Bad To The Bone: Review of Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad

Director: David Ayer

By Alex Watson

You desperately want Suicide Squad to be this fun and carefree ride that we were all promised in its glorious advertising campaign. Sadly no matter how much fast paced action comes our way, director David Ayer just cannot make us ignore how thin on the ground his adaptation is. Sporting one of the best casts of the year, all the ingredients were there for one this summer's best movies. Once again DC fans will let down in a year that has been kind to its heroes.

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) forms Task Force X, a team made up of some of the worst offenders on earth including hit man Deadshot (Will Smith), psycho Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), bank robber Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and fire wielding gangster Diablo (Jay Hernandez). When an ancient witch being and her brother resurfaces, the team is forced into action under the command of Rick Flag (Joel Kinneman). Can so many bad people together really be trusted? Also, Harley's boyfriend The Joker (Jared Leto) is also causing his own problems.

The first quarter of Suicide Squad is undeniably the strongest as we meet our heroes at a CIA Black Site in the Louisana swamp lands. It's fun and each meeting of the different bad guys has a strong likability to it, Harley Quinn makes her mark her early as on the surface she is all sugar and spice but below there beats the heart of a lunatic. Ayer's direction is wayward has his character development is ankle deep- through a series of rushed introductions we never really get a feel for these anti-heroes, only a gloss over of what their offenses are. Even the bit part player such as Slipknot (Adam Beach) and Katana (Karen Fukuhara) are thrust into the mix with little explanation. Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) is an impressive looking use of prosthetics, but aside from a couple of funny lines he never gets much action.

Not having a lead antagonist really makes this picture suffer at the core- Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) who is an ancient witch who has come back to turn humans into her own brand of alien slaves lacks any bite. The biggest crime of all is the lack of screen time given to Jared Leto's excellent Joker. Bursting onto the screen like a smooth old style gangster with metal teeth, this Joker is every inch as sadistic and terrifying as Heath Ledger before him. "I'm not gonna kill ya, I'm just gonna hurt ya really, really bad!" he says to his lady love Harley. The relationship between these two is not given nearly as much attention as it needs. One of the most destructive yet devoted pairs in DC history, we need fully feel the full effect of this union. Another key issue comes from both Ayer and cinematographer Roman Vasaynov's shooting of key action scenes. Due to poor visual effect and a far too breakneck execution, many scenes seem muddled and Ayer seems in a big hurry to get things out of the way.

When the Suicide Squad team forms together there are moments that do stand out, such as Diablo's fine monologue about how his lust for power killed his family. The friendship between Harley and Deadshot seems much more developed genuine than his desire to reunited with his beloved daughter. Killer Croc does have microseconds of brilliance and you feel this could have been a stand out if handle differently. The big showdown at the film's climax is a let down on both an action and CG front because due a big and smoky room, it is near impossible to figure out precisely what is going on? David Ayer is a fine writer and his directorial work like End of The Watch and Fury made him out to be a smart choice. Through a series of missteps and some serious underdevelopment, he has turned what could have been DC's saving grace into yet another misfire. So far the box office bell is ringing loudly so these bad guys will likely be back for round 2. Lots of work to do guys!

Margot Robbie is the standout member of this cast with her sociopathic turn as Harley Quinn. So alluring yet so terrifying, Robbie shows just why she is the new hot property on the block. Effortlessly carrying forward her inner demons along with a fun-loving edge, Robbie is what will remember coming out. Will Smith is also able to take a poorly written Deadshot and make him into something far better. Relishing his antihero status, Smith succeeds well as the at first elite hitman turned doting father. Desperate to reunited with his daughter, he also feels a bond with this group he has become entangled with. Jai Courtney once again comes off short changed in a big blockbuster as his Captain Boomerang offers little else other than filling the Aussie bogan stereotype. Jared Leto looks and sounds the part of the Joker, but we need far more from this guy next time out because Batman could have another great nemesis.

Suicide Squad is a movie that you keep holding out for something great to happen, but like Batman v Superman before it, it simply underwhelms.

Days of Future Past: Review of Terminator: Genisys

Terminator: Genisys

Director: Alan Taylor

By Alex Watson

The Terminator series has been showing signs of fatigue in recent outings, sadly Terminator: Genisys failed to raise it from the slump. Director Alan Taylor tries his hardest and does present some good visual flair. A poor script from Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier becomes the films undoing early on. Arnold Schwarzeneggar may have returned, but even he cannot breath life into this dying franchise. Even though we want to love this installment, we can't help but wonder about its future?

While fighting the machines in the future, soldier Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) is sent back through time to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke), mother of his leader/friend John Connor (Jason Clarke). When transported back to 1984, Kyle finds the timeline is far different from what he was told and Sarah is far stronger person. Also to complicate things, the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzeneggar) has become an ally rather than a killer!

The main problem with Terminator: Genisys is that it doesn't quite seem sure precisely what it is doing. On the one hand it is a remake, on another it is a re-imagining. Constantly overlapping the time-lines hinders the story and leaves a rather hollow after effect. Sarah Connor in this installment has transformed into the gun wielding badass too prematurely. Emilia Clarke would have suited as the original shy and scared 1984 Connor, but here she doesn't have enough gusto to really convince. Things are also not helped by a really hoaxy central plot where we are transported to 2017 where Skynet has now been redeveloped as a killer application!


Stopping Judgement Day again is not as fun an adventure this time around and one element that lets it down is a rather poor central twist (fittingly revealed to audiences in the trailer). Throwing a new T-1000 (Lee Byung-hun) into the mix is one that underwhelms rather than thrills. Taylor earns some kudos for some good special effects tricks (such as his recreation of 1984 version of Arnie), but sadly even he cannot spark what is essentially a rather dull ride. One sequence sees our gang engaged in an battle in the air by helicopter- sounds exciting on paper, but falls to earth with a tired thud.

Although it is nice to see Arnold back again, he doesn't quite have the same effect as before. The Terminator is now looking both old and obsolete and you feel another outing would just weaken the original punch. Jai Courtney disappointingly is far too bland to be a worth successor to Michael Biehn's Kyle Reese. Given little to do other than look impressive in a tight t-shirt, Courtney is really wasted here. After impressive stints on Unbroken and A Good Day to Die Hard, it is sad he can't raise the game. Jason Clarke although a hard hitting presence feels miscast as John Connor. Problem here is that Clarke has to essential go against every original concept of this hero and become something entirely different. In this instance, it is hard to put blame firmly on this performance.

Terminator: Genisys despite some high hopes cannot carry forward the masterpiece that James Cameron so wonderfully brought on us. If the studio executives have their way, there will probably be another installment, but they might want to think about stopping the rot.