Great characterizations I can watch interact all day.
“Suicide Squad” expands the DC universe with the introduction of Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller, an uncompromising government official, who heads this covert group of expendable villains that she forces to do her biding.
She is coldblooded and I can’t wait to see her again in the DCEU. Surely she’ll continue with the suicide squad and maybe even fund Project Cadmus at some point down the line. She is an important character to the world building.
Now onto the squad themselves.
Will Smith as Deadshot is on point. It’s been a while since we’ve seen him shine like this. He brought back that charisma that made him a blockbuster leading man back in the day. This almost makes me forget “After Earth”. And his conflict with Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag is the most interesting pairing to watch develop as the movie progresses.
The characters are the star of the show and propel a simple story to an entertaining affair. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn plays the insane beauty to perfection and if DC is smart, we’ll be seeing more of her.
The other characters round up the squad and add their own brand of fun to the mix. Boomerang is Jai Courtney’s best role since “Spartacus”. Diablo is totally likeable. I would have liked to have seen a bit more from Killer Croc and Katana.
The Joker doesn’t have a big role, but that was evident from the trailers. I would have liked an added scene from him though or an extension of a scene because his scenes felt very short, almost like cliff notes. But there was enough in there to get a taste of what we will almost assuredly see in a Batman solo. And please oh please, can I have “Superman: Emperor Joker”.
The weak spot comes from the secondary villain. Maybe she’s the main villain; but for me, Amanda Waller is the main villain among a movie filled with villains. I think this secondary villain was a bit rushed. I don’t think the story needed a magical element. It could have just gone the simplistic route just like the animated “DCU Batman: Assault on Arkham”.
“Suicide Squad” doesn’t need a fantastical story with a lot of special affects. I could watch the squad walk through a mall and I’d be entertained. For the sequel, keep it simple. Because the characters are perfect. This is an example of getting the characters so right that it carries the entire film. Make a good script and the sequel will blow up at the box office.
Score: 7/10
