We’ve been struggling to get on board the love train for the DC cinematic universe for a little while now, but with the release of the Suicide Squad trailer it managed to win us around a little. While we weren’t convinced by Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice, the SS movie looked like it had potential with a solid interpretation of the antihero concept, a good cast and a great visual style. Sadly the film itself didn’t live up to the expectations that were built up by the trailer. Read our full Suicide Squad review for more details.
It stars Will Smith (After Earth), Jai Courtney (Terminator Genysis) and Margot Robbie (Focus) in the thick of the Squad pictured above, and introduces yet another Joker into the mix with Jared Leto transforming into a tattooed maniac to take on the role. The trailer paints a very dark and grundgy atmospher with a lot of action and an irreverent anti-hero ethos, and to a large extent that has fed through to the movie too. It’s just not as epic as it could have been and with talk of a sequel in the offing, we’re hoping DC puts in the effort to right the wrongs for its next installment.
Release date
Cinema:
It had its UK release date on Friday the 5th August 2016, which was the same date as the US release, and it’s been designed to be a brutal adaptation of the John Ostrander creation. It doesn’t appear to be very heavy on the special effects, unlike the Avengers movie, so it didn’t get too much in the way of 3D screenings.
It landed around five months after the release date of Batman Vs Superman and from the look of the Suicide Squad trailer below the Bat, played by Ben Affleck, in the latest iteration of the character, will be showing his face again here.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download:
The film had a Blu-ray and DVD release date in the UK on the 5th December 2016, just in time for Crimbix. It arrived on 3D Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on the same date.
Plot
The story for the movie follows the premise behind the comics pretty closely with the a band of degenerate, banged-up villains beings forced into doing the do-good dirty work of saving the world. With everyone from Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Rick Flag to Boomerang, Enchantress and Killer Croc all in the gang, what could possibly stand in their way? Except maybe the psychopathic tendencies of a very hurtful Joker who just wants to see the world burn. Visit DC Comics to find out more about the latest installments of the comic book series that the film is based on.
Cast
Suicide Squad acts as the second movie collaboration for Will Smith and Margot Robbie who take on Deadshot and Harley Quinn following on from their on-screen debut in the respectable caper, Focus.
They’re joined in the cast by Jai Courtney as Aussie killer, Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop) as Rick Flag, Cara Delevingne (Paper Towns) as the witch-like Enchantress, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Jay Hernandez as El Diablo and Adam Beach as Slipknot. Viola Davis (The Help) has been cast as the architect for the formation of the Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller, and Jared Leto takes on the huge boots and psycho eyes of the Joker.
Production
Suicide Squad was directed by David Ayer (Fury), who has also been responsible for writing the screenplay for the adaptation. It was produced by Charles Roven (Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Richard Suckle (American Hustle) with executive producers Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Colin Wilson and Geoff Johns.
Review
Based on what we’d seen of Batman Vs Superman, we hadn’t really counted on Suicide Squad doing all that much to draw our attention, but there was no denying the potential of the film on the back of the cast, plot and trailer. Sadly, the trailer is an effort of misdirection that leads on to a film that disappoints, thanks to poor delivery and misguided buildup. The pacing is all out of whack and there a number of ropy scenes that bring it down. Harley Quinn and Enchantress are pretty cool, but they’re not enough to make up for everything else that’s wrong with the film. Full review.
Share the Suicide Squad UK DVD release date, trailer and movie details with:
Suicide Squad trailer:
The naming for the film and comic book series may well be difficult for some readers, because of the use of the term suicide. You can read more at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/suicide/pages/introduction.aspx to learn about the causes, warning signs and help available.
