Question: What do you get when you take a group of three males and three females ranging in age from 45 through 18 to see Suicide Squad?
Answer: A great night for most!
I went to the opening of Suicide Squad with my older sister Jodi, my younger brother Keith (32), my nephews Nick (20) and Dan (18), and Dan’s friend Rachel (18). Out of all of us, Nick was the one who was looking forward to seeing it the most. I, on the other hand, didn’t have high hopes for the movie after unintentionally seeing a headline that labeled the movie as “disappointing.” I’m pretty sure the only reason Jodi joined us was because she rarely gets the chance to go to the movies with her sons anymore.
The “Suicide Squad” is a group of criminals who’s been incarcerated, each member left to waste away in solitary confinement. They are considered to be “the worst of the worst.” Will Smith plays Deadshot, a paid assassin with the most exquisite precision. Margot Robbie plays Harley Quinn, the object of the Joker’s (Jared Leto) affections. Diablo, played by Jay Hernandez, is a tattooed man with a fiery temper, and Killer Croc, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, is ugly both on the inside and outside. Then there’s Boomerang, played by Jai Courtney, who’s an expert thief who doesn’t like to share.
This group of degenerates is released from their cells under the order of Viola Davis’ character Amanda Waller, who’s some big shot who deals with high-ranking military officials. She figures these criminals may be the country’s only hope of taking down the Enchantress, a former goddess who’s camping out in Cara Delevingne’s character June. Joel Kinnaman plays Rick Flag, the military’s greatest asset. Flag, who just so happens to be in love with June, is placed in charge of making sure the Suicide Squad sticks to their mission of getting rid of the evil spirit that has taken up residence in his girlfriend. The Suicide Squad are considered to be expendables, and their only motivation to help on this deadly mission, is the promise of reduced sentences.
The plot, of course, sounds borderline ridiculous, but it was entertaining, and with incredible makeup, humor, and lots of action sequences, most of us agreed that it was well worth our trip to the theater. All six of us thought that Jared Leto’s performance as the Joker was exceptional, and that Margot Robbie stole the show with her quirkiness and fearlessness. We unanimously agreed that Will Smith gave the movie a certain sense of credibility because his character, while indeed a criminal, possessed traits that made it easy for viewers to connect with him.
The younger half of our group had nothing but rave reviews. Nick said, “I really liked the movie. It was funny, especially the quick one-liners. They left it open for a sequel. I thought Will Smith was really good in it. Hopefully they make another one!” Dan said, “It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I thought Will Smith was great, and I liked how they left it open for a possible sequel. Can’t wait to see the second one!” Rachel commented, “I thought it was really good! I liked how they showed the back stories of the different characters. I would recommend it.”
The older half of our group wasn’t necessarily as enthusiastic as the younger half. Keith shared his relatively ambivalent assessment, “Good graphics, good job by the director, acting was good, some funny parts throughout. Will Smith definitely helped make the movie. Suicide Squad seemed similar to The Avengers, but just with different characters who had to save the world.”
Jodi and I, who are both in our 40s, agreed that maybe it was an age thing, but there were a few parts here and there that we thought needed clarification. Jodi said, “I loved the soundtrack, which was the best part of the movie. Jared Leto and Margot Robbie were excellent. It had very cool visual effects, but the movie wasn’t my cup of tea. There were too many plots going on, and I had a difficult time understanding what was happening in the movie. I thought it was very confusing, and I would wait for it to come out on cable.” Even though, like Jodi, I had some lingering questions after the movie ended, overall I still enjoyed it. If it ever is made into a sequel, I may even go see it.
Movie times: click here
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy
Directors: David Ayer
Actors: Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
