Suicide Squad

They put together a plethora of people dumb enough to be characters in their own stories, which means that not a single character was fleshed out enough for you to know more about them beyond what they like (their kid, the other nutcase, the unicorn, etc.). In truth, I wasn't entertained by the film, it just became a backdrop to keep the room from being quiet – it fulfilled this function perfectly, as it was well voiced. But that's the only great thing about this movie; otherwise it's pretty average, below average. Many heroes and anti-heroes were created, but it just doesn't reach any dizzying heights. It had a great advertisement that lit up the work and drove it to the heights of heaven, but the truth is otherwise... (11/15/2016)

I'm going to repeat myself, but just like in The Legend of Tarzan, Margot was the best thing about the whole movie. It's not that I didn't enjoy the others, but next to her everyone is just dead weight. The beginning is awesome, all very stylish and crazy, as the times demand. From the awesome music to the funny and cruel lines to the costumes, everything suggested this was going to be a total blast. It's a shame that the whole film is based purely on this. The plot unfortunately doesn't offer anything new, the characters don't go deep enough, and the final denouement is a bit off. A weaker 4 stars. (09/10/2016)

The DC Universe hasn't even had time to be born and it's already dead. The dramaturgically-incompatible group at Warner Brothers craves a more discerning audience, but with their results, they're looking at a target audience of 13-17, who (given the earnings) probably won't care that the plot makes no sense at all, that the team doesn't work as a team even once, and that the ass-kicking isn't a highlight for which to praise a character. I want to go to the alternate universe where Ayer made it in his own way, and it’s one hour longer and does away with the moronic humor. In many of its details (the clear action, a decent portion of darkness and suspense) it looks like a prelude to a major comic book film, but someone in the editing room screwed it up in an absolutely monstrous way. The most interesting character in the finale is Killer Croc. I want him to have a solo movie. (11/07/2016)

I can’t say that a witch out of a 1980s fantasy B-movie is what I've been missing from current comic-book flicks. In fact, she is a completely interchangeable DC villain who wants to destroy the world simply because she can. Not even the (unintended) creation of the evil Enchantress by those who are supposed to protect the world is innovative by today’s standards (which immediately gives away the point of the film, which is that working with villains can backfire on you). Most of the film’s other elements are also interchangeable, as Ayer mixes them together willy-nilly, albeit with a certain sense of rhythm. The first hour comes across as a condensed recapitulation of a ten-part series – all exposition, no development. In terms of time and space, the second hour is a slightly more cohesive super-villain variation on war movies in the mould of The Dirty Dozen and westerns like The Wild Bunch (including fatalistic dialogue before the final conflict, but without any significant development of the relationships between the characters or their ability to work together). Though the prologue indicates that Deadshot and Harley will be the protagonists of the narrative, their private dramas (their relationship to the daughter/Joker) do not drive the narrative, but rather slow it down, as they have minimal impact on the direction of the plot. The Joker, who looks like a goth who’s off his meds and inspires more sympathy than unease, always just shows up, does a little damage and disappears, like the returning bosses in some computer games, which seemed to be a source of inspiration for Ayer when he was slapping the plot together on the fly (or at least it seems so). Nothing would change if the Joker wasn’t here. The whole film is still needless and half-assed and unpolished, and while it manages to get and hold your attention with its witty characters, driving soundtrack and slightly psychedelic visual stylisation, the end result is merely two hours of loud, colourful distractions without any serious points of interest. 55% (08/04/2016)

The titular Suicide Squad is composed of a cool bunch of badass individuals that are intriguing due to their style and grimaces, but the “story” doesn’t give them the opportunity to develop or bring something into it. Especially when you see the efforts of the great Jared Leto, whose Joker is just an iconic sidekick, you’ll be disappointed. Funny catchphrases, which were supposed to be the main flavoring of the film, are also pretty rare here. A delicious-looking Margot Robbie and soundtrack hits remain the highlights of Suicide Squad. On first viewing, they are literally caption. On second viewing, when the viewer looks deeper under the pretty cover, they turn out to be the only elements that keep the movie afloat. (08/09/2016)