By: Sam Martini ~Staff Writer~ 

Following Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad is the latest attempt from Warner Bros. Entertainment to bring DC comics to the big screen. Many have gone out of their way to defend this movie, saying how fantastic it is. But that simply isn’t true. While the film is enjoyable, it has too many flaws to count.

Editing is the biggest downfall of the movie. While it was sent into reshoots a few months before its release, this adds extraneous material and leaves several things unanswered as well. Suicide Squad follows a group of Super Criminals selected by a secret government program to partake in black ops missions in exchange for time off their sentences.

With such a concept pulled directly from the source material, it is hard to keep everything afloat. While suffering in both the pacing and the action of the film, the plot was very lackluster. This left me to question why they decided to have villains fight this fight instead of the heroes Warner Bros. continue to rub in our faces.

Many of the performances by the star-studded cast appear watered down, namely those of Jared Leto and Margot Robbie. However, Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang and Viola Davis’s Amanda Waller leave you wanting more.

Leading the cast are Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as Deadshot. Both appear bored throughout several sections in this film, developing what I like to call a Harrison Ford-like attitude: only being there for the paychecks.

That being said, this doesn’t last the entire film. This movie may be the most fun Will Smith has been in years but only leaves me wishing he did Independence Day: Resurgence instead.

Robbie is fun as Harley Quinn but her dependence on Leto’s Joker leaves her appearing as the hopeless romantic, instead of the hardcore character we’ve seen in the comics.

The biggest controversy around the film was Jared Leto’s Joker. Whether that was due to the shoes he was filling, his look for the character or his antics on set, Leto’s role is completely useless to the overall plot, making me wish they cut his role and made more time for other characters.

While I more than understand the need to introduce the character of Harley Quinn and her connection to the Joker, Robbie could have done better without him.

Still having its flaws, Suicide Squad is a nice breath of fresh air to end this mediocre summer movie season. While I disliked the film, it brings hope for it future installments and the future of the DC cinematic universe.