Suicide Squad Fails to Satisfy Monumental Expectations
By Lexi Paidas Comic book fans flocked to theatres at the beginning of this August in anticipation of “Suicide Squad,” based on the DC comic book of the same name. The film is the latest in a line of “antisuperhero” movies, following the likes of “Deadpool,” “AntMan,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy.” While certain aspects of the film were engaging, the rushed nature of the plot prevented the movie from living up to fans’ colossal expectations. “Suicide Squad” takes place in a world the same as our own in all ways except that the existence of superhumans is fairly wellknown. Its starstudded cast members, including Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Cara Delevingne, and Viola Davis, portray a team of supervillains turned heroes who must save the world from a powerful witch. This classic setup for DC and Marvel movies usually works well, but its positive aspects surprisingly did not lend themselves to “Suicide Squad.” The plot would have been phenomenal, just like the comic books, but the rapidly stated backstory and context made it hard to connect to characters and made it feel stretched out, leaving room only for rushed, minor and predictable character development. The Joker, a classic supervillain and one of Batman’s nemesis’, is played by Jared Leto. Leto has big shoes to fill as former versions of the iconic villain have been played by big names such as Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson. Leto gives it a good try, but his breathy “joker voice” makes nearly everything he says incomprehensible. His attempts at coming off creepy fall flat and are even laughable. Leto’s counterpart, Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn, outshines him. The native Australian pulls off a flawless Boston accent and is the main source of comic relief throughout the movie. Quinn is no damsel in distress, and Robbie portrays her perfectly as a kooky and lovable character who simultaneously kicks butt and wreaks chaos. The relationship between Quinn and the Joker invoked some controversy from viewers. The Joker mistreats Quinn and is even the cause of her shift from ordinary psychologist to a mentally imbalanced villain. Some fans are outraged by the film’s romanticization of the abusive relationship between the two characters. Others claim that the destructive relationship adds to the film and that it helps to express the personalities and attitudes of the characters involved. The soundtrack features classic songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” reimagined by current artists like Panic! At the Disco. This method of creating the music enables the soundtrack to fit the contemporary feel of the movie and gives the film ample spunk. The familiar music also makes the slow parts of the movie better able to capture the viewer’s attention, but unfortunately is not enough for “Suicide Squad” to measure up to the superior quality of the many previous comicinspired movies