DC successfully follows the unbeaten path Villains are finally given their time in the spotlight!

Rating: 9/10 (6 September 2016)

The DCEU continues their masterful trend to defy marvel's dominance by staying off their beaten, predictable path, in spite of critical reception. Finally, the villains get their proper respects after always playing second fiddle to the heroes. Not only does DC and David Ayer make them the headliner but with another great choice introduces the audience to peripheral villains not everyone is familiar with doing this in a way that breathes life, humanity and feeling into the type of characters that are generally only depicted as one-dimensional. It instantly expands the DC cinematic universe beyond anything Marvel is currently doing, and in the best way. Most often we are meant to despise the villains or align with the heroes' motivations, this turns that idea on its head challenging convention. It continues the dialogues that DC began in BvS; the questioning of government authority and manipulation (via Amanda Waller) as well as it's unabashed exploration of humanities darker side.
The Squad's humanity is revealed and explored throughout the film and their ongoing mission. You don't expect to see yourself in the unhealthy romance of Harley and the Joker, Deadshot's desire to do right by his daughter, or Diablo's regret and reluctance to use his power, maybe even in Croc's outright 'disfigurement', but you DO. You want them to slip Wallers clutches and maybe get away or for Harley and Joker to end up in each other's arms. That's where this movie shines Smith, Robbie, Leto etc. The main characters are human, developed and believable. You end up understanding that criminals are not always villains simple, black and white, there isn't always an ultimate evil where you can point your finger, there are vast and varying shades of gray. True to his 40's gangster origins, Leto as Joker delivers an intense less is more approach in his great limited screen time (after all, it isn't a Joker movie). Along with the obvious sense that Harley is someone who is really important to him, you get a menacing, threatening, brooding Joker who always seems on edge of doing something violent and crazy if you push him, without being over the top or in your face at every given moment. He is a force of nature, and he doesn't need to be Ledger to be good.
Believe it or not one of the over-all themes of this movie is family, where this group of conflicting and complimentary personalities finds a sense of camaraderie, belonging, and family within the dynamic of the team. Many of their individual motivations also involve family directly or indirectly from Katana and Flag to Joker and Harley again, who only really have each other. Given that the Squad is a big group some characters are more of a focal point, but not to its detriment. It is actually more encouragement to run with, and explore these and more villains in future installments with possible line-up changes.
If you want to see the same old routine, then you probably won't like this. But if you have made your mistakes, have regrets, have had messed up love lives, aren't perfect, or just have a little darkness in You welcome home, DC is unafraid to explore this side of humanity within their villains as well as their heroes. Without all the flamboyant overly scripted Deadpool and Avengers style humor, these characters interact and speak in a natural way where it seems legitimate, where you're not reminded that a team of writers wrote every joke and each line is said with perfect delivery and timing. These aren't the Tony Stark's or the Steve Rogers' ideals to admire but that no one actually relates to. They are the those fallen from grace, the temptations, the imperfections, the ugly humanity, the redemption, the family and sense of belonging sought when you do not fit into societies mold. And they make you care about them. DC needs all the encouragement we can give to continue with their strong start and not submit to the pressures of trying to appease the masses, the cult classics are almost never appreciated by general audiences or critics when they are first released.
In a world that is beginning to brim with comic based franchises the unbeaten path is the right one! DC is taking the reigns for the modern generations, challenging standards, and pushing the boundaries!