Some DC films have recently been well received by fans and the trade press, others have gotten quite a hit. DashFUN editor Julius Vietzen finds: that “Suicide Squad” is not a masterpiece, but it is also not a total failure. Now on Prime Video!
2016’s “Suicide Squad” is a good example of how far a strong advertising campaign can take a film: The DC blockbuster grossed $746 million, although the reviews of the film were mostly mixed to lousy. After all, only 26 percent of the 389 reviews are up Rotten Tomatoes positive and the meta score of 40 points is not exactly outstanding.
But is “Suicide Squad” really as close to total failure as the critics promise? I don’t think so – and if you want to give the film a chance (again), you can now do so on Amazon Prime Video:
Sure, it crunches and rumbles everywhere (although the Extended Cut linked above is a bit rounder). Sure, the character development of Harley Quinn and Co. remains mainly assertion. And sure, Enchantress (Cara Delevigne) and her brother Incubus (Alain Chanoine) aren’t great villains.
“Guardians Of The Galaxy” director James Gunn only proved in 2021 with “The Suicide Squad” (warning, danger of confusion with the title) that a film about the Suicide Squad can be better implemented in every respect. But as a big superhero fan, I had a lot of fun with “Suicide Squad” – and that’s no coincidence.
For example, there are the characters and the cast: Margot Robbie steals the show as Harley Quinn, and it’s not for nothing that she’s appeared in the same role in two other DC movies. Will Smith brings all his charisma to bear as the sniper Deadshot. And secondary characters like Boomerang (Jai Courtney) don’t get much to do, but at least they make for some successful gags (keyword: pink plush unicorn).
And while Suicide Squad may not have much in common with what director David Ayer once had in mind (which is why fans are already clamoring for #ReleaseTheAyerCut), At least in some scenes you can tell that a talented filmmaker was sitting in the director’s chair – from the introduction of the characters with the fact sheets displayed to the first big action scene in which Deadshot, in particular, can show what he’s capable of and shoot down heaps of faceless minions.
and despite all the undeniable dramaturgical problems of the film, I have to say that at least one scene really caught me off guard: namely the twist of who the Suicide Squad is actually supposed to save in the film and why. Of course, I won’t reveal any more details here, so just this much:
“Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis, turns out to be the most nefariously badass character the DC cinematic universe has ever seen. Compared to them, all members of the Suicide Squad look like naughty little rascals,” writes my colleague Christoph Petersen in his review of “Suicide Squad”. And since I can only agree with him completely.
