Review: 'Suicide Squad' serviceable, but not a home run

A lot of DC Comics fans are rooting hard for the success of Suicide Squad in the wake of the negative reception (despite pretty sweet box office) of Batman v. Superman.

The good news: This new film featuring super villains is a better flick then the one touting the two biggest superhero heavyweights in the universe. But it’s not the slam dunk, crowd pleasing, epic film everyone was hoping for.

The story is slight, the villain weak, and the stakes never seem high.

However, the characters (and the actors who portray them) are spot on, especially Will Smith’s Deadshot, Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, and Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller.

Waller is the no nonsense government bureaucrat who dreams up a squad of criminals (some super-powered, some not) to handle any future crisis created by meta-humans who may not be as nice as the Man of Steel.

But, again, the threat they face, comes off as a cookie cutter force of evil that we’ve seen ad nauseam in these types of movies.

What about the Joker???

He’s great. Jared Leto brings a creepiness to the character we haven’t seen before, and when he’s on screen, you feel like all bets are off. Anything could happen.

Unfortunately, he isn’t on screen much, despite an ad campaign that prominently features the classic villain. I would not be surprised if one of the trending hashtags this weekend is #NeedsMoreJoker.

Perhaps that’s because of studio interference in the editing room. It feels like a lot was left on the cutting room floor, which makes me once again look forward to an extended, director’s cut.

This version of Suicide Squad is serviceable, but not the homerun Warner Bros/DC wanted to cap off the summer season.