Suicide Squad

Hi Everyone,

So we just saw Suicide Squad. Now I don't know what the hell movie 99% of reviewers saw, but we LOVED what we watched! I was honestly prepared for another BvS, but was thankfully surprised.

Now I might cop some hate for this (meh, so be it) but I'm a big fan of the Amanda Conner, New 52 Harley Quinn comics. It's my guilty little pleasure comic that never fails to make me giggle. That said, I also enjoy the classic Harley comics and of course her representation in Batman The Animated Series. I am also a reader of Suicide Squad and New Suicide Squad and I love the path she's taken throughout the series. I think she's cheeky, brash, rough around the edges, but also loving and fiercely loyal. I think that really was captured well by the writers, director and of course Margot Robbie.

 

There were always going to be people who hated it because it's not a cinematic masterpiece. But no shit, what did you expect here? It's the f-ing Suicide Squad! If you've ever read a Suicide Squad comic, it IS chaotic and disjointed. That's the whole point. So whether it was deliberately put together that way by David Ayer, or it's just a happy coincidence, we thought that was perfect Comic to Screen.

Ok, now into actual spoiler territory. So if you haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled. blah blah blah, you know the rest. THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING:

So many little fan service or comic references in this film that made us smile. I was so happy with Harley. A lot of people aren't but I'm just so pleased. People are also ripping on Leto's Joker, but really, the only thing I can fault is that I'm still not a fan of the grill. I can look past the tattoos, but those teeth. Blergh! I thought the relationship was great between Harley and Mr. J and that the flashbacks and origin story were so well done. The Harley/Batman kiss made me smile in particular. But oh wow! Did anyone else see in the flashback the blatant reference to the Alex Ross cover of Harley Quinn? You know the one...
Yeah, this one. If I wasn't in a cinema with other people I think I would've let out a little squee. Whoever thought of putting in that little few seconds of footage of Leto and Robbie dressed EXACTLY as this cover, bravo, standing ovation, two thumbs up....yeah you get what I'm saying.

Now I need a moment to talk about Boomer. He's been well represented (Assault on Arkham) and poorly represented (Arrow. Seriously WTF with that interpretation. No! Bad Berlanti-verse!) and this was thankfully in the well done category. Jai Courtenay did an awesome job playing Captain Boomerang. I just wish he had more screen time. I really like the variety of boomerangs he had. It wasn't just the boring old sharpened boomerangs.

Ok, this is getting to be a super long post so I'll just quickly go over the rest of my points.

Croc was awesome, got heaps to do in the film, but more dialogue would have been nice. And yes, Croc, you are beautiful! I thought Katana was wonderful and we wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't get a standalone movie out of this. Rick Flag ultimately gaining unspoken respect for Deadshot was well executed on screen. Enchantress was alright, but her brother wasn't totally necessary for the plot except to supply her with energy and well, to be a way for El Diablo to bite the dust/be redeemed in some way. That bar scene...seeing the characters react the way they did to Diablo's failings was very interesting and great viewing. I loved Boomer's saddened/disgusted, Deadshot not knowing what to say, and Harley's outrage. It really showed a lot about the true values for them. Oh, which reminds me... CONSPIRACY THEORY TIME!!!

I found an article/review online that also supported this theory of mine, so... in the "joker lying on the ground surrounded by guns" scene, there's baby clothes in that flat lay. It looks odd yes? like, odd even for the Joker, odd. Harley was also MEGA pissed at Diablo for even thinking he could have a normal life and have kids without them being hurt/killed. THEN in her "fantasy sequence" we see her and Mr J all happy families with twin babies. SO.........was Harley pregnant at some stage and lost her babies? Is this something we'll see fleshed out in future movies? Any Harley fan will tell you that in the Injustice universe, Harley has a daughter called Lucy that the Joker doesn't know about so maybe the writers used that as a jumping off point? Clearly all speculation.

can't half tell that I'm super pumped after seeing this movie... sorry for all the ramblings.

I'll finish this on one last notable mention.
Amanda Fucking Waller.
Viola Davis IS Amanda Waller. No shit. She is amazing and just so perfectly written it was like the comic came to life. She's ruthless and brutal and strong and takes no shit from anyone. So perfect. I need a sequel just for more Waller. And that after credits scene was perfectly ripped from the final scenes in Assault on Arkham and I couldn't be happier. She's such a badass.

So, I'm all done now. What did you all think about it? Comment, Subscribe, let us know you're out there.
Until next time...

Love ya Puddins!

Jamie :)

SUICIDE SQUAD Trailer 3 "Blitz"

 

 

Ok. This is me right now.

So after a somewhat disappointing Bats vs Supes, I have been worried about Suicide Squad. I am a massive fan of Suicide Squad and of Harley Quinn (yes, even the New 52 Harley, haters. I love her) so I have been scared that the source material wouldn't be honoured. After this trailer, I'm putting most of my concerns to rest.

WOW.
So if you haven't watched it, here's clip, courtesy of the Warner Bros. UK YouTube



I'll leave my ranting and raving about Harley Quinn until last, as that will be a bit of a spiel.
Let's talk about the construction of the trailer. The editors of this and the last trailer (you know, the Bohemian Rhapsody one) are masterful. Ballroom Blitz and You Don't Own Me? Hell yeah, great choices. They've managed to piece together enough action without giving away all the good bits. There's enough character that the general 'movie going public' (i.e. not geeks) will get an idea of the motley crew without us knowing what the entire plot is. Unlike the last DC movies' marketing...sigh.

So, for the geeks in the world, what do we know from this, and previous trailers:

• We get a Harley Quinn origin story (*squee*)
• Joker is NOT part of the squad
• Joker and Harley are probably not on the best of terms at the moment
• This is the squad's first mission

What we don't know:

• How is Bats involved? Flashbacks only? Helping out the Squad?
• How far along Harley's timeline (comics wise) this is
• Which Katana mythology they have gone with. Is her power derived from the spirit of her dead husband that is possessing her sword?
• Enchantress's story
• Captain Boomerang. Has he had run-ins with the Flash? Is he part of the Rogues yet?
• We still know shit about Slipknot (potential cannon fodder?)
• Will there be the appropriate amount of fan service in this flick? Not just the odd Ferris Air sign or LexCorp logo.

This is a never ending list really.

Characters - What We Love So Far

Killer Croc
The initial "leaked" photos of the croc make up made Mat and I look nervously at each other and think that this might be a very bad choice. I'm happy to report that now, after seeing 3 trailers, that the look of Croc is on point!!!
We are also big fans of Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Seriously, if you haven't seen the TV show "Oz", do yourself a favour and binge watch that shit. He's AMAZING.


Rick Flagg
Finally, in the 3rd trailer, we got to see some Rick Flagg action.
How the hell was it so hard to cast this role? I mean, he's an awesome character, and a crucial part of the Suicide Squad story. I'm hoping the script is true to character for him (and everyone else obviously), but with so many people who reportedly turned down the role as they didn't like the character's arc...
I'm still hopeful.
He kicked ass in this trailer.





Amanda Waller
Nobody screws the Wall
Arguably the toughest bitch in the DCU, we were both SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad that the casting rumours about Oprah taking on Waller turned out to be false. In the trailers she looks like the hard ass she really is.
Viola Davis should crush it as Amanda Waller and I hope the filmmakers being the magic of the comic and animated DC Waller to the big screen. This character deserves the proper treatment.

Captain Boomerang
Oh Digger, you're so awesome.
It might be my Aussie Pride talking, but I'm so glad Boomer is in this movie. Such a great character. See "Batman: Assualt on Arkham" the animated movie to get a little taste of the humour. Seeing the 'beer cracking' moment in trailer 2 was one of the highlights for me so far. I think I actually snort laughed. I love his little flirtations with Harley and Katana too. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Deadshot
He's such a badass. Ok, I'm not a massive fan of the casting here. Not that I hate Will Smith. I think he's awesome. Do I think he's Deadshot though? Nope. Was I convinced by what I've seen in the trailers that he could be Deadshot? Nope. Now, Mat is a little more pro-Will than I am. And I do see his point but I just can't get past the perfect depiction in Assault on Arkham. I've been spoiled by the high quality of Warner Brothers Animation.
Mat thinks that Will Smith is always cast as Will Smith. That's the character he plays. If he was to play Deadshot as a sarcastic version of his character in "I Am Legend", that would be pretty spot on. I was wrong about Batfleck, so maybe I'll be wrong here too and he'll do an awesome job. I hope so.

Enchantress, El Diablo, Slipknot
I know of Enchantress from Justice League Dark, and El Diablo from the New 52 Suicide Squad, but I haven't read anything with Slipknot so I really can't judge him.
Enchantress and El Diablo look freakin awesome. The effects look believable, thank god, and they look very true to character. I feel like I just don't know enough about them to really give an opinion.

Harley Quinn
Ok, brace yourselves. This is my girl, so this might get a bit crazy. Go get a cup of tea. I'll wait.

You good? Ok let's get into it.
I was honestly worried when I saw the first trailer. The accent wasn't Harley, she had a new style, hmmm, I didn't know. But now...my god, Margot looks like she's doing an AMAZING job as Harley. The scripting and delivery of the lines are spot on. I'm fully expecting to see the transition of Harley from Harleen to Harley Quinn with the Joker to Harley Quinn no longer needing the Joker. How they'll achieve that, well, that remains to be seen.
Ever since the movie was announced and we knew that the Joker was going to be a part of the film in more than just an 'origin story' capacity, I've hoped that they are going to tell the Joker/Harley story from New 52 Suicide Squad #15, part of the Death Of The Family arc. It is beyond question, my favourite issue of Suicide Squad. To see those scenes done well in live action would blow people's minds. Including my own.

THIS! This would be EPIC!

A little bit of guilty fan service, but I would be so SO happy if they included Bud and Lou. For those unfamiliar, those are Harley's pet Hyenas. That's right, you heard me. Pet Hyenas.
Damn she loves those puppies.
In Suicide Squad #15, she's forced to kill her "babies" as the Joker has transformed them into rabid beasts.
It becomes just another reason she wants to kill her once beloved "puddin".

It's an amazing, action packed sequence that really makes you feel for Harley and the continued torture she endures from Joker.

Plus, I just really want to see Harley and Joker kicking the snot out of each other.


I am SO looking forward to this movie and I hope it doesn't disappoint. I also hope there are no further trailers. This is enough to get the fanboys/fangirls, as well as the general public, chomping at the bit. Nom Nom Nom.



Until next time,

YAHTZEE!!!

Jamie :)