Suicide Squad
I attended an advanced screening of Suicide Squad and it was so overwhelming but a lot of fun! I had been anticipating this film for a while now and it's finally here people. Make sure all of you check it out, even if you're not a fan of superheroes or villains, I guarantee you'll love this film.
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| It was raining outside and my bangs weren't cooperating but I just had to get an individual shot on the pink carpet |
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| Walking the pink carpet |
But first, a brief explanation about what the film, so you don't have to go out of your way and research the film if you're lazy!
Suicide Squad, also known as Task Force X is a team of high profile super villains or super-criminals that form a government task force, their missions are covert in nature run by Amanda Waller. The incentive for being expendable pieces on a chess board is to reduce their jail sentences. Each member has been implanted with an explosive, so if anyone disobeys orders or pulls any sort of stunt that person is eliminated, thus the name Suicide Squad.
Now that you've got some background on the Squad, lets get down to business.
The best part about the film is the cast. Every single cast member portrays their character perfectly but in their own way while staying true to the comic book.
MEET THE SUICIDE SQUAD
Floyd Lawton, better known as Deadshot, is one of the most wanted marksman. This character is highly skilled and earns a living off being an assassin and a mercenary.
At first I was sceptical with Will Smith portraying Deadshot purely because this character is incredible but I can proudly say that Will Smith did not let me down at all. Deadshot drew me in emotionally and his scenes are probably the most memorable, you just walk away thinking how awesome is that man? Oh and that costume, just wow, I love it.
Killer Croc or Waylon Jones, was born with a medical condition that resulted in his progressive crocodile-apperance, but this birth defect essentially escalates when genetic mutation comes into affect, this leading to his super-strength, heightened reflexes and animalistic mentality.
If didn't already know, this character is not CGI, literally there is no computer generation involved in the appearance of this character so massive props Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje for going through hours and hours of make up and dealing with it throughout shooting the film. I loved this character, the one-liners were definitely a breath of fresh air. Even when Killer Croc just stood there and grunted here and there, his presence was known. This characters quite underrated and it's probably due to his appearance, I do wish the film delved deeper into the character so the audience could understand him a little better and also grasp the fact that Killer Croc isn't really a villain, everyone just saw him as one. I do think because the character has a medical condition, the film could've made it known as it would've made him more relatable, particularly because he seen as a cannibal and is treated like an animal.
Captain Boomerang, also known as George Harkness, is skilled with making and using boomerang. This character alters his boomerangs, either making them explode, have razor-sharp edges or boomerangs that are technologically advanced to use as survellience, mainly, the boomerangs are utilised as weapons.
Although I hate the typical bogan, beer drinking, Australian stereotype, Jai Courtney was absolutely hilarious as this character. Yet another character that was barely explained, we know nothing about his past. Even though I was amused by Captain Boomerang, the film just made him the butt of all jokes. At one stage, I did think this character would be a fatality due to his underwhelming "skills" and lack of dialogue. Oh and what was with the unicorn?
Katana or Tatsu Yamashiro, is a Japanese, sword-wielding superhero skilled in martial arts and obviously swordsmanship. The sword this character uses isn't just any old sword, it actually traps the souls of those it is used on.
Let's take a minute to bow down Karen Fukuhara, this is her first offical role and honestly kudos to her. I loved the costume, I loved that the character was portrayed by a person of colour and I loved that Tatsu actually spoke Japanese. For those complaining about subtitles, there are numerous things you have to read throughout the film so just chill out and be glad the character is being portrayed correctly. However, a disappointing factor for this character was the lack of screen time and the barely to no dialogue.
Slipknot, real name Christopher Weiss, is a trained assassin and who uses ropes that are chemically enhanced, making them unbreakable, to strangle, grapple and hold down opponents, and occasionally uses them as a means to get around places, this guy can climb anything in swift, silent manner.
I honestly cannot tell you much about this character, I barely knew anything about him before watching the film and is an easily forgotten character in my opinion.
El Diablo, also referred to as Chato Satana, has the ability of pyrokinesis, that is the power to generate and control superheated plasma, fire and/or lightning. This character spawns fire from his hands and can manipulate it in bursts.
Definitely one of the most underrated characters in the squad and Jay Hernandez really pulled some heart strings. I didn't know much about this character so I definitely gained some insight and was pleasantly surprised by the character. Although this character is minimal dialogue and screen time, Diablo leaves you speechless and you are truly impacted by him. Protect him at all costs.
Harley Quinn, or Dr. Harleen Quinzel, is a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum turned super-villain with a mental disorder that leads to her dysfunctional behaviour and mindset but possesses genius level intellect, making this character quite complex. Fun fact: the character is also a skilled gymnast, being on a similar playing field as Catwoman and Nightwing.
Margot Robbie is perfect as Harley Quinn, her portrayal was an ode to the character. This character adds comic relief to the plot, with the quotes being memorable and incredibly funny. Although the accent sort of threw me off, the little giggles here and there made up for it. The look of the character was perfect, from clean cut Dr. Harleen Quinzel to a jaw-dropping costume that represents Harley Quinn's split personality and conflicting emotions.
June Moone is an archaeologist possessed by an ancient force of evil. When the entity is summoned, Moone becomes the Enchantress who is a powerful sorceress.
Surprisingly, this character barely makes an impact and it is somewhat frustrating given Cara Delevingne portrays the vulnerable June Moone incredible while also portraying Enchantress in a haunting fashion. The film didn't explain both June Moone and Enchantress very thoroughly, they just sort of threw this character into the deep end and hoped it all worked out. It was somewhat off-putting when watching certain scenes, there were a lot 'WTF' moments when it came to the character of Enchantress. It personally just bothered me that the film was lazy when it came to this intriguing character. A lot more could've been done and it wasn't what I expected at all.
Rick Flag can be described as a solider following orders and the leader of the Suicide Squad. Although technically this character controls the team, he is essentially, a puppet on a string.
I thought I would actually hate this character, the trailers portrayed him as an uptight soldier just following orders and at the beginning of the film this was definitely shown. However, this character developed in a way I never thought would happen with his goals and methods, the squad essentially warm up to Rick Flag which leads you to doing the same. When you finish the film and don't leave think Deadshot and Rick Flag love each other, I'll be thoroughly disappointed in you.
Amanda Waller is a high-ranking government official who is ruthless in nature and directs the Suicide Squad. All I have to say is that is one mean lady.
Viola Davis gave me chills when portraying Amanda Waller, it was just so on point and you could totally tell that Viola Davis tried to connect with the character on a deeper level when doing her research. This character was a stand-out with her cold-hearted, controlling and brutal actions.
The Joker is the notorious psychopathic serial killer and villain, need I say more?
There were reports about Jared Leto taking this role completely seriously, from staying in character while on set even when he wasn't filming anything, to sending his cast members odd "gifts" like used condoms, pig heads, etc. I don't really understand how this helped his "acting" especially when The Joker is in the film for about 10 minutes...
Jared Leto's portrayal didn't leave me feeling anything towards the character and steal the show whatsoever. This surprised me a lot purely because The Joker is an iconic character. I personally dislike The Joker but still find him intriguing in a sense. Usually this character steals the show no matter what, but in this film, that doesn't happen at all. The Joker ain't shit. Oh and what was with the grillz? What was the point of this? I don't think I'll ever understand it, this made The Joker look incredibly tacky and Jared Leto trying to be Heath Ledger 2.0 just added to the tackiness. I'm not sure if I disliked the portrayal of The Joker because I dislike the character or because it just wasn't what I expected, maybe it was both.
As The Joker is a notorious character, I'm sure most people, just like myself, thought the character would have a bigger part and make more of an impact on the Suicide Squad, however, he barely added anything to the plot besides his relevance is a few key scenes. I would have preferred a little more explanation of The Joker or have the character left out of the film all together if there would be no substance to the character whatsoever. If you're expecting The Joker to have more relevance in this film and are only watching for this character, please reevaluate this decision and realise the film is about the Suicide Squad and The Joker is not apart of this team whatsoever.
The negative about the cast as whole, is the fact that certain characters do overshadow other characters and it defeats the purpose of the film which is about the entire team. If the film wanted to focus more on certain characters, I believe individual films would have been the way to go.
With regards to the flow of the film, it was paced in a way that still captured your attention but was nowhere near perfect, especially when it came to the second half of the film. The film explained the characters with flashbacks throughout. However, I personally found them to be rushed, I could've retained a lot more information about each member of the Suicide Squad.
When it comes to the plot itself, the first half, was without doubt, absolutely perfect. I was hooked on each character and loved everything. However, as you progress, the film does slow down somewhat but not to the point where you're bored out of your brain *cough* Batman v Superman *cough* *chokes*.
I definitely feel as though certain things from the film were left out, due to the fact that behind the scenes photos revealed a lot more should've happened, specifically when it came to Harley Quinn and The Joker. The negative when it came to this, was that the film in no way showed the abusive nature of the dysfunctional relationship between Harley and The Joker, despite Margot Robbie describing it as "unhealthy". The film romanticised this relationship and it is truly frustrating, as this could potentially lead to people who have no idea about the true nature of their relationship actually find it somewhat appealing.
On the topic of cutting the theatrical version of Suicide Squad, I personally would have preferred that the scenes in the second half of the film were cut, there were unnecessary parts that could have been excluded and would have potentially perfected the pace.
Just knowing that the film was edited in such a way that it excluded vital information that the audience could've seen is irritating, so much potential was lost through this "editing". The potential of the film was squandered and in my personal opinion, I would have preferred the film was longer especially when it is an important film in the DC Cinematic Universe.
If you've not watched the film and are reading reviews, ignore them. Most of the reviews are negative and the people writing these reviews have no idea what they're talking about or have neglected to do any research at all. There are negatives, there's no denying that, however, I have high expectations when it comes to live-action films based on comic books and I expect perfection.
I expected the Suicide Squad to have more focus on the team battling a completely different rival to what you're given. There is more than one antagonist in the film, however the main enemy is not who you expect, which I found refreshing but also a little disappointing as it was not the direction I thought the plot would go in. Nevertheless, Suicide Squad does keep you on your toes and essentially you have no idea whether the team will fail or succeed their main mission.
As a whole, the film is fantastic, I left the cinema ecstatic and incredibly happy with what I saw. If you're hesitant about watching the film, I highly recommend you do so. The cast is perfect, the plot is easy to understand and the flow of the film will have your heart racing. That's what makes Suicide Squad great, you're faced with a film that isn't about heroes saving the world, it's about a bunch of villains coming together and saving people while also saving themselves. Every single character you are exposed to is flawed so I guarantee you will relate to a character, or maybe even all of them, on some level. Although there have been numerous complaints about the volume of the film, I didn't find the film to be too loud at all, in fact the volume was perfect *shrugs*.
If you're looking for a film with action scenes that are cinematically awe-inspiring and a soundtrack that will have you dancing and singing along, and a film that's just a heck of a lot of fun! I highly recommend this film, it gets an 8/10 from me.
SUICIDE SQUAD TRAILERS AND CLIPS
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