, however, I'm actually willing to give an Ultimate Edition a fair chance). But there's a saying that's been ringing in my head after I watched SS, and it applies directly to the DCEU:
3 strikes and you're out.
Suicide Squad is the third installment of the DC film universe, and just like the other two movies, SS is divisive among critics and fans alike. This is not the response WB had hoped for. They needed a solid win, a really solid win. Marvel's Civil War was awesome and helped rinse the bad taste of BvS out of my mouth. Suicide Squad is not as bad as BvS by any means, but it really wasn't that great either. And David Ayer can say all he wants that the theatrical release was his film, but we all know it wasn't. Just look at the trailers! The amount of footage (specifically footage of the Joker) that was cut from this film is mind-boggling. I understand Ayer works for WB and doesn't want to get Tranked, but there comes a time when you have to stand up for the film YOU shot. That's a whole different article, so let's move on.
I'm not saying the DCEU is done for and that it's even on its third strike. I think it's more like this: Man of Steel was a foul ball, not necessarily missing the mark completely but not the hit WB wanted. BvS is definitely a strike, although after watching "Everything Great about BvS" I admit there are a lot of really great moments within the film. Suicide Squad I'd say is another foul: when it hits the mark, it hits it HARD; the performances of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot, along with Viola Davis as Amanda Waller were near perfection! Diablo was a nice surprise and, despite what most users on this site say, and SPOILERS... I actually liked his cool transformation at the end. Now did the CGI look good? Not really. But I couldn't help but root for the guy, Diablo had a great arc. But when SS misses the mark, it really misses: Enchantress hula-hooping around a generic blue light in the sky, her unnamed brother (apparently her intro said "Brother: Incubus" I guess?), the random music thrown into the film to make it lighter in tone, and the other stuff mentioned before. From the marketing and trailers, I honestly thought Suicide Squad was going to be a game-changer.
And maybe that's the problem right there. I've gone into these DC movies expecting something absolutely amazing only to be punched in the gut time and time again. Remember Man of Steel's trailers? I rewatched those trailers countless times because of how incredible they were, yet the actual film didn't deliver. It may have to some, but for me as a Superman fan, it just didn't do the character justice. We got a better Superman film in those short trailers than we did in a 2 and a half hour long movie! Same with BvS. The trailers (except for the spoilery Doomsday one) were pretty fantastic and showcased some awesome footage, only to leave us with disappointment as the credits rolled. And now with Suicide Squad, I feel about where I was with Man of Steel. Amazing trailers, yet the film just didn't live up to the hype that it promised.
This past San Diego Comic Con brought us footage for the upcoming Justice League and Wonder Woman films, but should we be as hyped as we have been? Zack Snyder is returning for JL, which honestly doesn't boost my confidence all that much. You can tell me that he's going to be helped by great writers and producers, but we've seen this before. Christopher Nolan produced Man of Steel, Chris Terrio helped write Batman v Superman, and Geoff Johns is now head of DC at WB. All of this talent, yet DC is still floundering in the films department. I want to be excited for DC's latest movies, but we can't let ourselves overhype footage or marketing. I will reserve my excitement for when I sit in the theater and watch Wonder Woman kick ass on screen, or if Flash and Cyborg exchange jokes during JL. Right now, I just can't get behind DC, despite how much I want to. I wanted to LOVE Suicide Squad, but frankly it was a bit of a letdown just like the other DC movies. Here's hoping we get a Joker cut of the film, because dammit I want to see more of Leto's take on the Clown Prince of Crime!
Oddly enough, this is my OPINION. I did like Suicide Squad but I didn't love it, and I'm sure there are other users on this site that feel the same way. I do know one thing: the marketing department for DC needs a raise.
Follow me on Twitter @therealcrscott to see my antics across other platforms! Be sure to comment and let me know what you think of not only Suicide Squad, but DC Films as a whole!