Suicide Squad (2016) Full Movie

Suicide Squad has been the long gestating DC Comics film that every single fan on the planet has been waiting for. From the controversial casting of Jared Leto as the Joker to the rumored reshoots, this is a film that has been on everyone's minds for the past two years since it was announced. So, how does it hold up? Well, let's start off with the great. The greatness in the film sits on many shoulders. Jared Leto as The Joker is probably the most interesting part of the film. Leto does not even try to top Ledger or Nicholson, he simply does his own thing. He's devilishly charming but extremely psychotic. I compare him mostly to Mark Hammil's Joker from the animated series in the 90s. It is unlike anything we've seen before so, for that, I give it kudos. It is pretty cool seeing this type of Joker but I will admit, I would have loved to have seen more of him. What is a good actually is a bit of a bad. Leto is in it for merely 25 minutes tops which is a bit disappointing considering his performance is absolutely mesmerizing. On to the rest of the Squad, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn is exceptional. She delivers a performance that is straight out of Girl, Interrupted. She is extremely unpredictable on screen and it is a pure delight watching her relish in exactly what makes Harley Quinn memorable: her sultry psychotic demeanor. Will Smith as Deadshot is just Will Smith. There is no real boundary breaking performance here. He is the lead actor of the film and the film plays out like such. Not saying that Deadshot isn't a cool, badass character but it is just Will Smith in costume. The rest of the cast including Jai Courtney, Joel Kinneman, Viola Davis, Scott Eastwood and Adam Beach, all give great performances and there isn't one false beat. There is a true chemistry on the screen that is palpable and David Ayer deserves high praise for that. The film is good but the performances are great. There is a clear intention on building up these characters over building the film which is another good quality turned bad. The film itself is a typical comic book movie of the 21st century. It is heavy on the characters and extremely light on plot and a villain. The first twenty minutes are spent introducing these characters, not a plot, just these characters. This is cool at first but once you realize most of the important plot points are in the trailers, it becomes a bit disappointing that there isn't a villain to rally against just anti-heroes to rally behind. By many standard traditions, this is a film very close to The Dirty Dozen or The Magnificent Seven. It is not about what is going on, it is about what is going on inside these character's minds that really push the movie forward. It is an ensemble character piece above all else. While much of the spoilers have been spoiled long ago, there are still a couple things that will bring smiles to fan's faces. So, overall... Does it break new ground? No. Is it badass? Yes. Is it fun? Absolutely. Should you see it? Without a doubt.

Suicide Squad is definitely going to put some nerves at ease since Batman V Superman. But DC has a long way to go in terms of churning out undeniably great comic book films outside of The Dark Knight trilogy and Suicide Squad is most certainly a great start.

Trailer