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I saw that movie in 2005, it was called Doom.
Suicide Squad Review
All right, it's no secret that this Snyderverse of sorts is not something that has exactly jazzed me. I think Man of Steel had many great sequences and ideas, but was crippled by Snyder's destructo-porn sensibilities and the utter character assassination of Pa Kent, who is, in my opinion the greatest fictional father of all time (except in that film and BvS). And of course, clearly my feelings on BvS are no secret, as some like to joke about, but I'm sorry I can't suffer it. A rubbish Batman, a worse Superman, more destructo-porn from Snyder (but thankfully no prison rape scene with Bruce) and few saving graces beyond Wonder Woman and Alfred, who each barely appear.
Leading up to Suicide Squad I wouldn't say I was excited, but I was hopeful. I wanted DC to impress the world with this film and really enter the cinematic world with a pop that would rival a good Marvel film, in the end putting faith back in the journey the DCEU films are tracking. The trailers seemed interesting, for the most part, and I was looking forward to seeing exactly how the film would play out, hoping for a romp with a mix of the serious and fun like Guardians of the Galaxy was for Marvel that would introduce movie audiences to some of DC's best villains for the first time on screen.
For Starters...
I will start by saying that I think the 27% Rotten Tomatoes rating and 40% Metacritic rating for this film is absolutely ludicrous. There has been a shocking reaction to this film from some reviewers that I hadn't even encountered during BvS's theatrical release. Some of the main reviewers I follow genuinely liked BvS, but were appalled by Suicide Squad, which I found to be quite amusing and more than a bit perplexing, to say the least. At the end of BvS, I walked out of the theater feeling broken and beyond disappointed in the worst superhero film I'd seen in a theater setting in long time. When I walked out of Suicide Squad, I wasn't on cloud nine, but I was having a far better time watching it than I did in any of BvS past that opening Metropolis sequence and Batman's debut in the dilapidated building.
The Worst of the Worst
Suicide Squad's main problem and biggest weaknesses are its pacing and editing. What we've read is true: it's a mess in spots, shockingly so. Flashbacks are juxtaposed next to events happening in the film's present far too much for each character, and they clash and badly mesh with one another for the entire first fourth of the film. These flashbacks and intros to the characters all happen around a tense scene with Amanda Waller briefing the American government on her Project X proposal, but each time she turns a page in her file and a new character is gone into the momentum of the film must stop to make room for more flashbacks of that character that ultimately muddle this section of the movie until it all feels far too crammed together. Flashbacks return later on in the film, screwing with the pacing once again as the action stops and a scene of the past plays, which more often than not stall the momentum of the film in a very jarring and unpleasant way. The flashbacks far too often feel awkward, and are placed awkwardly next to what is happening with the character in the present day, which muddles your head and makes you confused about when any of the events were supposed to have even happened.
These flashbacks are hit and miss to a high degree, and weren't distributed close to equally as characters like Deadshot and Harley were given tons of them (no doubt due to the bigger name actors playing them as well) while other characters who weren't any less interesting were barely given thirty seconds of explanation or development from either Waller verbally or visually in a flashback. These latter sequences for these under served characters were so short and unfulfilling at times that it was laughable, and you could tell that WB were only featuring them in this way in a weak attempt to get you to care for a character they didn't want to waste time telling you about in the first place. Which is a shame, because I wanted more of Boomerang, Croc, Katana, etc.
This is all not to even begin mentioning that what makes these characters interesting (their traits/powers/abilities) would have been more satisfying to see introduced to us in the present of the film, which would have made the pacing more streamlined, less jagged and all over the place and far more easy to follow. I think Ayer should have written the movie differently, and used Batman as Waller's tool for assembling her crew from the very beginning of the first shot. Each character should have been out on the run as the film starts, but over the first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film we see these villains each doing schemes and showing their unique abilities off in engaging ways to the audience with no need for flashbacks or other people telling us how we were to feel about them, until Batman shows up and captures them all one by one, bringing them to Waller. It would have also given us more time to see Ben's Batman develop into a far better man, able to become the crime fighter he used to be once again as he fights villainy the right way for the first time in years. The myth of the Batman could have been even more ramped up and explored as well, and it'd been great too see the villain characters each developed and colored in by how they felt about Batman, whether they wanted his head on a pike, where frightened to death of him, or wanted him for breakfast (literally in Croc's case). I think Ben would have played off of Will Smith, Jai Courtney, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Margot Robbie especially well, and it's a shame we didn't get more of that meat.
Telling vs. Showing
The issue with the opening of this film is that in their creative approach to it, the filmmakers insisted on following one of the big no-nos you should avoid at all costs while telling a story: the film tells far more than it shows. Characters show up and Rick Flagg shouts, "This guy does XXX," or "That's XXX and she's known for XXX." Some characters we hear about and see doing what they do best in full, adding to their characterization as stronger, more fleshed out characters (like Deadshot and Harley), but other characters get barely anything to do, and we know as much about them by the end of the film as we did at the start. For instance, I can't for the life of me figure out why the character of Slipknot is in this film at all, unless 98% of that actor's work was cut from the movie, in which case I hope he got paid handsomely for the endless press interviews he's got to do for a two hour film he's got barely two minutes of screen time in. There's so many places were the film makes it obvious salient character-developing scenes were cut and left on the editing room floor, areas where characters are looking at items of their past or things that remind them of something valuable to them. But these moments ultimately have no greater impact because the scenes that point towards their significance and add context to their important to the characters aren't anywhere to be seen in the movie. It really makes me wonder how WB screened this cut of the film, got a good response from it and let the messy pacing and shambled editing tarnish this film, and worse yet, let it pass through unchanged after that point. Must have been a lot of frightened Yes Men and Women surrounding this picture.
The Villains are the 'Worst of the Worst,' But is the Film?
No matter what you may read from critics all over the world about this movie, and no matter how much you may let the sour word of mouth make you pre-judge it (as I have been guilty of many times), it isn't bad. Far from it, in fact. In parts, the movie is actually quite satisfying and enjoyable, featuring some of the most interesting moments of the DCEU thus far. It also undeniably corners the market on being fun, which wasn't sad to see.
I can't express more effusively that for DC fans, there are things in this film that will make you smile. It's a thrill to see a Batman that acts like my Batman fighting crime in Gotham again the right way. It's cool to hear Amanda Waller talk about the death of Superman, watch her notice the effects of his passing on the world and express to her colleagues the inarguable vulnerability of the world without him around to protect it. There's clever ways the film attempts to connect the adventure of the squad to the current DCEU timeline, and I think it does it largely well for such an ambitious project.
The strongest aspect of this film is by far the characters, and that's the element this movie unequivocally had to get right. A large majority of the characters, and all the crucial ones, have real personality that make them unique and set them apart from their fellow members in the squad. They all have their own personal tragedies they're facing, and they all feel excluded from society and judged by other people as monsters. It's satisfying to watch this pain and isolation from the rest of the world unify them as one, instead of fracture their team into disparate pieces. When the film endeavors to explore the people behind these men and women labeled villains by the government and media, like showing Deadshot's family life and his relationship with his daughter or giving us a quick shot of Harley kissing an object Joker gave her, that's when I got a smile on my face, because the film was making an honest effort to show us who these characters are in the DCEU and what they find important as the humans they are, and not the monsters everyone else seems fit to classify them as.
The Surprising Theme or 'Big Idea' of Suicide Squad
It is because these characters are featured so strongly at times that the script is able to explore greater themes with them both together and apart beyond the action and explosions of a summer blockbuster. The big theme or idea of this film to me is all about quote-unquote "bad" people using their deadly abilities for less bad things. The film doesn't portray morality as black and white, and instead keeps it in the gray, which I found satisfying and true to the tone of the DCEU thus far. Because of this fact, the villains don't close credibility for turning heroes in the end in the traditional sense, which kept the film fresh and free from the tropes you could run into in this kind of film. The villains are doing this work because they'll die if they don't, and they are still scheming even when they are working with Waller instead of following her every beck and call, which fit their characters perfectly. Waller herself even points out to her government colleagues that on the part of the government, their nation has done dastardly things to the level of the baddies numerous times in the past in order to keep chaos at bay, which show us that the "good guys" and "bad guys" share more in common than the former would ever like to admit, especially under oath.
The greater theme of Waller using bad people to do less bad things is crystalized in the film when these characters are forced to adapt to using their abilities in different circumstances than they're used to for somewhat different goals. Each character has skills that, up to this point in the film, they were only used to using to kill, so when they are told by Waller and co. to do a 180 and use that rage and violence and power for bringing about better and more peaceful ends, a weird and messy contrast occurs that's fascinating. One of the characters in particular, El Diablo, doesn't want to use his fire powers any more, because he feels that they only bring about pain and suffering. Deadshot in much the same way has an issue pulling the trigger of his weapons at this point in his life because what he does makes him look bad in the eyes of his little girl, who is seemingly all he has and is his only source of true redemption as a man trying to turn his life around.
I found it satisfying and quite powerful then that at the end of the film,
The Cast of Suicide Squad
I mentioned previously that the characters were the stand-out strength of this film. That is due in no small part to the talent that brought them all to life. Kudos truly have to be given to so many of the cast here, because this film didn't afford much time to see each character fully develop, so each performer had to use every scene they were featured in, no matter how big or small, to continually craft their character's personality and make them interesting and engaging for the audience. For the most part, I feel they succeed in this end.
To give some more specific commendations, I will start by saying that Will Smith impressed in this (I've always liked him anyway, though), and Deadshot had some of the best lines and funnest sections of the film all to himself, as he derisively broke down Waller and her crew verbally and physically. Will is fun to watch, and it was great to see him get to play in a role such as this again where you could tell he had a blast at being able to bounce off the chemistry he had with the other actors, especially that of a certain Aussie vixen. Speaking of the dame, Margot Robbie was good a large amount of the time, sometimes annoying and sometimes far too loony for Harley, but on the whole she nailed the voice and personality of the character in her scenes, and had just as many "slam dunk" moments as Will did as Deadshot. Viola Davis crushed it as Amanda Waller, capturing largely what this character should represent on screen. There was one scene that I found uncharacteristic of her and far removed from what I think she'd actually do, but for the vast majority of the film Viola was stealing scenes left and right, embodying the best ball busting bitch you've ever seen. It was a pleasure to see one of my favorite DC characters given a time to shine so strongly amidst an already packed cast line-up, and I think Waller represents one of the better interpretations of a DC character we've seen in the Snyderverse yet. These three are the big reasons to see this film, and they didn't disappoint.
Everyone else in the squad has moments to impress too beyond those mentioned above, those most notably being Jai Courtney as an electric and irreverently amusing Boomerang, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbajea as a feral and monstrous Croc, and a fascinating Flagg played by Joel Kinnaman on the government side that gave back all the shit the villains threw his way. Jay Hernandez's El Diablo was the character I was the least in the know about since the first trailer landed and who I honestly didn't expect much from, but right up there with Deadshot he was by far the most emotionally engaging squad member and over the course of the film he shines bright like a burning flame (pun so intended). While some of these squad characters didn't get the time I think they deserved, and we heard far more about them than we were shown who they were and how they acted at moments, I must repeat that the characters were the best part of this film, and as I said, this was what the project had to nail if anything else had a chance of working in it. It was fun to see the villains all bounce off each other, and while I think their respect/camraderie for each other grows too fast in areas (maybe due to the choppy editing and crazy pacing than anything), I think the movie consistently delivers us scenes where the characters were engaging and doing something funny or interesting that kept us involved even amongst its lesser aspects.
The Joke that is The Joker
Maybe to the surprise of some, the only big sour note I felt in this film was Jared Leto's Joker, I'm sorry to say. People can try and tell me all they want that he is playing the comic book Joker, but he just isn't. With this Joker they tried to make him more of an animal, and even included scenes of him huffing and growling like a caged beast. He's obviously supposed to be far more of an LA like gang character with his emblem like tattoos and flashy bling and clothes than anything else, but I just couldn't get on board with what they were doing. As with Superman and Batman, the filmmakers got so far away from what makes Joker interesting, special and iconic that it all falls flat, and in every scene he was in (which thankfully wasn't much), I just wasn't engaged or pleased at all.
Joker isn't a madman; he does things society would claim to be mad, but the frightening thing about Joker is that there is a method and practice to all the hell he brings about the world. He is a man that respects theater, and dresses accordingly in fine suits, making himself a presentable and held together brand as he initiates his schemes. This Joker was crazy just to be crazy for its own sake, and because there was sometimes no method to the madness, he wasn't scary or interesting or engaging. He dressed like a thug, unrefined and tasteless, as if a closet of multicolor leather exploded on him and caked itself to his body. And don't get me started on the tattoos...
But by far, all this stuff pales in comparison to what they did with him and Harley. It was laughably bad, just how far this Joker feels from the comics Joker, most notably from how he appears in the Mad Love arc where his dynamic with Harley is given its origin. For those unaware, Joker doesn't love Harley. She's a means to an end, another tool in his shed. He uses his skills at manipulation to lie to her about his bad past to get her sympathy and love while she analyses his psychology, then uses her adoration and care for him against her for only his gain, again and again. He beats Harley, swears at Harley and on the whole finds her second in all concerns to the real pursuit of his life, Batman; he's also more than willing to sacrifice her to make Batman save her instead of chase him. He doesn't want to engage with her romantically, and it's not uncommon for him to push her away when she's trying to put the moves on him (or literally push her out a window; yeah, he's done that before).
This film tears all this substance from the Joker and Harley relationship and makes it a romance in the worst sense. These characters aren't to be propped up on a pedestal as lovey-dovey or romantic, and Harley isn't to be respected or looked up to as a partner, nor is Joker. The combined genius of Paul Dini and Bruce Timm envisioned the story of Harley Quinn and her life with Joker as a parable of domestic abuse, using her and her obsession with a violent man who returned none of her ardent love to represent the very real abuse that is experienced by men and women every day, who return over and over again to people who do them wrong.
In this film, we see Joker and Harley kiss and get quite sexual, and throw themselves into danger for each other. They nailed Harley's obsession with Joker and her unwavering loyalty to him, but they had Joker reciprocate everything she gave to him, which is just odd and so far removed from who the Joker is. Harley is the one that would rescue Joker at all costs, but the only reason Joker would do the same is if he had a plan in mind that needed her involved as another gun in his army or an obstacle for Batman to trip up on, and most certainly not because he loved her and wanted her back in his life.
Word has it that in their approved cut of this film, WB cut out all the scenes of Joker being violent or verbally cruel to Harley, which in turn sapped away the very real tragedy of Quinn as a character. They missed a real trick by not showing anything more of her than her body and some "badass" scenes of her shooting guns and hitting things with her bat, because by avoiding the true arc of her story they were actively flushing out all the aspects of her character that have made her memorable and consistently relevant in comics and on animated shows not just as a strong woman, but as one who is strong because she's a survivor of untold abuse. The tragedy of Harley Quinn is that she's a normal woman twisted wrong by a suitably twisted man for his own gain, a man she gives all her life and agency over to. And worse yet, no matter how often Joker refuses to return her love, Harley keeps coming back to him to take more beatings, thinking in her heart that there's always a chance he will one day reciprocate the burning passion she has for her "Puddin'." That's not the relationship we see here, and that's a damn shame.
In Defense of Ayer
Despite my passionate condemnation of how Joker and Harley's dynamic was handled, Suicide Squad is far from bad, and not the walking trash bin the internet would have you think it is. If BvS is a sloppy, nasty and caustic adult that is self-aware of how much havoc it causes and keeps on acting that way regardless of warning, Suicide Squad is a school child that misbehaves slightly and may get a bit rough with a few of the other kids around the playground, but on the whole it means no ill-will and is just trying to have fun.
The movie is at its best when it gives its great characters room to interact with each other, showing us why they're fun characters to explore in the first place instead of wasting time telling us why they are meant to be important by extraneous minor characters in throwaway briefings or other dialogues. The biggest failure of Suicide Squad aside from the editing and pacing, which no doubt crippled this film considerably, was that these great characters were set at the core of an underwhelming, confusing, and ultimately boring story with a weak villain, scheme and squad mission. If a sequel were to develop with most of the same characters, a far more interesting villain and a more grounded and plausible mission for the characters to face, real magic could happen that shines brightly here and there in this film, and shows its great promise.
I hope we get an extended version of this film that represents the vision Ayer expected this film to embody, because I have a hard time believing this was what he wanted to give to audiences. WB's edits are sloppy and only serve to weigh down a film that has strong moments of shocking but satisfying emotion for the villains, a great punky style and an excess of chaotic fun. For all its faults, it's a DCEU film that actually dares to make you smile and feel good as you sit in the theater, which gains it massive points on the score board. What a crazy concept.
I enjoyed Suicide Squad far more than BvS because it didn't make me feel like shit as I sat through it, and aside from Leto's Joker, I never felt like the film was feeding me characters that were far removed from their comics counterparts, or that it was insulting my intelligence. This film far and away has a better idea of what it wants to be than BvS ever did, and that wins a lot of points with me, even if it suffers from editing and pacing issues that make BvS look like Chinatown in some places.
I think these successes, when they come, are down to the steering of the ship by Ayer, who had no small job, and took on the project as surges of towering water were threatening to sink him and his crew via a crashing wave sent by the ripples of BvS's monolithic negative response, which unfortunately saw WB meddling in his work.
Though I don't agree with all the decisions and style choices Ayer made on this film in his presentation of the characters and the world of the picture, I find him more viable a talent than the likes of Snyder because his vision was consistent and he told a new story with familiar characters instead of ripping off images of the famous comics these characters have appeared in before, stripping them of meaning or narrative power. Ayer injects emotion and humanity to these characters in ways that may surprise people, and I can't fault him for his presentation of the film in many ways, as it has a distinct and fun style, a bit of garage punk and grunge mixed with flashes of bright neon paint splatter. The film has an actual heartbeat, a life to it, and doesn't feel dour or self-serious or concerned about appearing clever. It just takes characters from the comics, tries to use them effectively, and while stumbles occur at times, his successes outweigh his failures in this aspect, because the majority of the changes he and his team made to the characters at the least felt plausible and were something I was willing to accept beyond Joker, because the alterations weren't dramatic or far removed from who these characters were already. I also refuse to burn Ayer at the stake over the editing and pacing of this film until I see the film he wanted us to experience without WB's meddling, hopefully in an extended, director's cut edition. Only then can I make a final judgement.
This film, like BvS before it, proves that changing a director's vision for a movie and wrestling away control from him or her so close to its theater release, or at all during production, negatively effects the whole of the product in the end, and I assure you that the core of this film has great promise that Ayer was really jigging and grooving with well before he got pushed off the dance floor by Warner executives.
In Conclusion...
Suicide Squad is a film I wouldn't mind exploring again in another cut down the line that displays Ayer's true vision, and also gives us more Joker so that I can more effectively see what Leto was trying to go for in the role, as I don't want to be too harsh on him, though my passion for the character is high and drives me to such loud retorts. I blame WB far more than Leto for anything of this, and share his anger that some of what he feels is his strongest work in character has been cut. To put it lightly, I think WB monumentally shot itself in the foot by listening to too much of BvS's negative reception and oversteered this film into the abyss through their extreme paranoia and fear at failing again, blind to the fact that by doing so they'd already charted a new course for disaster.
Thankfully Ayer and his cast were able to salvage some great moments from the wreckage of WB's failed operation, moments that will be fun to watch again and again, especially for fans of DC's more radiantly ravenous rogues that don't mind some changes to their favorite characters' overall makeup (literally and figuratively for Joker and Harley). It's these same characters at the heart of this film that save it and make it worth the watch, especially if you are a DC fan and want to see Harley, Deadshot and Croc along with the whole gang sharing some laughs or busting some heads together, with a little emotional resonance thrown in.
And to be sure, the failures of this film do not rest on the heads of the cast, that much is certain. They all came to play ball with Ayer, and it was clear to see that they were actually enjoying what they were doing and loved having the chance to embody their characters. In the end, the villains of the squad even proved to be more heroic and worthy to me than Batman and Superman in BvS at times, and a lot of that is down to this very strong cast. I think with more fine tuning, a more developed story surrounding these great characters, a remapped beginning to the film (as I laid out with Batman as the collector of the squad) and twenty more minutes allotted to developing the other characters beyond the main headliners, Suicide Squad would go from an all right yet admirable effort of a film to a possibly great or even exceptional one.
It's not the best of the best, but unlike its villains, it's far from the worst of the worst.
@Brady, a very comprehensive and fair review.
It's pants basically.
Great review, @0Brady
Imagine having a conversation with him at the pub.
When I left my screening of Suicide Squad last week, I was angry. I was annoyed and let down and frustrated as well, but mostly I was just angry.
Look, I'm a big dork. So of course I thought this trainwreck of a movie did a major disservice to the characters, concept, cast, and crew, but that wasn't why I was mad. Yes, it is unfathomable to me that Warner Bros could mess up a movie starring Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and The Joker so completely. But that just had me flummoxed.
I was angry because I couldn't stop thinking about you, Kevin Tsujihara.
A lot of fans might be angry (and rightfully so) because you keep completely whiffing at properties that they are desperate to love and enjoy, but this is a little more personal for me. See, I am a former Warner Bros employee. I have so much respect for your studio. I love every square inch of that magical backlot, from Stars Hollow to the fitness center I always meant to use. The people I worked with during my time with your company are now close friends. On my last day, I hugged them and I told them I loved them.
I was also there in 2014, when you made the decision to lay off 10 percent of your workforce. It was a terrible year. Let me catch you up: Every morning I woke up with a pit in my stomach, because I assumed that would be the day I lost my job. Every day I saw someone packing up their desk, or carrying a box to their car. I can not describe to you the relief I felt when my department was told we were safe, or the guilt I felt afterwards walking through the halls of my office with that relief.
But out of all that, the thing that really sticks with me is the memo you sent to all of us. Let me refresh you on my favorite part:
I wanted you to hear directly from me about our plans for the studio. In recent days, we have started to hear rumors here at the company and to read misinformation in the press, so I'd like to set the record straight. I know that the hard work and dedication of every employee around the world is the key to Warner Bros.' success, and I am sorry for the distraction this situation brings to the workplace.
At Warner Bros., we work with the world's most extraordinary storytellers, and our focus has always been to provide the creative environment and financial resources they need to realize their vision. Our commitment to that won't change. In fact, we're investing more than ever in our film and television productions.
This is how you opened a memo about layoffs. "Hey guys, we work hard for the people telling stories here and we want to make sure those visions are realized." The balls on you.
That year we pursued the storytelling vision of Adam Sandler's Blended and Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys. Failures. We pursued a potentially great summer movie like Edge of Tomorrow and completely botched its release. Same with Man From UNCLE. We dug in our heels and hoped The Hobbit Trilogy would somehow stop being a mediocre case of diminishing returns. Talented, loyal people packed their boxes and went home while your story tellers dropped the ball.
One could argue that this was not your fault. That you inherited former CEO Barry Meyer's agenda and were merely trying to correct the course of an ocean liner heading for an iceberg.
I would not make this argument. And here's why: I wrote this letter last year. I actually started forming it in my head after Man of Steel was a box office failure instead of the modern classic tentpole you were expecting.
I kept holding off on doing anything with it because of one title: Suicide Squad. Zack Snyder's Dawn of Justice was a fiasco, but here comes this plucky little dark adventure about antiheroes. I love David Ayer. I love Harley Quinn. I love Will Smith. Put the letter in a drawer. The ship isn't sinking anymore. Everything is fine. There's no way this movie is bad.
And here we are. I got back from my screening and dusted this sucker off. You, your executive team, and the vision of your 'extraordinary storytellers' that resulted in the loss of around one thousand jobs seem intent on crashing the ship into as much shit as you can find in the ocean by making inane decisions over and over again.
Zack Snyder is not delivering. Is he being punished? Assistants who were doing fantastic work certainly were. People in finance and in marketing and in IT. They had no say in a movie called Batman V Superman only having 8 minutes of Batman fighting Superman in it, that ends because their moms have the same name. Snyder is a producer on every DC movie. He is still directing Justice League. He is being rewarded with more opportunity to get more people laid off. I'm assuming you yourself haven't been financially affected in any real way. You and your studio are the biggest lesson about life one can learn: The top screws up and the bottom suffers. Peter Jackson phones it in and a marketing supervisor has to figure out a plan B for house payments.
Your uneven Hall H presentation at Comic Con this year was a ridiculous mess that ranged from rushed to boring. When Marvel announced their full slate of films with a fun fan event several years ago, you announced yours on a shareholder conference call.
You just don't get it. And it's not just DC movies, it's your whole slate. Jupiter Ascending. Get Hard. Hot Pursuit. Max. Vacation. Pan. Point Break. Fucking PAN, you jerk. People lost their jobs and you decided Pan was a good idea. You think another Jungle Book is a good idea.
What are you even doing? I wish to God you were forced to live out of a car until you made a #1 movie of the year. Maybe Wonder Woman wouldn't be such a mess. Don't try to hide behind the great trailer. People inside are already confirming it's another mess. It is almost impressive how you keep rewarding the same producers and executives for making the same mistakes, over and over.
If I worked at a donut stand, and I kept fucking up donuts, I'd be fired. Even if I made a tiny decent one every now and then, it doesn't matter. I'm gonna get fired.
I love that studio, and you're allowing it to sink. It's not about making movies for 'the fans' and not 'the critics.' It's not even about 'ruining childhoods.' It's about protecting livelihoods.
It's time to wake up and make the fucking donuts, Kevin.
To be honest, I'm just finding a lot of the modern films a bit below par. With modern technologies and the benefit of rich cinematic history why can't the big studios put out excellent films? Is it too much to ask for batman vs superman to be totally spectacular? They have pretty rich pickings for source material to go on and develop into something original. We are having remake after remake, and super heroes galore. Ive been forced to sit through the thor films and thank God for tom hiddleston. He's the best part, Hemsworth has less personality and acting ability than his hammer, avengers assemble is entertaining mostly due to hiddleston, Downey Jr and the hulk. But the final battle knocks spots off B vs S.
@boldfinger, you should know by now that I don't do anything short. I was conflicted, and I'm still conflicted about the film. I had a lot on my mind, and let it all funnel out, as it was crowding my head. The review was more for myself than for others, a way to clear my own thoughts and separate my pros and cons into sub-sections to pick apart and examine, and that ended up just taking a long time to develop. I just thought I'd post it here too for anyone that wanted a perspective that was neither glowing or condemning about the movie, but lost in the woods between those two extremes. This is a hard film to talk about in a reviewing sense, as it nails some elements and entirely abandons others. It succeeds with some aspects of filmmaking, like some of its characters that drive the best parts of the movie, but on the technical side its delirious and lost.
And in my defense, my "moaning" leading up to the release wasn't far off mark. I didn't like Joker for the very reasons I knew I wouldn't months before, especially with how he acts in this film and how I heard his dynamic with Harley was portrayed (yuck), and I stand by my stance that WB are lunatics for taking Ayer's film and doing this shoddy editing job with it. There's a better film of Suicide Squad out there somewhere, and I hope one day we get to see it.
It seems like WB have been forced to pay attention to what they've screwed up, after all this time, and are listening to the outcries of cinema audiences. Of course this revelation only arrives to them as they are finally starting to realize that their wallets aren't getting any fatter and their audiences may not be willing to stand in line for them much longer, but let's give the greedy the credit just this once. Pretend its Christmas and all that.
I really don't want to believe the rumors about WW being a mess, but the writer of that letter seems genuine. @Sanchairs calls it fake, but has it been revealed as such, truly? I'm so paranoid about these films now that I don't know what to think at this point. If this response critically and financially repeats itself a fourth time (in a row, no less), and only a few months before Justice League is to touch down in theaters, what an incredible mess it shall be for WB to pick through the wreckage of.
No pubs for me, thanks. As an antisocial teetotaler, I've got no business in that type of surrounding. These films have tempted me to consider alcoholism before, however, so we mustn't rule it out as a possibility for me down the line. By the time JL comes rolling into theaters, I may need an avenue for drowning my sorrows.
Wonder Woman is nearly 10 months away; at this stage of post-production, very few people will have seen anything resembling a finished cut of the film.
I say that as someone with experience working in post-houses.
All this letter does is feed into paranoia.
Just like I predicted 6 pages ago...
Is there any truth to this? I haven't read that anywhere, nor can I wrap my head around why Warner would decide to start their universe with Hal Jordan of all characters.
This is indeed true. Do you know the story behind GL being made? It says so much about the state of mind of studio execs over at WB.
No, I've never even bothered giving it a watch beyond a few scenes. Just no interest at all. What's the story?
Basically GL was only made because Iron Man was such a huge success. The exec who spearheaded the project was adamant that the success of Iron Man was due to the fighter jets used in the film; and even then GL wasn't even WB's first choice until someone pointed out that the character actually was a pilot. The initial plan was to shoehorn jets into a film with any character. This was just WB trying to make a quick cash grab with very little concern about the story and characters. The only thing that mattered was having jet action.
Ironman was regarded at the extreme best a c-level character and after his film came out, the popularity and the money made was rationalised as being down to the frikkin jets used in the film. WB/DC jumped on that and well, they failed. This just goes to show the level of thinking of some of these arse clowns in chasing the almighty dollar. Crazy.
These fools should have realized that. Reynolds? What a joke.
Come to think of it, Mel Gibson could have lifted any super hero film if they had put him in one when younger. He has the Downey level charisma.
That's what's so scary. These execs are getting paid ridiculously huge sums of money but their level of incompetence is breathtaking.
[Realizes all the fighter jets that are in Man of Steel and BvS]
Oh god, it's true!!! :O
I wonder if they still believe that.
However, judging from the low attendance in the theater I watched it in (not even half full), I doubt we'll be seeing "Suicide Squad 2" any day now. As for "Wonder Woman" : World War I, really ? I thought she got her start during World War II. Note that, from the trailers I've seen (and the cast), I do think it's going to be good, but... World War I ?