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Went to see Suicide Squad Thursday night, it was very good. Good story, good atmosphere, good acting. Okay, the dialog is a bit weak but the actors nail the characterization and hold the script up.
The critics and a certain subset of comic book fans dislike it; that mystifies me. A movie is supposed to be entertaining and I found it very entertaining. So much so, that I'm going to go see it again while it is still on the big screen.
It's dark, so it's not for everyone. But the comic has always been dark, even back when comics thought having Batman actually say "damn" was as dark as they wanted to get.
It may not be quite as good as "The Dark Knight" but it is the best DC movie since that one. Last movie I saw twice the week it opened? I don't remember.
Hugs,
Erin
Comments
I agree with the sentiment
Harley Quinn by herself boosted the move at least 50 points above most of the critic reviews.
In my mind the story itself was no worse than the one for Captain America Civil War (not that that is saying much).
It would be scary if the government really did stuff like that though. I imagine all the members of the squad (if they could ever talk to a lawyer) would be able to sue the government into bankruptcy.
That's why
I never listen to the critics. I mean look at how badly they tried to rate the new ghostbusters? And it's absolutely amazing. They even have a ton of cameos and shoutouts to the originals cast (especially make sure to stay for the after credits sequences!!!) and it passes the bechdel test, the sexy lamp test, the furiosa test, all the tests <3
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
critics and movies
there are some films that are written to win oscars, others are to be remembered and celebrated, some are to be thought provoking and still others are to be hilarious.
Then there are films like Warcraft and Suicide Squad.
These are not films meant for the critics to enjoy, they are there for the fans. These are films put together for those who already know the story or the general premise to enjoy with their friends, and then rave about while the critics roll their eyes at the unoriginality of it.
Thing is, critics are drawn to movies that are different, sometimes art house films or films that really do something different, but the general population may not agree as they don't see films every day like many critics do.
in the end, if you enjoy it, that's all that matters. Sometimes the critics are wrong.
(But sometimes they're totally right, like in the case of that horrid Livewire film. UGH!)
Your right
Your right I mean the critic's at first didn't like The deadpool movie an said because it was Rated r wouldn't sell good at the box offices. But damn if wasn't awesome. I seen it when it came out(the day before had seen the new stars wars an it left me feeling like seriously that's what all the hype was about?) But deadpool had me cracking up the entire time. So much better than when ryan reynolds played him in the 1st wolvirne movie.
Target Audience
Or as the teaser to "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" put it, "If that's the kind of movie you've been searching for, to share with those you love, then you probably don't want to see... `Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'."
BTW, don't miss the man shoving the cotton candy into the boy's face.
-- Daphne Xu (a page of contents)
Critics are giving your their opinion
You have to take it with a grain of salt.
I like Highlander. I liked the first movie, there was much of the various made-for-t.v. interpretations I found highly entertaining ... on the basis of my personal appreciation of the first movie (and the recommendations of the local critics), I took my best friend to the second movie, before I had seen it myself.
He eventually forgave me, but it did cost me a full dinner and a case of beer.
The fanboys(and that's what
The fanboys(and that's what they almost always are, fanboys) will rip anything DC to shame because they see it as ripping off Marvel. DC can do no right, Marvel can do no wrong, and anyone who tries to say otherwise is an idiot in their mind. These are the same people who trashed the movies from the very start before anyone had actually seen test footage let alone the actual finished product. They won't give a movie a chance and will whine until someone agrees with them then whine some more.
I guess they don't get the fact that DC comics has always been cerebral and had intelligent plots, character driven stories, and heavily built up characters while Marvel just churned out things left and right that so often not so coincidentally happened to borrow heavily from their rival.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Comics and Movies
I've been reading comics since the early fifties. Back then the best stories were usually from DC or Dell. In the sixties, Marvel had the best comics but by the seventies, DC had pretty much caught up. Since the mid 80s, both companies have put out a wide array of comics in different genres, styles and yes, quality. Nowadays, most of the best comics are independent publications of creator owned titles, though the big companies can still do some nice stuff. The more commercial stuff these days kind of leaves me cold.
I've liked nearly all of the recent Marvel movies. I did not like Man of Steel much but it had some nice qualities, too. I loved how Lois Lane was handled in that movie. Other DC movies were good but, except for The Dark Knight and The Watchmen, not excellent. Suicide Squad is very, very good and when I see it for the second time tomorrow, I'm expecting to upgrade it to excellent. I know I did enjoy it a lot.
Batman vs Superman was a very good movie, too. Better than might have been expected with the weak Man of Steel as lead in.
I'm looking forward to Wonder Woman and Justice League, the next big DC movies. And I'm also looking forward to Doctor Strange, Ant Man and the Wasp, Thor: Ragnarok and the second Guardians movie.
For an aging fangirl like me, it is just heavenly that there are so many good comic book movies coming out. I think Marvel has benefitted by having a hands-off parent in Disney while the creators at DC keep getting second guessed by the money people at Warner.
I also saw the recent second episode of the Turtles reboot and found it a lot of fun. Tyler Perry's extended riff on Neil deGrasse Tyson had me making hooting noises frequently. :) And I think we need another Hellboy movie but we're probably not going to get one.
I'm not hard to please, if a movie or a comic entertains me, it gets my vote.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
I've always been a fan of selected comics....
I mostly focused on characters, not the publishers. Regarding TMNT, I laugh every time I hear about a new cartoon, or movie, about those shell backs. You never know what will take off and become a commercial success. TMNT was started as a short press run comic back in the 1980's that you could only get in specialty shops. The author claimed that it was done as a spoof of all the anthromorph comics that were popular at the time.
I'm waiting for the Wonder Woman movie. Hopefully the producers haven't destroyed the character and story. Thor, I have plans on seeing at least the rushes before deciding if I want to plunk down 50 USD to take my son and I to see it.
True story
When Eastman and Laird were sitting around wondering if they should try to publish a comic, one of them brought up an issue of the comic I and my friends did in the 70s. If they can do it, we can do it, they decided. So, in a way, I have a little responsibility for TMNT. :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Being a rabid fan of neither,
I've personally found DC and Marvel's offerings both to be hit or miss. I'm more willing to forgive Marvel mostly due to the fact that many of their more questionable quality movies are handled by Fox rather than their primary branch. I've sat through most every Marvel movie since Blade, but I've skipped the Superman movies religiously, to the point that even having Batman in the most recent one wasn't enough to inspire me to go see it. Overall, both of them have their positives and negatives, though it seems that Marvel has chosen the more Michael Bay route with their films, targeting non-fans as much as long-time loyalists, while DC moves more and more into trying to capture a fanbase that even their comics are failing to keep enthused. They're kinda like the SEGA of comic books: lots of neat ideas, but questionable execution and a lack of clear direction have caused their fanbase to disappear with every release, until now people tend to look at their work with an eye for what failed *this* time rather than what succeeded.
I wasn't surprised by the negative critical reviews of Suicide Squad, though I was disappointed. I've been seeing too many articles complaining about X or Y cast member, and the many thousands of dollars in reshoots to remove reference to Batman vs. Superman added up to me expecting the worst in terms of critical reception. All that said, I'm looking forward to the film, and fully expect to be entertained by it. Why? Because I'm expecting to see a really interesting take on the Joker, as well as some great actors doing other iconic characters. The things reviews have said the movie got right -- the personalities, the quirks, and so on -- are the things I expect to find most important to my own enjoyment, because I DO know who they are already, and I can likely piece together parts that might be missing but are needed for things to make sense.
The overall feel I've gotten from reviews is that the movie does just that: it's designed to appeal to those who already like the characters rather than capture new fans. That's likely to be both the film's greatest strength and biggest flaw. I, for one, am expecting to like it quite a bit though.
Melanie E.
P.S.: The new DC animated film, "The Killing Joke," is also getting mixed to negative reviews despite supposedly having a spectacular second half. What's y'all's opinion on that?
Haven't seen it yet
I don't watch much on my home screen because if I'm in front of my computer, I'm working. :)
But I took a friend to see Suicide Squad and while he knew who Harley Quinn was, most of the rest of the characters were new to him. And he loved it. :)
Jared Leto as the Joker is excellent, too. It's like he's taken a bit of everyone else who has done the Joker (including Mark Hamill) and spun it all into his own creation.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Movies and Critics
A couple of friends and myself are regular cinema goers. We do take note of The Times film reviews before going : if they don't like it then it's probably our sort of film. We are rarely wrong. Tickets for Suicide Squad are already booked for later in the week.
Oldfashioned.
Have to say
I was a fan of most (if not all) comic to movie franchises. However, as a person with visual issues, I must say the propensity of the current DCCU offerings has left me with a bit of disappointment. {small old spoiler - Highlight to read} Well, that and Supes killing a villain? WTH?!? And seeing the trailers for upcoming DCCU films makes me cringe - more dark muted colors. looking more dystopian than heroic (when I can even tell what is going on). Even the sunrise was dark in BvS. That being said, I did like The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises (4 and 3 stars, respectively, maybe because while it was dark, the colors were not muted), but V for Vendetta broke the scales at 6 out of 5. Maybe that is more the difference between the DCCU and MCU franchises - darkness goes with despair and light goes with hope; who really wants our entertainment to reflect the harsh reality we live in every day? Isn't that the basis of many of the stories here?
All that said, I didn't care for Suicide Squad as much as the others: the acting was good (only 3/10 due to Leto's sub-par performance and the supporting cast not given enough development), the lack of a driving plot (3/10 due to its meandering pace and lack of cohesiveness), 7/10 for special effects (seen better effects in SyFy movies than on Enchantress). and we end up with what should have been a 4 star movie coming in at a little more than 2 stars (maybe even 3 stars with the soundtrack tossed in as a factor).
Maybe I am overthinking it, but they should have spent more time on the Harley/Joker love story, the motivations for the Suicide Squad saving the day, or even make the villains as violent as the comics since they didn't seem as hardcore as in the comics (heck, maybe even have one try to escape and made an example of).
Anyways, just my opinion, your mileage may vary,
Diana
ps In case anyone thinks I am just biased towards the MCU, I thought the latest Fantastic Four had no redeeming qualities Captain America: Civil War left out a lot of backstory and could have been better if it were split into two parts
What love story?
The tale of Harley and the Joker is one of psychological torture, not love. At least, that's how I've always seen it.
Melanie E.
That's just it.
A love story implies mutual attraction. The Joker's only attraction to Harley was and always has been as a tool: he only cares for her in as much as he finds her useful to have around. He manipulates her fanatical attitude for him without any concern for her wellbeing or longevity, and there's no chance that his attitudes toward her will ever really change, as he's a character incapable of caring for another in that way, but is willing to play the part so long as it gets Harley to do what he wants. Harley, meanwhile, is blind to how he truly feels, largely due to what comes close to Stockholm Syndrome.
That, to me, is the definition of psychological torture.
Melanie E.
That's from the comics
The movie did not play it that way.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Hmm,
Maybe that was what was off about the movie...
Great point! Thanks, Erin!
I don't get it
I'll disagree with the idea that Leto did a sub-par performance. He had to follow Heath Ledger and I thought he did a good job of it, considering that the script is the real weakness there.
And several critics complained about the lack of a driving plot, too. I don't see that either, the plot made perfect sense and stitched the whole thing together for me. As for Enchantress, I loved the effects as being entirely appropriate for the character without overwhelming the actress's work which was exceptional. She looked like a kindergarten teacher who had gone over to the devil, hilariously spooky. The soundtrack was good. I give the movie 8 of 10 with shading toward 8.5. And if I see it again, I may go for a 9 if they put back some of the scenes they cut.
Oh, one of the bad guys did try to get away and get killed for it, did you miss that? Slipknot got his head blown off and Waller made a joke about it. The problem with that was they didn't spend enough time on Slipknot so you didn't really care, and that was the producers meddling, I think.
The Harley/Joker love story had just about enough time, more would have made it a Harley/Joker movie instead of S.S. The meandering pace? No idea what you mean by that, there were slow and fast scenes and they seemed in balance to me. And I did think the motivations were clear and upfront. You have to watch the sideplay with the characters.
"This is subtley and nuance here, getting hit on the head lessons are down the hall." :)
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Leto's performance
I don't know, it just didn't seem as good as his performance in Dallas Buyer's Club, and maybe the fact he was following Ledger's Joker made it seem too, I don't know, forced? It didn't flow right for me. I missed Slipknot due to an idiot behind me with his phone. Enchantress needed more smoke when she shifted back and forth. Add in the gallbladder issues I am currently having and it may have soured my enjoyment of the movie. more painkillers and off to bed again. Take care
Diana
good for what it is
Good film for what it is, when you read a book (Jaws The Godfather ect.)
it's gonna be different then the film, or usually it is.
Enjoy the film for what it is, enjoy the book, there's gonna be differences.
I may prefer the Harley story in the books but I enjoyed the film.
I think the movie was pretty good.
It wasn't great, but I liked it. I think the biggest problem was too much Will Smith and too much Will Smith. By that I mean they spent too much time focusing on Deadshot, but he was by far the biggest "name" in the movie, and there was too much Will Smith in Deadshot. There were times when I saw Will Smith and not Deadshot. Admittedly I am much less familiar with the actors and actresses, but I think they did a much better job of staying in character.
I think they covered the "romance" between The Joker and Harley fairly well, considering it was split up so much in the movie.
I really wish they would stop filming all the fights in the frickin' dark. Most of the fights it was really hard to tell what was happening, just like most of the superhero movies. I can't imagine what would be seen in the 3D version with even less light.
Killer Croc needed more lines, as did Captain Boomerang.
Scott Eastwood did a great job playing Clint Eastwood. :P
**** Slight Spoilers ****
There seemed to be some things that either got cut out, or I missed.
Captain Boomerang's plushy is never really explained, and where the huge stack of cash came from.
Slipknot was in the movie for only one reason, one that I figured out the first time I heard he was in the movie (I've never read any of the Suicide Squad comics).
I think the end with Harley would have been better as a post credit scene.
It's too bad they killed off the second most interesting character on the team.
I'm still trying to figure out how the Squad beat Harley up to the 12th floor, when she had a two floor lead in the elevator.
Long history
Rick Flag was the leader of the original monster-hunting Suicide Squad in the 1959 Brave and the Bold, a year before the Justice League premiered. :) I read most of those, too.
Captain Boomerang has ALWAYS gotten the shaft, it's part of his charm. He's the Rodney Dangerfield of supervillains. :)
I'm sure more scenes with him were written and probably filmed but getting a movie out the door is frequently a matter of cutting it down to a desired run time. Keeping the focus more on Deadshot and Harley Quinn made sense from a marketing standpoint. You have an A-Lister playing one role and the most widely known squad member in the other.
Note that even though they show The Flash as instrumental to capturing Boomerang, they don't even mention his name? Talk about no respect.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
It's odder than that
If I understand how they filmed it, Flash was filmed on the set of Justice League movie, Captain Boomerang was filmed on the set of the Suicide Squad movie. Jai Courtney didn't know he was captured by Flash until he saw the final movie cut.