The worst of the worst didn’t live up to its amazing trailers, and this SUICIDE SQUAD review explains why.

Warning: There are some spoilers regarding Suicide Squad in this review, including the basic premise of the film and its themes.

The trailers over the past few months had me definitely excited for Suicide Squad. The music, combined with an eclectic array of characters, plus the whole idea of bad guys fighting as good guys, had me hyped. But did Suicide Squad live up to its hype? I’ll explain my thoughts in this Suicide Squad review.

Suicide Squad takes place in the aftermath of Superman’s death, with intelligence operative Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) creating a team of the most dangerous villains. She proposes that there is no telling if the next Superman will fight on the side of good, and giving villains an incentive, and a way to control them just in case, may work in their favor. Joining the team is the assassin Deadshot (Will Smith), the crazy ex-psychiatrist Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), the master thief Boomerang (Jai Courtney), the monstrous Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), the pyrokinetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and the specialized mercenary Slipknot (Adam Beach). Their leader is Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), who is guarded by the mysterious Katana (Karen Fukuhara). Their mission? Save Midway City from destruction from the Enchantress and her brother. The former happens to be Rick Flag’s possessed girlfriend Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne).

While our cast of characters certainly is diverse, I did not feel an intense connection to many of them. The focus was primarily on Deadshot and Harley Quinn, so the rest of the squad was underdeveloped. For instance, Slipknot’s introduction. The other five villains got a cool introduction, complete with their strengths and weaknesses (we got to find out Boomerang has a love of pink unicorns!), but he was slipped in at the last second. I didn’t even know his name until I looked him up. This was also similar to how I felt about Katana. She shows up mid way, right before the action, with a small backstory played as to why she got there. There isn’t much development with her, and I found that to be a shame, because she could have been a great character.

Regarding the characters that received ample screentime, I found Deadshot’s love of his daughter redeemable and Harley’s craziness definitely vexing. I wasn’t quite sure if I liked her more than I disliked her, but her and the Joker’s (Jared Leto) insanity was captured perfectly.

The plot itself was lacking development. Based on the trailers, I was expecting the Enchantress to be a part of the Suicide Squad. While having her as the main villain was a twist, the whole backstory of her hating the modern world and wanting to destroy humanity was predictable and redundant. I would have wanted more buildup to the squad, having them go on various missions, instead of one, big, save the world mission straight off the bat. This could have explained the whole “we’re a family now” dynamic that was occurring towards the end. It was rushed and undeveloped. They knew each other for less than a day, so calling themselves friends and family seemed like a stretch, at most.

Visually speaking, Suicide Squad was pretty. I especially enjoyed the introductions, with the popping, eye-catching font detailing their backstories. The action was fun to watch; it was full of bats swinging, boomerangs flying, katanas slicing, and guns hitting right on the mark. And all the characters with their outfits and weapons were badass and cool.

It was the music that had me the most. The soundtrack for Suicide Squad was perfect, reflecting the characters and the action, and it kept me interested. There was a variety of songs, from The Animal’s “The House of the Rising Sun” to Grace’s “You Don’t Own Me,” and I loved them all.

All criticisms aside, this was an enjoyable movie that had its flaws. It was fun to watch, but looking back, I wish the characters and the plot were strengthened instead of piling everything into one rushed movie. Am I hoping Katana’s character is expanded more in the sequel? Of course.

Check out my rating below and add your own rating too!