I might be actually losing my mind after seeing all of these trailers. I guess the joke’s on me because now we have an official look at the Suicide Squad trailer! This trailer gave us a lot of new and exciting information, as well as new looks at our soon to be, if not already, favorite characters. Obviously, the excitement and anticipation for this trailer was through the roof, but I don’t think many people were expecting to be this absolutely blown away. My expectations were high, but this trailer surpassed even my expectations. So, let’s strap ourselves down and get ready because this trailer isn’t going to kill you….it’s just going to excite you really, really bad.
What Worked?
Amanda “The Wall” Waller
We don’t get to see her very much, but seeing her in the beginning talking about Task Force X is a nice visual representation of her role to play in the film. Amanda Waller is the gatekeeper to this deadly force and before you see them, you must go through her. She owns these people and has worked tirelessly to form this team. Viola Davis has these dead eyes that I feel are perfect for Amanda Waller. Waller should always be portrayed as ruthless and willing to do what others won’t. They eyes are a perfect way to show us she means business. Also, it is nice seeing her sitting down with two military heads talking to her because it shows us that she is possibly already the head of ARGUS.
Killer Croc
Many mistakened (including myself) him for King Shark in the shot of him being wheeled down a hallway, but it was indeed Killer Croc. He gets some love later on in this shot here with some VFX enhancement to the already stunning prosthetic costume. He looks great and has a great snarl face. I can’t wait to see him go berserk and start biting and ripping people apart. The trailer left me unworried about his inclusion, and excited to see what this character will do in the film.
Enchantress
She is seeming very thoroughly disturbed. It also looks like, from the trailer, that we’ll be seeing a bit of her origin story. The cave shots with her remind me a lot of The Descent. This trailer made me much more interested in her character than I already was. Cara Delevingne does a great job at looking unhinged and frightening while also remaining vulnerable. Her character could very well turn out to be one of the most interesting in this movie.
Captain Boomerang
We all love giving Jai Courtney shit (deservedly so) for being a terrible actor, but I think he may have just found the character that suits him. Jai is not a leading man, and Captain Boomerang never will be. This gives him just enough leeway to work the character, but not to ruin the movie if he does indeed suck once more. However, having seen the interviews with him about this character, he really does seem in love. He loves that he’s able to play an Aussie and really embody this character like no one else would. All of this being said, he looks and sounds great in the trailer and these shots, as well as his dialogue, make me excited to see his adaptation of this character on the big screen.
Deadshot
Will Smith is really owning this character. This incarnation reminds me a lot of the Deadshot from the animated film, Assault on Arkham (check that out). Deadshot seems to have a leadership role and is seen leading not just the Suicide Squad, but also smaller military squadrons. Deadshot also seems to be getting a bit of an origin story, which I’m totally fine with. The costume also looks great and believable in these combat situations. I really love how Deadshot coins the phrase, “Suicide Squad.” To me, this further emphasizes his role as elected leader of the squad.
Harley Quinn
Margo Robbie is Harley Quinn. No one can do what she is doing for this character. She looks just like her, sounds just like her, acts just like her, and does is it all as if she wasn’t even acting. She is very psychotic and innocent. Her performance just speaks for itself. If there is anyone we are not all a bit sceptical about, it is her as Harley.
Tone
This is a very bleak universe, but that is exactly what I want. This movie shows us just how full this world is with psychos, killers, criminals, and monsters. Suicide Squad, much like the squad itself, knows what it is: a movie where violence, villainy, and vitriol are the standard. I like how the trailer doesn’t try and sell the characters as heroes, but rather shows us the characters as they truly are. Some are broken, serious, psycho, scared, and/or content. The tone is dark, but a movie about supervillains better be!
The Joker
Let me just say, Mark Hamill is forever the best Joker we will ever have. Now with that said, Jared Leto will undoubtedly be the best Joker we have ever seen in live-action. He is one maniacal psychopath. Along with this mental instability lies a fine line of cold, calculated evil. The Joker is smart, regardless of his insanity. This Joker looks like all of the best elements from every great Joker. He looks like Grant Morrison’s Joker, sounds like a good impression of Mark Hamill, and presents himself much like Heath Ledger’s Joker. I cannot wait to see Leto’s Joker on screen.
What Didn’t Work?
El Diablo
This character just seems so boring and out of place. Everyone on this team is a villain to be reckoned with, while he is a dude with some tattooes in a [frick]ing tank-top. Captain Boomerang is at least a big guy with some presumably nifty boomerangs and good aim. What the actual [frick] can El Diablo do? Seriously. I hope he is the character that dies for the sake of the team. I hope I’m proved wrong and he turns out to be great, perhaps like Hawkeye in Avengers 2, but I seriously doubt it.
Speculation
I’m Just Going To Hurt Ya Really, Really Bad
We know that the Joker is speaking to Harley here and that she is dressed in street clothes. However, I don’t believe this is the Joker torturing Harley and her becoming Harley Quinn. The set photos have shown her interacting with Joker in street clothes outside and near his car. I believe that he actually kidnaps her towards the end of the movie, but before she can truly be with him, he must defuse the bomb in her head. In the animated movie, Assault on Arkham, the squad uses electroshock to short-circuit the bombs in their heads, thus releasing the leashes Amanda Waller has on all of them. The reason Joker says what he says is due to the fact that he and Harley aren’t on good terms at the moment. This is why she’s nervous about him killing her. However, he doesn’t want to kill Harley, but the electroshock is going to really, really hurt.
Jim Parrack
It appears that Jim Parrack is indeed Jonny Frost. He seems to be escorting Joker through the facility that his team just cleared out. I’m just very happy to see him not be Deathstroke.
King Shark
We know he is in the film, but is missing from the trailer. I hope he is not simply the one member of the squad that gets his head blown up in the very beginning of the film just to showcase the bombs implanted inside their skulls.
Scott Eastwood
I am still betting on Scott Eastwood being none other than Deathstroke. I just can’t wait to see how they’ll set him up in this film because he is obviously not Deathstroke yet. I think he will definitely be injured somewhere near the end of the film, and we’ll be left with him getting a super soldier serum to save his life, or being returned to ARGUS to be experimented on.
Overall Assessment
It was amazing. Duh. I loved not only what the trailer showed us, but also how it showed us. From the song it played, to the lines of dialogue it had, to the cuts of slow-mo interspliced with fast action shots. This trailer was a homerun for WB/DC and it has helped project Suicide Squad into at least the top 3 most anticipated films coming out of Comic Con.
Score: 9.5/10
As always, please let me know what you guys thought about the trailer. Be sure to post about your speculation in the comments below, and let me know if you agree/disagree with any of my speculation. I love to hear what you all have to say! Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter @HaneyCasey, on MoviePilot.com/HaneyCasey, and on my website SlackerNerds.com. Thanks for reading!