Suicide Squad

So I just got back from seeing Suicide Squad.

I had seen some of the critic reviews out there that didn't like the movie, saying it was "all over the place" or that "it was ruined because of backlash from Batman v Superman." While these aren't direct quotes, they sum up what it seems critics think.

I'd like to start off by saying I really like the DC movies that are coming out. Man of Steel was great. Batman v Superman was also great. In regards to the latter, the Ultimate Cut is the superior cut of the movie, but I liked the theatrical version as well.

Suicide Squad has been hyped up for a while now. To start off, I'd like to say that one of the first thing I discussed with a friend of mine about this movie when it was first announced was the choice to cast Will Smith as Deadshot. We had our concerns with Will Smith playing a villain, and also specifically playing Deadshot. We know this character from the comic books. From the animated TV shows and movies. Will Smith nailed it. That's really all I need to say about his portrayal of the character. He nailed it.

I guess I'll interject here and say that my friend will be remaining anonymous throughout, but he's a purist when it comes to comic book movies. He will undoubtedly have his issues with this movie and we'll hash them all out for sure. His points are usually very valid, but in the grand scheme of things, his purist nature can get in the way of some of these films. Including the Marvel films.

The next thing we talked about at some length was Jared Leto being cast as the Joker. I'll admit that I did have some concerns at first, but the more the trailers showed of him, the more I heard him deliver lines, the laugh, it started to grow on me. Jared Leto's Joker stands up with the other versions of the characters exactly like we have been talking about them. Allow me to explain...

There have been several versions of the Joker. Not only on screen (TV and Silver Screen alike) but also in the comic books themselves. Speaking strictly of the TV/Film versions you have the following:

Cesar Romero: The Clown. With his mustache covered in make-up because he refused to shave it. This is neither here nor there. His version was the "The Clown." A bad guy in it for the laughs. Of course this comes from the Adam West TV show, so campy is as campy does.

Jack Nicholson: The Gangster. This Joker was in it for the money. For the power. For the throne of Gotham. He was violent, and sadistic, but always with a purpose for the most part. He had his laughs, but they are more cruel and ark. Tim Burton's Batman films did 'dark' very well for their time and played up on the comic book ideas. Maybe a dash of The Clown thrown in for good measure. (Not like Jim Carrey's Riddler. He channeled Frank Gorshin for that role.)

Mark Hamill: We consider him to be the "All Around" version of the Joker. He did it all. The Clown, The Gangster, The Sociopath and the Psychopath. We'll get to these other versions soon enough. His voice, his laugh, his delivery, all of it is awesome.

Heath Ledger: The Sociopath. This is the one that everyone crapped on when he was cast. It's the one that everyone praised after they saw the final result. Using the source material they gave him for his portrayal, he did a fantastic job with his version of the Joker.

Jared Leto: The Psychopath. This is another very good portrayal of the Joker from the comic books. He carried the sinister nature of the Joker that is established in the comics. There is a scene where someone is mouthing off to the owners of a casino, and someone tells him to shut up right before the Joker walks in. He's the king of Gotham's underworld. When Joker walked in and I realized it was him, I immediately was worried for the guy that was in his path. Then, right after this terrifying moment, when everything works out in a way that the Joker is OK with, he immediately falls into a more playful role. There is no doubt in my mind that Joker loves Harley. It played out on screen to where I saw it plain as day.

We didn't discuss the other characters because we didn't really need to. We liked what we saw from Margot Robbie in the trailers and had no doubt that she would kill it in that role. She did. She had a lot of fun with the character from what I can tell. She likes that character. Everything she did in that movie fit the character as it should, and again you could tell that she loves the Joker and would do anything for him.

While I thought that this movie would drive the narrative that is being established in BvS, I was surprisingly wrong. This movie stands alone from that narrative, but establishes the world that DC and Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder are trying to create. The narrative I'm talking about seems to be "Injustice" with Darkseid as the grand Big Bad of the whole kit and caboodle. So with cosmic level entities coming to battle it out with the Justice League, this movie establishes other villains that in comparison are 'street level.'

The only real caveat to this would be the Joker considering his role in Injustice. I believe that had they not brought in Joker now and tried to put him in place in the narrative later on probably wouldn't work as well as it would by establishing him now.

Amanda Waller and ARGUS are firmly in place, and this Waller isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She's exactly who she needs to be and doesn't care who she is talking to. She doesn't back down. She's The Wall we know and love from the comics. She runs Task Force X exactly as she needs to.

This movie establishes that there is magic, and not just a little magic. A LOT of magic exists in this Universe that DC is building. It's epic in scope as it should be. This isn't like the magic we have seen thus far in the Marvel movies where "Science and Magic are the same thing" according to Thor. No this is pure magic. DC isn't writing comic book characters to be realistic, they are writing comic book movies full of comic book characters. They are, for the most part skipping origins unless they need to. They are getting right to it, and it's fantastic.

This movie was great. I loved it. The characters were spot on. The story stands alone on it's own and gives us just a dash of the narrative with the Flash cameo and the stinger after the first set of credits. Suicide Squad will have some bearing on the overall narrative considering what happens in the movie, but it mainly fleshes out the DC Universe. This movie works just like the Suicide Squad comics do. You don't see these characters really in the mix of the epic story lines that you see. They may show up for an issue or two but they are usually doing their own thing and making sure that they survive. They are supporting characters, but they do exist and they aren't forgotten here.