Review Roundup: "Suicide Squad" Falls Short Despite Enjoyable Ensemble Cast

[Ilan Preskovsky]

As a film reviewer but also a long time DC Comics fan, I was severely disappointed with this film.

You can check out my full, spoiler-free review here, if you so choose.

[Ace Venom]

I thought Suicide Squad was a lot of fun. I was not disappointed by the movie at all, so once again I'm disagreeing with the critics when it comes to a DCEU film entry. I thought Margot Robbie was absolutely awesome as Harley Quinn. Will Smith's Deadshot provided plenty of human moments as well with the humor and his family connection. I thought Jay Hernandez turned in a solid performance as El Diablo. Those three characters had the strongest character arcs in the film. I enjoyed Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang even if he really ended up being there just as a tag along. Viola Davis was a good Amanda Waller. Davis absolutely captured the sinister side of the character. Jared Leto's Joker is good, but I really wanted to see more of the character. That can hopefully be fixed in future films. I didn't find myself disappointed with any of the characters in general. I thought the movie wasn't afraid to take risks or have fun. It's certainly better than some MCU entries I've seen (Thor: The Dark World, Age of Ultron, and The Incredible Hulk) and light years better than the Fantastic Four reboot from last year.

My verdict? 8/10

[Calighoula]

I thought for sure you would have picked Civil War. Don't you hate that movie with a passion?

No. Wrong guy.

[Calighoula]

FRIDAY AM UPDATE: Suicide Squad got off to a strong start last night, pulling in $20.5 million from Thursday night preview screenings nearly doubling the previous August record of $11.2 million set by Guardians of the Galaxy back in 2014 before it opened with $94.3 million, the current August opening weekend record. Suicide Squad screenings started at approximately 6 PM and took place in 3,700+ locations. The total includes IMAX screenings which grossed $2.4m.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4213&p=.htm

[Calighoula]

I thought Suicide Squad was a lot of fun. I was not disappointed by the movie at all, so once again I'm disagreeing with the critics when it comes to a DCEU film entry. I thought Margot Robbie was absolutely awesome as Harley Quinn. Will Smith's Deadshot provided plenty of human moments as well with the humor and his family connection. I thought Jay Hernandez turned in a solid performance as El Diablo. Those three characters had the strongest character arcs in the film. I enjoyed Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang even if he really ended up being there just as a tag along. Viola Davis was a good Amanda Waller. Davis absolutely captured the sinister side of the character. Jared Leto's Joker is good, but I really wanted to see more of the character. That can hopefully be fixed in future films. I didn't find myself disappointed with any of the characters in general. I thought the movie wasn't afraid to take risks or have fun. It's certainly better than some MCU entries I've seen (Thor: The Dark World, Age of Ultron, and The Incredible Hulk) and light years better than the Fantastic Four reboot from last year.

My verdict? 8/10

You, sir, are on the money.

I took in a 6:30pm 2D showing, (no, not IMAX nor 3D, which certainly would have been sold out) expecting the theater to be 40% full at best. I was wrong. It was double that. I figured the audience would enjoy it like a middle-of-the-road action flick,

Wrong again! The audience was totally into it. A guy down in front even stood up when the logos came on after the final trailer and shouted "SKWAD!" which led to an impromptu round of applause.

For those of you who felt BvS was too slow in getting to the action (I disagree, but that's already been discussed), this movie's the opposite. It takes a very different approach, thematically and tonally, and it was great seeing all these new DC characters onscreen. Viola Davis as Amanda Waller was note-perfect, like Umberto said. Will Smith (Deadshot) nailed it, and Margot's Harley is pretty awesome (and hot as hell). But the surprise standout was El Diablo. I think I'll refrain from saying too much right now because a lot of you have to see the movie, and I tend to not bother with spoiler tags. 'Sides, this movie's fresh out of the oven.

Another plus was Croc's not being CGI but an actor (Adewele) with prosthetics. Jai was pretty damned funny. Oh, yes, there are a TON of LOL moments in this film (and funnily enough, the only one that feels a tad forced was the one we've already seen in the first trailer: "We're bad guys...it's what we do!"

Some people may have a problem with this, but the film takes on an Escape from New York vibe around halfway through, and I liked that. (A certain character kicks that off, actually.) Apparently, some people have an issue with the villain(s). Well, let's see. Evil? Check. IRREDEEMABLY evil? Check. No daddy issues, no confusion. Just an entity who is intrinsically evil, who must be stopped. The Joker is not the villain of this film. He's an antagonist, yes, and he has an arc. But this is not his movie, nor should it be. But Leto was great. He didn't act like Ledger. He made the role his own.

A certain reviewer (I forget which name/rag) who hated the film said the Squad members aren't really that bad, they're just misfits, or something like that. He obviously DID NOT see the film. You cannot relate the backstories of Deadshot, Harley, Boomerang and (especially) El Diablo without realizing these are some pretty bad characters — yet, by the end, you find yourself rooting for them, anyway. Especially Deadshot.

For the record, Amanda Waller does something very unexpected, too. One of those "Did she really do that?" moments.

Oh, and the cameos by a certain character(s)? Awesome. One moment even led to one of the biggest LOL moments in the film. You're just not expecting it.

This film's nearly R-rated, too. More profanity than I expected. Easter eggs galore. And the bar scene's great.

I think everyone who's on the fence should check it out. You might actually — gasp! — like it!

[People Of The Earth]

To those who've already seen Suicide Squad, I have a simple question: is it better than B v S ? is all I'd like to know.
As in, does the story actually makes sense here...? It could make or break the movie for me (aside of godawful acting performances).
Because, last time I was this interested in a movie with this level of negativity around...it was for B v S.
I ignored its reviews.
I ignored friends recommendations.
I ignored basically every red flag I possibly had in my way because I really really wanted to see Batman and Superman for the first time in the same movie.
I ended-up walking out of the theater pretty disappointed and annoyed by the experience.
And that's something I don't intend to repeat any time soon (hence why I avoided ID2, Bourne and a few other movies this year, with good reason so far apparently).
The movie is out here since wednesday, and it's pretty much rinse & repeat regarding critics...

So, verdicts ??

[Doctor Know]

To those who've already seen Suicide Squad, I have a simple question: is it better than B v S ? is all I'd like to know.
As in, does the story actually makes sense here...? It could make or break the movie for me (aside of godawful acting performances).
Because, last time I was this interested in a movie with this level of negativity around...it was for B v S.
I ignored its reviews.
I ignored friends recommendations.
I ignored basically every red flag I possibly had in my way because I really really wanted to see Batman and Superman for the first time in the same movie.
I ended-up walking out of the theater pretty disappointed and annoyed by the experience.
And that's something I don't intend to repeat any time soon (hence why I avoided ID2, Bourne and a few other movies this year, with good reason so far apparently).
The movie is out here since wednesday, and it's pretty much rinse & repeat regarding critics...

So, verdicts ??

Yes, SS is better than BvS.

[Calighoula]

As in, does the story actually makes sense here...? It could make or break the movie for me (aside of godawful acting performances).

The question you're obviously asking is: is the narrative a linear one? Yes, it is, with deliberately spaced flashbacks. But the entire second and third act constitute one sequence.

[MaxMatrix]

Saw it last night and it was okay. Definitely better than the bottom of the barrell that was BvS, Tarzan, New Bourne film and ID2...but not better than the other summer films like Jungle Book, CA3:CW, The Nice Guys, Lights Out, or The Shallows (cool popcorn flick for me)...about middle of the road like Finding Dory, Ghostbusters and Nerve...

It doesn't deserve half of the criticism it gets but also doesn't deserve half of the angry fans with conspiracy theories it's getting...the film is just good enough.

[GSwarthout]

You, sir, are on the money.

I took in a 6:30pm 2D showing, (no, not IMAX nor 3D, which certainly would have been sold out) expecting the theater to be 40% full at best. I was wrong. It was double that. I figured the audience would enjoy it like a middle-of-the-road action flick,

Wrong again! The audience was totally into it. A guy down in front even stood up when the logos came on after the final trailer and shouted "SKWAD!" which led to an impromptu round of applause.

For those of you who felt BvS was too slow in getting to the action (I disagree, but that's already been discussed), this movie's the opposite. It takes a very different approach, thematically and tonally, and it was great seeing all these new DC characters onscreen. Viola Davis as Amanda Waller was note-perfect, like Umberto said. Will Smith (Deadshot) nailed it, and Margot's Harley is pretty awesome (and hot as hell). But the surprise standout was El Diablo. I think I'll refrain from saying too much right now because a lot of you have to see the movie, and I tend to not bother with spoiler tags. 'Sides, this movie's fresh out of the oven.

Another plus was Croc's not being CGI but an actor (Adewele) with prosthetics. Jai was pretty damned funny. Oh, yes, there are a TON of LOL moments in this film (and funnily enough, the only one that feels a tad forced was the one we've already seen in the first trailer: "We're bad guys...it's what we do!"

Some people may have a problem with this, but the film takes on an Escape from New York vibe around halfway through, and I liked that. (A certain character kicks that off, actually.) Apparently, some people have an issue with the villain(s). Well, let's see. Evil? Check. IRREDEEMABLY evil? Check. No daddy issues, no confusion. Just an entity who is intrinsically evil, who must be stopped. The Joker is not the villain of this film. He's an antagonist, yes, and he has an arc. But this is not his movie, nor should it be. But Leto was great. He didn't act like Ledger. He made the role his own.

A certain reviewer (I forget which name/rag) who hated the film said the Squad members aren't really that bad, they're just misfits, or something like that. He obviously DID NOT see the film. You cannot relate the backstories of Deadshot, Harley, Boomerang and (especially) El Diablo without realizing these are some pretty bad characters — yet, by the end, you find yourself rooting for them, anyway. Especially Deadshot.

For the record, Amanda Waller does something very unexpected, too. One of those "Did she really do that?" moments.

Oh, and the cameos by a certain character(s)? Awesome. One moment even led to one of the biggest LOL moments in the film. You're just not expecting it.

This film's nearly R-rated, too. More profanity than I expected. Easter eggs galore. And the bar scene's great.

I think everyone who's on the fence should check it out. You might actually — gasp! — like it!

Ding, ding ding! We have a winner! Quoted for truth.

[Colossus1980]

Going to watch it Saturday and can't wait to see why it's being panned so bad. Hopefully there's some good mindless action and decent special effects.

[People Of The Earth]

Yes, SS is better than BvS.

The question you're obviously asking is: is the narrative a linear one? Yes, it is, with deliberately spaced flashbacks. But the entire second and third act constitute one sequence.

Well, B v S had sequences that made little sense to me, obviously because of the way the movie was put together.
I heard the Director's cut streamlines some of the initial nonsenses, but I'm one of those people who want a story to be coherent and cohesive from the get go in theater (given how I pay my ticket for exactly that when I go there). If it's not the case, it's already a blow to me enjoying the ride.
To me, a D'C should enrich the initial experience, not course correct it. Case in point, unless bf/family/friends offer me the B v S special cut, I won't bother with it.

So, my question was more akin to that, whether or not the Suicide Squad movie stood on its feet in theater.

[Mr.Majestic]

I know you guys will defend it to the death (just like most critics don't like BvS, so they're right and I'm wrong). Ant-Man is simply a predictable sugar cookie taken right off the baking sheet, a distillation of Iron Man with a terrible villain, and IMESHO, an unconvincing lead. A color-by-numbers three-act house of cards that crashes by film's end. And that's my opinion. But people talk it up like it's one of the MCU's best movies.

Well I think Ant-Man was good but not great. However IMHO it was a LOT better than IM2, IM3 and Avengers2. If it wasn't for James Spader's voice and the Hulkbuster suit I would've given that movie an F.

Nolan gets a lot of praise and rightfully so, but TDK was the best of his trilogy.

Now I think TDK is overrated. For me Batman Begins all the way.

Jesse as Lex and Leto as Joker...can't wait to see them ham it up together Carrey Riddler and Tommy Lee Jones style in a JL movie!

Wait you liked Eisenberg's version of Luthor? And you liked Batman Forever? Man that's just crazy. SMH

[RikWriter]

I finally got to see it with my wife. It was an entertaining, bubble-gum sort of flick. It was very literally comic-booky. Everyone seemed to talk in comic book word balloons, except Will Smith, which was why I felt his portrayal really didn't fit well with the others. He was funny and fun to watch, but I never bought him as a cold-blooded hitman for one second. The other big problem I had was the sountrack. It was all over the place and didn't seem to have any sort of theme, and it drowned out the dialogue at times. I liked it, but I can see why it got bad reviews. It's definitely not for everyone. It reminds me of another superhero movie I liked that got bad reviews: Mystery Men. It has the same sort of unreal, surreal vibe to it visually and thematically, though this movie is much, much darker.
I think I'd give it about a 6 out of 10.

[RikWriter]

To those who've already seen Suicide Squad, I have a simple question: is it better than B v S ? is all I'd like to know.
As in, does the story actually makes sense here...? It could make or break the movie for me (aside of godawful acting performances).
Because, last time I was this interested in a movie with this level of negativity around...it was for B v S.
I ignored its reviews.
I ignored friends recommendations.
I ignored basically every red flag I possibly had in my way because I really really wanted to see Batman and Superman for the first time in the same movie.
I ended-up walking out of the theater pretty disappointed and annoyed by the experience.
And that's something I don't intend to repeat any time soon (hence why I avoided ID2, Bourne and a few other movies this year, with good reason so far apparently).
The movie is out here since wednesday, and it's pretty much rinse & repeat regarding critics...

So, verdicts ??

I'd say it's about as good as the theatrical version. Not as good as the Ultimate Edition.