By Chris Bright
Seeing as there were no real winners from the long-awaited battle between Batman and Superman, DC Studios really needed Suicide Squad to work. Not only to redeem their reputation amongst fanboys but also encourage viewers across the globe to give their upcoming Justice League film a chance – and while the response from critics hasn’t been great so far, this is stylised dumb-fun at its best.
David Ayer, who has helmed fast-paced actioners like Street Kings and End of Watch, brings his intense editing style to the DC universe – trying his hardest to adhere to the CW motto of adding humour, heart and heroism at every chance.
Much the same way Marvel turned D-list superheroes Guardians of the Galaxy into a blockbuster franchise; Suicide Squad showcases some of the DC Universe’s lesser-known foes like Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Captain Boomerang, Diablo, Enchantress, and Slipknot, plus low-key hero, Katana. These deadly misfits are forced together by Viola Davis’ devious Amanda Waller, to save the world or at least die trying.
The game show-style character introductions aren’t exactly clever or original but they were typical of the ensemble cartoons we used to watch as kids, which suits the overall concept here.
The extra time given to both Will Smith’s Deadshot and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is noticeable, with a couple of flashbacks that seemed last-minute, but unfortunately means some other supporting characters suffer.
That being said, it’s easy to see why these two were prioritised, as both Smith and Robbie are brilliant. Smith’s Deadshot has the most emotional backstory and he uses it to drive the character forward, while Robbie’s performance is just a whole lot of fun – she’s just the right amount of mental and magnetic.
Other standouts include Davis as the anti-Nick Fury. She’s cold without being emotionless; Jai Courtney is also brilliant as the Aussie-larrikin Captain Boomerang, bringing most of the laughs; and Jay Hernandez is also good with what he’s given.
Sure, Suicide Squad isn’t perfect but its heart is in the right place. There are more than enough Easter Eggs and cameos to build on Snyder’s DC Universe but also enough action and (previously lacking) humour to keep the masses entertained.
FIVE MAJOR SPOILERS
Go no further unless you want to know some of the juicy Easter Eggs and foreshadowing scattered throughout Suicide Squad.
- Ezra Miller’s Flash makes an appearance
The Flash makes an appearance fairly early on in the film, and he’s in full costume. This is the first time we’ve seen him in action like this, taking down Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang during a bank robbery. With that in mind, it’s unclear where exactly this fits in the time-line, especially because when we saw The Flash in Batman V Superman, he was casually stopping a store robbery and didn’t really seem “superhero” ready. Given the fantastic performance of Courtney in Suicide Squad, there might also be a chance we see him return in a more substantial role for The Flash standalone film. - As does Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight
We all knew from the trailers that Batman was making an appearance in Suicide Squad, but no one really knew how much. Much like The Flash, Batman does show up in multiple character backstories but that’s about it, until… - The mid-credit sequence
There is a mid-credit sequence that has Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, sitting with Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller. Waller is asking Wayne for protection after the events that took place in Suicide Squad, and he agrees on the condition she gives him information regarding the “Metahumans”. She hands him a folder that contains profiles on Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman. At the very end Wayne says if she gets in his way, his “new friends” will take her down. - Harley Quinn’s jester costume
Fanboys caught a glimpse of Harley’s classic jester costume lying on the ground in one of the trailers but thankfully this isn’t the only glimpse of it! We actually get to see her donning the full costume for a few seconds, in a flashback scene where she is dancing with the Joker. This also means we’ll probably see it again because of… - The ending
In the end of Suicide Squad we see our group of antiheroes accept their fates and return to the hellish prison in Louisiana. It seems they’re all settled until a group of soldiers in SWAT gear break into Harley Quinn’s cell. Finally one of them takes off the mask and reveals the Joker. This means a couple of things, firstly, that Harley Quinn probably won’t be in the same position as the rest of her team for the inevitable Suicide Squad sequel, and secondly, she may pop up again beside the Joker in the standalone Batman movie coming soon.
