OT: Suicide Squad quick review - NO SPOILERS

[simons96]

saw it Sunday night.

THE GOOD: Will Smith nails it as Deadshot. He's really the "emotional" center of the movie and his scenes with EVERYONE are excellent. With a lot of good actors and meaty roles, Smith stands above everyone else.

Margot Robbie also owns her role as Harley Quinn. Just unbalanced but methodical and fearless

Joel Kinnamen brings a strange toughness and humanity to Rick Flag, Jay Hernandez takes a while to open up as Diablo (but when he finally let's go, he is awesome). Viola Davis also does a great job of exploring the certainty and cruelty Amanda Waller carries as the head of ARGUS and creator of the Suicide Squad

Jared Leto and Ben Affleck bring a lot of intensity to their roles as The Joker and Batman . . .

THE BAD: IMHO, not enough Joker and Batman. I understand they are "supporting" characters in the film, but damn they own the screen with every scene they are in.

THE UGLY: the bad guy. weak. SO MANY characters to cover. Jai Courtney was decent as Captain Boomerang, but pretty much played the same note throughout the film. The plot was also a little . . . let's just say I already saw a movie this year where a city gets taken over by an army of ghosts.

Overall, I liked it more than BvS, but could definitely see where the "studio" wanted this scene and this character, and some of the film felt forced instead of organic.

8/10 though. great movie and entertaining for the full 2 hours.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

saw it Sunday night.

THE GOOD: Will Smith nails it as Deadshot. He's really the "emotional" center of the movie and his scenes with EVERYONE are excellent. With a lot of good actors and meaty roles, Smith stands above everyone else.

Margot Robbie also owns her role as Harley Quinn. Just unbalanced but methodical and fearless

Joel Kinnamen brings a strange toughness and humanity to Rick Flag, Jay Hernandez takes a while to open up as Diablo (but when he finally let's go, he is awesome). Viola Davis also does a great job of exploring the certainty and cruelty Amanda Waller carries as the head of ARGUS and creator of the Suicide Squad

Jared Leto and Ben Affleck bring a lot of intensity to their roles as The Joker and Batman . . .

THE BAD: IMHO, not enough Joker and Batman. I understand they are "supporting" characters in the film, but damn they own the screen with every scene they are in.

THE UGLY: the bad guy. weak. SO MANY characters to cover. Jai Courtney was decent as Captain Boomerang, but pretty much played the same note throughout the film. The plot was also a little . . . let's just say I already saw a movie this year where a city gets taken over by an army of ghosts.

Overall, I liked it more than BvS, but could definitely see where the "studio" wanted this scene and this character, and some of the film felt forced instead of organic.

8/10 though. great movie and entertaining for the full 2 hours.

Seeing it this week! My expectations were tempered a good bit when the re-shoot stories hit the press and the cast talking about all the tension/wackiness on set (just seemed like trying too hard). But, you're pretty kind - one reviewer I trust said he couldn't recommend the movie - at all. Yikes.

 

[pandaczar12]

I never make it to the movies, but was able to while out of town on work. I agree with most of what you say. I thought Margot was fantastic. Will Smith was good, but was featured a bit too much. I also really enjoyed watching the enchantress... I think she get's under shadowed by Harley's hot pants.

I'd give it maybe a 7/10. If you frequent the movies, it's worth seeing. If you are like me and life prohibits you from seeing many movies... I'd wait to rent it. I'd heard from multiple people it was terrible, but I think that is just the herd mentality. The trick is to go in with no expectations.

 

[simons96]

Seeing it this week! My expectations were tempered a good bit when the re-shoot stories hit the press and the cast talking about all the tension/wackiness on set (just seemed like trying too hard). But, you're pretty kind - one reviewer I trust said he couldn't recommend the movie - at all. Yikes.

I no longer trust reviewers, especially after the BvS debacle. something weird going on in that community.

There are a LOT of characters to cover, and a lot of pressure on this film because of the perceived "failure" of BvS. One thing Marvel does well is give in to the director's vision of a film and maintain minimal studio interference.

Suicide Squad opened to $266 million worldwide box office this weekend. let's see if it has legs.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

I no longer trust reviewers, especially after the BvS debacle. something weird going on in that community.

There are a LOT of characters to cover, and a lot of pressure on this film because of the perceived "failure" of BvS. One thing Marvel does well is give in to the director's vision of a film and maintain minimal studio interference.

Suicide Squad opened to $266 million worldwide box office this weekend. let's see if it has legs.

Really bad word of mouth on this movie. But, not going to stop me.

And I finally watched BvS and I was really, really not a fan. Two big issues for me - Lex Luthor was miscast, mis-written, and just a huge disappointment. They tried to go for an insane/Joker type villain when Lex is much smarter and savvier. And Doomsday - ugh. Just a huge mess. I will say I didn't hate the movie and think it's a nice launching point for Justice League and Darkseid, and I absolutely loved Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Affleck was perfectly fine as Batman and I'm looking forward to more of him.

 

[simons96]

Really bad word of mouth on this movie. But, not going to stop me.

And I finally watched BvS and I was really, really not a fan. Two big issues for me - Lex Luthor was miscast, mis-written, and just a huge disappointment. They tried to go for an insane/Joker type villain when Lex is much smarter and savvier. And Doomsday - ugh. Just a huge mess. I will say I didn't hate the movie and think it's a nice launching point for Justice League and Darkseid, and I absolutely loved Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Affleck was perfectly fine as Batman and I'm looking forward to more of him.

have you watched the extended Director's Cut? that extra 30 minutes really improves the film.

Affleck crushes it in Suicide Squad. I had my reservations about him, but he's done his homework on Batman.

 

[doctornick]

I no longer trust reviewers, especially after the BvS debacle. something weird going on in that community.

Not sure I follow. BvS was an absolutely terrible film. Poor editing, boring characters that were difficult to like and had poorly defined motivations (except for Batman) or explanations for their decisions. A terrible villain in Lex. Even the cinematography was mediocre, which is typically Snyder's strength.

BvS deserves all the criticism and more. There's a good reason the box office dropped like a rock -- because it had terrible word of mouth.

I haven't see Suicide Squad, so I can't comment on it though I was pretty hopeful about it given Ayer is actually a decent director. But the reviews certainly give me pause.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

have you watched the extended Director's Cut? that extra 30 minutes really improves the film.

Affleck crushes it in Suicide Squad. I had my reservations about him, but he's done his homework on Batman.

Yes - that was the one I watched.

 

[simons96]

Not sure I follow. BvS was an absolutely terrible film. Poor editing, boring characters that were difficult to like and had poorly defined motivations (except for Batman) or explanations for their decisions. A terrible villain in Lex. Even the cinematography was mediocre, which is typically Snyder's strength.

BvS deserves all the criticism and more. There's a good reason the box office dropped like a rock -- because it had terrible word of mouth.

I haven't see Suicide Squad, so I can't comment on it though I was pretty hopeful about it given Ayer is actually a decent director. But the reviews certainly give me pause.

opinions vary. I enjoyed the film.

 

[jjsocrates]

saw it Sunday night.

THE GOOD: Will Smith nails it as Deadshot. He's really the "emotional" center of the movie and his scenes with EVERYONE are excellent. With a lot of good actors and meaty roles, Smith stands above everyone else.

Margot Robbie also owns her role as Harley Quinn. Just unbalanced but methodical and fearless

8/10 though. great movie and entertaining for the full 2 hours.

I was a little disappointed by the movie...mostly because I expected a different film based off the trailers than the actual one in the theater. I didn't like all the quick editing, and I thought the movie was paced too fast. Apparently, if you're under 18 you loved this movie - but its been a while since I fit that demographic. I keep hoping the DCU would be closer in look, feel, and pacing to Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. I wish they had spent more time on dialog and characters and less on trying to make Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 - the Soundtrack.

Having said all that and laying out the disappointing parts (basically, I just thought it could have been longer and/or even better) its mostly that my expectations were really high. I really liked the movie, and I thought it was LOTS of fun. And Deadshot and Harley were great, as was Amanda Waller. Damn if that little blond Australian didn't nail Harley Quinn.

(Minor Spoiler - but who cares: don't blink or you'll miss Slipknot)

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Wonder Woman and Batfleck movies - maybe they need more Joker & Harley in the next standalone Batman movie. I really have high hopes for WW - I think that's going to be what I was hoping for from DCU.

(And switching gears to MCU for one second - Brie Larson!!! Ok, back to the DCU)

Just rewatched Man of Steel this weekend, and I really do like that movie. I don't understand why the DCU gets such rotten reviews. Although I think one valid complaint - Marvel started with the standalone movie and THEN introduced the Avengers as a team. Seems like DCU wants to shove out the Justice League and THEN introduce the characters. Marvel was able to establish WHO their characters were, so they were all familiar players when they all joined up. I think DC is doing it backwards - but that might also explain why Arrow and Flash work so well as TV shows. Not as good as Daredevil or Jessica Jones, but still - they work because they're character driven first, then action driven.

 

[simons96]

I was a little disappointed by the movie...mostly because I expected a different film based off the trailers than the actual one in the theater. I didn't like all the quick editing, and I thought the movie was paced too fast. Apparently, if you're under 18 you loved this movie - but its been a while since I fit that demographic. I keep hoping the DCU would be closer in look, feel, and pacing to Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy. I wish they had spent more time on dialog and characters and less on trying to make Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 - the Soundtrack.

Having said all that and laying out the disappointing parts (basically, I just thought it could have been longer and/or even better) its mostly that my expectations were really high. I really liked the movie, and I thought it was LOTS of fun. And Deadshot and Harley were great, as was Amanda Waller. Damn if that little blond Australian didn't nail Harley Quinn.

(Minor Spoiler - but who cares: don't blink or you'll miss Slipknot)

I'm really looking forward to seeing the Wonder Woman and Batfleck movies - maybe they need more Joker & Harley in the next standalone Batman movie. I really have high hopes for WW - I think that's going to be what I was hoping for from DCU.

(And switching gears to MCU for one second - Brie Larson!!! Ok, back to the DCU)

Just rewatched Man of Steel this weekend, and I really do like that movie. I don't understand why the DCU gets such rotten reviews. Although I think one valid complaint - Marvel started with the standalone movie and THEN introduced the Avengers as a team. Seems like DCU wants to shove out the Justice League and THEN introduce the characters. Marvel was able to establish WHO their characters were, so they were all familiar players when they all joined up. I think DC is doing it backwards - but that might also explain why Arrow and Flash work so well as TV shows. Not as good as Daredevil or Jessica Jones, but still - they work because they're character driven first, then action driven.

that was my girlfriend's biggest complaint about BvS. DCU made the Avengers movie first instead of building the individual characters.

my other complaint about DC is that I LOVE Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow . . . the CW has done a phenomenal job with those shows. and I really wish they could have made a comprehensive universe as Marvel did.

The Deadshot character and Suicide Squad were some of the highlights of Arrow. I was disappointed when they went about killing all the relevant characters so they would not "conflict" with the Suicide Squad film.

Slipknot, LOL. one of the weirdest parts of the movie.

btw, Luke Cage trailer just dropped. oh yeah.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

saw it Sunday night.

THE GOOD: Will Smith nails it as Deadshot. He's really the "emotional" center of the movie and his scenes with EVERYONE are excellent. With a lot of good actors and meaty roles, Smith stands above everyone else.

Margot Robbie also owns her role as Harley Quinn. Just unbalanced but methodical and fearless

Joel Kinnamen brings a strange toughness and humanity to Rick Flag, Jay Hernandez takes a while to open up as Diablo (but when he finally let's go, he is awesome). Viola Davis also does a great job of exploring the certainty and cruelty Amanda Waller carries as the head of ARGUS and creator of the Suicide Squad

Jared Leto and Ben Affleck bring a lot of intensity to their roles as The Joker and Batman . . .

THE BAD: IMHO, not enough Joker and Batman. I understand they are "supporting" characters in the film, but damn they own the screen with every scene they are in.

THE UGLY: the bad guy. weak. SO MANY characters to cover. Jai Courtney was decent as Captain Boomerang, but pretty much played the same note throughout the film. The plot was also a little . . . let's just say I already saw a movie this year where a city gets taken over by an army of ghosts.

Overall, I liked it more than BvS, but could definitely see where the "studio" wanted this scene and this character, and some of the film felt forced instead of organic.

8/10 though. great movie and entertaining for the full 2 hours.

Okay, finally got around to seeing SS and with relatively tempered expectations I really enjoyed it and had a good, fun time with the characters. Agree with all the complaints though and will get them out of the way first - pedestrian/overused plot, too many characters to really provide background for, uneven/weird editing, seriously poor design on the 'poop monster' people created by Enchantress, too much muckety muck government stuff (meetings, generals, etc.), and absolutely NOT ENOUGH JOKER.

The good stuff - Deadshot - so fun and awesome to see Will Smith get his swagger back; he chews the hell out of this role and turns a one note b-rate villain into a formidable badass (with the best characterization in the film). Harley Quinn - Robbie is well built/suited for the role and this is a real showcase for her talent. Her accent was a bit off I felt at times (no one can ever impersonate the great Arleen Sorkin, but Robbie is more than capable when she's on and has good dialogue to work with). The best part though was getting to see The Joker through her eyes - really adds a new dimension to the film and her motivations. Cannot wait for more of her in the DCU. Joker - I was really, really super hesitant to like this version once I saw the gangster/thug version they were going for (which is actually a lot like the one Frank Miller created for the ambitious, but never finished All Star Batman and Robin comic), and while he doesn't get the same great dialogue and awesome scenes to work with that Ledger had (the bank heist and his reveal, the pencil trick, the scar monologues, the talk with Two Face, the interrogation/jail scene, and the final scene with Batman), Leto really makes this version his own and unlike Ledger and even Nicholson, this Joker gives you the impression that he is truly crazy and unhinged. Ledger's version is beloved because he was so calculating - two or three steps ahead of everyone else. The Joker most people know (thinking Animated Series here) isn't really like that - he's more like Leto's Joker who would ask his doctor for a machine gun, or show up in a helicopter in a tuxedo with a gold plated AK to rescue his greatest love. He just looks and acts distant and unstable - *that* is why the Joker is so formidable - he's unpredictable in a way Nolan didn't make his Joker (which is great and fine; just set expectations for casual fans that aren't necessarily consistent with the nature of the character). Leto doesn't get much to work with (something like 8 minutes total?), but what he has he really nails. The scene with Common in the club was fantastic as was his short scene with the hilarious security guy. The couple scenes he gets with Harley are great too and I hope Leto gets a chance to really let this character shine (he says they filmed enough Joker footage for an entire movie).

I'll also say that while the big villain here was pretty lame and already done, the visuals on Enchantress were really, really cool, and Cara Delevigne was great. And even though there wasn't much given to Diablo, Croc, Boomerang (opens a beer at the beginning of the fight! Yeah!), and Katana, they were fine if not completely necessary.

On the whole, better than BvS IMO despite the unevenness and obvious studio meddling. Give me a proper Batman/Joker/HQ movie (with Deadshot!) next and I'll be a happy camper.

 

[simons96]

thanks for your review, Midnighter.

Agree with you on Leto's Joker . . . loved Ledger's Joker, but he was very calculating in his chaos. He had a master plan. Leto's Joker just seems like he wants to hurt people and cause damage (I was also thinking more of the "Killing Joke/Death in the Family" Joker)

when the film was given the opportunity to allow the actors to improvise, it excelled (specifically Will Smith's "motivational" monologue). I agree that one of the weaknesses of the film seemed to be studio meddling.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

thanks for your review, Midnighter.

Agree with you on Leto's Joker . . . loved Ledger's Joker, but he was very calculating in his chaos. He had a master plan. Leto's Joker just seems like he wants to hurt people and cause damage (I was also thinking more of the "Killing Joke/Death in the Family" Joker)

when the film was given the opportunity to allow the actors to improvise, it excelled (specifically Will Smith's "motivational" monologue). I agree that one of the weaknesses of the film seemed to be studio meddling.

They could have made the bar scene 15 minutes long and it would have been too short. Those smaller moments and character interactions really did it for me. I also loved how they tied this to the bigger DCU with Batman and Flash (hey Wonder Woman - there's a thousand year old goddess/witch destroying the city - can you spare a hand?). Will be interesting to see where this goes - I've heard Leto is supposed to be in JL - maybe he can kill Lex?

 

[simons96]

They could have made the bar scene 15 minutes long and it would have been too short. Those smaller moments and character interactions really did it for me. I also loved how they tied this to the bigger DCU with Batman and Flash (hey Wonder Woman - there's a thousand year old goddess/witch destroying the city - can you spare a hand?). Will be interesting to see where this goes - I've heard Leto is supposed to be in JL - maybe he can kill Lex?

LOL I had no problem with Lex in BvS. simply because he came across as a spoiled, damaged millenial . . . and STILL got the better of Superman.

I was also hoping for more big battle scenes in Suicide Squad . . . though the centerpiece action sequence was pretty awesome

MCU also suffers the same "where are the other heroes?" plot hole. Uhm Hydra just took over SHIELD and is going to kill millions of people . . . and where is Iron Man? lol

 

[simons96]

Leto apparently felt "tricked" into taking Joker role:

LINK

btw, the film has grossed almost $500MM internationally

some industry reports put the "success" mark at $750-$800MM . . . tall order for the "third" DCEU film

here's an interesting comparison to MCU and DCEU films . . .

FIRST FILM

MCU
Iron Man (2008) - budget $140 MM, int gross $585 MM
DCEU
Man of Steel (2013) - budget $225 MM, int gross $668 MM

SECOND FILM

MCU
The Incredible Hulk (2008) - budget $150MM, int gross $263 MM
DCEU
BvS (2016) - budget $250 MM, in gross $872 MM

THIRD FILM

MCU
Iron Man 2 (2010) - budget $200 MM, int gross $623 MM
DCEU
Suicide Squad (2016) - budget $175 MM, int gross (so far) $471 MM

I know some of this is apples and oranges, but . . .

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Leto apparently felt "tricked" into taking Joker role:

LINK

btw, the film has grossed almost $500MM internationally

some industry reports put the "success" mark at $750-$800MM . . . tall order for the "third" DCEU film

here's an interesting comparison to MCU and DCEU films . . .

FIRST FILM

MCU
Iron Man (2008) - budget $140 MM, int gross $585 MM
DCEU
Man of Steel (2013) - budget $225 MM, int gross $668 MM

SECOND FILM

MCU
The Incredible Hulk (2008) - budget $150MM, int gross $263 MM
DCEU
BvS (2016) - budget $250 MM, in gross $872 MM

THIRD FILM

MCU
Iron Man 2 (2010) - budget $200 MM, int gross $623 MM
DCEU
Suicide Squad (2016) - budget $175 MM, int gross (so far) $471 MM

I know some of this is apples and oranges, but . . .

I've read that about Leto and hope he and DC/WB get on the same page going forward. He certainly doesn't 'need' the role but he's a big time talent and was willing to follow Ledger, and that says a lot about his commitment I think. Honestly, I think people complain just to complain. We've been so spoiled with good superhero films that fatigue and ridiculous expectations have set in. Honestly, Civil War was good, but had a flimsier villain than Suicide Squad (and while Spider-man was awesome, talk about needless pandering to an audience...) and people gushed over it (probably because RDJ is just so likeable and awesome as Tony Stark).

DCU's biggest issue is trying to play 'catch up' with Marvel. They're compromising a good bit to get thing to screen. I hope they settle down - JL looks really, really promising and Wonder Woman is maybe the best superhero film trailer I've ever seen...

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

LOL I had no problem with Lex in BvS. simply because he came across as a spoiled, damaged millenial . . . and STILL got the better of Superman.

I was also hoping for more big battle scenes in Suicide Squad . . . though the centerpiece action sequence was pretty awesome

MCU also suffers the same "where are the other heroes?" plot hole. Uhm Hydra just took over SHIELD and is going to kill millions of people . . . and where is Iron Man? lol

That's a take on Lex I just can't get into (he also sacrificed Mercy Graves without a thought!). Way too wannabe Joker for me.

 

[simons96]

I've read that about Leto and hope he and DC/WB get on the same page going forward. He certainly doesn't 'need' the role but he's a big time talent and was willing to follow Ledger, and that says a lot about his commitment I think. Honestly, I think people complain just to complain. We've been so spoiled with good superhero films that fatigue and ridiculous expectations have set in. Honestly, Civil War was good, but had a flimsier villain than Suicide Squad (and while Spider-man was awesome, talk about needless pandering to an audience...) and people gushed over it (probably because RDJ is just so likeable and awesome as Tony Stark).

DCU's biggest issue is trying to play 'catch up' with Marvel. They're compromising a good bit to get thing to screen. I hope they settle down - JL looks really, really promising and Wonder Woman is maybe the best superhero film trailer I've ever seen...

DCU biggest liability is that they are doing the ensemble films FIRST, instead of building the individual characters (like the five films before Avengers)

I loved Civil War, but there were critical elements that seemed a bit . . . flawed

SPOILER!!

I mean . . .

Iron Man's motivation for the final fight?

Not that Winter Soldier killed his parents.

But that his bro Cap knew and didn't tell him.

oooooooo SUPER WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH . . .

 

[simons96]

Suicide Squad wins 3rd weekend in a row, now at $572 MM worldwide box office gross . . . and I believe it just opened in Germany this weekend, and has yet to open in japan . . .

 

[artsandletters]

have you watched the extended Director's Cut? that extra 30 minutes really improves the film.

Affleck crushes it in Suicide Squad. I had my reservations about him, but he's done his homework on Batman.

Could Jack Reacher beat up Batman?

I know Reacher could outwalk him.

 

[simons96]

Could Jack Reacher beat up Batman?

"Tom Cruise" Jack Reacher, or Lee Miles novel Jack Reacher?

 

[simons96]

Could Jack Reacher beat up Batman?

I know Reacher could outwalk him.

btw forget to mention that Affleck crushes it as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Justice League trailer as well . . .

 

[artsandletters]

btw forget to mention that Affleck crushes it as Batman/Bruce Wayne in the Justice League trailer as well . . .

Is Bruce still living off his trust fund?

 

[simons96]

Is Bruce still living off his trust fund?

I think he gets residuals from Good Will Hunting . . .

 

[jjsocrates]

I think he gets residuals from Good Will Hunting . . .

He's on a retainer.

 

[simons96]

He's on a retainer.