Movie Review: Suicide Squad

So I just got back from an advanced screening of the new film Suicide Squad, and I've got to say it was a pretty fun movie.  For those of you who haven't been affected by the massive ad campaign for the film, the movie is set in the same world as Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, but instead of focusing on the heroes, focuses on a group of villains being blackmailed into doing some good.

Although the squad itself has six members, the standouts for me were the leads, Will Smith and Margot Robbie (as Deadshot and Harley Quinn, respectively), who brought a lot more heart and fun to this movie than I was expecting.  The previous films in the new DC cinematic world have been filled with darkness and earnestness, but not a lot of humour or pizazz and director David Ayer has created a film that has to stand up to a lot of pressure; with questions like "Would this type of movie even work" and how will it stand up compared to Marvel?  Also, what could possibly be scarier than this band of villains.

The answer is a surprisingly intense performance by Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, the mastermind who puts the team together and has to both seem reasonable and terrifying (often at the same time), as well as a pretty fun appearance by The Mindy Project's Ike Barinholtz as a particularly nasty guard charged with keeping the Squad in lockdown.

Although I'm sure there were all sorts of easter eggs for bigger DC comic fans than me, (and a couple obligatory cameos of future Justice League characters), I found the movie stands well on its own, and definitely has me hoping for a sequel.

...and I didn't even get to say how much fun I had with Jared Leto's take on the Joker! 

...oh year, I guess I just did.