What I like about the film
Harley Quinn of course. Well among other things. The comraderie between the main cast of villains is fun to watch. Most of them are fleshed out, each with a decent backstory. And that's the first thing that struck me about Suicide Squad. The interaction between the characters is a joy to watch. Will Smith is on fine form as Deadshot, a hit man who never misses his target. He, along with Margot Robbie are the standout characters but that's not to say that they steel the thunder from the other villains. Not at all. Captain boomerang, an Aussie with a strange unicorn fetish provides plenty of quirky moments and a few laughs.
I liked Letos take on he joker. Do I think he should have had a bigger role. No. Not at all. The focus was not on his character, it was more about the screwed up relationship with Harley and how that affected her involvement with the other members of the Suicide Squad. It's not a movie about the Joker. And as far as I'm concerned it was never meant to be. I appreciated his appearances and they added gravitas to the Harley Quinn dynamic and for me that was enough.
Now that I've got the Joker out of the way I can move on to Deadshot and Harley. For me will smith was on top form. Charisma. Check. Fun one liners and cool action moments. Check. Check. No problem there. And Margot Robbie as Harley. She managed to be menacing and endearing particularly as she bonded with her team.
The other characters share the screen time pretty well with one another. Diablo, the man who can shoot fire from his hands, also has a past that humanises the character. Slipnot and Boomerang are the only characters from the main bunch who don't have any story to tell. Katana comes a close third with a brief mention of a problem that bogs her down somewhat. But said woe doesn't really go anywhere.
Finally we come to the Enchantress, an ancient witch with supernatural abilities. Although she has an important part to play in the story, at times it seemed as if her role in the story came at the expense of the other characters. I couldn't help but think that she was a bit out of place compared with the more down to earth nature of the Suicide Squad members. Yes, I know, a guy who shoots fire and a croc man are pretty hard to find in the real world, but hey, compared to Enchantress they are pretty average. Having said that, I think the Enchantress manages to bind the story and the Squad together.
And now for the bad
I had a few minor gripes with the movie. The first fifteen minutes or so was a bit of a mess as the Suicide Squad members were introduced one by one in a rather uniform manner. A little bit of creativity wouldn't have gone amiss. As I've already mentioned the Enchantress could have been toned down just a notch. Right then, what else is gripe worthy. I suppose I could get really petty and pick out some of the minor plot holes. But I'm not going to do that. No film is rock solid script wise and this one is no exception. The good parts far outweigh the bad. And that's it. Two gripes is pretty good going.
Conclusion
So how would I rate this movie. Let's see now. Think of it as being akin to a favorite soft toy from childhood. A unicorn for instance. Or to sound a bit more manly, erm, a classic car that has a collection of knocks and scrapes. It's a tad beat up but it's got heart and plenty of charm. You get the idea. Basically it's a flawed movie but it has massive entertainment value under its belt. Or should I say bat belt. The acting is spot on, the story is good and there are some genuinely memorable scenes. A good few of them involving Harley Quinn. The hype surrounding the film has been pretty intense and untimately it falls short of greatness. It had the potential to be a classic but it didn't quite make it. But don't get me started on the criminally low rotten tomatoes score. Grrrrr. Anyway. I'm going to grit my teeth, puff out my chest and give it the following score. Ok, here goes.
8.0/10
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