A fun filled ride. Way too much hate.

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2016)

To start this off. I'm not a DC fanboy. Civil War, Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy are very good films.
Now, Suicide Squad is written and directed by David Ayer. Which was very exciting. And for me, and everyone I saw this with. It was an awesome, fun ride. The best part was definitely the Squad's chemistry. Some characters did not have enough to do, for sure. But the team itself, was what sold me. To introduce and explain like 8 new characters in one movie is no easy task, but did work for the most part.
The story is something you have most definitely seen before. The third act is quite cliché, but the execution of it was beautiful. By end, you care about enough of the characters to really get behind the mission. It did seem a bit rushed and meshed together in the second act. But the characters take you through it with actual stakes, because none of these actors are slated for other movies till 2035. People can actually die. This isn't Marvel, and I think that the guts that Ayer had with the direction of the movie was risky and did pay off.
The Joker was a great addition, but serves little purpose. Don't go expecting to see Heath Ledger, because he does not get enough screen time. But his scenes do illustrate the abusive and weirdly romantic complexity of his relationship with Harley, which was a very nice thing to see, which could've been so much longer.
The Acting was way above sub-par. Will Smith as Deadshot is by far the best casting work in this movie. His performance is a blend of his own Will Smith charisma, and the heart that he has that drives his character. Margot Robbie kills it as Harley Quinn, she gave such a great and nuanced performance that I wished to have seen more of. Jay Hernandez surprised me so much, he brought a layer of heart that I didn't see coming in a big blockbuster like this. Jai Courtney was the biggest surprise in my opinion. After Terminator, Divergent and Die Hard 5, I lost faith in him as an actor. But he brought such a comedic presence that I didn't know he could bring. He has a bit of chemistry with Karen Fukuhara's character Katana. Which was a really good layer to add to this mix that really grounds the movie. Adam Beach has little development but still had some good reactions with Jai Courtney's Boomerang. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje plays Killer Croc, he had a good presence, but I wanted more development in terms of his backstory. Cara Delevigne was really bad. They relied on her facial expressions more than dialogue so that was a good thing. But Joel Kinnamen's Rick Flagg, is so underrated. He had small nuances that brought the team together and made me trust him as an accomplished soldier. And Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, she was more intimidating than the actual villain. Enough said.
All in all, I loved this movie. The pacing was off a bit. The second act is very confusing, the villain is generic. Some characters needed more development, and I just wish it was longer. But it has enough positives to outweigh the negative. I am excited for the rest of what DC has to offer. Overall rating: 9.2