Suicide Squad Retrospective Review

Suicide Squad is the next movie in our journey through the DCEU. This movie added some memorable characters to the DC Extended Universe, such as Will Smith's Deadshot and Robbie Margot's Harley Quinn, not to mention introducing us to this universe's version of the joke played by Jared Leto. So let's look back at this movie and see what we can dig out of it.

Transcript

 

Welcome to Nerd Heaven.

I’m Adam David Collings, the author of Jewel of The Stars, and I am a nerd.

 

This is episode 30 of the podcast. Today we continue our look at the DC extended Universe with Suicide Squad.

 

The description on IMDB reads

A secret government agency recruits some of the most dangerous incarcerated super-villains to form a defensive task force. Their first mission: save the world from the apocalypse.

 

This movie was written and directed by David Ayer.

It first released on the 3rd of August 2016

I kinda like the aesthetic of bright neon colours over the titles and the  studio logos

Will Smith is great as deadshot. He gives a more serious dramatic performance than I think I’ve seen from him in anything else. And yet he still blends his signature humour into his character. It’s a balance that I really like.

 

Harley Quinn is terrifying. I love the scene that introduces her. She’s hanging from a ribbon like a gymnast. The fact that these big grown men are so terrified of this young girl that they have to keep her in a cage and shock her before they’ll go inside speaks volumes.

 

And then we meet Amanda Waller. In her voiceover, she explains that the world changed when Superman appeared. And then it changed again when he didn’t. We get more footage of Superman’s funeral.

That’s why I’m here, she says.

 

The death of Superman has left a big void. Earth has been attacked twice by alien beings. First Zod and his crew, and then Doomsday. Now, with Superman dead, who’s going to protect Earth next time it happens?

Waller thinks she has the answer. 

The problem with a metahuman is the human part. We got lucky with Superman. He shared our values. The next might not.

The film now has to introduce a bunch of characters and explain their origins. It’s a lot to ask in such a short space of time, but I think it does a great job.

Deadshot’s daughter really humanises him. The fascinating thing is, this girl’s dad is an assassin for hire, and he’s the good parent! The mother is a real deadbeat.

And you can tell straight away that he really loves his daughter. 

And then we get our first Batman cameo. I love it! So good to get more Batfleck, especially given that this would end up being his second last appearance.

In the end, it’s deadshot’s humanity, for the sake of his daughter, that leads to his capture. IF she wasn’t there, Deadshot would be free and Batman would be dead.

The story of the transformation of Dr Quinzel into Harley Quinn is terrifying. And we meet Jared Leto’s Joker for the first time.

This is a controversial opinion, but I like Leto’s Joker.

The thing these early DC movies did really well was take classic characters, who had been portrayed very very successfully in previous movies, and presented them in a very different way.

Heath Ledger’s Joker was amazing. The man won a posthumous oscar for that performance. There was no topping that. So instead, they created a version of the Joker that looks very different, and acts different. The tattoos were unconventional but they made sense. Some felt the word “damaged” tattooed on the joker’s forehead was overkill, but David Ayer had some cool backstory behind that. The teeth too. It’s a pity none of that stuff made it into the movie.

Then we get our second Batman appearance.

He’s chasing the Joker and Harley through the streets of Gotham.

It’s nice to see the Batmobile from Batman V Superman again. Ilove it when Harley says “Stupid Bats, you’re ruining date night.

Sorry, I’m gushing over the Joker when I should be talking about Harley.

Waller says that Harley is even crazier than the Joker, and I think she might be right.

The joker re-made her in his own image.

Batman got Harley but the Joker got away, just like the song says. He kinda left her to drown.

Next, Waller introduces Captain Boomerang Digger Harkness.

First of all, Amanda, it’s Aussie not aussie. Hard S sound. Gotta get it right.

Digger is an interesting name for this character. Digger is a slang term used for an Australian soldier. Especially a veteran of world war 1, but really any member of the Australian armed forces. It’s a title that carries a lot of affection but also a great deal of respect.

Anyway, we get our final cameo from a Justice League member as we see Ezra Miller as The Flash captures him.

This was nice. We got to see a long-haired Barry Allen in a shop surveillance video, and a weird bearded Flash from the future, in the last movie, but we never really saw The Flash in his true form. This time we see him in his costume for the first time. It was only a few seconds, but it was very welcome.

El Diablo is a fascinating character. Next to deadshot, he’s one of my favourites. His story is truly tragic, but all we get in this little introduction is that he has the ability to create first, and he surrendered to the police.

Next is Killer Croc. I Wasn’t happy with his portrayal in this movie at all.

Have you ever played Batman Arkham Asylum? I have. Killer Croc, in that game, is freaking terrifying. One of the few times I’ve been truly afraid playing a game is when I Was sneaking through Killer Croc’s lair. That’s the type of Killer Croc I wanted.

Instead, this movie made him the comic relief. I wasn’t happy with that at all.

Now I’ll admit, I’m not super familiar with the character. In fact, that video game is really my only previous exposure to the character, so what do I know? All I know is this wasn’t the version I wanted to see.

The movie doesn’t spend any time trying to explain how this reptilian-looking man came to be. It only says that evolution took a backward step with him.

But then Waller says He looked like a monster, so they treated him like a monster, and he became a monster. I like that line. That’s a line we should all ruminate on for a bit, and think about how we treat people.

Finally we get an introduction to Enchantress. What I like is that she starts off as just another of the gang, but is later revealed to be the villain of the movie.

Of course, the interesting thing about her character is that she is two people. Kind of a jekyll and hyde character. The ancient witch inhabits Dr. June Moone.

Enchantress is fascinating. An extra-dimensional entity. She shares Moone’s body and can be summoned when necessary. I want to know more about her, a lot more, but this movie doesn’t take the time to explore this character in any depth, and that’s a shame.

Yes, it’s really hard to give sufficient time to any one character when you have such a large cast, but this is the villain of the movie. The little bit of set-up they give us for her is compelling, but it’s not enough.

So this is Waller’s plan. We’re fresh out of heroes, so we’re gonna use these villains. “But they’re bad guys,” the man she’s talking to says.

“Exactly. They’re expendable.” Who better to send in as canon fodder when the monsters attack?”

And that’s what makes the suice squad, as a concept, really work for me.

 

At this point, it’s clear that DC are doing something quite different than Marvel with their cinematic universe. Marvel movies tell individual stories with characters, and then have them come together once in a while. Very slowly, over time, a long-term narrative began to unfold, but there were a lot of individual stories going on as well.

 

DC’s approach was different. They’re just trying to tell one long story. Each movie is just another chapter in that story. They’re not trying to set up multiple parallel franchises, like Marvel. They’re just telling a story.

First, we introduced the world to Superman, and aliens.

Then We saw Superman die, thanks to Lex Luther’s manipulations.

This movie examines the idea of a world without Superman.

Just as we realised how much we needed him, he’s gone. This movie explores what people do to try to fill that void.

It’s almost a pause. We’re gonna slow down the story for a bit and take this little detour, to let you sit with the fact that Superman is dead for a while.

And that’s important. I’m so glad they didn’t resurrect Superman immediately at the end of Batman V Superman. We needed to sit here and really appreciate the hole he’s left behind. To that end, this movie is very important.

 

The men are not convinced that Waller can control these freaks, but she says “convincing people to act against their own self interests for the national security of the united state of America is what I do for a living.”

And let’s face it, she’s good at her job.

Viola Davis does a wonderful job of portraying Waller in this movie. I really like her performance. Best version of the character I’ve seen on screen.

 

We round out the team with Col Rick Flag, the good guy soldier who is supposed to keep the others all in line.

The twist is, he’s in love with Dr. Moone.

Waller set him up to fall in love with her.

Waller controls Moone with the heart, and Moone controls Flag.

We begin to see here how Waller is a manipulator who uses people and cares little for them as people. All humans are just tools.

She’s not so different than Lex Luthor, although she may be even better at it than him.

 

Waller makes the point that the Americans are not the only ones kicking up rocks looking for metahumans. The next war will be fought with them.

 

The way Enchantress’s fingers appear and curl around Moon’s hand is super creepy.

But it’s clear that becoming Enchantress takes a huge toll on Moone. She’s not sure she can keep doing it.

When Waller comes to see her new team, Harle asks her, “are you the Devil?” That’s a very interesting question.

 

We get a little more understanding of El Diablo. He’s not willing to use his powers. He says “I’m a man, not a weapon. I want to die in peace before I ever raise my fists again.”

He’s a reluctant meta-human. Refuses to use his abilities. But he wasn’t always that way. Something happened in his past.

 

So they bring deadshot out to show what he can do with a gun. So he points it at the abusive guard, who is afraid for a moment, but then suddenly gets this cocky smile and says to his men, “If this man shoots me, I want you to kill him and then go clear my browser history.”

Now, this got a momentary chuckle out of me, in the cinema, but then I realised, this is completely unbelievable. A man who is in feat for his life is not going to care about what’s in his browser history. That moment killed the scene for me.

This was the first movie to really suffer from interference from Warner Bros. Batman V Superman got cut short in the theatrical cut, but here, they made significant creative changes. In fact, I hear they took the final cut out of the director’s hands and gave it to a trailer company. In David Ayer’s words, they took his soulful drama and turned it into a comedy. And I think that’s a terrible shame.

Moments like this silly browser history joke are symptomatic of the problem.

 

The exchange where Deadshot explains his price is cool. It’s mostly about his daughter. He wants out of jail, but he also wants full custody, and he wants her education paid for.

I like the moment when Flag says “you’re in no position to make demands”, and deadshot say “Oh, you thought I was talking to you, no, I was talking to your boss.” and points to waller, while all the while making eye contact with flag.

See, this is the kind of humour that works better for me. Character based humour that feels natural in the situation.

Now I can’t possibly say what jokes came from which film-maker. All I can say is what I like and what I don’t like.

The Joker is still keeping tabs on Harley. He’s aware that she’s been taken from her prison to be a part of this special operation, and he’s not happy about it.

 

He still cares about her, in his own disturbing twisted evil way. I mean, she’s more of a possession to him than a person, but he cares.

 

So Enchantress escapes. It’s not completely clear how it happens. Moone whichers “Enchantress” in her sleep. Is that just because she’s dreaming and talking in her sleep? A freak occurrence that the witch takes advantage of? Or is it something more? I’m not sure.

But she threatens to kill Moone if Flag calls Waller, so now he’s being manipulated by her as well. She takes a statue containing her brother and flees, taking an unsuspecting man as a host for her brother.

Apparently these two were worshipped as gods by ancient humans, but no more. Now she is going to take her revenge by building a machine to take over the world.

 

Moone asks Flag to stop Enchantress, if it ever comes down to a decision, always stop enchantress, even if it kills Moone.

That’s a hard thing to ask of someone who loves you.

 

Meanwhile, her brother starts taking humans and turning them into foot soldiers.

It’s time to activate Task Force X.

 

The brother is nasty. All those tentacles.

Enchantress can use his power to protect herself from damage to her heart. Waller has officially lost control of the witch.

So her new taskforce are gonna be called in to deal with one of their own.

Again, we get some humour from Harley. And it’s true to her character.

We meet another member of the squad. Slipknot, who can climb anything. We didn’t get a proper introduction to him. That makes him a redshirt, as we’ll see shortly.

The squad members have all been injected with nano explosives. Just another control to keep them in check.

One final character is introduced. Katana, who wields a sentient sword containing the soul of her late husband. It’s said her sword traps the souls of its victims. That kinda feels like many a step too far for me. No explanation is given for such an incredible claim.

As they take off, Harley gets a message from the Joker. He’s coming for her.

 

The suicide squad haven’t been told the truth about what they’re facing. Rick says it’s terrorists with a dirty bomb. But these guy’s aren’t stupid. They can see the magic energy hovering over the city, or as Harley calls it, pretty lights.

 

So the chopper is shot down and they’re now on Digger is convinced the nano bombs in the neck are just a ruse, and he’s planning to leave. He convinces slipknot.

Then of course, Rick sets off Slipknot's explosive and he dies.

Question. Was Digger serious about this, or was he just trying to talk someone else into cutting and running first, so he could find out if the bombs were real? I suspect the latter. It shows that Digger is smart, but also, really cold.

This scene was needed to show the squad that the bombs were real. Somebody had the push the boundaries and die. Otherwise these characters would never have followed orders.

The character to die, of course, was the one we knew the least about. He didn’t even get a proper introduction like the rest of the squad. In fact, the first couple of times I Watched this movie, I had no idea who just died. Who WAS that? They introduced this character at the last second so they’d have a redshirt to kill. Personally, I think this moment would have been a lot more meaningful if they’d killed a character who’d been introduced at the beginning with the rest of them.

 

Deadshot is still planning a revolt, but he’s hoping The Joker can disable the neck bombs. Nothing can happen until then.

 

The converted foot soldiers look pretty cool. Their pulsating heads are pretty creepy.

When Deadshot realises there’s something supernatural going on here, his thoughts begin to turn away from escape. He’s the voice of reason in the group. Harley is happy to let Rick die, but Deadshot points out, if he dies, we die.

 

Digger is a really stereotypical Australian. I mean, drinking a beer in the middle of the battle? Come on.

That said, I kinda like him. His Aussie mannerisms, while sometimes over the top feel comfortably familiar in this landscape of freakish villains and even freakier monsters.

But…..I just don’t get the pink unicorn fettish. I have no idea what that’s about.

 

El Diablo is still refusing to use his powers.

 

We get a cheap joke about Harley stealing a handbag, but an emotional moment as Deadshot sees a display mannequin for a child’s jacket. And thinks of his daughter.

 

Now we get a flashback scene that wasn’t in the theatrical cut. It’s one of the only additions in the so-called extended cut. However, this scene makes a huge difference. It gives so much more context to the relationship between the Joker and Harley.

We see Dr. Quinzel chasing the Joker on a motorbike. She forces him to stop his car and screams, “You’re not leaving me.”

 

The Joker used her to escape from Arkham. He manipulated her into a severe case of Stockholm syndrome, messed up her head really badly, and then left her. He didn’t need her anymore.

But she was still in love with him. Well, love isn’t the right word. She was obsessed with him.

The Joker treats her like an unwanted pet who won’t get the hint.

You see, the Joker doesn’t love. He isn’t loved. I don’t think The Joker is capable of love. Not real love.

So it would make no sense for him to continue this relationship. Harley was a tool. Nothing more.

This scene explains that. But it also shows how relentless Harley is. How she’s starting to wear him down.

It adds to the believability of their story. It’s a fantastic scene.

 

Back in the present, I like how Harley’s past as a psychologist is still with her, but in her crazed state, she uses it to mess with people’s minds for no other reason that she’s bored.

Margot Robbie’s portrayal of lovable crazy is a big part of why this character stole the movie for so many people.

 

As they are ambushed in the building by more monsters, Deadshot is sick of El Diablo not doing his bit. He pushes him and pushes him until finally he uses his powers. He shoots fire at the monsters burning them all.

 

Then we flashback to the fulfillment of Harley’s origin. She and The Joker are at the chemical factory. This scene is greatly enhanced by the inclusion of that previous scene with the motorbike. That scene set this one up. This is the payoff. It’s a real shame the previous scene was cut from the theatrical version.

The Joker asks Harley if she’ll die for him. Yes. That’s too easy. Will you live for me?

She has to think about this one a moment longer. But she says yes. Living for the Joker is a commitment. A commitment to a truly crazy man.

And so, faced with her unwavering devotion, the Joker accepts Harley into his life. He sees her fall into the chemical vat, and for a moment, I think he’s gonna let her drown, but then he dives in and saves her. Now she’s like him.

Like I said earlier, I don’t think the Joker is capable of true love, but I think he has come to feel some genuine affection for Harley. Sure, it’s more about possession. She's an object that he owns, but he cares something for her and is willing to risk himself to rescue her.

 

And then we get the big reveal of the truth. The true objective here was to rescue Amanda Waller was was trapped in a building in this city.

Deadshot is not impressed about this.

So then, Waller guns down her own people. Not the Suicide Squad, the administravie people. Those running the office, monitoring the situation on the computers. She puts bullets in each of their heads. Killing them in cold blood because they weren’t cleared for any of this.

 

I submit that Amanda Waller is the single most evil character in the whole DC universe.

Even Deadshot, a serial killer who takes credit card, has more of a soul than this woman. 

She is cold to the depth of her heart. A pure pragmatist, devoice of any conscience.

Anyay, the actress playing her does a fantastic job, to make me hate her so much.

 

Of course, their rescue chopper has been hijacked by The Joker.

Harley runs off with him.

Apparently, her nano bomb has been disabled. This isn’t explained. It’s actually quite an unsatisfying plot hole. I imagine the explanation is on the cutting room floor.

 

I think Deadshot is genuinely tempted when Waller offers him his freedom and his daughter if he kills Harley, but is he really going to trust Waller? After what she’s just done? I don’t think so.

 

The Joker and Harley appear to have died in a crash.

 

Enchantress now has her heart back, which makes her even more powerful.

And Waller gets what’s coming to her at Enchantress’s hands, well tentacles.

 

So the Suicide Squad learn the truth that all of this is Waller’s fault. She’s the one who unleashed Enchantress and her brother on the world.

 

With this knowledge, they decide to go have a drink.

Which allows us to have a quiet moment for some character reflection. Which is quite nice.

 

Deadshot has a code. He doesn’t kill women or children. I’m not saying that makes him a good person, but it makes him a step above Waller.

But El Diablo, he’s something else again. He finally tells his story.

He was born with this fire ability. The older he got, the stronger it was. This made him powerful on the streets.

He had a wife and two kids. She didn’t approve of his life of crime. She’d pray for him, but one day she’d had enough.She threatened to take the kids away.

And in an uncontrollable fit of rage, he burned them all. He killed his wife and kids.

And he’s been living with that ever since. That’s why he doesn’t use his powers.

It’s a heart-breaking story. There really are no words for it.

 

Flag joins them to confess his own sins. He played a part in all of this, because of his feelings for Moone. Turns out, he may be not much better than the rest of them. So he smashes the controller for the nano bombs. They’re free.

But then he shows Deadshot that his daughter writes letters to him every day. Letters he’s never seen.

And that’s what motivates him to finish this. He has to save the world for her sake, to show his daughter that her father’s not a piece of …. Well….you get the idea.

Harley’s in for a party.

So they all come along.

Now they’re a team. Now they’re committed to this mission.

 

Killer Croc is, of course, the obvious choice for the underwater mission. I love how he says I live underground. the rest of you are just tourists.

I love how Flag and Deadshot are on even terms now. Deadshot even says I got your back.

 

Enchantress gives them a vision of what they want most out of life.

Deadshot wants to kill Batman. Harley dreams of a proper happy life with The joker. He get to see Jared Leeto out of makeup. They even have a child. This, of course, is an impossible dream.

El Diablo wants his family back.

But he knows this can’t be. His pain helps him see through the trick. He can’t undo what he did. That’s the source of his pain.

Now matter how much he wants to, he can’t change what he did that night.

So he goes out there, fire blazing, to take on Enchantress’s brother.

He becomes the fire.

He distracts the brother long enough to get him in position to be taken out by the bomb.

In the end, El Diablo sacrifices his life to take down the monster.

David Ayer described this movie as a redemption story, and that’s one of the things I really like about it. But a friend of mine pointed out once that it’s not strictly a redemption story. It’s actually a repentance story.

Most philosophies teach that redemption for past crimes can be earned through good acts. The turning away from the old life and making a conscious decision to be good instead. That’s basically the definition of repentance.

Interestingly, Christianity teaches that redemption can’t be earned. It’s a gift that is given freely to the undeserving. I think that’s an interesting distinction.

 

I haven’t talked much about the music in this movie. It’s not on the same level as Zimmer and JunkieXL’s work in the last 2 movies, but I do really like the Task Force X theme in this film.

 

But after all this, Enchantress is still here, but they’re all kinda powerless against her.

Harley poses the question. What’s this world ever done for us? Why should we save it?

But in the end, what motivates her is friendship. Enchantress messed with her new friends.

 

Enchantress promises many things. Bow to me and I’ll give you all you desire.

But as we all know, evil makes many promises, but you can’t trust them.

But Harley plays along just long enough to get close so she can remove the heart.

Previously, she was only able to operate without the heart because she fed off her brother’s power. But her brother is dead now.

Without her heart, she’s vulnerable. They can defeat her.

 

The final solution makes good use of the skills of multiple characters, as it should be for an ensemble movie like this.

 

But Flag has to face the heart-breaking reality that June isn’t coming back. So he crushes the heart. Only to find that was another of Enchantress’s lies. June is alive in the rubble. And Enchantress is gone. Really gone forever.

 

But sadly, it turns out Waller is still alive. What a shame.

They get 10 years off their sentences. Plus a few favours. Harley and Croc’s requests are kind of absurd. But Deadshot gets to have a visit with his daughter, which is a touching if uncomfortable moment, when they start using assasination as a metaphor for geometry.

If he ever gets out of prison, I think he really might put his life of crime behind him, for her sake.

 

And then, the movie ends with the reveal that The 

Joker is still alive, and he’s here to break Harley out.

 

This was the first of the DCEU films to have an after-credit sequence.

It ties it into the larger narrative.

 

Bruce Wayne is making a deal with Waller. He offers her protection from those who want her head for her mistakes.

In return, she gives him the info she has on the known metahumans, such as The Flash and Aqua man.

As he leaves, he tells her to shut down Task Force X. The world doesn’t need a suicide Squad of villains to fill the whole left behind by Superman. The Justice League are gonna protect this world.

 

I like this movie. I have no doubt that David Ayer’s original vision of a soulful drama would have been a better movie, but in its current state, it’s by no means a bad film. The forced comedic elements didn’t bother me as much this viewing. It was a bit of a side-story, but a worthwhile addition to the ongoing saga.

So Star Trek Lower Decks is coming out in a couple of weeks, and we've got a trailer, which looks interesting. The show is clearly made out of a deep knowledge of, and love for, Star Trek.

 

Unfortunately, I probably won't be covering the show when it comes out, because at this stage, we still haven't had any announcement about where people can watch the show outside of USA and Canada. So I'm not really expecting it to be available at this point. I think it's pretty sad that only two countries in the whole world will get to see this latest Trek show. It feels like the 90s again. It will likely appear on a streaming service some day, but I won't be able to be a part of the conversation while it's fresh and relevant.

Still, talking nostalgically about things of the past is a big part of what I do here on Nerd Heaven, so who knows.

 

Speaking of which, the next DC movie I'll be covering will be, of course, Wonder Woman. But I might sneak in a little Star Trek episode before that, talking about news, and the lower decks trailer. It depends what happens in the Trek-sphere over the next week or so.

 

So I'll just leave that as a bit of a mystery for you.

In any case, I'll see you next time on Nerd heaven.