“Suicide Squad” is horrendous. The word “bad” does not suffice to describe the disorganized and unrefined final product that made it to the big screen three weeks ago. It is clear that the DC Cinematic Extended Universe is in a rat race with the ridiculously successful Marvel Cinematic Universe, one in which they are losing, and egregiously so.
The film tries desperately to cram the origins of all the major characters in the film down the throats of moviegoers. The story, in a nutshell, is about a ruthless government official (Davis) who decides to make a special task force out of the six most dangerous people on Earth in order to prevent the “next Superman from tearing the world apart.” The dialogue was good, if you pretend Will Smith is smoking cigars and shooting up aliens after every one of his lines. The acting was fine, if you focus on Margot Robbie and no one else. The pacing was okay, if you like experiencing a movie that feels uneven and poorly executed.
Jared Leto’s Joker was edgier, scarier, and meaner than previous onscreen characterizations. However, his suit was not purple and he was covered in gold chains and tattoos. He looked like a rapper from the ‘90s with identity issues. Leto’s Joker had very little screen time, which is odd considering they could have used him as the main villain, instead of the horribly miscast Cara Delevingne as the unconvincing bad guy they opted for in this installment. It was a bad move on director David Ayer’s part. A bad move indeed.
Nevertheless, the box office sales for “Suicide Squad” are shockingly higher than the total sales of “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” last spring. This means one hard to believe yet ultimately inevitable thing: “Suicide Squad 2” is coming to a theater near you in the foreseeable future.
And when that happens, it is my hope that they do the following: fire Smith, give Leto more screen time, and please, for the love of all that is good in this world, hire new writers. It doesn’t matter how much A-list talent you stuff into a movie roster (Oscar winner Davis, Oscar winner Leto, Oscar nominee Smith). If a screenplay is just downright awful, then nobody can save the film.