BY ANNETTE LE COUTEUR
Suicide Squad is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated films this year and it comes as no surprise that fans couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of the trailer at this year’s Comic Con convention. When director David Ayer took to the stage this month to introduce the film it was clear to see it was not going to be like any other comic book film adaptation we have ever seen before. Hoping to lure in loyal fans of the Dc comics Suicide Squad series as well as wider audiences, the trailer invites us to take a look at the weird and wonderful world of macabre suicide missions from David Ayers unique cinematic vision.
Yesterday, pictures of the cast were posted on Twitter by the director after the Warmer brothers finished their principal photography last Friday . Stars, Scott eastward, Cara Delivingne and Will Smith can be seen in the front row in their full costume. An insider from Warner brothers told eye of media ” this film will be a cracker. It’s makings comprises a lot of creativity and originality that will open the mind of our world wide audience. A lot of thought and ingenuity has gone into this, and the actors have been absolutely brilliant in their commitment and performance. It will be a blast and worth the wait”.
CONVENTIONS
The sheer name Suicide Squad breaks many conventions of the good vs bad super hero narrative we are used to seeing on our screens. “All this good vs evil is kind of played out now” Ayer told eye of media. “It’s time for a movie about bad guys fighting the forces of evil to be seen”. Indeed, the film itself sees its unconventional characters act as an anti hero team of expendable super villains who are selected by the government to participate in dangerous black op missions (essentially suicide missions) in exchange for clemency. If they refuse or try to escape they are simply killed. If they succeed, their criminal records will be wiped away like they never even existed.
Ayer promises fans of the original DC comic book series will look forward to watching the film. “We are making this movie for you okay…it’s all about being faithful to original source material.”
This is a wise move by Ayer who has avoided the common pitfall of many comic book screen adaptations by deviating too much from the authentic portrayal of characters and storyline. Certainly fans won’t be disappointed if the film measures up anywhere close to the hype of the teaser trailer and the superbly sadistic end shot of the pale faced, green haired Joker leering into the camera, “I’m not going to kill you, I’m just going to hurt you…really, really bad.”
TRANSFORMATION
The trailer also teasingly introduces us to the relatively unknown characters of Enchantress, Harley Quinn who originally appeared in 1992’s animated batman series as the Joker’s psychiatrist turned girlfriend and accomplice, Deadshot (aka Will Smith) who as the name suggests is an expert assassin, as well as the infamous Joker played by Jared Leto to name a few of the characters. The characters from the film have undergone quite a transformation and the internet has been buzzing with the controversy surrounding Leto’s portrayal of the Joker with the general consensus saying he has punched way above his weight trying to take on such an iconic and psychologically complex character. As soon as the new trailer dropped, a deluge of criticism appeared on twitter and fans didn’t hold back with one fork tongued tweeter claiming “he (Jared Leto) looks like Marylin Manson” and another unsympathetically stating the obvious that “no one could do a joker better than Heath Ledger. Sorry Jared Leto.” The criticism comes as no surprise considering the impossible shoes Leto had to fill working in the shadows of highly acclaimed predecessor Heath Ledger- the only second post mortem actor to win an Oscar for his performance in The Dark Knight.
JUDGEMENT
In reality, none of us can pass judgement on Leto’s acting abilities until we have seen the Jokers character portrayal presented in its full glory when the film is released next year. Not surprisingly, a few seconds of auditory and sensory overload in the climax of a trailer won’t do Leto any justice in his impossible task of impressing sceptical fans. Furthermore, Leto never claimed his version of the Joker would surpass Heath Ledgers legendary performance and instead humbly admitted the enormity of taking on such a high pressured role in an interview with Billboard.“ This beautiful disaster of a character – what a big challenge.”
