I Liked the Movie this Could've Been

Rating: 4/10 (5 August 2016)

This movie could've been so good. It's not, and that makes me a sad panda. The main issue is the scope of the plot. I'm a big DC fan and have read the last few runs of Suicide Squad since its resurrection. It works because they're not trying to save the world. They have a specific purpose: when the US government doesn't have jurisdiction and doesn't want to start a war, they send in the Suicide Squad. If they fail, the government denies involvement and blames it on the misfit B-list villains. The actual terrorist/cult leader/splinter cell they're after in the comics are never particularly interesting, but it doesn't really matter because as soon as the squad is deployed, mayhem and one-liners come so rapid fire that you're having too much fun to realize the actual objective never really mattered in the first place.
This movie needed a grounded war-monger/terrorist villain with desires firmly planted in reality. Sure, throw in some hostages that need to be saved and some mildly super- powered disposable henchman for good measure, but whatever you do, don't make the Suicide Squad responsible for saving the whole damn world. The Flash and Batman will worry about that. They're far more equipped for the job than a sharp-shooter, an Aussie with an affinity for boomerangs, and a giant cannibalistic crocodile.
Sure, you can write a hack story where each of their individual skills proves to be crucial to taking down the big bad, but it'll come off looking contrived and unearned. Exhibit A: this movie.
In my opinion, the Harley/Joker scenes were really the only thing that worked here and they were few and far between. There was a Captain Boomerang moment that made me laugh out loud, and then the movie proceeded to ruin the joke 15 seconds later. As a fanboy, I certainly appreciated Easter eggs and nods to the source material, but I would've far preferred a linear story that gave more space to the characters. It would've been simple:
1) Introduce the characters
2) Send them somewhere awful
3) Let mayhem and hilarity ensue
There was no need to freaking Tarantino the Suicide Squad plot line. There was no need for the world to hang in the balance. 4/10 because, despite the script, Robbie and Leto managed to squeeze out a few moments that did justice to my two favorite villains from the DC Universe.