martes, 9 de agosto de 2016

Some thoughts about Suicide Squad

Someone needs to save the world from its own heroes.

Amanda Waller believes that humans need to be protected from the new wave of metahumans that are appearing around the planet and she's willing to create a team that has nothing to lose but are these individuals able to defend the people from one of the most terrible threats they have ever seen?

This is the one people, this is the movie that most people were waiting for and there's a good reason for that.

Man of Steel and Batman V Superman didn't exactly meet universal praise, the critical and fan response was pretty mixed with people either liking or hating them but one thing was certain: WB was decided to make the DC cinematic/extended universe work and wanted those films to be the pillars for the upcoming movies that were going to be developed after them.

However, there was also another thing that people were generally thinking: It was necessary a change.

The already mentioned flicks where criticized for their overall grim and gritty style that while it was nicely executed, it didn't leave a lot of variety for the story.

Suicide Squad was supposed to change that. A movie based on the classic DC property about villains being forced to act like heroes for their own country. Director David Ayer's premise was about making the story full of many of the classic staples of the franchise along with new popular additions with a comedic tone and an unique art direction. So, with that in mind, does this flick deliver what it promised?

Well, I think that for the most part it actually does.

Since the early scenes you can see a lot of style that is being implemented for the plot. From the different characters being introduced in a way that reminds you of their comic book roots while still maintaining a distinctive tone to the over the top fight scenes to the multiple and varied visuals, there's a lot to appreciate about the film from an artistic perspective. Most importantly, I think it added something that this universe truly required: Colour: Several of those segments are pretty vibrant despite that they also play with a dark tone, they certainly feel much more alive compared to its two prequels.

Speaking of which and as I already mentioned, this is movie is part of the extended universe that started with MoS and BvS and is notable due to the different cameos like Batman, The Flash and Aquaman. It was pretty cool that the character's histories are preserved from their comic counterparts due that they face the villains they were supposed to face and it brings some possibilities for the future about new encounters between Batman and Deadshot or The Flash and Captain Boomerang.

About the plot, is a bit simple but I believe is effective in what it tries to do. Create a big enough threat to justify the creation of a team like these while also giving a solid reason for them to want to fight it. Some things didn't work out like the addition of some plot-points that ultimately achieved very little but at the end of the day, they still served their own purpose in spite of being minimal.

Now comes the fun, and sometimes disappointing, part: The characters.

Will Smith playing as Deadshot was simply great. His personality obviously shines in this character which makes him look more like the Gail Simone version of Floyd Lawton (that was pretty comedic-based) than the John Ostrander incarnation (which was much more cold and complex), it works really well and every scene where he interacts with the rest of team is a joy. Even his background is nicely integrated into the story to justify his role and actions. No complaints at all.

Of course lots of people are talking about Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and there's a good reason for that. She does a solid job at interpreting the playful and lunatic personality of the character while also showing her classic sexual nature (Yes, this has been a point since her creation, she has always been sexualized and that's not a bad thing). In terms of nailing the basics, I think Robbie did a nice effort.

I have to ask though, is there something as "too much of a good thing"? At points it seems like the attention goes a bit too much for her while the spotlight could be used for other characters that desperately needed it. I think that not even Will Smith received that many scenes. Her segments are lively and most of the jokes are funny but at points one starts to wonder when are the rest of the cast going to have their own moments. There are also some nitpicks like how she's not as independent as she should be, and I think that is where the character shines the most but I suppose they're saving it for her own upcoming movie.

The rest of the cast is... enjoyable but definitely not as prominent and while some of them are prominent, their motivations can be a bit weak.

Amanda Waller played by Viola Davis was quite good I believe, managing to depict the cold and calculating nature of "The Wall" and creating a strong presence that is usual from every incarnation of her. Rick Flag Jr. by Joel Kinnaman is not as good sadly, is not that the actor does a bad job, is just that the premise of the character is not really good, he's motivated to save his girlfriend June Moone who is being possessed by the spirit of the Enchantress but we barely see why they're both in love, they just appeared that way in a single scene and we're supposed to buy that with no proper build-up to make you care about their relationship. This also obviously hurts June Moone's character played by Cara Jocelyn Delevingne who doesn't have much personality beyond being possessed by the evil entity.

Speaking of which, Enchantress is the main villain and she does a decent job at creating a strong presence and threat but again, she doesn't have enough personality to make her distinctive from a lot of the other big villains in the genre.

About the other characters: Jay Hernandez as Chato Santana/El Diablo receives some of the attention and it was good to see his backstory being explored due that it made you understand more of his own and complex nature as well as making you invested in his safety. Jay Courtney as Captain Boomerang was entertaining, he's not necessarily complex but he doesn't need to, he's the usual manipulative bastard that barely cares about the rest and delivers some nice moments and lines here and there. Karen Fukuhara as Katana doesn't really have much of a role really, the only reason for her presence is because of her sword, the Soultaker but still, she receives a few moments to explore her character. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc also suffers from not being that important but again, his few scenes manage to reveal enough of his personality.

And of course, Jared Leto as the Joker.

Yeaaaaah, he was barely in the movie, wasn't he?

This is especially strange considering how hyped his presence in the story was. Many people thought that he was going to be the main antagonist of the film and it would have made sense considering how important the character is in the DC and Batmythos. However, a lot of his scenes don't contribute anything to the plot and even his connection with Harley Quinn is not explored as much as people would have prefered. A lot of viewers consider this a HUGE missed opportunity.

Well, I personally don't because I didn't like Leto as the Joker that much.

The Joker is supposed to be flamboyant, the Joker is supposed to be over the top. Leto definitely is, but at times it seems like he's trying too hard. Is almost like someone who is trying desperately to make his presence in a story unforgettable and for that reason tries to overcompensate by giving too much personality into the performance but without a natural charisma to back it up. Is not like Jack Nicholson who was naturally funny with some legitimately threatening moments nor Heath Ledger who was naturally threatening with some legitimately funny moments. Is kinda all over the place.

That being said, most of the characters are quite likable or at the very least, entertaining so they serve their role in that regard.

The special effects get the job done, I don't think they were particularly impressive but they were nice looking. The action scenes were also solidly depicted and very engaging in some aspects.

So, overall I would say that this is by far my favorite DC movie from the new universe they're developing. One of the aspects that makes me appreciate it the most is that, unlike the last two entries in the series, the pacing flows waaay better. In MoS and BvS there were a lot of segments that were quite frankly, pretty boring. Suicide Squad doesn't suffer from those flaws since a lot of the story is focused on either the comedic and action scenes (and a few character moments here and there) which makes everything much more engaging.

Even better than that, is just... fun.

And that's the summary, Suicide Squad is fun. So if you want an entertaining superhero movie that feels different from the last few DC ones then you won't be disappointed.

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