After the release of Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, superhero fans have been waiting in anticipation to see what DC comics would bring to their extended universe. Many fans and critics were disappointed with the execution of Dawn of Justice, so people waited to see if Suicide Squad would surpass the expectations of its predecessor. The movie’s release in August elicited unfavorable reviews from critics, and lukewarm reviews from the public. In my honest opinion, despite the many faults of the movie, many things went right.
The premise of Suicide Squad is that after the events of Batman Vs. Superman, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), the head of the government organization A.R.G.U.S., decides that the U.S. needs better protection. This better protection comes in the form of incarcerated supervillains with special abilities. These villains included fan favorites like Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Deadshot (Will Smith). The story revolves around Amanda Waller bringing these people together to help save an important figure after a world-endangering crisis occurs in Midway City. The plan goes awry when the Joker (Jared Leto) plots to rescue Harley Quinn from Amanda Waller’s control.
The selling point of Suicide Squad is its eclectic appeal to die-hard fans. The movie was put together in a fun way, but it seemed messy. The editing was very choppy, incorporating side stories and introducing characters in cheesy ways. The soundtrack, though very good with many original songs, was played unevenly throughout the scenes. It was bound to throw critics off.
Some fans also had problems with the movie in the way that the characters and their relationships were portrayed. For example, the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker is nothing like what is seen in the comics. Beloved comic characters like Katana (Karen Fukuhara) were not given enough screen time or back story. It was frustrating to watch all your favorite characters without learning about them.
In any case, when making a movie based on comics with a large fan base, it is hard to please everyone. I enjoyed the movie because I got to see my favorite characters on screen, even if the movie was cheesy and messy at times. DC should, in the future, focus on bringing their movies together to a more cohesive narrative as opposed to having too many characters and story lines scattered throughout the film.