On August 5, 2016, the blockbuster DC Comics movie Suicide Squad premiered in theaters, and is still popular this Halloween. Though it has been a commercial success, reviews for the film have been fairly negative from critics. Even fans of the film have admitted its inaccuracy and plot holes. However, many of the people who have seen it have said they liked it. As such, I was very curious to see the movie, which I’d been looking forward to since the first trailer aired.
Although I enjoyed the film and it was fun, I wouldn’t call it a good movie. The writers were given great source material, but weren’t able to make it as good as it could have been. DC is known for having fantastic villains, so you would think that a film in which all of its most famous villains join forces would be awesome. However, it was all style and no substance.
Character development is a huge issue. The best example of this is the film’s lead, Harley Quinn, a beloved character who comic books fans were excited to finally see on the big screen. Though actress Margot Robbie was fantastic in the role, it was written all wrong. First, the character wasn’t wearing the iconic outfit from the comics. Even though her backstory was faithful to the one in the comics, it was glossed over by the film’s writers. The other two female lead characters, the Enchantress, played by Cara Delevigne, and Katana, played by Karen Fukuhana, were simply thrown into the plot. Though the Enchantress could have been a compelling character, Cara Delevigne’s interpretation was not that good, and the special effects looked incredibly fake. Katana could have been a good character, but she was hardly even in the movie.
There were other characters in the movie who were well-acted and compelling, but audiences would have liked to know more about them. Examples are El Diablo, played by Jay Hernandez, whose backstory was interesting but could have been fleshed out more and Killer Croc, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who had no backstory whatsoever. Captain Boomerang, played by Jai Courtney, provided comic relief but was also underdeveloped and a pretty one dimensional character. That being said, Deadshot, played by Will Smith, was the best character and Viola Davis shined, as usual, in her role as Amanda Waller, the government worker who brings the team together.
The plot of the film was whimsical and fun, which contrasted it with other recent DC films, such as Man of Steel and Batman vs Superman. However, there were a ton of plot holes throughout the film. To mention a few without giving too much away, the Enchantress’ powers were very confusing, and that most of the film takes place over a single night. Yet despite all of its flaws, it’s hard not to enjoy watching the movie. The visuals, soundtrack, and plot were fun and you don’t have to be a comic book fan to like it. As long as you don’t compare it to Marvel Films or nitpick the plot, you should be able to sit back and enjoy the film.