By Abir Khan and Ana Bicolli
Graphic Designer and Creative Editor
Graphic by Trinity Powell

Suicide Squad. The movie DC fans and moviegoers alike had been waiting for forever since the initial trailer from Comic-Con San Diego was leaked in 2015. To many, it seemed that the movie, which focused on the bad guys for once, would be a step in the right direction for the DCEU universe, along with “Batman v Superman.” However, after its release, the movie has been getting mixed reviews, receiving an abysmal 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. For those that are unfamiliar with DC universe, it is home to those superheroes and supervillians everyone knows and loves: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, and many more. When looking at its style, DC is seen as having dark and gritty stories, as well as characters who tend to lack relatability.

So when the leaked trailer was out, people were excited. They got their first look at the Squad, which included Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Katana, El Diablo, Killer Croc, Enchantress, Captain Boomerang and the Joker (who isn’t actually part of the squad). But first, here’s some background on the Suicide Squad. Formally known as Task Force X, it’s a group of super villains that Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis) establishes to take care of high risk missions that superheroes can’t. The whole idea of bad guys being in the spotlight has, for some reason, always been of interest. Audiences have always been intrigued by the story of the villain (“Orange Is the New Black” and “Breaking Bad” are just a few of the many antagonist’s-view based shows), so it was no surprise when Suicide Squad made its name in top movies to see this summer. People were just excited to see DC’s bad guys, especially the most iconic villain of all time, the Joker, all in a movie together.

So did Suicide Squad fulfill its expectations?
Short answer: Yes and no.

First things first, the film had too much on its plate. Including all the Squad members plus Amanda Waller and the Joker, there were ten characters in this movie that were introduced and expected to be fully understood, all with solid backstories that would bring light to these new characters, all in a mere two hours. Speaking of the Joker, there wasn’t much of him in the movie, something people didn’t expect after all three Suicide Squad trailers gave the impression he played a major role in the movie. In the final cut, the Joker (played by Jared Leto) only gets about 20 minutes in the movie. Why don’t the moods of the trailers match? Why does the movie feel so jumbled up? It all stems from the hurried production of the film, which included problems such as the director David Ayer having to come up with a script in six weeks, multiple editors being used over the course of filmmaking, and Warner Bros. deciding to reshoot much of the movie. In the end, what people saw in theatres was not Ayer’s original cut, but rather an oddly pieced together Warner Bros. plus Ayer’s cut, which gave the movie its choppiness.

Cases of studios hitting heads with directors during movie projects are seen all throughout film history, with movies like “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” that became a campy and comical film, despite the first two films of its series offering a serious look into the superhero’s life, and in “Batman and Robin,” a movie whose main actor, George Clooney, regrets acting in. Despite the multiple editors that worked through this movie and the lack of focus it has, the cast of actors themselves all performed their characters as perfectly as the script would let them, with the best being Margot Robbie, who plays Harley Quinn; Will Smith, who plays Deadshot, and Viola Davis, who plays Amanda Waller. The real weakness of this movie is in the mission that it gives the Suicide Squad, as it deviates attention from the characters, and puts it on this big villain who is creating an army in Midway City for the same reason as the next villain, world domination. The scenes where the Suicide Squad are seen communicating with each other are what makes this movie, but as soon as they are taken out of the confinements of Belle Reve Prison and forced to follow Waller’s command, the film lacks interest and suspense.

If you’re a fan of the DC movies and the Marvel movies, definitely watch this movie. The actors bring a new twist on the Squad that is worth seeing, and the movie is not like other DC films that are so dark and layered. While “Suicide Squad” is jumbled and really edited, the bond that you see with the Suicide Squad team in the movie make up for some, but not all, of its faults. We give “Suicide Squad” a 2.5 stars.

Update: Due to a factual mistake, “Gotham” has been replaced with “Midway City.” Metea Media apologizes for the error.