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I know I might get hate for this but I'm willing to take the burden of disapproval because I’m a sucker for a good movie or from my perspective what I feel is a good movie. My unpopular opinion is my love for Suicide Squad (2016), the less than merry band of "misfits" villains are thrust together and forced to carry out a mission for the government in exchange for less time on their prison sentences which makes no difference as they are only doing it cause they're under duress and as with most movies of this sort there's deception, resistance and eventually redemption for the villains.
The movie opens up at a black site Belle Reve correctional facility, introducing us to "the worst of the worst" as quoted by Amanda Waller played by the beautiful Viola Davis from a top secret binder to what I suppose are the security chiefs of the United States. It's worth noting that the movie takes place after the death of Superman in Batman v. Superman but before his resurrection in Justice League, a time period when the world needed a hero.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Task Force X better know as Suicide Squad (Named by Deadshot in the movie) was created as a means to supplement the loss of Superman, but as usual, things never go as planned. The movie is filled with the creme de la creme of Hollywood with the worst of the worst being Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot play by Will Smith, Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, resident pyrokinetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and several others including the biggest Mistake of the group Dr. June Moore and her more powerful and dangerous alter ego Enchantress played by the ever-lovely Cara Delevigne. The Enchantress is a mistake in the sense that Dr. Moon breaks the cardinal rules of don't enter the mysterious dark cave, if you do, don't touch, open or break anything. Not like we were surprised, but thinking you could trust or control the supernatural being that has been around before the thought of your inception is just ludicrous, but enough of what we all know; let's get to my love for this movie.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
Besides some obvious reasons (The Joker, we’ll talk about him later) the movie holds a large appeal to me, It's a reiteration of the lack of absolutes in human nature which is a big part of the appeal as we see the redemption of the villains showing that even those who have committed the most atrocious acts can still be redeemed. There's a little good in the bad and a little bad in the good, seeing as Amanda Waller is the Big Bad Wolf of the movie as she takes on the role as the proverbial "Hand of God" meting out her definition of justice as the one looking out for the “greater good” of the nation. Amanda Waller is the "good guy" but she's more vicious than all the villains put together since she's willing to cross any line for what she thinks is right. The introduction of the titular Squad was one of my favorite parts of the movie, the little comic quips added to their introduction from the teasing of Deadshot's weapons training to the ones about Enchantress' Incubus brother being "locked in a jar" along with Amanda Waller's joke about putting the villains in a hole and throwing away the hole, all these come together to give a comic introduction.
The cameo appearances also give the movie flair from Batman to The Flash; although Ben Affleck isn't my favorite Batman, I still appreciated the appearance. The one cameo I can't get over is Ezra Miller as The Flash; it annoyed me to no end. The problem isn't who played The Flash but the speed and timing of his run and maybe it's just my perception but I vastly prefer Grant Gustin's Flash to that of Ezra Miller. The speed, costume, and overall vibe of the character is better in the television series. Ezra Miller's Flash’s existence has irked me since its inception which was this cameo in Suicide Squad further proving my point when the Justice League movie was released but that's a story for another day.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
So for The Joker (aka my Obsession) due to my avid interest in the character, I thoroughly enjoyed Jared Leto's performance as The Clown himself from the smile tattooed on his hand in place of what used to be Heath Ledger's garish makeup, prosthetic scar and smile; to the silver capped teeth and his obsession and somewhat denial of what can only be described as "love" for Harley Quinn. My favorite scene being the one depicting him lying in a circle of weapons laughing maniacally after he discovers Harley's location in the movie. In all this, the movie has amazing quotes of which the best is Harley's " I should kill everyone and escape" quote referencing her talking to the voices in her head about murdering the soldiers and escaping Waller's hold.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
As I round up my reasons for loving this movie, my favorite subplot is the redemption of El Diablo who sacrifices himself to save everyone which atones for his sins of killing his wife and kids in his rage. This display of selflessness is a reminder that no matter how bad people are, they are redeemable, it’s the balance of life, the good in the bad and the bad in the good further solidifying the lack of absolutes.
With all that went on in the movie, the ending was a welcomed twist leaving it open for a sequel that I expected them to explore seeing as The Joker breaks Harley out of Belle Reeves but unfortunately DC, Zack Synder, and the rest of the Motley Crew decided to leave me hanging. I still hope they explore that storyline but don't know how possible it is with the new storylines. We'll just have to watch and see.
For more Suicide Squad, check out Brendan Jone's article! For more DC villains, check out John Campbell's article!