Suicide Squad Review

 

        Back in 2015, Warner Bros. announced that they were doing a Suicide Squad film. They released a trailer that was shown to the attendants at the San Diego Comic-Con. I was intrigued, it had a dark vibe to it which piqued my interest. As time passed though, the marketing changed with each subsequent trailer. The emphasis was more on the comedy and the banter between the group. The film was released in 2016 and just like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice it was torn asunder by critics. So far, Warner was going 0 for 3 with their shared universe. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Story

        The film takes place after the events of Batman v Superman, Viola Davis plays Amanda Waller, who convinces her military associates that she has an assortment of villains in her disposal to combat threats that are Superman level. From there, we get a very haphazard introductions to the villains of Task Force X. We start with Deadshot played by Will Smith, he’s an expert marksman. Then we shift to Harley Quinn, a fan favorite of the Batman comic series played by Margot Robbie. 

        We get more introductions to such characters like Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc, and the only normal person in the group Rick Flag. So, with them at Waller’s control, they are assigned to rescue a high-level target in Midway City. We find out that one of the characters that is around Waller, June Moone played by Cara Delevingne is possessed by a demonic witch called the Enchantress. She breaks free and contacts her brother who is stuck in an artifact. As typical with any one note comic book villain, she and her brother want to conquer the world. That’s it. 

        This is probably one of the worst stories that I have followed in any comic book film. It’s derivative for one thing since the villain is so one note. The characters are just stand ins, Will Smith and Margot Robbie are the only good parts in the film. El Diablo actually goes through a character arc but is killed in the end.

        Now, with every villain introduced to combat a Superman-esque threat, these are the villains to stop that? We're told that the squad is mostly comprised of meta-humans, think gifted people with powers. Although, one is a good marksman, one's insane, another is good with a boomerang. Only two characters have powers that affect them physically. I have to stress that this probably wasn't thought out clearer. I’m being way too nice, let me describe how exactly director David Ayer messed up big time. 

2. Wasted Opportunity

        It’s quite clear that this film is trying to be Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy. When the movie starts at the Belle Reve penitentiary, the soundtrack kicks in. It’s just sporadic and doesn’t tie itself to one character. With the film I just mentioned, it’s used smartly with the main character since it represents Star-Lord’s connection with his mother and where he is from. 

        Here though, it’s anything that can match the characters, because it’s “cool”. There’s no context with the songs since it’s plastered there. The most egregious example is the song “Spirit in the Sky” used when the Squad goes in the city. Out of all the songs out there, it had to be that one. Even “Bohemian Rhapsody” is butchered since it was used in one of the trailers and I thought it would appear in the film. The song appears but is cut off in the end. 

        Another example is the overall plot. Like I said, the Squad is set up to stop the Enchantress from taking over the world. As lame as the story sounds, the Joker is wasted as well. Played by Jared Leto, he does absolutely nothing and contributes squat to the overall plot. I thought that the Squad was assigned to stop him, making Harley Quinn question her loyalty. No, it’s the former and I can’t believe that director David Ayer had just 9 weeks to write the script.

        One last thing was just how big the actual Squad was. Again, to use Guardians of the Galaxy, that team was just five members. The main focus was on Star-Lord since he is the only human for us to focus on. The Suicide Squad has 9 members. Now, it would’ve worked if the team was divided so we can have equal attention for everyone. The overall focus was inconsistent, I thought it was mostly Deadshot’s movie. Then it focused on Harley Quinn. For all intents and purposes, Rick Flag might’ve been the one to humanize everyone, be the straight man for the audience. 

        It was clear that the overall approach was rushed. Now, the concept could work, but given the overall passivity the characters face and not given enough moments to care about. The biggest sin that I mentioned is that we’re told what the members do. Especially with member Katana played by Karen Fukuhara, she joins the Squad as they’re about to take off. Rick Flagg explains who she is and her gimmick. The whole moment is the laziest way to introduce a character, even worse is when Diana Prince is looking at surveillance footage at the future Justice League members in Batman v Superman. 

3. Editing

        Out of all the complaints that I have seen when reading the reviews or viewing them on YouTube, the editing is the real sticking point to many critics. A lot of the general audience won’t notice, but what happened is the overall neon moments that pop up in the beginning. More so when the characters get a “Baseball Card” stat shots describing who they are. I think it was embarrassing that Warner Bros. would hire an actual trailer editing house to work on the cut that shown in theaters. It is contradictory of the director route they are doing with their films. Which leads to my next point. 

4. Director Vision

        I can appreciate Warner Bros. going a different route than Marvel Studios by having their directors show their talents on adapting the DC superhero characters. The reason why Marvel has a string of successes is that the directors have to follow a strict outline of how their movies have to follow the Marvel formula. There can’t be any compromises since it might mess up the inevitable team ups or contradict the previous films. 

        It became apparent that Warner Bros. is staying true to the director’s vision, but at a price by releasing a studio cut to theaters. Then when it comes time to release the film on Blu-Ray, they advertise a “definitive” cut to a film that should’ve been released in theaters. The practice for one thing is shady and pretty disgusting since it’s apparent that the vision Warner is going for is for nothing since they’re hypocrites looking for profit.  

5. Overall

        This is without a doubt a bad comic book film. I mean it, this is bad. I often think about if the Suicide Squad will ever show up in any team up film in the future. I know for a fact that director James Gunn is doing a quasi-remake-sequel with the team called The Suicide Squad. The actors are the only saving grace but the roster is too cluttered to care for any of them. For as much as they’re the bad guys, them stating and rephrasing that assessment can get annoying. 

        Suicide Squad gets a 2 out of 5.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

 

For as long as the characters Batman and Superman have appeared in their respective comic books, they never met in any movie. Now, there are comic books where they star in, animated appearances where they show up or make a guest appearance. I remember watching the Will Smith film I Am Legend when a poster of a hypothetical Batman and Superman film popped up as a visual gag. More so when screenwriter David Goyer is quoted to say that the idea of a film is “where you go when you admit to yourself that you've exhausted all possibilities”. Zack Snyder found a way to have these characters appear, albeit sloppily. SPOILERS will appear in the review. 

1. Story

        So the film starts during the fight between Superman and General Zod in Metropolis, this time we follow Bruce Wayne’s perspective. Before that, we witness the iconic and now tired death of the Wayne’s. We see the death in a Zack Snyder way such as seeing how the pearl necklace shatters from Martha Wayne’s neck. Speaking of, remember that name. Bruce Wayne played this time by Ben Affleck, zips through the city easily avoiding the debris crashing down and calling his employers to evacuate. The building is where Zod unleashes his laser beams on Superman and killing the Wayne employees. 

        Bruce runs to the debris and into the smoke covered damage. It’s kinda offensive that he isn’t covered in dust or coughing, since well if you read about the fight in my Man of Steel review, you would know. He helps an injured employee Wally and sees from the sky Superman and triggering his motive to stop him. 2 years pass, Lois Lane goes to an African country to do an interview, it goes south. Superman triumphantly saves her by ramming through the warlord general into the wall. 

        The overall story is a bit all over the place after that moment. Since it’s a versus movie, Clark Kent decides to investigate into Batman’s branding of criminals in Gotham City. Whilst Bruce Wayne is attempting to retrieve Kryptonite to kill Superman. It would be simple if it was just that but there’s more. Lois Lane uncovers an unknown bullet during the failed African interview which she visits the Colonel from the last film. 

        Meanwhile, we meet Lex Luthor and he is possibly the worst part of the film. Jesse Eisenberg is not a bad actor by any means. He was fantastic playing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. I thought he would be a cold and calculating businessman who wants to rub out Superman. Here, he reminds me of Daffy Duck with his verbal ticks, he was like a Looney Tune come to life. His motive to kill Superman borders on having daddy issues and not having God to stop the paternal abuse. 

        It’s kind of obvious that when the topic of Superman killing African terrorists with a gun is moot since why would he need any weapon. Also, having Lex Luthor be the one to stir the pot between the heroes was a dead giveaway since it’s in his character to do that. Anyone could’ve seen that without reading a comic book or watching an animated show. I felt that for the most part it didn’t work since this interpretation of Batman is old. I’ll explain why this dynamic didn’t work.

2. "The Dark Knight Returns"

        Any person who loves Batman stories know that this film takes its inspiration of the classic Frank Miller story, The Dark Knight Returns. It involves an old Bruce Wayne donning the suit to stop crime in Gotham City. Additionally, fighting Superman with a power suit. That story works due in large part that both characters knew each other. Bruce thinks Superman is a poster boy for the government while the man of tomorrow thinks Bruce Wayne has gone above the law to instill a sense of unwarranted justice in Gotham. The story is a classic and a must read, but I feel that Zack Snyder just combed through it and focused on the fight without the needed context. 

        The same thing that happened in the story was the television pundits giving their opinion on the heroes, respectively. I interpreted it as a parody due to the over-the-top nature of the commentary that was given. In the film, they are treating it as though how a Superman can exist among humans. Escapism is dead in this movie, since they use real news networks that have pundits’ debate and ask philosophical questions about if an alien with a blue suit and red cape can live with us. 

        Now, there is a way to have this type of film if it was historical and to put these television moments into perspective. When they are in a Batman and Superman film that tries to take itself seriously even though they dress pretty ridiculously is going to fall on deaf ears. It got annoying since they were asking questions that really had no effect to the actual film. 

        One last thing is that in the comic Bruce was already retired, he was a recluse and only reluctantly came back when a young girl decided to help him by being a new Robin. In the film, this is our first exposure to Affleck’s Batman. Having any sort of rivalry is way too early since the beef is just based on a stubborn hunch. I thought we would get a new Batman, but one who’s already aged doesn’t make sense in the least bit. 

3. Knightmare

        This part is the worse thing in the film. After retrieving some files at Lex Luthor’s charity gala, Bruce decodes and apparently his computer takes a long while to load them. He naps, I think, the film just fades to black and it becomes a Zack Snyder fantasy. Batman is wearing a duster and, there’s a reason as to why he looks intimidating at night. It’s pretty dumb having the mask and duster be the ensemble. 

        Apparently, Batman has a militia that carries a kryptonite weapon. He is betrayed and there’s like soldiers that are wearing robes but remove them and they look like Nazis with Superman’s “S” patch on their shoulders. Joe Shuster and Jerry Seigel must be rolling in their graves. So, Batman uses a gun. Now, anyone who knows him knows that he doesn’t use guns, ever. He uses it and honestly, I like that it pays tribute to the character’s early run, but it comes out of nowhere with this film. 

        Also, alien creatures start descending called parademons. You would have no clue to what exactly they are but you’re welcome. They come from the planet Apokolips, and it’s just fan service at this point. Batman gets knocked out and is taken hostage. His dream version of Superman appears and zaps the other hostages next to him. Superman says Lois was his everything and kills Bruce. 

        Confounding me, is then The Flash appears and gives a vague warning to Bruce. What does it have to do with the film? Absolutely nothing since it’s supposed to be a tease for more movies. This whole scene just summarizes Zack Snyder as a director. The only good thing he can do is make and choreograph a fantasy realm, but does it make sense in the film? No, the film just stops to highlight this segment and to show how cool everything is. He must’ve wanted to do a Mad Max film but this is the only comparable thing he was allowed to do.

4. Wonder Woman Doesn’t Do Squat

        Wonder Woman makes her debut in film with this overcooked movie. She graces the cover for some reason in the ultimate edition, which is the one I’m reviewing. Played by Gal Gadot, she contributes absolutely nothing to the film. The real reason as to why she’s in the film is that she’s trying to get back a photo from Lex Luthor. Diana Prince is just there in the film, she only meets Bruce Wayne to talk about what was in Lex Luthor’s file. 

5. The Title Fight, is Disappointing

        After sitting through two hours of mind numbing debates about the hypotheticals of Superman, the overall depressed nature of the hero, and Batman killing Luthor’s henchman to get the kryptonite. We finally make it to the final fight, the one moment that has been teased in trailers and tv commercials. And it’s the most disappointing fight that lasts just 10 minutes. I hate to compare it with the comic book, but everything worked its way to the fight.

        It’s one sided as hell and I can understand what the fight location is suppose to symbolize. None of it matters since Batman uses a sink to hit Superman on the head. You would think they would meet more times throughout the film, considering it’s a three hour “epic”. No, they meet once in their civilian disguise and twice in their costumes. There isn’t much to be said since it’s completely lopsided and the final moment is the most meme worthy sight that it’s the epitome of the film.

6. Martha 

        Remember that scene where the Wayne’s were killed for the someteenth time? Here is where we come back to that. As Batman prepares to kill Superman, he says that Luthor’s men are about to kill Martha. Then we flash back to the moment where his parents die and Bruce shouting at Superman as to why he said that name. Lois appears and says that Martha is Clark’s mother. 

        This scene has been made fun of, defended, analyzed to death. To me, it’s so stupid. Having the entire fight that was supposed to be epic in scale and to have it just end abruptly like that is such an idiotic way to end a disappointing fight. Clark’s mother’s name could’ve been anything and Batman would still stab him with the kryptonite spear. Now, I can understand that it’s supposed to be Bruce gaining his humanity and seeing Clark as an equal. Just the shouting and Lois appearing make it so astoundingly silly that, this is something that no director’s cut can ever fix. 

7. Death of Superman

        Just like Man of Steel we have to have a big dumb final fight. In between the movie, Lex uses Zod’s corpse to sneak into a downed kryptonian ship. He uses the alien’s corpse to create a monstrosity he calls Doomsday. Superman fights him but is easily overpowered due to him being able to resist any damage and grow spikes in various parts of the body. 

        Batman has the creature chase him and have it follow the hero to an abandon part of Gotham. I always found it odd that him and the military announce that various sites in either the city or an island that is between Metropolis and Gotham are abandoned. Anyways, Doomsday shoots down the batplane and is about to kill the caped crusader. Wonder Woman blocks the blast and music that doesn’t fit the character kicks in. Superman arrives and the three heroes fight the monster.

        Well, Batman just looks on since he only has a limited amount of weapons to stun the creature. After a couple of minutes of explosions and Wonder Woman smiling in the midst of combat, Superman tells Lois that he must kill the monster with the spear. He flies through and stabs the creature, it in turn stabs Clark. Killing the creature, Superman dies triumphantly. This moment, doesn’t work at all. This is Superman’s SECOND appearance in this film series. Killing him is ballsy, but really he had no depth at all. I didn’t feel anything when he died. For it to really be effective, have that be in film four or in a Justice League movie. Or you know, don’t kill him because it’s an easy out disguised as an edgy move. Heroes come back but to make it effective, have him go out with a bang, not with a whimper. 

8. Director’s Cut

        I said earlier that I’m reviewing the director’s cut. Having a director’s cut be the superior version of the film shouldn’t be a marketable thing to have. My idea of a director’s cut is for it to be a complimentary thing for a good film. Either include additional scenes that weren’t included due to time constraints or something for the fans to indulge themselves with the film.

This one had a version that was released in theaters and was eviscerated by critics. I feel that Warner Bros. did this since they still had a contract with Zack Snyder. They want to commit to his vision, or lack thereof, and put out an “Ultimate Edition” that was supposed to flesh out everything that the theatrical cut was missing in terms of scenes. Watching the “better” version, it’s like putting a band-aid in an open wound. 

        Pacing is what killed this cut and frankly this kind of thing would continue with the next film Suicide Squad. I feel it’s very shady in terms of making the general audiences buy the preferred version instead of sticking to their guns and release this somewhat but not really ambitious cut. I can understand that it’s a money thing but, when you’re investing everything on one director to compete with Marvel, why wouldn’t you release a three hour epic about two pop culture icons going toe-to-toe?

9. Overall

        The film was a waste to watch. Having a grievance with director Zack Snyder contribute to my problem with his vision with the DC superheroes. It’s just not thought out and he makes it as a think piece that demands respect or be looked at as art. The film isn’t art, it’s a commercial to sell more movies and action figures to the kids. That’s simply what it is, a piece of fluff that takes itself too seriously that it’s laughable to any film or comic book connoisseur. 

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gets a two out of five. 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Review

        I hate this movie. I don't know why I liked it when I walked out of the theater actually enjoying it. Maybe it was blatant fan service and the final shot made me like the movie. Now having grown up and watched this stinker reinforces the belief that this is the worst Spider-Man film. So let's break it down.

        The story is all over the place. It continues from the previous film about Peter's missing parents. We're shown what happened to them. Albeit, it goes too long, the action is okay but overall it shouldn't be the beginning of the film. I was confused as to why they opened the film with the death of the Parkers. It would've made sense if it was shown when Peter finally found out what made his Dad have Peter live with his aunt and uncle. 

        Another sub plot is Gwen and Peter's break up and eventual make up. In the previous film, Captain Stacy explicitly told Peter to stay away from Gwen as he was dying from wounds that was brought on by The Lizard, which led to them splitting up. Confusingly they are still together in the sequel. In the scene where Peter meets Gwen by a dim sum restaurant, they finally break up, for a little bit. Subsequent scenes show Peter as Spidey follow Gwen in the city. I never really understood why he did that. I can understand him having a hard time adjusting but it makes him act like a stalker. They eventually make up when they are on a date.

        They notice that Time Square is being electrically fluctuated.  The breakup scene backs up my claim that Garfield is the worst Spider-Man since he is way too emotional in this moment. Just his performance is all over the place. He's not grounded in the least bit. He has a lot of mania that it undermines Gwen's death later in the film, I'll talk about that later.

        ANOTHER sub plot focuses on Harry Osborn realizing that he has a degenerative disease that is slowly killing him when it's revealed by his dying father Norman. He reunites with Peter which they hang out once in the film. It's frustrating that there wasn't any mention of Harry in the last movie. I can understand that they don't want to retread the first Spider-Man but by showing Uncle Ben's death a second time undermines how this series tries to be different. Eventually they meet again to discuss that their fathers working on a project involving spiders when they were at Oscorp. Harry believes that Spider-Man's blood can help cure him. He asks Peter to find him and to bring Spider-Man to Harry. I feel like the entire subplot does not make the least bit sense, which is saying a lot. Like honestly, here's the reasons why this one makes no sense:

        1. Why is Oscorp tracking Peter? It's established in that same scene that the company is keeping tabs on Peter, why? I thought about it for a long time, but I realized that the screenwriters also wrote the first two Transformers films. 

        2. How sure is Harry willing to use Spider-Man's blood?  Like, is he really banking on this not realizing that it could kill him or make him look like a crack addict.

        3. I hate this movie so much it's a bullet point. Let me elaborate on that, this movie is poopoo.

        Moreover, I feel that this should've been the main story. Peter's attempt to fix a failed friendship and to juggle with the idea of responsibility. But no, there needs to be more villains, setups for spinoffs that never come to fruition.

        The final (thank god) subplot involves the main villain of the film, Electro. You would think that being the face in the advertising that he would be complex or at least adequate. You're stupid if you thought that. This villain, is one of the worst comic book villains that has ever unfortunately graced the silver screen . He starts out as an introverted worker named Max Dillon who is an electrical engineer at Oscorp who is bullied by a coworker.  During the opening of the film, he is rescued by Spider-Man when he is chasing down Aleksei Systevich who is The Rhino in the comics and in this turd. The rescue made Max be obsessed with Spider-Man. An accident occurs which made Max into an electrical being by genetically altered Eels. The effects look impressive, but it reminds me of Dr. Manhattan in Zack Snyder's Watchmen. During the fight in Time Square, he hates Spider-Man due to him taking the spotlight away from Max. 

        Oddly enough, he starts to have a god complex when he is captured and put in Ravencroft which is an Arkham Asylum type place in the Marvel Universe. He is tortured by a Dr. Kafka who is so batshit insane that he plays classical music while torturing Electro. It contributes to the overall inconsistent tone of the film. 

        What do I mean by that, well typically tone means at its basic just the overall vibe of the movie. This one borders on, dramatic, comedic, action oriented, and goofy. For instance, how do you transition from Harry receiving terrible news that he is close to death? By having a scene where Max becomes Electro. It doesn't work since the movie is inconsistent in terms of emotional investment. You can argue that Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy had a goofy, campy vibe. What offsets it is the level of drama since it was intentional. Those films were being based on the early issues of Spider-Man when he was just brand new. As well as the director having a very kinetic sense of film making.

        I could go on about the many overlapping subplots, such as Peter discovering that the spiders his Dad was working had his blood. Just briefly, I hate that scene so much that it completely invalidates the idea of Peter being an ordinary teen who's been bit, but a predetermined accident that grants him powers. I think it's best to just to talk about bits and pieces of just how cluttered the story is. I believe it's now appropriate to discuss the one scene that really summed up this brief franchise's failure. 

        Near the end of the movie, Spider-Man beats Electro through the power of science and having a smart girlfriend. All of a sudden, Harry arrives at the electric grid, looking like a bad cosplay of the Green Goblin. A hilarious moment occurs when he puts together that Peter and Spider-Man are the same person when he spots Gwen. Another fight occurs this time at a clock tower as Harry abducts Gwen as a hostage. We just got through one, now here's another one. Peter manages to get her and put Gwen on top of a spinning gear. The fight feels too much since we already seen a fight sequence just moments earlier. With Harry defeated, Gwen falls due to the gears being destroyed from the fight. As she inches closer to the ground, Spider-Man spins a web that looks like a hand reaching out, it makes the oncoming emotional moment subtle by comparison. 

    

        Nevertheless, Gwen dies and Peter gets teary eyed. This scene is the worst part of the movie, we only knew Gwen for just two movies. Killing her off feels unearned since in context with the comics, readers knew Gwen for ISSUES before her death at the hands of the Green Goblin. The death scene could have worked if it was developed further into the film series. Thus making her death be even more tragic considering just how much she meant to Peter. Regardless, the death of Gwen Stacy makes Peter quit being Spider-Man temporarily. 

    

        This one scene sums up the entire franchise due in part that it felt rushed. It's a recurring thing for studios to catch up with Marvel Studios since they want to have the same box office numbers that an Avengers movie makes.  Not knowing that the investment has to be with the characters being relatable and worth giving a shit instead of stuffing the movie with so much that it becomes forgettable.

        

        In the end, the same shaded figure that visited Dr. Connors in the first film visits Harry at Ravencroft and asks him about joining a group of villains to terrorize New York now that Spider-Man is gone. So that shaded figure named Gustav Fiers goes to Oscorp with Harry's permission to see the tech that the company has such as: four mechanical arms, a wing suit, and a Rhino suit. Peter in his depressed state decides to be Spider-Man after watching Gwen's graduation speech. Interspersed with shots of Rhino robbing a bank. The movie ends prematurely when Spider-Man is going head to head against the Rhino. 

        Overall, this is one of the worst superhero movies I have ever seen. There are terrible ones that are just incompetent, but this one is so personal to me since it sucks having your favorite superhero be butchered for gross financial profit. So who's fault is it? Well you can point to the director, writers, producers and Sony Pictures. Though I believe that there is equal fault in those specific positions since I can assume that there was no one to really comment on just how big of a clusterfuck this movie was. Like, no one said "Hey, looking at this script, there's a lot of overlap, we should probably trim this before it becomes bloated." 

    

        The ultimate irony is that it took another studio to reinvent Spider-Man to be a bigger part of an expanding cinematic universe. So much so, that it had the guts to kill Peter Parker in his third appearance and to have his resurrection feel emotional. 

        So with all that being said, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 gets a 2 out of 5.