The COARD: Suicide Squad

Have no fear, unlike the movie we are about to review... We are the good guys. We are not going to spoil this movie for you without warning you. Feel free to dive into this review wondering if we are going to trash this movie like every other critic alive, or if we actually liked it.

Avengers who? 

Roy: Suicide Squad is DC Comics' latest attempt to be relevant in a cinematic world that seems to be dominated by Marvel. This is their third attempt, and one could easily wonder why they continue to bother. There were a few who liked some of the things that Man of Steel did, but the over the top destruction was laughable. And nothing captured the world's response to Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice better than this fantastic peek into the soul of Ben Affleck. But Suicide Squad was going to be different. Or so we were all led to believe. It had an enormous amount of buzz attached it. And then the critics of the world got a hold of it. Cheese and crackers did they rip it apart. So where does that leave us? I won't presume to speak for my esteemed partner, but allow me to say, they are all so full of crap that I'm buying stock in laxatives. Suicide Squad was good people. In fact, it was better than anything Marvel has done recently not named Deadpool. Yes I know I gushed over Civil War not three months ago. This was better. So where is the disconnect? Why does everyone seem to hate it? The answer is, they don't. Real people liked all of these movies. How do I know? Man of Steel made 291 million dollars, Dawn of Justice made 330 million dollars. Suicide Squad has made 161 million in five days. And those are domestic totals, people. Critics don't like the DC universe. But why? One word. Disney. Disney owns everything. That laptop or phone you are using to read this article? Disney owns it. That Starbucks you're sipping on right now? Disney owns that too. What's my proof?! I don't need proof. Open your eyes! Disney needs to see DC fail in order to enjoy the continued success of Marvel. This is happening people. Disney has an active campaign to attack everything DC does regardless of how good it is. They understand Marvel is an inferior product so they are doing everything they can. But you know what?! They can't censor us! YOU HEAR ME DISNEY?! COME AT ME BRO. WE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY YOUR GESTAPO TACTICS. We're just a couple of guys with a blog, two laptops, and the truth. And we will shout it from the rooftops! SUICIDE SQUAD IS GOOD. What say you Cody?! Will you join me brother in the coming revolution?

Cody: If you're asking me if my pen is for sale, then I think William Wallace has a choice word for you. I am but a mere human. I have bias. I'm not above admitting that I have bias. However, it is my job as a highly legitimate, borderline professional movie critic to strive to remain objective. A principle I can't say is valued as highly by those that get paid for this. I have no dog in the Marvel vs DC fight. I love Spider-Man. Batman is that dude. I have allegiances on both sides of the aisle. Marvel is ahead in terms of quantity of decent content, but to act like DC is garbage by comparison is erroneous. I would put the quality of DC so far as just below the overall quality of Marvel, but that's basically blasphemous among movie reviewers. You know what, Roy, I'm glad we turned down that Rolling Stone contract. Once you accept their money, they can control your content. That's what Disney wants, man. They fear people like us. The mighty bloggers with our dozens of dedicated fans. The resistance begins here, but it doesn't end until the world knows that Disney is wiping our internet like a real life Gavin Belson. What? Comparing negative critic review to literally controlling what we see online is a bit dramatic, you say? Well then maybe you aren't cut out for this revolution, imaginary reader!! Anyway, Suicide Squad was solid. David Ayer did a good job of making it "not a superhero movie." It succeeded in being something different just like Deadpool and Guardians of The Galaxy did for Marvel. Comparing this movie to Captain America or other main universe Marvel films isn't a fair match. It's meant to be off to the side; a fun peripheral story set in the same universe as the Justice League family of movies. And that's what it is, simple as that.

Roy: Everyone was great in this movie, I have a hard time deciding who did the best job because all of them took their characters and did everything with them they possibly could. Before I get to Jared Leto and Margot Robbie, I am going to address one Will Smith. He needed to do this sooner. Not play a superhero, he's' done that to mediocre effect before. For the first time in his career he played a character with some moral ambiguity. He was supposed to play the title character in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained but turned it down. The scuttlebutt was that he wasn't comfortable playing a character who could be perceived as a "bad guy," even though Django was the hero. To be fair to Smith, he would have been the hero in a Tarantino film, with all of the implications and baggage that brings with it. So I was surprised he was going to play a villain in Suicide Squad. It was the best of both worlds for Smith however, because even though he was a villain, he was a sympathetic character who was the heart and soul of this movie. Margot Robbie and Jared Leto got to have all of the fun playing straight up crazy/evil. Smith kept this movie's feet on the ground and kept dolling out the feels along the way. It was delightful. I will let Cody drool over his lady love, and I will focus on Jared Leto's Joker. The Clown Prince of Crime is back and he might be better than ever. Cody and I began an argument yesterday over the merits of Leto vs. Ledger. I think it is hard to weigh this argument correctly because the untimely and tragic death of Ledger adds weight to his performance given the direct result it played in his passing. That being said, I think Leto was better. His Joker was more intentional. I know Ledger had a plan in The Dark Knight from beginning to end and played it out beautifully. But there is something about what Leto was doing here. From the bright green hair, to the purple shoulder holsters, to the tattoos, to the laughs he elicited from me. I loved every second he was on screen, and was clamoring for more.

Cody:  I just knew Smith and Robbie were going to crush it in this movie together! SEE! Will Smith absolutely turned in a classic Will Smith performance. The credit he deserves for leaving his comfort zone is minor, because he was by far the least bad baddie in this movie. I'll allow it, nonetheless, because it is by far the best role he's chosen in recent memory. He and Margot literally and figuratively carried the team. I think they are building a nice on screen chemistry. I mentioned earlier that I am not free of bias, and while I claim to be impartial in the apparent you-must-pick-sides DC/Marvel war, I cannot claim impartiality with this movie's actors. My man-crush on Will Smith may only be outclassed by my much more literal crush on Margot Robbie. Let me tell you, this girl can do anything. She and Smith both have scene stealing personalities, and it is impressive that Robbie can fit into any role while also being such a force on screen. Obviously Harley Quinn fits that mold perfectly, as she could be as over the top as she wanted and it fit her character perfectly. You're right that Leto and Robbie together were stellar. I'm on record as still being in favor of Ledger's performance, but the mere fact that it is worth debating is a big complement to Leto. I can't wait until they use Leto in a more prominent role in a Batman/Justice League movie. One can only hope that we get another dose of Robbie when that comes around. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping for. The other actors in this movie were solid. I certainly have no complaints on anybody's performance, but the three I've discussed here are the only ones that merit special attention. Yes, I realize they happen to be the biggest stars. and that I'm basically a star power slut. You're not wrong, but I stand by every word. But just to circle back to what really matters, #TeamLedgerForever

Roy: I know I'm definitely in the minority here. I broached this same subject with a couple of my sibling in-laws and I could just see the modicum of respect they once had for me escape their shocked faces. This was followed by a few poignant and hurtful memes, but I'll let that slide. Why? Because people love their Ledger Joker, and I can't fault them for that. I think what pushed me over the edge for #TeamLeto is that Ledger's Joker seemed to love only one thing. Chaos. Nothing else mattered. And as brilliant as that was, Leto's Joker definitely loves Harley, and her only slightly less than he loves himself. I think the Joker works better with that arrogant edge to him. Could Cody and I turn this whole review into a 3,000 word debate on the merits of the Joker? Sure, we're cinephiles duh. But we won't. So let me transition to the music in this movie. I don't have any appropriate superlatives to explain how great the music was. Every song they chose to introduce a new character fit perfectly. It wasn't just the famous songs they attached to this movie however, every mood that needed to be struck in this film was perfectly aided by the music played underneath it. It stood out but not in a, "over the top, in your face" kind of way. Suicide Squad passed what I now call the Star Trek Beyond test. I found myself smiling, a lot. That is the sign of a really good movie. It's just fun. And no amount of underhanded schemes that the world's largest corporation with the face of a friendly rodent concocts will sway my opinion.

Cody: At least someone else is willing to stand up to you and your errant opinions. Keep meme'ing, friends of sanity. The music was stellar. Did they straight up copy the premise of the soundtrack for Guardians of the Galaxy? Yes, yes they did, but I. Do. Not. Care. When it is a great idea, and you can provide a slight twist to make it your own, then by all means, run with it. The soundtrack made me smile on more than one occasion, to further confirm the movie passed Roy's test. It really comes down to the simple fact that this is not a superhero movie. The look, feel, and overall tone of the film needed to be different, and everyone involved succeeded in creating that. Guardians of the Galaxy remains supreme in my mind as the best recent (post-Nolan batman series) "hero flick." However, Suicide Squad was good enough for me to at least say, "hey, that came close." Which is a lot better recommendation than you're going to hear from anyone else on the internet, as we've so thoroughly discussed. Go see it, you won't regret it. After you've seen it, come back to this exact spot, because Roy and I are both about to answer the enticing question, "what was your favorite Suicide Squad moment?

Our spoiler section today will consist of one thing and one thing only. The two of us naming our favorite scene from the movie, and why we chose it. Do you agree with us? If not, I'm sorry that you're wrong.

Roy: One? I have to pick just one? I reject your arbitrary rule! How can I choose just one? You know  what? No. YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE CODY! Truthfully, I think the strength of this movie is in the overall story, performances, and the dialogue. That action was good but not anything to lose one's mind over. I keep coming back to one scene that was powerful within the story. Much of this movie is told through flashback. We get back stories for each character that help us understand why they are. The Joker is asking Harley how committed she is to him. To prove her love and devotion she willingly falls hundreds of feet into a vat of acid to transform herself to be like the Joker. He watchers her fall and dives in after her. The music of the moment highlights the tension and actions of the characters perfectly. We see the Joker and Harley embrace and kiss. This is one of those moments that helped to solidify my controversial opinion. It was intensely cool to see this type of emotion from an arch villain who usually only shows his drive to destroy Batman.

Cody: There were a lot of great moments and one liners in the movie. Mostly trailer fodder, but I enjoyed most of it nonetheless. One particular moment was when Deadshot (Will Smith) was asked to shoot and kill Harley. Dude has literally never missed in his life, but he "misses" Harley. Those fun acts of defiance and the quips that followed were an entertaining part of the movie. However, they are not my favorite moment. (See Roy, that's how you get away with more than one moment). I'm going to go with the progression of Deadshot, and the ultimate respect between he and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). Each villain was truly bad, but also had legitimate motives behind their actions. Flag had his own selfish motives propelling him as well. Remember back to when we reviewed The Nice Guys and we talked about the joy of watching two initial enemies become friends through common interest? This may not have been a buddy cop movie, but the arc was still the same. That final scene in the movie where Flag respects Deadshot's time with his daughter was the culmination of my favorite story line throughout the movie. Deadshot and Flag, bros for life.