By

Andrew Kiess

Here we are, three movies into Warner Bros’ superhero shared universe featuring characters from DC Comics. Remember when Man of Steel was controversial? It now looks like the one everyone liked. The online movie journalistic community seem to have set the DC movies in the crosshairs and are taking their shots. Suicide Squad, as of this writing, is 10 days into its release, and despite how many outlets are framing its financial situation, it has had an incredible ride to begin its journey at the box office, and much of that is owed to a terrific marketing campaign.

The DC Extended Universe three films in is leaps and bounds above where the Marvel Cinematic Universe was three films in. Marvel films accumulated $1,47.5 million three movies in and stumbled to reach the $500 million mark until the damn broke open when Avengers (the sixth movie in the MCU) broke the now watermark billion-dollar mark. It is no coincidence that Avengers was the first movie to make the mark. Yes, it had all the superheroes Marvel had showcased in one movie, but that alone would not be enough to get that many people to log into Fandango in the late spring of 2012, as Thor, Captain America: First Avenger, and The Incredible Hulk struggled at the worldwide box office and received mostly lukewarm reviews, and Iron Man 2, considered by some to be one of Marvel’s weakest entries, was the only film to surpass $600 million. So what changed? Avengers was the first Marvel film to be produced under Disney’s Buena Vista banner. Disney is far and away the strongest and most aggressive studio at marketing films.

Disney is historically manipulative to how films are advertised inside movie theaters. Disney is extraordinarily hands-on when it comes to trailer placement before films, poster placement inside theaters, and remain hands-on with what screens are showing their movies well into the film’s box office run. On top of that, they own both ABC and ESPN and use those spaces for TV spots aggressively and liberally. The trailers themselves are cinematic memes that follow a simple formula (dramatic landscape, character beat, action beat, humorous button) and create positivity to fans of their movies and characters. It’s familiar, and familiar is what folks respond to in marketing.

Warner Bros. have struggled, by and large, to market their movies. The marketing for Man of Steel was pedestrian, with TV spots and sponsored YouTube bumpers heating up within the final weeks leading up to release. Man of Steel did well at the box office, ending its time with $668 million. Batman v Superman’s marketing had an identity crisis. Where the first two trailers focused on the characters in what would be a philosophical approach to these icons of comic books, but the third trailer attempted to copy the Disney-Marvel formula, and in turn, marketed the movie as something it was not. Although Batman v Superman, in some ways, recovered, the third trailer in many ways revived the negative narrative surrounding the film the echoed through the critical assessment (not all of the negative reaction was because of the echoed negative narrative, but it certainly doesn’t help) and the film was perceived to have stumbled towards $872.7 million.

The marketing for Suicide Squad was a different animal. Not counting the Comic Con sneak-peek, the actual trailers, TV spots, posters, and all other marketing material carried a tone of a gritty, dirty, sexy, and grimy comic book movie about this group of villains trying to save the world. The marketing, to the best of its ability, sold the movie that was being put together by David Ayer and Warner Bros. (yes, I know about the editing controversy involving this movie, but that goes into the echoed negative narrative I mentioned earlier. The problems Suicide Squad faced in post-production was only news worthy because the movie was receiving a negative critical reaction. But any critical minded person who has ever bothered to study the behind the scenes elements of editing a movie would know that that kind of drama is not exclusive to Suicide Squad. Check out the documentaries on the extended editions of Lord of the Rings, if you don’t believe me). Whether or not people liked what the marketing sold in the end is a different story, but the consistency is hopefully a sign of good things to come.

Wonder Woman has a chance to be a new beginning for DC on film. A great first trailer is a great start. And yes, there will be a negative narrative hanging around this movie, and I would not be entirely surprised if that does not impact the critical reaction in some way. But just because some random person on the internet says that there is big trouble in little Themyscira, does not mean that it is time to panic. If the brothers Warner want to turn public opinion back in their favor, a steady and consistent hand in marketing Wonder Woman and then Justice League next year will be crucial. Until then, let’s all go back and watch Suicide Squad again and keep waving the flag for the movies we love.

All box office data taken from BoxOfficeMojo.com

After seeing Suicide Squad on the big screen and posting his initial thoughts about the film on Facebook, Suicide Squad creator John Ostrander finally came out and gave the film a proper critique. Below are some blurbs from Ostrander where he goes into depth about the things he loved, liked and didn’t care for.

The Good:

Regarding the Suicide Squad movie, well, I’m biased. I’m prejudiced. I have a vested interest in its success. I want it to succeed. However, if I didn’t like it, I’d be more likely just to keep my trap shut.

My trap is open.

I really liked the film. Not perfect by a long shot, but a really good time in the movie theater. And for me a lot of it was just amazing. The look, the detail, the feel of the film is not something I’ve seen in superhero movies before.

Chief for me were the performances, starting with Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. All the other characters in the Squad, both the comic and the movie, were created by others. In the comic especially I would re-define and expand on them but they were established characters. Amanda Waller was my creation and Viola Davis embodied her to perfection. I was happy when she was cast, I was delighted when I saw her in the trailers, and I was ecstatic when I saw her in the film. Davis has Amanda’s voice, her look, and her attitude. I was delighted at the after-party when I got a chance to see her face-to-face and tell her how much I enjoyed her performance.Next up is Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. She is sexy, innocent, funny, lethal, crazy and dangerous. And she’s a thief – she steals just about every scene she’s in.

The Bad:

Are their problems with the film? Sure. The antagonist(s) are not well defined and, to my mind, you need a good antagonist to help define the protagonist(s). It’s the antagonist who usually sets the plot in motion and it is defined by what they want. The story is a little more generic “we have to save the world” than I usually did; I always liked having one foot squarely in reality.

I also liked having a political and/or social edge in my Squad stories. That would also give a greater feel of reality and I don’t see that here.

On the Critics:

My late wife, Kim Yale, was a movie critic for a while for a small suburban newspaper in the Chicago area and I went with her to some of the movie screenings. Don’t tell me that some of the critics didn’t come with pre-conceived attitudes to some films. I know better. I saw and heard it.

As for some of the online haters – if a film doesn’t fit their pre-conceived notion, it is wrong. Female Ghostbusters, a black Deadshot, Ben Affleck as Batman (Affleck, by the way, does cameos as both Batman and Bruce Wayne in Suicide Squad and is terrific) – these are all sins and must be decried.

Give me a fucking break.

For his full review of the film, head to Comicmix.com for his lengthy details about “Suicide Squad.”

Source: Comicmix

Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Films “Suicide Squad” opened to $267 million dollars Worldwide. The film scored $135.1 million from 4,255 theaters across the United States with an average of $31,752 per theatre. “Suicide Squad” boasts the biggest opening of all time for the month of August surpassing the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Guardians of the Galaxy which only scored $94.3 million. Globally, the film earned $132 million at the international box office, and the IMAX take for this film earned $19.2 million respectively.

Now the real question will the film have legs over the upcoming few weeks?

To be considered a success at the studio “Suicide Squad” must break $600 million at the worldwide box office. The film had a hefty price tag of $175 million to make and that is not including the marketing costs of the film, which usually is double the film budget. The film had a 41% drop of from its Friday to Saturday haul, which is on par for most August films. Will the movie resonate with audiences for second and third viewings? Only time will tell so make sure that you keep checking back here for the latest updates on the SS box office tally.

After the critics eviscerated “Suicide Squad” rumors have been circulating that we might be getting an ‘Ultimate Edition’ of “Suicide Squad” like we did with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Well David Ayer kind of put that rumor to bed for now anyway. Only time  will tell over the course of the next few months if the studio indeed decides to give audiences an extended version of the film on BluRay/DVD. Read Mr. Ayer’s comments before and take what you will from them.

“This cut of the movie is my cut, there’s no sort of parallel universe version of the movie, the released movie is my cut. And that’s one of the toughest things about writing, shooting, and directing a film – you end up with these orphans and you fucking love them and you think they’d be amazing scenes and do these amazing things. But the film is a dictatorship, not a democracy. And just because something’s cool and charismatic doesn’t mean it gets to survive the final cut. The flow of the movie is the highest master.”

My opinion of this, is that I actually hope that this was the final version of the film that Mr. Ayer put out. Let’s hope that the studio didn’t take the film away from him during the final stages of post-production like they did with Zack Snyder’s BvS. If WB did decide to do that and go that route with SS well then they are just shooting themselves in the foot for not allowing seasoned and talented director make the movies that he signed up to deliver.

Source: Collider

Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Comics Film “Suicide Squad” brought in an estimated 65 million dollars at the domestic box office on Friday night. The Thursday night haul brought in around 20 Million, and early estimates show that “Suicide Squad” might pull in an estimated 140 Million to round out the weekend. Not to shabby for a movie that was eviscerated by critics. Audiences gave the CinemasScore for “Suicide Squad” a B+ which is up from the B that audiences gave for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

By

Justin Shanlian

“Suicide Squad” is superhero escapism at its finest. This film is a cinematic, fast paced, fun, exciting, funny visual treat. David Ayer is a master filmmaker when it comes to assembling stories with huge ensemble casts, and this film is his most ambitious and entertaining to date.

Plot-wise, the film is a bit simplistic, but “Suicide Squad” doesn’t need to try and be a Martin Scorcese or a Stanley Kubrick film. The story may not be overtly rich in narrative glory, but it displays many delightfully stimulating elements that keep the audience interested throughout. The beginning of the film works really nicely as we are introduced to some of DC’s biggest villains.

The action in Suicide Squad isn’t just fun and exciting it serves plot purposes and moves the story forward smoothly. Ayer is coming into his own as one of the top contemporary action directors in the world. He is not known for strong action, but his balls-to-the-wall brutal action sequences in this film are a nice addition to overall quality of the film. From the top down there is not a single bad performance. Ayer knows how to bring amazing performances out from every single member of his cast.  Will Smith, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie and Jared Leto really shine; it’s a testament to Ayer and his ability to work with some of the industry’s top talent and truly have them dive deep into their respective roles that add so many necessary layers to their individual roles.

As the Joker, it seems that Jared Leto has taken every version of The Joker from the comics and integrated them into his performance. It works so well. His voice seems to be a hybrid of Mark Hamill’s and Heath Ledger’s; it’s creepy and disgustingly immoral, just as readers would imagine. This version of The Joker only has one thing in mind: getting Harley Quinn back. It works, but it would have been better if his role allowed him more screentime. When Leto’s Joker is on screen he is electric, unpredictable, funny and completely terrifying. He is exactly what the Clown Prince of Crime should be. It’s a shame he didn’t have a more prominent role.

Margot Robbie nails her role as Harley Quinn. It is as if she was ripped right from the pages of  DC Comics and leaped onto the silver screen. She hits every nuance that we all know and love from Harley Quinn. She is even able to channel that classic Harley voice that we have become familiar with from Bruce Timm’s and Paul Dini’s Batman: The Animated Series. Robbie is campy, fun, creepy and mentally deranged. She also brought a lot of depth to the role as well, as those quieter moments and scenes had in the film truly resonate and add something special that audiences can truly embrace. Robbie is able to channel something dark and deep, that the audience can never truly pinpoint, and the further down the rabbit hole you go into her character the scarier she becomes.

There are a few issues with “Suicide Squad,” some more prominent than others. At times, some of the editing choices lead to pacing issues which can be jarring. Nevertheless, this doesn’t take away from the overall quality that has been established by Ayer and his production team. A few minor changes could be made to improve the future sequels that we’re all hoping for.  One of the more glaring issues of the film is the flashback between Joker and Harley, which takes the audience away from the main story of the Squad. The introduction t0 the members of Task Force X, however, was exciting and entertaining. Their individual stories are cut together in a lightning fast interesting way. When the film cuts to the Joker and Harley narrative it doesn’t necessarily drag, but it doesn’t move with the same fervor and intensity as the rest of the story. The moments between those two characters are necessary to future scenes and future films, but the way that they were edited together should have been done differently to mirror the pacing that was already established in the film. Some of these characters will be featured in future sequels, but in all honesty they could spin off into their own films too. Who doesn’t want a live action Deadshot film set in Gotham City? Or an adaptation Paul Dini’s Mad Love? Featuring Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.

The other main issue with “Suicide Squad” is the end of the film. The final action piece feels a bit “been there done that” as we have seen the portal-bringing-bad-guys-to-Earth trope in a few previous superhero films. It was anticlimactic and left viewers wanting more. Luckily the smaller, more private moments that each character feels during this final act make it work, but just barely. The character of Enchantress and her motivations were a bit underwhelming during that final battle. Just the way that her character was written and her motivations left a bit to be desired. Those final moments during the huge final battle could have been layered a bit more, with clearer motivations. The fight sequences between the Squad, Enchantress and Incubus should have lasted longer, too.

Those issues don’t negate all the good that is in “Suicide Squad” this movie is flawed, but the positives are throughout and the negatives only lurk for moments at a time. Will Smith is the emotional anchor for the film and he does a fantastic job. His father/daughter scenes are some of the best cinematic moments that we have seen this year. Let’s hope that he will be involved in future DCEU films — including the Ben Affleck solo Batman film.

“Suicide Squad” has a lot of heart, action and having Waller and Batman in your film doesn’t hurt either. Make sure you stick around for the stinger after the mid-credits too, for a nice dollop of things to come in future DCEU films. You don’t have to wait for the entire credit crawl to see some amazing Easter Eggs. Make sure you give this film a chance, don’t listen to critics who bash it. Be your own critic and judge the movie for yourself. You’ll probably enjoy this film as much as I did, flaws and all.
B/B+

Suicide Squad (4.5 / 10)

By Rheanna Haaland

After two years of  apprehension about aesthetics, casting, and trailers set to well-fitting music, it is a stretch to call Suicide Squad the worst movie ever. Particularly in light of the recent box office failure “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” Suicide Squad was an opportunity for moviegoers to regain faith in DC comic book movies. But for fans who went in praying for a movie on the level of Nolan’s 2008 “Dark Knight,” this film is a heartbreak. Suicide Squad isn’t horrible, but it isn’t good.

What the story lacks more than anything is a sense of dramatic tension. The element of suspense in Suicide Squad is borderline non-existent. If the movie had provided any conflict that took longer than a few minutes to resolve, the audience may have been able to overlook the lack of development in characters and overall story. The antagonist’s motivations and schemes are overly simplistic and underdeveloped. When the real world has so much for a big screen villain to be upset about, the rationale behind this antagonist’s destructive actions are decidedly weak.

DC has never been known for quippy one-liners or good jokes, particularly in contrast to Marvel movies, but the interpersonal dynamics between members of the Suicide Squad’s  leaves so many opportunities for more clever dialogue than the script offered. Characters calling each other “pussy,” “psycho” or “bitch” is only funny so many times. The profanity didn’t seem excessive so much as it seemed lazy. Within the comic books, the members of the Suicide Squad have always been eccentric or occasionally catty, but for the most part they’re smart, well-spoken people. Most of the movie’s best dialogue is charmingly sarcastic, but even that element is too ubiquitous to stand out.

Even with the brilliant score that highlighted high energy combat scenes, the few thematic elements that were meant to draw the cast together are heavy handed and brought in too late. The ensemble seems to hate one another slightly less at the end of the movie than they did at the beginning, but the lack of growth in the group’s dynamic leaves much to be desired. This is particularly unsatisfying given the amount of praise director David Ayer received last month at San Diego Comic Con for his ability to bring the cast together. Even though the actors are unwaveringly well suited to their roles — particularly the badasses Will Smith and Viola Davis — every character in the movie comes off as one-dimensional. The cast members are visibly dedicated to their parts, but the script leaves them so little to work with it almost doesn’t matter. This is particularly tragic in the case of Margot Robbie’s character Harley Quinn, a character who’s cult-like obsessive fans have anticipated her debut on the big screen for over a decade.

Since the first promotional photos were released in 2014, Jared Leto’s Joker and his gaudy aesthetic have been under severe scrutiny. Many die-hard DC fans have been quick to point out that Heath Ledger casting as the Joker in Nolan’s “Dark Knight” in 2007 warranted a similar reaction, but sadly the comparisons stop there. In the enormous clown shoes of Ledger’s legendary performance, Leto is frankly forgettable.  
Perhaps the most disappointing however, is the relationship between Harley Quinn and the Joker.

Quinn’s character in the cartoons and comic books has always been the tragic comic psychiatrist who falls madly in love with a sociopathic patient. In relation to Quinn, Joker has been unwaveringly depicted as manipulative and physically abusive. Until now. Ayer’s version of their relationship portrays the two clowns as equal, if blissfully insane, partners. Joker at one point, even tells Harley “I’d do anything for you,” which in any other medium would have been accompanied by abuse or used as a gaslight tactic. Leto’s version of Joker seems to genuinely care for Harley Quinn, which — on the part of the writers — undercuts and blatantly disregards the origins, depth, and potential for growth in Harley Quinn’s character.  While no one condones domestic violence, this could have been an opportunity to spotlight and fundamentally explore the toxic relationship between them. Although every character in the movie lacks some dimension, the absence of an arc in Harley Quinn as well as her romance with Joker is Suicide Squad’s greatest shortcoming.
At the end of the film, DCs intention for one or more sequels is far from subtle. Although the poor quality of DC’s output is not necessarily deliberate, the amount of heartbreak their fans are willing to suffer has been called into question. When the scripts are tensionless and lackluster, even when there is no shortage of funds, it remains to be seen how far the Suicide Squad movie franchise will stretch the fans’ masochistic dedication. Suicide Squad will be released in theatres everywhere on August 5th.

In less than a week “Suicide Squad” debuts in cinemas across the globe. But, have you ever wondered what the the ‘Squad’ would be like directed by say… Quentin Tarantino? Then check out this hysterical Quentin Tarantino fan made trailer from the guys over at LootCrate to see what the Suicide Squad would look like if it was led by Jules, Django, Aldo and some of Tarantino’s other famous movie characters.

This summer… The Bride, Django, Jules, Gogo and Aldo slice through the bad guys as Quentin Tarantino assembles a team of his most diabolical ANTI-HEROES in this “SUICIDE SQUAD” parody trailer!

Source: LootCrate

Thanks to Team Coco for sending us this clip from tonight’s special San Diego Comic Con episode of Conan O’Brien. Not only did we get a first look at an action scene from the upcoming film “Suicide Squad,” but  we were able to hear Jared Leto talk about his preparation for the role as The Joker.

This action sequence that was shared may only be 30 seconds long, but we get a first glimpse  of Harley Quinn and The Joker taking on Batman.

Source: Team Coco