Spoilers Suicide Squad - Grading & Discussion

[The Borgified Corpse]

So in-universe the film wasn't racist to kill off Slipknot, but out of universe, we are to assert the writers intended harm to the Native American community by killing of Adam Beach's character? Sounds like a big stretch and something you put more thought into than other people who accused the film of racism.

I think "racist" is becoming an overused word. Just because something is "not as completely diverse as we would like it" doesn't mean that it's "racist." Should there be more depictions of Native Americans in superhero films? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean that it's racist to kill off a Native American character in a superhero movie. Not every movie has to be all things to all people at all times.

But then, I guess, welcome to 21st century Western Civilization, where some people view every interaction & every artwork as a tribal zero-sum game where the only way for one group to "win" is for another group to "lose."

Not like those X-Men films, am I right? Why Singer insist on having Mystique strutt around naked, is beyond me. It's certainly not something the character does in the comics, and JLaw has voiced her discomfort with it. A white dress Bryan, that's all I'm saying.

There is a certain internal logic too it. Since her one & only power is for her skin to change to impersonate other people, clothes & all, her powers kinda require her to be naked, otherwise it would look weird.

But then, the last scene of X-Men: Apocalypse would seem to address your concerns.

Paramount had a tough summer for sure. All their big name IPs under-performed or out right flopped. GB, STBeyond, TMNT 2.

While Paramount does currently own Star Trek & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters is a Columbia property.

witness, for instance, Tim Burton's consistent failure to include persons of color in his films.

He made Harvey Dent black. Jus' sayin'.

Katana is fixated on her dead husband and has next to no personality otherwise;

So, by that logic, the Punisher has no real agency either because he's just a mopey guy who kills people because he's fixated on his murdered wife.

For that matter, shouldn't we then be complaining about how Katana's husband not only didn't have a name but didn't even manage to have any screen time? He's a character that only exists to be killed in order to motivate another character!

There was no glorifying abuse or mistreatment of women. There was no "endorsing" these actions. No good guy came along and said "these actions are okay."

On the other hand, Bruce Wayne did show up at the end and agree to help sweep Amanda Waller's misdeeds under the carpet in exchange for information on the other Metahumans she's aware of.

Speaking of Bruce Wayne, where were Batman, Wonder Woman, & the Flash during all of this? We know that they are currently active superheroes at this time and this crisis apparently went on for 3 days, enough time for them to get to Central City if they were so inclined. So why didn't they show up to help?

I don't remember exactly how things played out in the movie, but could the whole thing with El Diablo be compared more to an accidental shooting or something like that.

You could make an argument that El Diablo is akin to Bruce Banner, someone who's powers can be unintentionally destructive if he doesn't maintain self-control.

Also, considering most of the protagonists in the movie were criminals, the fact that Diablo was the only repentant one should count for something.

And while it wasn't mentioned on screen, Diablo's wife did have a name in the credits. "Grace," I think.

As for Harley Quinn's relationship with the Joker, I would argue that it's not abusive. It's consensually sado-masochistic. Yes, the Joker is a crazy bad guy but so is she. They're evenly matched on that score.

Random observation: While rewatching the movie this afternoon, during the final battle, I noticed that Killer Croc has nipples. I'm a little concerned. Why would a reptile need nipples?

 

[M.A.C.O.]

There is a certain internal logic too it. Since her one & only power is for her skin to change to impersonate other people, clothes & all, her powers kinda require her to be naked, otherwise it would look weird.

But then, the last scene of X-Men: Apocalypse would seem to address your concerns.

That's one of those things where I think the people doing these movies overthink too much. How does Mystique create different clothes with her disguise powers? We know they are physically there, because other people have touched and felt them, including shoes. Then there are other times (First Class) where Mystique managed to stay fully clothed and transform into other people no problem. In X-Men Apocalypse she puts on that flight suit in the end, uses her powers to be in her natural form, and then gets naked again to sneak up on Apocalypse. I see no reason why she can't wear her comic attire in these movies. It's like the Beast Boy (Teen Titans) question, regarding where his cloths/uniform goes when he becomes different animals. Just don't think about it.

 

[dahj]

Why would a reptile need nipples?

Extra space for piercings?

 

[eyeresist]

He made Harvey Dent black. Jus' sayin'.

I was very disappointed when they recast the role for the later movie. (As was Billy Dee, I imagine.)

Speaking of Bruce Wayne, where were Batman, Wonder Woman, & the Flash during all of this? We know that they are currently active superheroes at this time and this crisis apparently went on for 3 days, enough time for them to get to Central City if they were so inclined. So why didn't they show up to help?

I think we have to assume that superhero stories take place in a world where crossing state lines is very difficult, even for meta-humans!

Also, considering most of the protagonists in the movie were criminals, the fact that Diablo was the only repentant one should count for something.

Good point.

Random observation: While rewatching the movie this afternoon, during the final battle, I noticed that Killer Croc has nipples. I'm a little concerned. Why would a reptile need nipples?

This version of the character isn't a reptile, he just has really bad skin.

 

[jbny67]

I was very disappointed when they recast the role for the later movie. (As was Billy Dee, I imagine.)

He probably was. The blow was somewhat softened by the fact that (In a brilliant display of foresight) his contract for Batman had a clause that said if Harvey Dent/Two-Face was used in a sequel and they used another actor, he would still get paid for that movie.

 

[eyeresist]

He probably was. The blow was somewhat softened by the fact that (In a brilliant display of foresight) his contract for Batman had a clause that said if Harvey Dent/Two-Face was used in a sequel and they used another actor, he would still get paid for that movie.

Hmmm, I wonder if he also got paid for TDK? Probably not.

 

[eyeresist]

Suicide Squad: Extended Joker Cut - Trailer & Breakdown:

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[M.A.C.O.]

Like with other movies (Star Trek Into Darkness, BvS, CACW), Suicide Squad is getting Retailer Exclusive releases.

http://hd-report.com/2016/10/30/suicide-squad-will-release-to-exclusive-blu-ray-editions/

Target:

Target is selling an exclusive edition of Suicide Squad with Extended Cut, a 64-page collectible Digibook, and special lenticular packaging. The book expands on the DC Comics characters and feature film, with plenty of cinematic photography and custom cover art. The 3-disc edition includes the Extended Cut and theatrical Cut of Suicide Squad on Blu-ray and Digital HD, as well as the theatrical version on DVD. There are also several featurettes such as “Armed to The Teeth” and “The Squad Declassified” and gag reel. Price: $24.95

Best Buy:

Your local Best Buy will have a couple exclusive editions of Suicide Squad available upon release date. The first is the film on 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray (2160p) with the exclusive Steelbook packaging that they commonly offer with popular movie titles. The 3-disc edition includes a 4k Blu-ray (with HDR/Dolby Atmos), Blu-ray, and Digital HD with two cuts of the film. Price: $34.99

Best Buy will also have an exclusive Blu-ray (1080p) edition of Suicide Squad in Steelbook packaging with a printed graphic novel. The 3-disc combo will include a Blu-ray with theatrical cut, Blu-ray with extended cut, DVD of theatrical cut, and Digital HD copy. We’re not sure yet if Best Buy will sell a less expensive Steelbook Blu-ray edition without the graphic novel, but we’ll let you know if we hear anything. Price: $37.99

Amazon:

Amazon has got the priciest Suicide Squad Blu-ray exclusives of the bunch, but maybe with good reason. Their 2-disc edition with Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD copy also includes a collectible Harley Quinn figurine. The exclusive is list-priced at $129 and is also available with a Deadshot figurine (I wonder which figurine will sell out first?) Price: $116.99 (List: $129)

Bummer, Wal-Mart doesn't seem to have any exclusive releases and that's where I buy my movies from nowadays. Target used to be my sole retailer.

 

[dahj]

I watched the Extended Edition, and that's a really apt name in this case.
There's only one added flashback scene, and others are just extended versions of scenes that were already in the movie. Most of the added bits just retread stuff that was already there, so I can see why they were cut, though there's a couple of more jokes in them that could have easily stayed in.
It's pretty much the same movie, so people who were expecting some radical reimagining will be disappointed, but if you enjoyed the movie for the fun romp that it is you'll like this version as well.

 

[Tosk]

Finally watched it (I went straight to the extended cut) and despite some real problems, (all well documented at this point) I'm surprised to say I didn't hate it. It's my second favorite DCEU movie so far.

 

[Xerxes82]

Finally saw this tonight, via the "extended cut", though I don't know how much they added. This was a pretty terrible movie, honestly. The only character I got into, at all, was Deadshot, and that was purely on the strength of Will Smith. Dude is still damn likeable. I thought Robbie's Harley was a complete bore. And Leto's Joker was just weird. Not scary, or imposing, or even particularly crazy. Just weird. Wish they'd done more with Killer Croc. He had an interesting look, though it was really, really hard to understand most of his dialogue.

No, I take it back, I did enjoy Waller. She's supposedly the sanest of the bunch, but by far the most evil. What she did to those poor dudes in her office when they finally reached them was just COLD. My favorite scene in the whole movie was the bit with her and Batfleck, mid-credits. For all the many, many flaws of BvS, Affleck does a wonderfully imposing turn on Bruce when the moment calls for it. The only way I'd be interested in more of these characters is if we do Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, and pay off that moment at the end. Otherwise, wipe the slate clean and start over.

On to Wonder Woman we go. Come on DC, get this ship turned around!

 

[Katie_nyc_]

A painfully bad movie. I watched it for Margot. She can do no wrong.

 

[Tom Hendricks]

I'm on the fence about purchasing this movie.

 

[Velocity]

I plan to get it tomorrow. I would have bought it today, but it's so cold out. I really liked this movie. Margot Robbie was very good.

 

[DigificWriter]

I was watching the Special Features for the film tonight and learned something that I hadn't previously known and that I find incredibly cool, which is that Cara Delevingne, Karen Fukuhara, Jai Courtney, and Jay Hernandez earned Yellow Belts in Kenpo Karate during the course of and as a result of the training they and the other actors underwent for the film. Having been able to confirm that the four actors were learning American Kenpo Karate, a form of the martial art created by a man named Ed Parker (whom I actually had an opportunity to meet as a result of my dad's longtime interest in and involvement with the discipline) the fact that they were able to earn full Yellow Belts in a period of time that was, I believe, less than 6 months is extremely impressive, particularly since I myself have first-hand experience with and knowledge of the forms and techniques that a person is required to learn and master in order to achieve the rank of Yellow Belt (again thanks to my dad) even though, in the overall scheme of American Kenpo, said belt is fairly low-ranking, and only increases my appreciation for the film and the people involved in it.

 

[JD]

That's pretty cool.
I picked up a digital copy of the novelization with a Amazon giftcard I got for Christmas. I look forward to seeing just how different it is from the final movie. Would you guys be interesting in the differences and expansions in the book?

 

[Velocity]

Read it. I think it gives some depth to the relationship between Joker and Harley.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I might write a mini review tomorrow...But my quick thought: Rogue One and Suicide Squad should have exchanged titles

 

[DigificWriter]

Finally saw this tonight, via the "extended cut", though I don't know how much they added. This was a pretty terrible movie, honestly. The only character I got into, at all, was Deadshot, and that was purely on the strength of Will Smith. Dude is still damn likeable. I thought Robbie's Harley was a complete bore. And Leto's Joker was just weird. Not scary, or imposing, or even particularly crazy. Just weird. Wish they'd done more with Killer Croc. He had an interesting look, though it was really, really hard to understand most of his dialogue.

No, I take it back, I did enjoy Waller. She's supposedly the sanest of the bunch, but by far the most evil. What she did to those poor dudes in her office when they finally reached them was just COLD. My favorite scene in the whole movie was the bit with her and Batfleck, mid-credits. For all the many, many flaws of BvS, Affleck does a wonderfully imposing turn on Bruce when the moment calls for it. The only way I'd be interested in more of these characters is if we do Justice League vs. Suicide Squad, and pay off that moment at the end. Otherwise, wipe the slate clean and start over.

On to Wonder Woman we go. Come on DC, get this ship turned around!

Your inability to connect with the characters has nothing to do with the quality of the movie, which is objectively FAR from terrible.

As far as the Extended Cut goes, there wasn't much that they needed to add to the Theatrical release cut, honestly, and what they did add only makes that "version" of the movie stronger.

 

[Sci]

Your inability to connect with the characters has nothing to do with the quality of the movie, which is objectively FAR from terrible.

I mean, is it terrible? I dunno. But it certainly has what can only be described as a large number of important objective flaws.

Dan Olson at Folding Ideas has a long but very insightful video essay here about many of the problems with Suicide Squad, especially with regards to the editing choices made.

The most damning statement? "Baz Luhrmann has more restraint than this!"

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies