The Right Idea, But Still Not That Good

Rating: 3/10 (26 February 2017)

DC had the right idea with "Suicide Squad". They really did. Instead of the plodding seriousness of films like "Man of Steel" or "Batman vs. Superman", this one was meant to let loose and have a little fun. While it did accomplish that goal, unfortunately it just isn't a very good film, overall.
For a basic plot summary, "Suicide Squad" sees government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) put together a team of mercenaries to do some dirty work so that the government won't have to get it's own hands dirty. Ostensibly led by Deadshot (Will Smith) and prominently featuring Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), this group of ragtag "bad guys" tries to thwart a plan hatched by the evil Enchantress (Cara Delavigne). Lurking on the fringes of everything? The Joker (Jared Leto), stirring up trouble everywhere he goes.
There is a lot of fun to be had in this movie (especially during the first half of runtime). Director David Ayer creates a wacky, madcap atmosphere with all the crazy pieces falling into place, and it really is a lot of fun. Smith has the perfect personality for Deadshot, while Robbie's Quinn is easily the best thing to come out of the whole experience. Leto's Joker is engaging, and just the entire concept is fresh and new.
Sadly, things take a real nosedive after that solid first half. As soon as a plot needs to be introduced, the whole thing falls apart. Maybe the saddest part of the whole ordeal? They seemed to be very correctable mistakes that just weren't identified and fixed. I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I can't go too deep into what I felt were late-film mistakes, but the biggest faux pas for me was that the tenor of certain characters really changed from beginning to end. Not helping matters is that there isn't anything resembling the word "deep" in the whole movie. So, basically, as soon as things have to start making sense and adding up...they don't.
I really wish I could give "Suicide Squad" a higher rating than this (2.5 stars would be my exact mark), but I just can't because, as a whole, it doesn't deserve it. It establishes an interesting Joker, an incredible Harley, and has a bit of fun in the first half...but that isn't enough to make it a great film. I know that rumors of studio meddling plagued this project until practically up to the release date, so perhaps that had a lot to do with why the tone seemed to change so much at times and why the characterizations seemed a bit off from beginning to end.
The final verdict: If Leto's Joker, Robbie's Quinn, and Affleck's Batman were to have a movie to themselves (with perhaps Smith's Deadshot lurking in the corners), that would be something to get excited about. Everything else in "Suicide Squad" is either a total miss or decidedly lukewarm.