Sure, the team of so-called villains in Suicide Squad might have been up against a generic, villainous witch, but I like to think they were attacking us all. It’s rare that a movie with so many opportunities manages to miss almost every one of them, but by god, Suicide Squad does it. There is just not enough room to describe how this movie is a slap in the face to anyone expecting a coherent plot, good characters, interesting foes, or really any kind of logic at all. They’d rather just appeal to their audience’s worst instincts by throwing a dizzying array of fetishized, sexist violence at us. Why? To see if it sticks, I guess. The talent involved is the only reason this baffling stew of too many cooks is just barely watchable, and it’s almost heartbreaking to see Margot Robbie give her all as Harley Quinn in material that’s so damn beneath her. And The Joker. Oh, don’t even get me started. It’s almost a relief that most of his scenes were edited out, seeing what this movie did to one of the best bad guys ever created. But even this dark cloud may have a silver lining, what with Margot Robbie reprising her role-and producing to boot-in the Birds of Prey film, due out in 2018, about the legendary ladies of Gotham, such as Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Batgirl, and Black Canary. Then again, at this point I’ll just be happy with a passable silver lining coming out of all this mess. – Andrea Thomson
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