Review Roundup: Oops, Suicide Squad happened…

Wrapping up the 'Summer Superhero Blockbuster' movies list is Suicide Squad. A film that has raised some concern from the community – whether it was due to Jared Leto's representation of The Joker, Deadshot's puppy dog eyes, or entirely something else.

Suicide Squad officially releases this Friday and early reviews have been released. Currently, the film is sitting at 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. There are a number of mixed reviews for the film, but it appears to have fallen flat.

The general consensus, whether the film was well received or not, is that the film starts off on the right foot… then at some point decides to amputate the foot and reattach it in various not-so-good ways. This probably has to do with the reshoots that were ordered for the film prior to release.

The main wish that reviewers had, aside from the want for the film to be better, was that the Joker could have had more time in the film.

IndieWire

Intended as an antidote to the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe (in that it’s aggressively flippant instead of gravely serious, and merely bad instead of soul-crushingly awful), “Suicide Squad” promises to flip the script on superhero movies by forcing the audience to root for the bad guys. Alas, that wild and crazy idea is the only thing that separates this dank sewer of messy actions beats and misplaced machismo from any of the other films that have come to define its genre. And writer-director David Ayer — justifiably concerned that his characters hedge much closer to good than they do evil, and that viewers might therefore mistake his generic slop for the same movies that its meant to subvert — takes pains to remind you of the conceit every few minutes.

D+

IGN

Suicide Squad is a decidedly different flavor than Batman v Superman. It goes for subversive, funny and stylish, and it succeeds wildly during the first act. But then the movie turns into something predictable and unexciting. It plods on, checking off boxes on a list of cliched moments and meaningless plot points, making you wonder where all the razzle-dazzle went. The movie feels thin, and with such little meat on the bone, it almost makes you appreciate how overstuffed Batman v Superman was (despite that being its downfall). Amanda Waller and Deadshot nail their roles, and Harley Quinn makes a fine cinematic debut, but there’s not much to be said about the rest of the ensemble cast — and as disappointing as it is to say, that includes the Joker.

5.9/10

ScreenCrush

After one of the crummiest summer movie seasons in recent memory, asking one film to redeem four months of tepid blockbusters might have been a suicide mission in and of itself. But Suicide Squad doesn’t even come close. From the first scene to the last, it’s an absolute mess, one whose harried pacing, jumbled narrative, and blaring soundtrack of radio hits suggests a desperate post-production attempt to reconfigure what Ayer got on set into something palatable and poppy. The movie opens with a shot of the logo for Belle Reve Prison, which serves as the Suicide Squad’s home base; the facility’s slogan is “’Til Death Do Us Part.” The direness of this movie, along with the staggering number of films yet to come in the DC cinematic universe, makes these words feel like the ultimate threat.

3/10

The Guardian

It’s a clotted and delirious film, with flashes of preposterous, operatic silliness. But it doesn’t have much room to breathe; there are some dull bits, and Leto’s Joker suffers in comparison with the late Heath Ledger…There were some funny touches, mainly from Harley, and from Ike Barinholtz’s corrupt prison guard Griggs. (Held at gunpoint by Deadshot, he announces that should he die, his colleague has his permission to shoot Deadshot and then quickly delete Griggs’s internet browser history.)… Suicide Squad promises madness, and a dense downpour of madness is what it delivers. I could have done with more fun and more lightness of touch.

3/5

GamesRadar

Starts off flavourful, turns rather bland. This Injustice League jaunt proves that DC is still a long way behind Marvel for on-screen action.

3/5

The Telegraph

Occasionally, the film feels like Ayer is trying to fight his way out from underneath an enormous, suffocating parachute…When you compare Suicide Squad to what James Gunn and Marvel Studios achieved in Guardians of the Galaxy – low-profile property, oddball characters, make-it-fun brief – the film makes you cringe so hard your teeth come loose. But it’s a slog even on its own crushingly puerile terms.

2/5

Entertainment Weekly

Writer-director David Ayer (End of Watch) skillfully sets up the film, introducing each of the crazies with caffeinated comic-book energy. But their mission — to take down Cara Delevingne’s undersketched witch, Enchantress, and her giant golem-like brother — is a bit of a bust. The stakes should feel higher. As someone who isn’t fluent inSuicide Squad lore, I can’t imagine there wasn’t a better villain in its back ­catalog. Still, it’s nothing compared with how wasted Leto’s scene-stealing Joker is. With his toxic-green hair, shiny metal teeth, and demented rictus grin, he’s the most dangerous live wire in the film. But he’s stranded in the periphery. For DC, which blew it withBatman v Superman last spring, Suicide Squad is a small step forward. But it could have been a giant leap.

B-