Sunday, August 7, 2016

Suicide Squad - Barking Karazieeee but a Complete Let Down

The expectations were sky high and as deep as the Mariana Trench when the first teaser of the Suicide Squad was released a year ago. Jared Leto was recognizably unrecognizable and stunningly indescribable along with his tattoos as The Clown Prince of Crime. With the subsequent tantalizing teasers and mind-blowing trailers, the anticipation for the movie was sprinting like an in form and red hot Usain Bolt and assured of an Olympic Gold Medal much before its screen openings. As with the colossal clash between the Batman and Superman proving to be a damp squib earlier in the year , Suicide Squad also commits a terrible suicide because of its inherent fundamental flaws.

Before delving deep into the fatal fractures that could have otherwise transformed this gang of worst people into something truly remarkable and extra ordinary,  let us see the positives. 

If Heath Ledger was the heart and soul of The Dark Knight as the devious and psychopathic Joker, then Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn really steals the limelight from Will Smith and everyone else. Her wacky mannerisms, uber cool attitude and rib-tickling nonchalant dialogue delivery are not only commendable but also clap-worthy. Suicide Squad would have been dull and boring affair without the pitch perfect casting of Margot Robbie as Quinn. She elevated the entire movie from the abyss of dismal hopelessness to a tolerable and wildly funny movie watching experience. Will Smith as Deadshot was bang on target, literally and figuratively, with his subdued nature as a caring father to his daughter and his penchant towards hitting the prey at WILL, pun intended! The rest of this wacko team were ably supported by El Diablo, Captain Boomerang and Killer Croc who had their roles justified with a meaningful purpose rather than being just another tag along. Oh...Wait...You did not tell us about our famed Joker. How can I forget THE JOKER? Unfortunately, David Ayer had forgotten him and Jared Leto's screen presence was barely noticeable for the efforts he had taken to make him as memorable as Heath Ledger. But, in the highly limited screen time, Jared Leto sizzled as the wild and deranged Joker who would go to any extremes to save his beloved Quinn from the obnoxious clutches of the blackmailing Waller.

So,what's not right with the movie?

Well. Suicide Squad is extremely decent in the first half but post-interval, it is complete mayhem. I know it's August but I still have to use only MAYhem here! Turning a blind eye to my poor joke again, be it the ostentatious and gaudy visual effects in the second half or the Enchantress's cacophonic plan to rule the world or the botched up screenplay, Suicide Squad was a disaster in making when it was being made. You really don't get to relate or feel for any of the characters - take for instance - El Diablo - His backdrop as to why he doesn't want to take part in the fight because of his past should have created a stirring effect in the audience but it simply fell flat. It was like a seeing a documentary where you are bombarded with facts and not emotions. In fact, the entire character introductions were simply "Here..I present to you.." kind of setting including how the Joker and Quinn became the Kind and the Queen of Gotham. It was rushed and hurried rather than the moment to set and settle for the scenes and characters to have a profound impact in the minds of the audience. It's not just that. The movie deals with a bunch of highly dangerous criminals who are forced to come together in case of any emergencies and all of a sudden, they are shown as Captain America! As good people. The transition is too fast to even think that they could be good people when it was briefly shown what they are actually capable of doing to the public prior to their arrests.  Also. not to mention were the deliberately placed hip songs which was constantly played in the background. For the first few minutes, it was perfectly jelling with the 'Karaziee' theme of the movie but later it became an ear sore and added to the already existing eye exasperation! 

Suicide Squad was extremely good in patches like the scene where Will Smith stood on a car and took upon the bad guys, pun intended again, single-handedly or the scene where he shoots on the dummy targets with precision that left the soldiers dumb founded. Maybe if they story had an solid foundation and not a run-of-the-mill treatment, Suicide Squad could have worked magic. Maybe, if the Joker had been given a substantial role to play after all the rave comments that were given of his performance prior to the film's release, Suicide Squad could have clicked well. It's all Maybes now.

PS:
I am not a Marvel advocate. You can check out my X-Men Apocalypse for further reference. I am a big time super hero movie fan who just wants good stories to be told by the timeless and exciting creations by the their creators.  

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