Tag: Harley Quinn

REVIEW: The Suicide Squad (2021)

David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Idris Elba, and Daniela Mechior in THE SUICIDE SQUAD — Photo: Jessica Miglio / Warner Bros.

Directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) — Screenplay by James Gunn.

Over the years, I have certainly not tried to hide the fact that I think 2016’s Suicide Squad, which was directed by David Ayer (though he has repeatedly made it clear that the film was essentially taken away from him as a result of studio interference), is, to put it mildly, one of my least favorite films ever made in the superhero genre. That 2016 film certainly reeked of studio interference, it was an almost incoherent mess, it was needlessly grimy and at times quite ugly, it used a decent soundtrack as a crutch and in a way that became incredibly tiring, all the while failing to get you to care about the characters or the relationships they were building. There were some decent things about it, but, on the whole, it felt like someone had tried to turn Ayer’s vision into a shameless imitation of James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and that just didn’t work for the film that Ayer had envisioned.

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REVIEW: Birds of Prey (2020)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) — Directed by Cathy Yan.

In 2016, David Ayer’s messy and displeasing Suicide Squad embiggened the then fairly new cinematic universe from DC Films and Warner Bros. Pictures. Although it somehow won itself an Academy Award, the film was rightfully panned by critics, including me. I often think back on that film as being one of the absolute worst superhero films of the last decade. Therefore, at first glance, a spin-off from Suicide Squad, which is exactly what Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey is, shouldn’t appeal to me at all. However, this film promised to not just focus on the most entertaining character from Ayer’s film, it also promised a more colorful, more fun, and more feminine approach to a cinematic universe that could benefit from some levity and brightness. Thankfully, although I have some issues with her film, Cathy Yan has successfully brought the film’s characters to life in an entertaining way. Continue reading “REVIEW: Birds of Prey (2020)” →

REVIEW: Suicide Squad (2016)

Theatrical Release Poster - Warner Bros. Pictures
Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of David Ayer’s Suicide Squad.

The DC Cinematic Universe needs a hit right now. Man of Steel was polarizing. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was critically panned and it needed an extended cut to fix some of its many problems. Now, Warner Bros. and DC have released a film about bad guys teaming up to do ‘good.’ It may be a bit of a risk, but they are going for a Guardians of the Galaxy-like surprise hit. Unfortunately, Suicide Squad doesn’t hold a candle to the aforementioned Marvel Studios hit. David Ayer’s film is an almost incoherent mess of a film.
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Will Suicide Squad Be A Success? – Detective Comics Saturday #6

DC Saturday - Rebirth

Suicide Squad is the next film in the DC Cinematic Universe, and even though the superhero genre is the most popular genre in this century so far, DC/WB have had some trouble in kickstarting their cinematic universe. Man of Steel was polarizing, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was critically panned, but what about Suicide Squad? It will be the first DC Cinematic Universe film without Kal-El (you assume), does that then mean it’ll work? Will Suicide Squad be a success?  Continue reading “Will Suicide Squad Be A Success? – Detective Comics Saturday #6” →

Suicide Squad – Comic Con First Look Trailer Review/Reaction

Suicide Squad is one of the most intriguing cinematic comic book-based projects out there, due to the involvement of the Joker and Harley Quinn – as well as the star power of Will Smith, Jared Leto, and Margot Robbie. Today the Comic Con trailer was released officially, so let’s look at what David Ayer & Co. have come up with. Continue reading “Suicide Squad – Comic Con First Look Trailer Review/Reaction” →