(From IMDb.com)
What happens when you go to the tightest jail to collect a handful of the baddest people — that last word used loosely, for this is the comic book world, after all — to save the world?
A divide between critics who pan the movie and diehard fans who rally behind Suicide Squad, it turns out. (An online petition against Rotten Tomatoes, even.)
For a 6:30 p.m. Friday showing at the Regal Cinemas’ big theater in Syracuse mega shopping, dining and entertainment complex Destiny USA, fannies filled just about every seat. Proving that the people were either not paying attention to those early blastings of the 122-minute creation from the DC Entertainment stable written and directed by David Ayer.
Instead, they were buzzing to see Will Smith play Deadshot, an eagle-eyed got-slinger, and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, the doctor-turned-harlot by Jared Leto’s fabulously manic man who’d become her beau, The Joker. Those two would be grouped with Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), a boomerang-throwing jewel robber from Down Under; El Diablo (Jay Hernandez) a fire-starter and family-killer who didn’t want to anymore; Slipknot (Adam Beach), who can scale anything; Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who actually had scales instead of skin); and mild-mannered scientist June Moon (Cara Delevingne), who stumbled upon the evil-hearted, 7,000-year-old Enchantress. They’re led on the streets of Midway City by hero soldier Rick Flag (Joel Kinnamon), who’s protected by sword-swinger-named Katana (Karen Fukuhara).
Oh, that Harley Quinn. (From IMDb.com)
Quite an ensemble, these.
The brain trust behind this Suicide Squad is Amanda Waller, politico in power because she’s got the Enchantress’ heart in her briefcase.
It becomes evil vs. very evil. Then the goodness in the hearts of the bad people comes out, and the bad in the good people, too, of course.
The very evil – the supernatural beings that can end the world as DC draws it – there’s no good in them, but their spectres and pending doom did bring the latest Ghostbusters to mind.
The interplay between the Squad members, particularly Deadshot and Harley, won me over. Smith was dry; Robbie provided the needed comic relief.
I didn’t mind that Ben Affleck’s Batman part wasn’t much more than a cameo, and The Flash’s role came and went in just that.
In fact, it could have benefited from tighter editing, say, 10 minutes lopped here, there and everywhere from the beginning to right before the finish.
But the crowd seemed satisfied enough by who lived at the end.
Superheroes or super villains do it for you? Which do you think would be your favorite character? DC or Marvel on the big screen?
Mark Bialczak 
I saw the trailers and wasn’t impressed. Using evil for benefit is,in my experience, a lost cause. I’ve seen it too many times in a small way and it never works. Evil has its own agenda and will back stab every opportunity. Years ago I was an owner/operator and the company was looking at hiring a driver that I knew.He was bringing with him documented proof of the illegal activity of one of our competitors. He was also a super-trucker and had a history of doing whatever it took to gain revenue, even if it meant screwing fellow employees. I warned the owner that if this driver would screw his current employer to get a job with us, he would screw us as well when it was to his financial advantage. My boss tut-tutted at my concerns and he hired the driver, using the info he brought with him to take our competitor to court, resulting in us gaining a customer. About 6 months later, the driver left us and took with him one of our biggest customers by knowing our cost structure and promising the customer better service. In the end he could not deliver and the customer went to another company, we never got them back. Our boss was whining and crying about how he had been screwed and I just lifted my eyebrow at him – Spock style.
Super heroes or not, if I can’t see the plot working, I lose interest.
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You know human nature really well, Paul. In the movies, they change the script.
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Haruumph – that script never changes.
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Yes, it’s pretty messy. However, it was hard for me not to have some bit of fun with it. Nice review.
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Thanks, Dan O. Yeah, it was that kind of a movie. 🙂
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I wish Cara was good. Margot Robbie was amazing though!
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Cara was not awful, LR. Better than fair, even!
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I thought she had tooooo little role to play.
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Yes, but that wasn’t her fault!!! Sometimes you take a role to be in a movie you like.
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True!
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i’m just not a huge superhero fan, but have always loved spiderman )
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I avoided the superhero movies for a long time, Beth, but now they’ve got me. 😮
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So did you like it?
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Yup, Marissa. I liked it.
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My wife and I loved it. I can’t get enough superhero movies, personally. I think Marvel has a huge head start over DC, but I always read more DC comics as a kid. They didn’t make stories cross ten titles just to bilk me out of more of my allowance to read the tale. Some yes, but not as bad.
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I was a DC reader as a kid, too, Craig. I liked the individuals lines as well as the Justice League of America conglomerate! Of course, we’re talking waaaay back. 🙂
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Me too, 1960s.
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We’re peers, Craig. 🙂
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