An Honest review of Suicide Squad

When I saw the movie on Thursday with my partner, I couldn't help but glue my eyes into the screen. My interest fell short in all the goofy jokes, sexual innuendos, and clumsy violence; but more towards how of a connection I grew with the characters. Few if at all any superhero movie has even captured my attention than did Suicide Squad. One thing I grew increasingly frustrated was after the release of the movie: on the 5th of August so many written complaints, bad reviews, and even lawsuits appeared.

The Atlantic :

"As I hope I have made apparent, the storytelling that brings all these characters together so quickly is lazy to the point of professional negligence."

Screen Rant:

"Suicide Squad is a lively comic book movie - albeit one that is undermined by plot holes and uneven execution of action, character, and comedy."

Each one criticizing the overall performance of plot development, character context, and story bridges. While I agree on the criticism; what critics failed to properly interpret is the directors take on the humanness of these so called villians --the idea that Signature Reads captures:

"With “Suicide Squad,” DC and Warner Bros. give fans a group of eclectic misfits to root for who are smart pivots away from gloomy, godlike heroes and tortured, brutal vigilantes."

The strongest connections the characters had with the audience was right in the end, when the Enchantress puts a spell on the Squad. Each one envisioning a strong bond, a relationship, a loved on for which the State apparatus has destroyed, killed, or alienated. It is in this sense it is no wonder why we prefer this rather than the god-like heroes, because their reality is a real as ours.

It is precisely the move to stem away--from reactionary characters--who have no real sense of imagination of letting chaos to ensue that caught so many fan's attention. I argue that this shift is a reflection of the historical origins that is being placed in our society--Anarchic, living freely away from the state apparatus. This reflection phenomenon can be seen in various superhero history, as mentioned by Professor David Graeber in Super Position

He states:

" In a way, this makes sense. Superheroes are a product of their historical origins. Superman is a Depression-era displaced Iowa farm boy; Peter Parker, a product of the ‘60s, is a smartass working-class kid from Queens; Batman, the billionaire playboy, is a scion of the military-industrial complex that was created, just as he was, at the beginning of World War II. But again, in the latest movie, the subtext became surprisingly explicit (“You’re not a vigilante,” says the police commander, “you’re an anarchist!”): particularly in the climax, where Spider man, wounded by a police bullet, is rescued by an outbreak of working class solidarity as dozens of crane operators across defy city orders and mobilize to help him."

Anarchism or any other disassociation from a higher entity is seeing prominence, and at a higher rate than from previous years.

In the Batman triology, Graeber notes:

" Nolan’s villains, in short, are always anarchists, but they’re always very peculiar anarchists, of a sort that seem to exist only in the filmmaker’s imagination. They are anarchists who believe that human nature is fundamentally evil and corrupt. The Joker, the real hero of the second movie, makes all of this explicit: he is the Id become philosopher."

And the anarchism posited under Suicide Squad is a manifestation of the anarcho-communal narrative. You have a group of cons, criminals, lawless people who in no way shape or form would ever associate themselves with any function of the State. But through the force, and legality of of violence that the State sanctions, pushes the collective unity of these anarchic villains together to develop cooperative partnership against a "greater" force. (I do not have a digital copy...yet but there are references to this collective in certain scenes of the movie where the idea of family becomes a pretext to an event following selfless acts.) The one I remember so vividly was right in the end when El Diablo transforms into an Aztec God and fights Enchantress's Brother. El Diablo shoves, punches, and spits fire at the Brother until reaching the cross hairs of the floor mine. The team all look in awe and shock, because they knew their was no way out. El Diablo's last words was: "For my 2nd family...just do it." As soon as El Diablo finished his last word, Rick Flagg detonates the trigger killing the Enchantress's brother and alongside El Diablo.

Overall the plot of the story repeats the notion that Graeber elucidates in his article, "to not allow the imagination to flow, for only violence will ensue" even though these anarchic characters help the State apparatus to continue to exist; they were always to be blame, to have no rights even after allowing the system to continue to function. The State showed them that too much will not be tolerated, so that even after saving the World, they would still need to be confined and violently coerced under the State.

For this, I really enjoyed the movie. And I can only hope that more movies where the focus becomes on the villains becomes a prominent genre. I like to think so. I have been on a binge watching Mr. Robot, and what made that show succesful? Because it reflects the socio economic reality of the time and letting that unfold, and in the best way it can reach the audience.

(P.S It is refreshing to see a cast of superheroes from different backgrounds as well: Australian, Japanese, European, Mexican, African American. If people did not like the character development, at least take into account the variety of people playing those roles. Especially in an age where White Hollywood appropriates every culture in film, it is good to see variety and depth.)