By Paul Hall
Bad guys are bad guys and good guys are good guys, right? Not totally — in the new film Suicide Squad from director David Ayer, these labels get flipped on their head.
U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) has a plan to get some of the worst villains who are currently incarcerated to work for the United States in the most unique and extreme situations. If they succeed, they will get time knocked off the lengthy sentences they are serving. If they fail, they can be disavowed and eliminated.
The team Waller sets out to recruit includes Deadshot (Will Smith), a man who can shoot anything with pinpoint accuracy. Then there’s The Joker’s (Jared Leto) former psychologist Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), who has lost her marbles. She is beautiful, but, as she admits, quite vexing. To those two electric leads add Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and others to the squad commanded by Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and you have a team like nothing you’ve seen before.
Their first mission is to secure the city that is facing the wrath of Enchantress (Cara Delevingne). Although Enchantress was originally coerced into helping the squad, the spirit who inhabits June Moone is now wreaking havoc and it will be up to the Suicide Squad to stop her and save the day.
It’s clear the DC Comics Universe is starting to come together. This film features numerous cuts to Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne and Batman characters, hinting at the total intertwined nature of the universe and what may come. Suicide Squad, while finding a way to meld into the big picture, tries to stand on its own and really bring life to these characters.
The challenge for the film is to create interest in the varied squad members, but due to the limited time they’re on the screen, some barely feel the spotlight. Much of the film is centered on Smith and Robbie. That leaves the smaller squad members with limited screen time to provide insight to their characters.
While I enjoyed Robbie in the film, I did not enjoy Delevingne’s dual role at all. She felt miscast, and the scenes that she dominated, including one main plot point toward the end, made her look cartoonish.
Though ultra violent, Suicide Squad is a stylistically enjoyable movie that enjoys some decent comedic moments. I wanted to enjoy this deeper dive into the DC Comics Universe, but found myself just searching for air in the depths of the theater. Fans of DC Comics will probably enjoy the film and should make sure to not miss the bonus scene in the credits with yet another Bruce Wayne appearance. The rest of us will just need to make sense out of the fact that the bad guys are now good guys, but still bad.
Suicide Squad
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie
Director: David Ayer
Grade: C+
Brought to you by the publishers of TV Guide, the ultimate TV resource packed with celebrity news and commentary on what’s new and what’s good to watch. Get TV Guide at 88% off the cover price: call 800-866-1400 or visit tvguidemagazine.com. ©TV Guide 2016.
NEW THIS WEEK
Florence Foster Jenkins
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg
Director: Stephen Frears
New York heiress and socialite Florence Foster Jenkins wants to pursue her dream of becoming a great singer, but there is a problem: Her singing voice is hilariously awful. Her husband does everything to protect her and foster her dream, but he will face his biggest challenge when she decides to give a concert at Carnegie Hall.
Pete’s Dragon
Rated: PG
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oakes Fegley
Director: David Lowery
A young orphan boy named Pete claims to have been living in the woods with his friend. That friend, Elliot, is a dragon. Some of the locals are skeptics, but seeing is believing and this is the story of the adventures of Pete and his dragon.
Sausage Party
Rated: R
Voices: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill
Directors: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
The only thing food wants is to go home with us. But when the food finds out what happens when they leave the comfort of the supermarket, they fight for survival and to let their friends know that being chosen is not a good thing.
