Staff Writer CJ critiques “Suicide Squad”
By: Cornelious Jones
Staff Writer
After watching “Suicide Squad,” one is firmly left to believe any group of strong-arms can come together, work their problems out, and save the world. Now a major question to be raised about the movie was the performance of the Joker played by the multi-talented Jared Leto.
I really expected more from the Joker in Suicide Squad after watching the trailers.
Where was the Joker in “Suicide Squad?” Was the Joker getting a manicure or robbing a bank or did the studios just not like the final cuts? Was it false advertising?
It pained me to watch a Joker that was neither unhinged nor scary. Jared Leto could hardly compare to Heath Ledger’s 2008 “Dark Knight” portrayal of the Joker. Heath Ledger brought originality to the Joker — the scars on his cheeks, the three day old smudged make up, his dirty clothes, his cold eyes, his walk, that laugh, his sadistic demeanor could not be emulated here. What we get from Leto’s interpretation is a well-tailored, well-funded Joker, with some maniacal tattoos — not really scary to me. Perhaps the studio watered down the Joker because Suicide Squad is a PG-13 film, after all.
It was false advertising to have the Joker in so many trailers and for him not even to be relevant to the movie. The action scenes were cool and thrilling. Watching the Suicide Squad get assembled was hilarious. The film has a ton of humorous one liners. There will definitely be a part two. Don’t miss Suicide Squad if you like a funny action-packed film.
