THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS.
Hello readers,
This afternoon (5 August) I went to watched Suicide Squad, the latest DC Comics release after Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice. The film starred Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis and the rest of the cast in a story where the 'bad guys' are supposedly grouped together to finished a task that could be dangerous and even be a 'life or death'.
I have been waiting for Suicide Squad since 2014 and it was the same year when the list of cast was announced including Robbie (who would play Harley Quinn, the first live-action film appearance of the character). During last year, I even followed up with the news of the filming and even watched the supposedly leaked first trailer which built the excitement I had until today. However, Suicide Squad offered things which I may either disturbed or surprised about.
At the beginning of the film, I felt the scene of showing Deadshot (played by Will Smith) was somehow sudden and it did not have the flow from the logos sequence. The song choice, House of the Rising Sun by The Animals has to be the weirdest choice for this introduction of the villain because it seemed to not match up with the character's personality. Followed by Deadshot, the film somehow jumped from one mood to another. Harley Quinn was then introduced as she played in her cell by being flexible while You Don't Own Me by Lesley Gore was played. From House of the Rising Sun to You Don't Own Me, I felt these songs have different mood and totally does not sync well. If the film editor tried to find a way to fit these two songs together, then I am alright. If not, I suggest not to play a song in Deadshot's scene and maybe leave it as a suspense like for example, the opening of Captain America: Civil War (in terms of mood and chillness if you have watched the film).
Throughout Suicide Squad, I felt the story plot was very thin and vague. The flow at the beginning was kind of slow and it kind of reminded me of the similar problem Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice faced. However, the middle to the end of the story was alright as though director David Ayer suddenly woke up and remembered his ideal vision for the film. One thing that got me little disappointed was how I wished I could see more of Jared Leto's performance as The Joker. Despite his name being second after Will Smith, Jared's performance does not exceed 20 minutes. His performance may not be like Jack Nicholson or the late Heath Ledger, but he still managed to stole the show with his timely performed sinister laughter and the style of talking reassembled the animated series' The Clown Prince of Crime.
Speaking of The Joker, I was very much impressed of the interaction between he and Harley Quinn. Both actor and actress managed to capture what I would picture in a live-action film. My childhood revolved watching the animated series either at night or afternoon, thus this Joker and Harley Quinn's relationship gave me some nostalgic memories of this couple shipping and their craziness (honestly, this Joker seemed romantic). If there is a sequel, I would like to see more of both The Joker and Harley Quinn (not flashbacks).
In conclusion, Suicide Squad could have done better if the film flowed smoothly and edited properly. Having Jared Leto as the second name after Will Smith is totally misleading to the members of the public, especially to those who were looking forward to The Clown Prince of Crime. Overall, I totally enjoyed the film for the villains' straight-forwardness and the awesome portrayal of both The Joker and Harley Quinn's relationship.
Ratings: 6/10
P.S. If only the Enchantress is actually part of the 'good' team...
There are some cameos who are related to the upcoming Justice League and also a post-credits scene after the end of the film.
