For the first 30 minutes or so of its two-hour duration, Suicide Squad genuinely reminded me of the zany, outlandish humour of Marvel’s Deadpool and Guardians Of The Galaxy, even if, ultimately, this one is not remotely as good. With zany, self-aware text introductions, a largely 80s-inspired soundtrack, excellent costume designs and enough one-liners to fill a book, Suicide Squad’s first act was a fun, neon-splashed ride that made me believe DC’s supervillain team-up would — ironically — be the comic label’s first good film. This all dissolves by the second act, however, as the film begins to disintegrate into predictable, by-the-numbers story complete, with all the pitfalls that held back its predecessors, becoming yet another mediocre entry in DC’s cinematic franchise.
Taking place shortly after the events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, black-ops director Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) uses the death of Superman to force the US government to greenlight a secret project dubbed Task Force X, a programme that coerces captured supervillains into working as black-ops operatives in order to combat threats from other super-powered individuals while giving the US government plausible deniability should things go wrong. The team’s very first mission goes awry, however, after team member Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) goes rogue, resurrecting her demonic brother in a bid to take over the world. In order to save the world — and their own heads from getting literally blown off — the once-villains become the unlikely heroes.
Even with a premise that sounds straightforward enough on paper, there are more plot holes here than Deadshot has bullets. The first thing I noticed is that the film never explains the reasoning behind the selection of each squad member. This is strange when you consider that four of the original eight members of a squad formed to deal with super-powered threats are regular (albeit very skilled) humans. Furthermore, Enchantress’ scheme to free her brother and rid herself of Waller’s control was executed so easily, you can’t help but wonder why she hadn’t done so long before. There are many more inconsistencies and unexplained events in the film (what is up with that unicorn plush that Captain Boomerang keeps in his jacket?) and you’ll have a much better time with it if you consciously choose to not think about the logic of the plot too much.
Despite having an ensemble cast of eccentric and interesting characters, Suicide Squad is largely the story of Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). As such, much of the character development that happens in the film is dedicated solely to these two characters, rendering almost every other character in the film into plot devices or comic relief. This isn’t to say that the film is entirely devoid of fun, as the portrayal of the two characters remains enjoyable throughout. Will Smith’s Deadshot in particular is probably the most well-developed character in the film, as the character’s love for his daughter conflicts with his murderous occupation and selfish attitude. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, while not as solidly developed, is still an enjoyable presence in the film thanks to her endearing portrayal of the character, who is as adorable as she is dangerous. You can’t help but wish you knew her in real life, even if she’ll most likely stab you in the face and laugh about it.
The rest of the team — from the reptilian Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) to the Australian Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) — are woefully underdeveloped, with only the pyro-kinetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) receiving any kind of development at all. This means these characters are also there to serve as plot devices and comic-relief at best, and utterly inconsequential at worse. Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) do and say almost nothing of any significance besides doling out the occasional one-liner. They could all be replaced by any other villain of the same archetype and it would have very little impact on the film as a whole.
Another character probably at the front of anyone’s thoughts is Jared Leto’s Joker, whose fresh interpretation makes him an immediate scene-stealer every time he appears. Granted, we’re only given a very limited look at the Joker, with the film treating him more as a part of Harley Quinn’s character development. Still, the film also seems to be setting up the character for future instalments, and I’m keenly interested in seeing more of him in the future.
When all is said and done, Suicide Squad is saved from being an utter disappointment by virtue of the performances of its two central characters, Deadshot and Harley Quinn. The film’s first act, which makes use of various editing and shooting techniques in collaboration with its bright neon art-style, is undeniably one of the better superhero film first acts out there, though the logical holes, uneven character development and uninspired plot hold it back, resulting in a film that’s easy to get into but hard to really appreciate.
Suicide Squad
Starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis.
Directed by David Ayer.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.