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Reel Reviews: Even super-villains need a hero

The review is in and Taylor and Howe say Suicide Squad could have been better.
SUICIDE SQUAD
Deadshot (Will Smith) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) take up the bulk of screen time in Suicide Squad.

Well known, somewhat controllable super-villains are forced into an elite anti-terrorism unit by a reluctant U.S. government to fight other super-villains, who aren’t so easily controlled.

We say, “It definitely could have been better.”

TAYLOR: It’s quite easy to tell where Suicide Squad falls short: Every time we transition from one scene to another; every time the Joker (Jared Leto) opens his mouth; every time another weak plot point rolls around, and every time a super power involves computer graphics.

However, I certainly don’t wish to give the impression that I disliked the film, quite the contrar. It was interesting. Also, I think Leto is a talented actor and his Joker is amazing. I just hated the clichés the script had him say. This movie could have been more finely put together, thus I blame the director, David Ayer.

HOWE: Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. What have they done to the DC universe? I have read a few reviews and Suicide Squad is getting panned, and rightly so. I get that Marvel, with its Avengers, Thor and Iron Man films are light and fluffy like candy floss and DC wanted something a little darker. And I am not just talking about how the film looks. It is also depressing to watch a talented bunch of actors waste the skills they have and not give the movie any BAM, KAPOW or WHAM!

TAYLOR: The audience is supposed to sympathize with the characters and as the characters happen to be a bunch of bad guys, they have to have been made into bad guys. So we can see, even if they can’t, that they only perpetuate their choices by their actions.

Will Smith as Deadshot is probably the most likeable character as he is merely an assassin, who wants to raise his little girl. It doesn’t take long before the story reminds you that these characters are nasty people (or mutants).

In the end, Suicide Squad is different enough to be interesting and the same enough to be boring. Very disappointing...

HOWE: My problems with the storyline was who they were fighting and lack of screen time for the Joker. The super-villains didn’t really come across as the villainy type. The story should have had them rising up and fighting some superheroes with the Joker as leader of the pack, so to speak.

No, they have them fight another bad guy in the form of the Enchantress (Cara Delevigne). Why didn’t Bruce Wayne just suit up and take her out? As a great actor once said, “So many questions, so little time.” I just wish I hadn’t wasted my time on this.

Taylor gives Suicide Squad 2 smiling eyes out of 5.

– Howe gives it 2 can’t wait for the next instalment of this riveting drivel out of 5.

Brian Taylor and Peter Howe are film reviewers based in Vernon. Their column, Reel Reviews, appears in The Morning Star every Friday.