It seems like Warner Brothers has had a tough time trying to kickstart the DC Cinematic Universe with this March’s release of Batman Vs Superman dividing long time fans of the graphic novel it was based on. DC tried again this August with a relatively unknown graphic novel called Suicide Squad. Suicide Squad is a film by David Ayer depicting a group of villains who are assembled into a task force to do the dirty work of the American government. Ayer has also worked on other notable films such as Fury, End of Watch, andTraining Day.

Suicide Squad is what the fans of the comics would have wanted to see opposed to the critics who are having a tough time with film giving Squad very bad reviews. Fans of the film filed a petition against the movie critic site Rotten Tomatoes to get it shut down after they gave the movie a 27% freshness rating. The creator of the petition, Abdullah Coldwater, accused the site of being unjust and giving bad reviews that affects people’s opinion even if it is a really great movie. Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal criticized the movie saying “Suicide Squad amounts to an all-out attack on the whole idea of entertainment” which most fans of the movie highly disagree with.

The film is action packed with some greatly choreographed sequences with a great ensemble cast with the likes of Will Smith, Margot Robbie, and Viola Davis among other large name actors and actresses. But Jay Hernandez’s Diablo was the shining moment in the entire film with a solid performance from beginning to end that really makes the audience feel for his character. Diablo has a tragic background that eventually leads him to the desk of Amanda Waller played by Viola Davis yet another strong lead. With a large cast like this there will be some who outshine others, sending some into the background.

Those few had to be Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Killer Croc, and Margot Robbie as Harleen Quinzel or Harley Quinn for short. Agbaje, who has very few lines to start off with, all of which were very minimal, might have  had a total of 15-20 minutes of screen time even though he is a very prominent character in the squad. His voice is very deep mixed with some sort of New York accent making it raspy and hard to understand. Harley Quinn is the complete opposite of Croc as she is in the majority of the movie. Her character is very upbeat and loud, always talking and making a scene.

In a movie full of problems there are some characters and moments that are outstanding, like the character Deadshot who the movie seems to put a heavy focus on. There are moments where he shows humility and seems to actually care about the other people in the situation. Another character that really shone was Jared Leto’s Joker. Leto was a great fit as the character, but the amount of screen time he was given was very minimal yet enjoyable. The way Squad handles its villains is so incoherent and poorly written that it really hinders the viewing experience. None of the villains are fleshed out, making them all lackluster and non-relatable.

With a movie of this stature there will be problems no matter what: be it writing, acting, or bad direction. While this movie did have its faults it was still very entertaining to watch with striking visuals, greats sets, and very great action sequences. In the end, it was a joy ride of emotions. Some were good; some were bad. Plus there was a surprising amount of cursing for a pg-13 movie. If you want to make this a movie night out, Suicide Squad would be a great choice. Just be wary when bringing the kids.