Angelica returning to see how DC Comics' cinematic universe is finally shaping up.
I may be the one of the few at The Film Experience who is completely sold on Batman vs Superman and extremely curious about their upcoming films. But I have been most interested to see how they would pull off Suicide Squad which brings to the screen an odd, wildly bonkers corner of DC's comic book history. If DC pulls off Suicide Squad we will be getting something unlike anything else on the very crowded superhero playing field we find ourselves in. The Comic-Con first look footage has now been released by Warner Brothers.
Let's Yes/No and Maybe So it, and see if DC is upping their game, after the jump...
YES
(L to R) Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Katana, Rick Flag, Killer Croc, and El Diablo. I think I see Scott Eastwood in the back too.
The casting is killer if only for the fact it brings to light DC Comics characters we haven't seen on film and that I have loved for years in an unexpected way. I'm loving the energy of this group shot. Also, isn't it nice to see a superhero film with several people of color and women in major roles? For such a saturated superhero market it is depressing how little we see of those who aren't white dudes.
The tone, humor, and oddness seems to be hitting the right notes. I'm glad that this first look doesn't give much away in terms of plot. But it gives viewers who know nothing about the Suicide Squad enough of an idea to get them interested without overexplaining things.
Are finally going to get the Amanda Waller we deserve?
Viola Davis has a lot to live up to. Even if she doesn't look like Amanda Waller I think she has the gravitas, presence, and forcefulness to pull her off. You have to understand Waller is one of the few people to stand up to Batman unafraid. She's just a highly intelligent, gruff black woman with a moral compass askew enough to get the kind of work done she feels helps the greater good.
"Because getting people to act against their own self interest is what I do for a living." These are exactly the kind of lines I want to hear from Waller.
YES YES YES
The best part of the trailer? Harley Quinn! Since her creation for Batman the Animated Series, Harley Quinn has become one of the most popular (and best selling) characters for DC Comics. She's very complicated especially when it comes to her relationship with the Joker. But it looks like Margot Robbie has nailed it and brought her own flair to the character by dropping the iconic high pitched voice of the character.
Childlike wonder? Check.
Acrobatics? Check.
Mixing violence with a sense of play? Check.
There's more to the character than that but I am so here for everything I am seeing thus far. If DC pulls off Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn I will probably cry.
NO
I am still not sold on Ben Affleck as Batman so I hope he isn't in the film for that long. But if we see Amanda Waller tell him off then I'll mark this done as a yes instead.
Well Jai Courtney looks really unattractive. Congrats?
I am not feeling many of these costumes and character designs. Unlike a lot of people I am totally fine with Harley Quinn having a different costume than the one she is most associated with when she first hit the scene in Batman the Animated Series. She's the kind of character who would change her look up a lot, I'm excited to see what other outfits we'll see her in.
MAYBE SO
We don't see enough of Katana and the Enchantress (which Cara Delevingne will be portraying) for me to make too much of a judgement. I dig Katana's look though.
How will Will Smith pull off deadshot? He's a very interesting choice for the character and one I would have never dreamed up. I was afraid with his casting other characters wouldn't get enough shine but this seems like a true ensemble.
Jared Leto has the enormous task of creating a version of the Joker that steps out of the shadow Heath Ledger created in The Dark Knight. The good thing about characters like the Joker is that even if the new version doesn't amaze you we'll see another actor in the role in about 10 years (if that). I don't like the look of his Joker but Leto looks like he's having a lot of fun and is going to bring exactly the kind of zany energy DC Comics needs.
I put him in the Maybe So column because of this...
Is it Harley Quinn he's going to torture off screen at the end of the trailer? The abusive relationship between the Joker and Harley Quinn is a very thorny issue to say the least. This could end up being really messy.
Overall, I am a HELL YES for Suicide Squad. I am loving the energy, humor, acting, and look of the film from what this trailer shows.
I'm so here for this!
What do y'all think about Suicide Squad and DC Comics' expanding cinematic universe?