I expected this to be bad, but the final film exceeded my fears. James Gunn struck gold with the first Guardians of the Galaxy, and the attempt to repeat that formula is apparent here - only it's amped up to the nth degree. The plot, if one can call it that, is one long exercise in subverting expectations. But Gunn is no M. Night Shymalan and no Monty Python either. This is pure randomness and lack of structure masquerading as subversiveness and edginess. I found myself reminded of the old Ren & Stimpy cartoon show at times, the bad later seasons, not the good early ones. Trying so hard to be edgy that it just becomes cringe worthy.
This film reeks of studio desperation. It's Homer's makeup shotgun from the Simpsons in movie form. A bizarre, unfocused and pitiful smear of concepts, moods and sounds.
Speaking of sound, the use of music in this film is awful. Different genres of songs are used randomly like in a late 90s Tarantino rip off. Most of the pop songs don't even work with what's happening on screen. Harley's escape is such a case. Frequently the score is interrupted full stop by sound fx or jokes. Again another attempt at "subverting expectations" and a simple trick at that. People expect music to go on, so when it's suddenly interrupted, they feel surprised. It's a dumb man's clever movie.
It's not entirely without merit. Some of the photography is nice. Some of the acting performances are good (Polka Dot man, Idris Elba, the Shark and Rat Girl stand out) and some are awful (the villains, the nerds in front of the computer screens who do nothing but comment on things). Some of the character interactions are funny. Most are not.
The first 20 minutes are amusing. The movie grinds to a painful halt in the middle and never regains its momentum. It's one exceedingly long, constantly interrupted, unfocused stew. Worst of all is the blatant disrespect this film has for its audience.
I compare Marvel movies to fast food. Simple, safe, unhealthy junk food for the brain with very few nutrients. This is worse. This is vomit cooked up with artificial flavoring and sold as haute cuisine to people without taste buds.
Bad as the original Suicide Squad was, this made me nostalgic for it.
This film reeks of studio desperation. It's Homer's makeup shotgun from the Simpsons in movie form. A bizarre, unfocused and pitiful smear of concepts, moods and sounds.
Speaking of sound, the use of music in this film is awful. Different genres of songs are used randomly like in a late 90s Tarantino rip off. Most of the pop songs don't even work with what's happening on screen. Harley's escape is such a case. Frequently the score is interrupted full stop by sound fx or jokes. Again another attempt at "subverting expectations" and a simple trick at that. People expect music to go on, so when it's suddenly interrupted, they feel surprised. It's a dumb man's clever movie.
It's not entirely without merit. Some of the photography is nice. Some of the acting performances are good (Polka Dot man, Idris Elba, the Shark and Rat Girl stand out) and some are awful (the villains, the nerds in front of the computer screens who do nothing but comment on things). Some of the character interactions are funny. Most are not.
The first 20 minutes are amusing. The movie grinds to a painful halt in the middle and never regains its momentum. It's one exceedingly long, constantly interrupted, unfocused stew. Worst of all is the blatant disrespect this film has for its audience.
I compare Marvel movies to fast food. Simple, safe, unhealthy junk food for the brain with very few nutrients. This is worse. This is vomit cooked up with artificial flavoring and sold as haute cuisine to people without taste buds.
Bad as the original Suicide Squad was, this made me nostalgic for it.