Suicide Squad: Was it worth the hype?

With Halloween fast approaching, I would put my money on Suicide Squad characters being the most popular costume choice this year (followed by Stranger Things). Especially Harley Quinn – such an obvious choice for women this year. But what I want to know is did people really think the movie was as good as the hype it is receiving or is it just the excitement still driving its popularity?

There was so much excitement in the lead up to the movie; the PR and Marketing teams did a great job, there is no denying that but from speaking to friends I was not the only one it seems who felt a little disappointed with what was on the screen. Having said that, it was not the production, not the costume, or even the special effects I had issues with.

When the trailers and promos came out I was dubious about Will Smith playing Deadshot, excited for Jared Leto’s Joker and buzzed by the soundtrack. Little did I know that I would be leaving the cinema still buzzed by the soundtrack (it’s on multiple playlists on my Ipod now), feeling disappointed by Leto and hugely impressed by Smith. In fact, I would say that aside from Margot Robbie’s obviously sexy and bad-ass portrayal of Harley Quinn (bring on the confirmed solo movie), Will Smith actually stole the show. I’ve seen him do comedy, I’ve seen him do drama, but I wasn’t expecting such a great performance in this role.

But what of Leto? For me he just wasn’t and quite possibly never will be the Joker. Is it his fault? I’m not sure. During the build up to the release of the film Leto revealed in multiple interviews that he threw himself into the role, listing off various ‘presents’ he sent to his cast-mates. He said he practised his laugh over and over to get it right. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but it just wasn’t right for me. He also has a minor part the film, so why so much media attention compared to the people in the actual squad?

One more problem I had with the film is unfortunately Ben Affleck. He won’t ever be Batman to me, and I feel this was a bad choice in casting, although I appreciate this was made long before the Suicide Squad film. He will never be Batman in my eyes – that will always be Bale.

I’d be interested to see if anyone else felt the same way as me about the performances.

So is it worth the hype? For the most part yes but it is not looking to me like the film of the year.