3 Out of 5 Stars
Suicide Squad provides a much needed reprieve for the troubled DC Cinematic universe after its rough start thanks to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; a film that while it faltering on its theatrical release, was much more coherent in its R-Rated ultimate incarnation. Thanks to that, its now up to David Ayer and a film that was originally intended to be more of a world building piece instead of being responsible for jumpstarting a brand that can’t seem to catch a break.

As soon as the credits roll Suicide Squad gets right to the point, as we are quickly introduced to our villains one by one as they are all apprehended and stashed away in a top secret facility. These vignettes are used as an effective way to not only bring us up to speed on the characters, but also introduce the bigger universe around them. Its here they are recruited by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) head of A.R.G.U.S. who is looking to get ahead of the meta-human threat after the events of Batman v Superman by building a black ops squad of expendable super villains to fill the void left by Superman.


Funny enough the first threat they face is conjured by one of their own as Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), one of the first recruits goes rogue taking over Middletown and turning its citizen into mindless killers. The film then borrows liberally from Escape from New York as the squad is then pulled from jail, offered a deal to rescue an unknown high-level target in the abandoned city, while explosives are inserted into their necks to keep them in line. Of course they also have Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) on board as babysitters to keep them on task as the Joker (Jared Leto) makes more than a few appearances in an attempt to rescue Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) from her new civic duties.

This film’s iteration of the roster includes Deadshot (Will Smith) the quasi-leader of the squad, Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). First off, Jared Leto’s controversial visual take on the Joker actually makes sense here in the super colorful context of the world the Suicide Squadinhabits. While we get only a glimpse of this character in the film as to keep the focus on the squad, the biggest deviation from the character could be his actual relationship with Harley. There’s really no doubt here that Mr. J will stop at nothing to get his Puddin back.


Will Smith as Deadshot was probably the biggest surprise here of the cast. He wasn’t afraid to share the spotlight and get dirty playing the assassin who inevitably becomes the heart and soul of the film. His performance here definitely echoes back to one my favorite films Smith starred in, the vastly underrated flick Hancock. If Smith is the heart and soul of the squad Margot Robbie is the one who keeps us well aware these are indeed the bad guys as fan favorite Harley Quinn, supplying most of the film’s laughs with a very unsettling psychotic charm. Suicide Squad attempts to imbue the character with not only insanity you’d expect, but also an independence and resolve that makes her less of a sidekick/girlfriend and more of a force to be reckoned with.

The film itself has some odd tonal shifts, which are obviously due to the reshoots and retooling to lighten the tone. I think the film would have faired much better if Batman v Superman had hit the way it was supposed to and we would probably have seen a much different film today. While the first act feels grittier and the tone more consistent, it gets more uneven and muddier in the second and third as the levity seems to feel a bit forced or out of place in a few scenes. Even with those shortcomings in mind I definitely still enjoyed the film thanks to the ensemble cast who give the film a manic energy that is only matched by the pounding pop soundtrack that can at times tend to be a bit too much on the nose in its music choices.


Suicide Squad is proof DC and Warner still have a lot to learn about the production by committee that Marvel has almost honed to perfection. The film is very reminiscent of some of Marvel’s earlier MCU films where they struggled with the role of the auteur in a cinematic universe and just how much creative control they can delegate to a director. I also feel that this film is heavy on the course correction given the pitch black tone in Batman v Superman and most films going forward should be more even in their approach. David Ayer delivers a fun, albeit a bit mindless superhero film that shows us there is still hope for Warner and DC. While those looking for super hero high art will probably want to look elsewhere, Suicide Squad gives  fans the spectacle and characters they want in a film that will hopefully finally put DC on the right path.

Also Nick Fury better watch out, Amanda Waller is coming for your Avengers.