SUICIDE SQUAD: Margot Robbie Comes in Like a Wrecking Ball

From the initial trailers, I was hyped over SUICIDE SQUAD.  Unfortunately, I was over-hyped due to the star-studded cast of supervillains and because I grew up appreciating the DC universe.    I am from the era of Michael Keaton Batman, so I liked DC before Marvel ever came across my radar.  Because I was a teenager, I did not mind BATMAN FOREVER nor BATMAN AND ROBIN.  The "campy" aspect was at an all-time high, and big box office actors joined the cast which was great for a teen girl who was in love with Chris O'Donnell as Robin.  

Which brings me to SUICIDE SQUAD: it was okay.  It was entertaining for the first 75% of the movie before it becomes even too outlandish for me (and the great soundtrack also tapers off).  Robbie Margot steals the shows as Harley Quinn, but not many others are stand-out characters aside from her, Jay Hernandez as Diablo, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller.  

The main plot of SUICIDE SQUAD is revealed in the trailer.  Amanda Waller forms a team of criminals to aid a secret government agency in missions where they may come out dead or alive - she does not care either way.  Amanda has no fear of these villains too, which re-enforces her character as a bad ass.  Captain Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is her right hand man to help manage this villainous team force, and he is easily one of the unmemorable characters with the most screen time aside from Deadeye (Will Smith).  Deadeye is the leadership representative of the supervillains.  I had high hopes from Will Smith in a comic-book role, and I am afraid the dialogue and plot just was not there to support him.  

David Ayer (writer and director of FURY, SABOTAGE, and END OF WATCH) did not fill the shoes as the writer and director of this film.  Many of the one-liners fell flat, and the plot seemed pieced together at best.  With such a large cast, the task was daunting to juggle so many characters, and it felt like several balls were dropped.  It may have been better if they would have pared down the cast slightly.  Thinking about it now, there were several characters that I faintly remember such as a guy who threw knives or throwing stars perhaps?  Even the Joker (Jared Leto) did not seem right for this movie - I understand in a minor capacity, but he had too much screen time, and the method acting just did not pay off for Jared in this film.  It seemed over-acted trying to balance the dark and the humorously insane aspect of the Joker at the same time.  If Harley Quinn has her own spin-off, then maybe he can redeem himself then.  That brings us to Robbie Margot's performance - hands down the only reason I would recommend someone to see the movie.  She out-shined the male leads, and often had the best dialogue while staying true to her personality.  It was great to see a stronger female in the recent comic book films despite how criminally insane she may be.  There are also DC cameos from Batman and a few others that help set up future movie plots (hopefully better movie plots).  

Because I enjoy the nostalgia, I will likely see more of these films but not be over-hyped  next time since I have seen how mediocre the bar has been set now.  I look forward to a Harley Quinn stand-alone movie, and I hope DC Comics finds their stride instead of trying to straddle too many elements combined in one movie.  I would still recommend SUICIDE SQUAD to a friend who likes the DC universe, but I would recommend that they sit back and enjoy the popcorn flick for what it is without trying to think of the potential it had.