Suicide Squad

Rating: 6/10 (4 September 2016)

With nearly 1400 user comments as of this writing, I will just keep it short and sweet: villains like a sniper working for the highest bidder (Will Smith; he loves his little girl, though!), a former psychologist who fell for psychopath Joker (Jared Leto, more cartoonish mad, not immersed in darkness like Heath Ledger was as the character) and was electro-shocked by him which pretty much warped her mental state turning her into a hot, tattooed maniac (Margot Robbie, who stole the film), among others imprisoned and kept under lock and key until a government Pentagon sociopath (Viola Davis, about as cold-blooded as the villains of the movie assembled) urges the military to allow her to use them for missions, covert and to combat the possible Superman that might not hold onto the same values as the *dead* Caped Crusader did.
Jon Kinnaman (The Killing) is a badass soldier Davis puts in charge of the Suicide Squad (coined by Smith when acknowledging that the current mission in this movie might lead to their demise), with a device that holds the lives of the villains in his hands (an explosive device is implanted in the bodies). An "enchantress" was discovered in a religious artifact hidden in a cave by archaeologist (Cara Delevingne), taking over her body. Davis has the witch's heart in a case and wants her to do her bidding, but the enchantress resurrects her brother, placing his soul (from a similar artifact) in common, getting power from him to combat the heart's absence. This plot is just so absurdly silly, that even writing it gives me chuckles. Jai Courtney, of the Divergent movies, is Boomerang, an Aussie safecracker, Jay Hernandez as a gangster with flame as a weapon, Diablo, who has reformed himself after his family was killed during an outburst, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as "killer croc" (imagine a croc-man), Karen Fukuhara as the awesome swordswoman, Katana, whose blade when it kills folks traps their souls in it (!), and Adam Beach (wasted) as Slipknot round out the cast. Smith, of course, as Deadshot, brings his star power charisma while Margot Robbie blows away everyone on screen as Harley Quinn.
Quinn gets the best lines while Smith is clearly a rung above the others, although Kinnaman is no slouch when the two are together (and they are a lot because the plot adversarially pits them against each other). Courtney is fun, but Hernandez (under Day of the Dead facial makeup) is amazing. Damn good cast in search of a better superhero movie. Leto is hyperactive, with tattoos (Damaged in cursive on his forehead) and gold teeth (?!?!), representing a type of manic Mafioso feared by all. Great scene has Margot Robbie proving to Joker she loved him, dropping off into a vat of goo. The smeared mascara, bikini shorts, "Daddy's Lil Monster" tight shirt, baseball bat, and "Love/Hate" bullet chamber gun; Harley Quinn is quite a showy part for Robbie. The "machine" the enchantress whips up with her magic and the monster brother with extending "arms" that level everything with this branch-like residue, laying waste to all it attacks are massive special effects sequences, a subway station particularly devastated. The enchantress merely grasps folks and transforms them into hideous monsters with faces that "bubble". The Diablo fire god opposing Monster T at the end is impressive. Smith proving to Davis and Kinnaman he's a good shot while still in prison is also a highlight. Major problem forced on director Ayer: having to deal with so many characters introduced, as backstories are rushed to get to the mission. Harley Quinn is destined for her own movie.