MOVIE REVIEW: Suicide Squad (2016)

SUICIDE SQUAD (2016) Review
Written and Directed by David Ayer

“The third act is kind of fun but the whole film is another case of ‘the trailer is better than the actual movie.'”

February 2009 when Warner Bros. announced that it was developing a Suicide Squad film, then director David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch) enters the picture as the writer and director September 2014. Fans went wild because of the material isn’t the usual comic book movie today, anti-heroes, the outcast, the outlaws being the heroes, and not just outcast and outlaws, they are the crazy ones.

Suicide Squad isn’t your typical superhero movie or comic book movie, or at least they try not to be. The film starts as if it already wanted its audiences enter its convoluted story, starting off where Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice left off: Superman is dead and the world needs super people who can’t fight other super people or in this case, the metahumans as they call them. Introducing the characters in a not-so-interesting way, felt like the narrative stopped for a while to give its characters the needed establishment. But if you don’t mind its incoherence and its lousy way of introducing its characters, there are bits of it that are really enjoyable as these characters have some of the most interesting personalities. They are the bad guys anyway.

The first two acts are really messy, as they are incoherent, has a lot of plot holes and hard to absorb. The film tries to build the bond between the ones that are convicted and the ones that are following orders. Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) and Viola Davis (Amanda Waller) are pretty effective with their roles, from being the 2014 reboot of RoboCop and Annalise Keating in the hit television series How To Get Away With Murder, they are not new to their roles. Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) and Will Smith (Deadshot) clearly lead the bad guys. Smith isn’t new to the character and maybe Robbie as well, but she gets to be a scene stealer not just because of her looks but also because of her character. Jared Leto as The Joker, that’s another issue. While he does fit in the story, his presence felt like wasn’t needed. He’s good, yes, but there should be more in a film than just good performances, right?

It’s a crazy ride as promised in the advertisements and if you’re patient enough or just enjoying everything the film offers, you get to the easiest part, the act three of the film. It’s easy because it is also convenient, while the actors are great, you can see that its finale is CGI-driven.

The third act is kind of fun but the whole film is another case of the trailer is better than the actual movie. It’s well-casted, no doubt about that but the problem here is the story and how it was told. There are some kick-ass and surprising moments that are jaw-dropping but the entirety of the film is, in one word: messy. It’s really hard to love something you wished was done right but turned out to be a disaster, a total mess and then there are the actors who had done tremendous job with their characters.

A good action adventure film is mostly good because they have an effective villain. But in Suicide Squad’s case, it’s far from effective, not even scary. It’s pretty obvious that the film has a lot to work on, getting the right formula to blend these characters into one event that’s bigger than them.

Watching the film takes a lot of patience, not just understanding it but also understanding why it has to be that way, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice clearly feels like they needed to insert other heroes to introduce their cinematic universe but Suicide Squad suffers not just from unfocused direction but also from convoluted writing. You’ll leave the theater confused not just because of how the film is as a whole but also because you feel like you did enjoy some of it.

2 OUT OF 5 STARS

“Suicide Squad” is now showing in Philippine cinemas nationwide from Warner Bros. Pictures. Also available in 3D, 4D and IMAX 3D. Rated R-13 by the MTRCB.