A Look Back at “Suicide Squad” For It’s 10th Anniversary

For my previous review slate, I took another look at “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” for its 10th anniversary. Even though I initially enjoyed this highly divisive DC movie when it first came out, after this latest revisit, I can really see how disjointed the theatrical cut ended up being. Now, for this week’s slate, I took another look at another divisive DC movie that’s also celebrating its 10th anniversary - “Suicide Squad” (2016).

Figuring they’re all expendable, a US intelligence officer decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top secret mission. Now armed with government weapons, Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Killer Croc and other despicable inmates must learn to work together.

Dubbed Task Force X, the criminals unite to battle a mysterious and powerful entity, while the diabolical Joker launches an evil agenda of his own.

Audiences had heavily mixed opinions on the 2016 movie “Suicide Squad” when it was initially released. While the movie was largely panned by professional critics, general movie-goers generally found it to be a fun, popcorn flick. While the movie featured a decent cast (except for Jared Leto’s iteration of Joker) and some fun action, “Suicide Squad” can be really flawed.

While this is another flawed movie from DC, this movie does deliver some fun characters and a few stand out performances. The one stand out performance that absolutely still steals the show is Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Harley Quinn. Robbie perfectly captures the character’s chaotic energy, dark humor and truly unpredictable nature.

Another stand out aspect that helped make the movie somewhat entertaining is the soundtrack. The movie relied heavily on needle drops from artists like Queen, Kanye West, Eminem and numerous others. Original tracks like “Heathens” from Twenty One Pilots and a cover of “Bohemian Rhapsody" from Panic! At The Disco were easily memorable and even topped the charts globally. 

“Suicide Squad” (2016) does feature a few moments that fans of the DC Comics and viewers could enjoy, such as practically all of the Harley Quinn scenes (especially the elevator fight and the Ace Chemicals jump), some action-packed moments that shows Deadshot’s precision and the bar scene where the team is slowly giving up hope.

Even though the 2016 DC movie has a good cast (for the most part),  some sort of decent action and a good soundtrack, “Suicide Squad” is also a truly flawed movie. This

movie is widely criticized for its rushed production, disjointed editing and very inconsistent tone. And, Jared Leto’s version of the Joker is probably one of the worst iterations of the Clown Prince of Crime that I have seen in a movie.

The first half of the movie featured a lot of flashbacks that told all of the character’s backstories and musical montages to go with the flashbacks that really dragged the movie out. The primary antagonist, Enchantress, also wasn’t that great of a villain. Her motivation to destroy the world feels very generic and forgettable and the final battle is just a standard, CGI-heavy showdown that can be slightly underwhelming.

The 2016 “Suicide Squad” movie was a polarizing commercial hit, universally panned by critics for its muddled plot and choppy editing, but became a fan favorite among some general audiences for its standout casting.

This movie also established the character of Harley Quinn as a pop culture icon, leading to a 2020 spin-off “Birds of Prey,” as well as a soft reboot/sequel, “The Suicide Squad” in 2021, which generally received higher critical praise (and I think the 2021 movie is a lot better than this one)..

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MPA: Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language   (runtime 123 minutes)

Initial release date: August 5, 2016

Streaming services: HBO Max/various PVOD services (as of writing this review)

https://youtu.be/CmRih_VtVAs?si=Sn-Si6FscN8gKAWL

• Margot Robbie began training six months prior to shooting the film. Her training routine included gymnastics, boxing, weapons training, aerial silk training, and learning to hold her breath underwater for extended periods of time.

• Margot Robbie revealed at San Diego Comic-Con International 2016 that although the cast members of the squad had extensive rehearsals together, she and Jared Leto did not rehearse prior to filming their scenes. She and director David Ayer felt it added to the unpredictability and madness of Harley Quinn and the Joker.

• Tom Hardy was originally cast as Rick Flag, but dropped out to do The Revenant (2015). Hardy had previously played Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (2012), who was a former member of the Suicide Squad in the comic books. Hardy later expressed his regret at leaving the role, given that he did not want to lose the work.

• When perfecting the Joker's laugh, Jared Leto publicly tried different laughs in New York City and Toronto to see which ones made people the most uncomfortable.

• Ryan Gosling was sought out first for the role of the Joker. He reportedly turned down the role because he did not want to sign on for a multi-picture deal that the studio was requiring.

• In May 2016, Warner Bros. announced Margot Robbie would reprise her role as Harley Quinn in Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn (2020), which she would also produce.

• Jared Leto took inspiration from the Batman comic "Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth," which portrayed the Joker as a transcendent, unsettling, and seductive person. He also cites gospel music, shamans, and Mexican cartels as an influence on the character.

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