The Joy of Film Podcast, Episode 7 - Suicide Squad Review

The Joy of Film Podcast, Episode 7:

Suicide Squad Review

On this episode of The Joy of Film Podcast, we're reviewing DC's Suicide Squad - and it just may be the most fascinating and divisive film of the year. For the occasion, we've rustled up an epic-sized panel - including Joy of Geek regulars Rich, Jordan and Kevin, and special guests Katie and Holden. It's a packed house, and we each have some strong feelings about the film, so get ready for a throw-down. But first, we can't talk about Suicide Squad without a nice healthy dose of hype and backstory to kick things off.

After years of anticipation and speculation, the time has finally come: Suicide Squad has been released. This is the movie that everyone was counting on to single-handedly redeem and re-invigorate the critically-maligned DC Comics Extended Universe, and wash away the dark clouds left by Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And while resting the entire future of the DCEU on any one film is a risky proposition, it becomes even more dangerous when the film in question is an action-comedy starring the self-admitted "Worst Superheroes Ever." Sounds either totally crazy or totally brilliant, right? Or like a recipe for certain disaster. This is the tumultuous geek culture stew that David Ayer's film was dropped into this past weekend.

And while there's no doubt that Suicide Squad was up against some tough odds, there was good reason to hold out hope. This is the world of superheroes, after all, where people are capable of amazing and supernatural feats, and comeback stories are the order of the day. And judging from the string of diverse and fantastic trailers Warner Bros. released over the past year, it appeared that  they finally cracked the code and learned how to successfully translate the DC heroes to the silver screen. But does Suicide Squad live up to any of the hype, self-imposed or otherwise? Our five-person panel is here to weigh in. 

We discuss the film in-depth, giving our thoughts on Jared Leto's Joker, Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, Will Smith's Deadshot and the rest of the cast of characters, as well as the film's plot, tone, main villain and other creative choices. We also discuss the variety of controversies surrounding the film, including the multiple competing final cuts, Joker and Harley's relationship, the behind-the-scenes antics of the cast, and much more. 

We're diving deep into this review - so don't be surprised if Killer Croc happens to swim by while we're talking. And regardless of our final thoughts on Suicide Squad, one thing is certain: the comic book movie landscape just got a whole lot more colorful with its release. This...is the Joy of Film!