Film Review: Suicide Squad (2016)

The third chapter of the DC Universe, Suicide Squad, is itself a suicidal and wasteful event coinciding the events of BatSup and parallel to the events happening in the upcoming Justice League (JL) film. The screenplay of the first 30 minutes of the screen time is faster than Barry Allen’s speed. Actually, a roller coaster ride where you try to adjust yourself to the altitude but have to do nothing but scream. The viewers will meet the same fate in this period of half an hour and it will look like a 30-minute over-exaggerated trailer.

No matter how slow-and-sound was the beginning of director David Ayer‘s Fury, this is the contrary. Keeping in mind this is such a major franchise and a freshly baked existence of some Suicide Squad comprised of dangerous super villains, the makers should have properly introduced these characters and build it to our understanding. They just didn’t define these people and kept them raw to the viewers.

My first and primary objection towards the film basically is the reason of the making of Suicide Squad. After the BatSup events, was the creation of a super villains squad necessary? Absolutely not! It never made any sense. A.R.G.U.S. intelligence officer, Amanda Waller‘s plan to assemble Task Force X for a top secret mission makes you think for a moment that the whole story or the film could have been skipped for the sake of some other introductory origins-based film on any iconic superhero.

Hardly a 5-second cameo of Barry Allen indicates the parallel connectivity of the upcoming JL film. The trailer of JL which was released a few months ago showed Barry accepting Bruce Wayne‘s offer to join a team of superheroes and here we see him helping A.R.G.U.S. to catch his enemy, Captain Boomerang. Another possibility to Barry’s cameo is that A.R.G.U.S. may have known Barry before Bruce hired him due to the fact that Amanda passed government files to Bruce which are based on metahumans that included pages on Barry and Arthur. In any case, it was a very short cameo but an interesting hint.

One of the major expectations from the film was the introduction of Batman’s most famous arch-enemy, Joker played by Jared Leto. 8 years after the events of Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight involved Heath Ledger‘s version of Joker. Sadly the Leto one doesn’t come to the expectations after all the hype and legacy which Heath left on us. Joker’s involvement to the film is highly questionable. Not that the onscreen appearance of Joker is quite less than expected but the character’s involvement in the story of Suicide Squad doesn’t justify. Joker simply has no prominence in the film due to the fact his role is short for a reason.

Attached to Joker is the origin of Dr Harleen Quinzel. That famous interview with Joker in his cell which made her Harley Quinn is extremely short. The scene deserved a lengthy interview and expanding the after-effects could have given much a deserving screen-time to both from the origins. Shockingly, the entry of Joker in the film was very very ordinary.

Another minus of the film is the script which offers Batman and Joker sharing the same screen but does not confront. The mystery behind Robin‘s torn suit in BatSup film is still enclosed for God knows what reason. When the stories of different films in the same universe are interconnected in the same timeline, the balance of longevity should be cohesive. Robin’s death deserved a minor flashback in the film to solidify Joker’s involvement in the film.

Is there anything impressive about the film? Yes! The music department of the film has much to offer than the story and continuity. Academy award winning musician, Steven Price has produced a very impressive musical score with many attractive soundtracks fitting your mood with the scenes. The visual effects and costume designs are remarkable.

Performance wise, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn is the clear winner. Her depiction of madness to the character is the one that steals the show. Paul Dini, the creator of the character has highly praised Margot’s role. Viola Davis as Amanda Waller is another major impressive number as she continues to impress the viewers in recent years from the ABC show How To Get Away With Murder. Will Smith as Deadshot and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress were average performers. The rest were below par. Mid-credit scene is quite interesting which connects the building of the Justice League.

If Suicide Squad was the priority to produce after the events of BatSup, then the film badly lacked heavy writing. The characters are not detailed and the story itself is flat to the connectivity. Yes, it is entertaining with the flavour of humour added but then I would state the obvious that it is the script which attracts the viewers, not the proposal of adding humour for the sake of filling cinema houses. David Ayer’s direction is a question mark and nowhere to the level of excellence where he made Fury.

The problem between the shared universe is now the artistic creativity. There is a tremendous difference of pace and mode in both films, BatSup and Suicide Squad. If BatSup is dark and slow, then Suicide Squad is the contrary. When you shape a universe with different storylines and characters to describe and shot, the momentum is highly required to balance the films and bridge the gaps. Being the initial phase of DC extended universe, every film is playing a different note altogether. The continuity and conclusion of BatSup directly connect with the upcoming JL film but before the film releases, the producers will educate you the whos and whys of Diana Prince in next installment. The viewers who do not read comic books on these iconic superheroes have no luxury of understanding these powerful dudes but have to struggle and understand them after watching JL as the solo films on Barry and Arthur are bizarrely slated after JL. In the same case, the viewers who have never read about the team of super-villains in comics are and will be completely at a loss while watching the film and making it look overstuffed. DC/WB people must consider changes in their strategy and forget about catching a supersonic train which takes them to their rivals.

Ratings: 4/10

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Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

I always believed that Joker-inspired ‘The Dark Knight’ is the best Batman movie, oh sorry, the best superhero movie I have ever seen in my life. But Christopher Nolan has changed, not my mind, but my heart to speak out that I was wrong. The best was yet to come.

The movie plots 8 years after Harvey Dent’s death when under Dent Act, GCPD (Gotham City Police Deptt) gets supreme power to cntrl+alt+del the organized crime in Gotham City. This is a time when Bruce Wayne don’t entertain anyone and lives as hermit, and the batman legacy is finished. His business rival John Daggett forwards his assistant to deal with the meow-clothing Selina Kyle to bring Mr. Wayne’s fingerprints to erase her criminal record in program Slate. Bane, the Gotham’s reckoning masked man, hits the Gotham Stock Exchange and uses Wayne’s fingerprints in a transaction to make Wayne bankrupt. On the other hand, Commissioner Gordon appoints officer John Blake a detective.

In fear of Daggett’s take on his fusion reactor project, Wayne convinces Wayne Enterprise board member Miranda Tate to acquire the company. Later on, Bat Wayne fells under Bane’s trap and throws him in a prison-hell far from Gotham. Wrath of Bane begins as he isolates Gotham and attack. Somehow, the Batman escapes the prison-hell and tries to save Gotham from Bane’s terror and destruction. And then begins a civil war between Gotham’s reckoning and Gotham’s beckoning. 

Go in depth wherever you want to judge a movie of it’s class. Many of scenes are finishing with raised eyebrows. Action & Words, both are louder together i.e. dynamic actions and powerful dialogues. Revenge has hunger of strike.

Hans Zimmer’s finest music score ever, I don’t think there is any need of nominations for music score in Academy Awards ceremony this night at Dolby Theatre, he is clear cut winner. As expected, performances were no surprise as it was expected that reprising roles will obviously have charm along with new roles. 

Veteran actors Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine were all furnishing roles like before. As expected at the announcement of cat-woman role to gorgeous Anne Hathaway, she surpassed and was the perfect-match role. Christian Bale as always have been a brilliant actor but as a superhero, the reprising role in this episode proves to be the toughest and challenging from the former one. 

Then comes the best role and acting what I see is Tom Hardy with a distinguished role of the masked man, Bane, full of applause. So Heath Ledger’s Joker is not the end as powerful villainous appearance. Seems like a trend Nolan has begun to show Hollywood industry that memorable villainous roles will be there to remember all the time in future. Unarguably one of most powerful villainous act by Tom Hardy.

Last 30 minutes are exceptional and brilliantly directed by Nolan and terrific suspense to end the batman trilogy. The movie never lets you down and keeps impressing as almost 3-hour american movie is never going to create boredom. Simply one of greatest movies I have even seen.

Rating: 8.7/10

Originally written on 7th December, 2012