by DBSoT » Aug 05, '16, 11:07 am
**Warning Spoilers included**
So I saw this last night. Is it good? no. Is it as bad as its Rotten Tomato score? no. It is a decent action movie with a good premise, that fails in its story and editing. I did somehow find myself entertained by the movie. The first major issue is that there were way too many irrelevant characters. Slipknot, Katana, Generic army member (Scott Eastwood) and Tattooed Man (Common), all could have been cut from the movie and nothing would have changed. Slipknot and Common especially were just there to die. Seriously, they weren't in the movie for any other reason. They could have paid me $100 to do the same acting. Even Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang had limited backstories. Not exploring Killer Croc eating people kind of pissed me off. Captain Boomerang was there for comic relief and some action, but besides being a bank robber and using sharp boomerangs, you know nothing about him. It was even more pronounced when you consider how much they tried to give a backstory to Deadshot, Harley Quinn and El Diablo. That brings me to issue #2. The jump cuts between the main story and the flashbacks is just oddly done. The scenes themselves are actually pretty good. They give layed depth the characters they are presenting. However, they completely take you out of the main story. Harley Quinn's origin did seem a bit rushed and would have worked better as a stand alone movie. You don't necessarily get time to process the depth of Quinn/Jokers interaction in a few flashbacks. If they do end up making a Harley Quinn movie, then I am hopeful it is an origin story. Something that shows her interaction with the Joker in Arkham Asylum and her slow transition to her obsession with The Joker. This movie also missed one of the biggest aspects of the Joker/Quinn relationship, which is how abusive The Joker is to Harley (physically and Mentally). Deadshot's backstory was actually done the best and it almost pains me to say it, but Will Smith was actually pretty damn good overall. Yes, he does tend to play himself, but he added enough to the character that it worked. His origin about being a hitman for hire, just so he take care of his daughter, is compelling and his action scenes were the most well done. Finally, El Diablo at first was just kind of there in the movie until about halfway in when they explained his tragic story. Long story short, he let his anger get the best of him and burned his wife and kids to dust. He regretted it and chose not to use his power anymore. It was the first time in the movie that I understood why one of these "villains" would be ok with doing some good. It was a decent redemption story when he sacrificed himself at the end. That brings me to my last major issue. The climax of the movie was AWFUL. The final fight between Enchantress and the Squad was so cliche. This movie could have saved itself a lot of problems, if it just had a great villain. Instead it had Enchantress. She was nothing more than generic magic villain #1212424243242. It was the same issue I had with Apocalypse in the X-Men movie. If you have all this power and you want to destroy the world, then just do it. Enchantress just happens to get to full power, just as the Squad arrives. Also a bomb takes out her Brother, but no one thought to drop a bomb from one of the helicopters, AT A SAFE DISTANCE!!
The Good: The acting from the major characters was actually quite good. Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman and Jay Hernandez all did the best with what they were given. I will say that Leto's Joker takes some getting used to and would have been better served to be in the movie more. Is he Heath Ledger or Jack Nicholson, no, but thankfully he isn't try to be. As a stand alone character, he plays the part well and brings a different take. It won't be for everyone, but I liked it. Robbie did a great job with the Harley Quinn character. She nailed the accent, didn't try to be too much like the Joker and had some solid lines.
Score - 5/10 - It certainly has its flaws, but I went in with way lower expectations and was entertained. If you are looking for a great movie than stay far away. However, if you are a fan of the characters and can weed through the story a bit, there is enough to enjoy.