As James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad opens in theaters to rave reviews, it’s hard to believe that David Ayer directed the first one just five years ago in 2016. Time sure goes fast.
But while Ayer supports Gunn’s reboot, he doesn’t extend the same courtesy to his 2016 film. Mainly because, as he recently revealed, the film critics almost universally derided back then isn’t actually his. “My cut is an intricate and emotional journey with some ‘bad people’ who are shit on and discarded (a theme that resonates in my soul),” Ayer writes. “The studio cut is not my movie. Read that again. And my cut is not the 10-week director’s cut – It’s a fully mature edit by Lee Smith standing on the incredible work by John Gilroy. It’s all Steven Price’s brilliant score, with not a single radio song in the whole thing.”
Whether we see a Zack Snyder-Esque release of Ayer’s film is unclear. But regardless of how you perceive the theatrical release, there’s no denying the film has some awesome moments. For all it does wrong, Suicide Squad does a lot right.
10) Pulls at the Heart-Strings
There are moments in Suicide Squad that are truly underrated in terms of their dramatic impact. From Deadshot’s fractured relationship with his daughter, El Diablo accidentally burning his family alive, and even Rick Flag’s doomed relationship with June Moone, the host of Enchantress, the film does succeed in moving you.
Despite the film’s widely-reported executive meddling, the theatrical cut does at least keep the characters’ tragic backstories present. Depicting the characters in such a manner helps us relate to them and is possibly some of the best character explorations in the DCEU. It tugs at your heartstrings in a very effective way.
9) Bruce Wayne’s Brilliant Mid-Credits Cameo
Remember when it seemed like Ben Affleck was locked into the role of Bruce Wayne/Batman? Alas, a string of DCEU Box Office failures, caused by a lack of creativity and lazy executive decisions, ensured that his role was cut short. Thus, Warner Bros. has given up on their DCEU and is focusing on a multi-verse instead.
Anyway, I digress. Because although the mid-credits sequence that has Amanda Waller and Bruce Wayne verbally lock horns is short, it creates an excellent hook for potential future films. Waller hints that she knows Bruce is Batman, which could cause future complications. Yet, the billionaire superhero is unfazed by her threats, defiantly stating, “You should shut [the Suicide Squad] down, or my friends and I will do it for you.”
8) Suicide Squad‘s Badass Fight Scenes
Suicide Squad has some truly underrated fight scenes. One memorable scene, for example, has Harley casually own Enchantress’s goons with her fists and baseball bat in an elevator before casually exiting as though nothing happened.
Will Smith’s Deadshot also offers some genuinely awesome moments. His superhuman aiming skills offer him some of the movie’s most exhilarating scenes. These include the scene where he swiftly shoots several targets in succession and when he’s going down the street, popping off monster after monster, unfazed by his adversaries. Where the action is concerned, Suicide Squad delivers and is truly underrated in this regard.
7) Suicide Squad‘s Ragtag Group of Antiheroes
Suicide Squad is essentially the DCEU’s answer to the MCU’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Given this, it’s appropriate that James Gunn directed the reboot since he pulled off the latter group so well. That said, even in the 2016 original, the ‘ragtag group of antiheroes’ shtick is pulled off pretty well.
After seeing heroes like Superman and Batman take DCEU center stage, it’s refreshing to see morally dubious bad guys from a mental institution get the spotlight. All of the cast have messed-up pasts and complex backgrounds that show us how they get to where they are in the film. This alone makes Suicide Squad 2016 more interesting than your usual superhero fare.
6) Jared Leto is Great as Joker
Suicide Squad‘s version of Joker is an acquired taste. Some people liked it; others hated it. But there’s no denying Jared Leto put a lot of work into his performance. He even resorted to ‘method acting’ to get into the Joker’s mindset, gifting the cast a dead pig. Leto was truly serious about Joker.
It’s a shame then that most of his scenes were cut. The star was reportedly unhappy about this – and it’s easy to see why. Leto really exudes the character’s mania on-screen. His scenes with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn also allow him to express Joker’s manipulative side regarding his lady love. If an Ayer cut does surface, it would be great to see the rest of his performance since the theatrical version only shows inklings of greatness.
5) Suicide Squad’s Áwesome Soundtrack
David Ayer is on record for saying he never intended the pop-punk soundtrack of Suicide Squad to be a thing. But honestly, the soundtrack is kind of awesome. Filled with indie pop-punk hits, the music fits the quirky tone of its lead characters and gives it a kind of urban Guardians of the Galaxy vibe.
And even the songs that stray from this are brilliant. Who can forget Becky Hanson’s haunting vocal on the Bee Gees’ ‘I Started A Joke’ by ConfidentialMX? This spine-tingling cover was only in the trailer yet was apparently popular enough to warrant a release on the official soundtrack.
4) Amanda Waller is Awesomely Sinister
Amanda Waller is a truly manipulative chess master in DC comics and cartoons. Viola Davis’s performance as the character exhibits this and then some. You get the impression that Waller isn’t someone you should foolishly cross. For a female character especially, Davis’s performance really nails the power and intimidation of Waller’s position.
Davis’s take on Waller also ensured her a spot for The Suicide Squad. Like Robbie, it appears Davis’s performance really struck a chord with audiences. There’s no denying she is one of the best parts of Suicide Squad and a good argument for why the film is so underrated.
3) Deadshot’s Character Arc
It’s a shame Smith doesn’t return in James Gunn’s reboot because he’s great in the 2016 original. Barring his cheesy “What are we…? Some kind of Suicide Squad?” line, he makes the character empathetic and somewhat likable.
Deadshot’s character arc is one of redemption. He is actually a loving father who feels unworthy of his daughter’s love due to his criminal activities. Deadshot’s choice to join Amanda Waller’s cause is actually motivated by his desire to make up for his past mistakes. This arc makes the character far more complex and identifiable than his comic book source material.
2) Batman’s Cameos
Batman only appears in a few short scenes in Suicide Squad 2016, but damn, are they good. Why? Well, because we view the narrative through the eyes of the villains. Given this, Batman is even more mythologically mysterious than we’ve seen him before.
Because we don’t see Batman’s human side here, he is even more physically imposing. One of the most memorable scenes in the film is when he confronts Deadshot in the alleyway. He is both silent and deadly, as physically terrifying as the Bat he tries to symbolize.
1) Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
Margot Robbie seemingly steals every scene she’s in as Harley Quinn. It’s got to the point where it’s hard to imagine anybody else play the character. From Harley’s immature, brattish nature to her maniacal devotion to Joker, Robbie hits all the right notes in her performance in Suicide Squad 2016. She continues to kill the role in the films that follow.
Through her portrayal, Robbie managed to bring Harley Quinn into mainstream public consciousness. The character is now a popular fancy dress costume and has her own comic book and cartoon show. And you have Margo Robbie’s killer take on Harley Quinn to thank for that.
