It seems like superhero movies are taking over – from Marvel’s Captain America, Avengers and Ant Man to DC’s Batman v Superman, the public can’t seem to get enough. This weekend marks the release of the new supervillain movie, Suicide Squad.
After the recent backlash of negative reviews that Batman v Superman film received, will this new DC adaptation be any different?
Suicide squad is set to inject a bit of humour and craziness into the superhero movie franchise, which is much needed after the gloomy undercurrent of Batman v Superman. The writer and director, David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch), intends the film to be “darker, meaner and more violent” than other superhero movies which is the reasoning behind the 15 age rating which the film has earned in the UK.
The Plot
The “Suicide Squad” is put together as part of a secret US government program headed by actress Viola Davis. The program sees the release of the imprisoned psychopathic supervillains to be trained to fight any threats on the horizon after the events of Batman V Superman. In order to induce cooperation, a tiny remote controlled bomb is placed in their necks. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as The Joker and Will Smith as Deadshot are just a few of the high profile actors in the film.
The Reaction
The Suicide Squad movie has been one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer since the first trailer was unveiled at San Diego Comic Con 2015. But will the anti-hero movie live up to the hype?
Early reviews have been largely negative:
“Suicide squad is a decidedly different flavour than Batman v Superman. It goes for subversive, funny and stylish, and it succeeds wildly during the first act. But then the movie turns into something predictable and unexciting. It plods on, checking off boxes on a list of cliched moments and meaningless plot points, making you wonder where all the razzle dazzle went. (5.9 out of 10)” – Joshua Yehl, IGN.
“Writer-Director David Ayer skilfully sets up the film, introducing each of the crazies with caffeinated comic-book energy. But their mission is a bit of a bust. For DC, who blew it with Batman v Superman last spring, Suicide Squad is a small step forward. But it could have been a giant leap.” Chris Nashawaty – Entertainment Weekly.
Most reviews are comparing the newest DC adaptation with Batman v Superman which performed well commercially, despite being panned by critics.
Rotten Tomatoes has rated the DC movies, with Batman v Superman at 27% and Suicide Squad at 35%, which is significantly lower than DC’s competitor Marvel with Captain America Civil War at 90% and Avengers Assemble at 92%.
Among the fandoms a battle has begun between the comic-book-turned-movie-giants Marvel and DC for leader of the superhero movies. We used our Adoreboard analysis to see how the world reacts to them.
Marvel’s Adorescore is a high 73 with the main high intensity emotions being ecstasy and admiration. Marvel have already cemented themselves as the leader in the comic-book movie franchise and the ratings echo this. The hype around the upcoming marvel releases Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Dr Strange could be the main reason for the ecstasy surrounding the franchise.
The Adorescore for DC was disappointingly low at just 8, with the main emotions expressed being passive boredom and apprehension. The boredom could be due to the perceived lack of variety and inspiration between all the superhero storylines. The apprehension people are feeling could be due to the opportunity for possible spin off movies for DC including Wonder Woman and Aquaman which are already in process, and the rumoured spin offs for Harley Quinn and The Joker. These movies will give DC a chance to redeem itself and take on the beast that is the Marvel movie franchise.
If the reviews are anything to go by it doesn’t seem that Suicide Squad is the one to do that.
