Hey! Hallie here!
This morning ‘The Suicide Squad’ trailer dropped and it would be an understatement to say that many people are looking forward to it. James Gunn has been very successful with his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies, and his work there has proven him to be one of the best choices to tackle this franchise. Especially after the first ‘Suicide Squad’ fell flat in several very important ways. This movie has thus far promised an excellent cast, a much stronger role for Harley Quinn, and a fun premise. And with an R rating it’s sure to include all the fun gore and jokes the first movie could only dream of including. But I’m still concerned about it. There are several questions that I have about this release and, even though I can’t imagine it could fall apart in the way the first movie did, I can see how some things could go wrong. So here’s what I liked and what I’m cautious about.
What I Liked:
Harley Quinn: The first ‘Suicide Squad’ oversexualized Harley every chance it got. From her introduction showing her playfully seducing the guards protecting her cell, to the carefully ripped crop top and what could only be described as underwear that she wore for most of the movie, to the multiple comments male characters made about her appearance. Harley did get her moments to kick ass and show off her amazing personality, but there were certainly some frustrating things that could only be remedied once the superior ‘Birds of Prey’ was released. Not only that, but her relationship with Joker was portrayed so poorly it was offensive. Her character revolved around the Joker given the jacket, collar, and tattoos that declared his ownership of her. Her motivation towards the end of the movie was also a mix between thinking he died and having a dream about living a domestic life with him. All of this failed to mention that he was extremely toxic and their relationship was mostly abusive. This new film doesn’t have any of this at all. For one, no Joker and no clothing that declares his ownership of Harley. For another, outfits that suit Harley without oversexualizing her! She wears a gorgeous dress for one of her fight scenes that flows with every movement, and we see a full, functional superhero outfit complete with goggles in another scene. We also get to see some of the characters set to lead the Suicide Squad attempt to go save Harley, only for them to meet up with Harley outside of the location having already handled the situation herself. She’s very touched they tried to rescue her, though. She’s funny, witty, and even seems to be standing alongside the leaders rather than the criminals. I can’t wait to see her kick ass here.
Bloodsport- Played by the amazing Idris Elba, Bloodsport was introduced to us in this trailer. I don’t know much about the character, but I do know I already love Idris Elba in this role. His sarcasm and apparent exasperation play against the chaos happening around him very well. He’s also clearly a better leader than Rick Flag was in the first movie. He’s intimidating and he clearly knows what he’s doing. It doesn’t feel like some random guy was just thrown into a leadership position in front of a bunch of deadly criminals. Bloodsport has earned his position and those who dare cross him should be pitied. But with a few cute scenes with Ratcatcher 2, it seems he’s somewhat of a softie behind it all.
The Humor: From this first trailer you can already tell how well the dialogue flows between the characters. The banter is fun and funny without feeling too awkward (most of the time). But some of the best humor comes from the other characters they introduce for this movie. There’s Polka-Dot Man who is exhausted to the point of hoping for his own death. With that ridiculous outfit, who can blame him? But there’s also plenty of other situations you see him in, such as partying in a night club, that promises a fully dynamic, funny character. There’s also King Shark who isn’t too bright, but is endearing despite the vicious way in which he kills people. And finally we get to see Starro, a bizarre starfish villain that fought the Justice League in the comics. Only James Gunn would be able to find a way to bring this character into the DCEU.
Other Characters: Most of the characters in this trailer didn’t get enough screen time, but I’m still very excited for them. Ratcatcher 2 seems like an adorable badass and having more female representation, such as her and SolSoria, is a welcome sight. As someone who enjoys Peter Capaldi’s acting, I’m excited to see him as the Thinker. and I did enjoy Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang in the first ‘Suicide Squad’, so I’m pleased to see his return. I am also pleased to see Viola Davis return as the perfect Amanda Waller. This movie has an incredible cast that all look like they’re having a blast, even just in the trailer.
What I Don’t Like:
The Amount of Characters: There’s too many characters in this movie. There’s no way this movie could do justice to them all, even if it was four hours long. Many people are pointing out that the amount of characters likely means we’ll see many deaths, but there isn’t a way to make the audience care about all of these deaths with the sheer amount of characters in this film. It’s hardly new news that movies that focus on a multitude of characters always suffer. Some Marvel movies have avoided this by giving characters singular movies before a group movie so the audience knows about most of the characters already. But Harley Quinn is the only character who was given this treatment. I will say that ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ managed to balance its cast well. But that movie was focused on five main characters in total, and one of them only says ‘I am Groot’ for the entire movie. ‘The Suicide Squad’ has way more than five major characters in the trailer alone. Some of these characters are going to be pushed to the background and that could be damaging.
Rick Flag: Sorry Joel Kinnaman, but I don’t like Rick Flag. He was completely unnecessary in the first movie and his morals changed from scene-to-scene. One scene he shamed Deadshot for being a serial killer, the next he watched Amanda Waller kill a roomful of people in cold blood and supported her decision. I expect him to be written better in this movie, but I still don’t see why he’s needed. He feels like a wet blanket amongst an otherwise colorful cast of characters.
The Dick Joke: I’m not sure I’m completely sold on Peacemaker in general, though he’s a much more fitting moral compass for the team than Rick Flag. But the dick joke in the trailer went for far too long. The banter was awkward and it was clear it was just there to be an R rated joke. It made Peacemaker seem annoying. I hope it flows better in the movie.
Is This a Sequel?: This is less a dislike and more an aspect I’m cautious about. This trailer seemed to echo scenes from the first movie but still makes it abundantly clear it will be nothing like it at the same time. So is this basically a reboot? Or is the first movie still cannon? This trailer, plus the naming being ‘The Suicide Squad’ rather than putting a 2 anywhere or making the title clearly different from the first movie, makes it seem like this is a reboot. Which I support, but they have to be careful with this decision. The DCEU is already scatterbrained as it is and redoing everything they’ve done so far may only lead to more confusion.
So those were my thoughts! I enjoyed the trailer, and I like it more every time I watch it, but I’m still skeptical. I’m not sure how they’ll be able to pull this off, especially with such a big cast. But this trailer did make me more interested in ‘The Suicide Squad’! I suppose we’ll have to see what they were really able to do with all these characters when it comes out later this year.
Don’t do anything fun until I get back!
Hallie
Oreos & Peanut Butter 