The last time we got a real look at DC’s Suicide Squad was back in July during San Diego Comic-Con 2015. Originally leaking online shortly after it premiered at the Con, Warner Bros. begrudgingly released an HD trailer for the David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury) directed comic book film for all the masses to see. Since then, we’ve only been treated to character posters and occasional production stills, but yesterday the first official trailer for the film was finally released online, giving viewers a better glimpse at the unconventional superhero movie.
I have to admit, I think this a really fun and well-made trailer. As someone who has been incredibly skeptical of the teasers and marketing for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Avengers: Civil…err, Captain America: Civil War, I was surprised by how much I was enjoying the brief but humorous introductions to Suicide Squad’s “worst” heroes. Set to the beat of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” we get a really great look at a number of characters in the film, including Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Killer Croc, and Jared Leto’s Joker. I especially liked seeing Robbie as Quinn, whose remarks about what the “voices” are saying in her head perfectly sells just how funny and obviously deranged the Joker’s former squeeze is. The Joker himself is also looking especially terrifying, and while I’m still not completely sold on the look, Leto’s performance appears to be capturing the insanity and savagery of Batman’s titular antagonist.
Though I like most of what I’m seeing in the trailer, I do have a few quibbles in regard to some of the dialogue and CGI effects. Will Smith looks like he might be sleepwalking through the film, and I can’t exactly blame with the banal and clichéd lines he’s been given to say so far. The weird black goo monsters also look like something out of a video game from the mid-2000s, and bear a striking resemblance to the tentacled-monstrosities in Resident Evil 5.
Comic book fans have been awfully mixed on the marketing for Suicide Squad for months, and Warner Bros. and DC have been slow to appropriately address concerns over the film. The infamous reveal of Jared Leto’s Joker unleashed an internet firestorm back in May 2015, and while the Clown Prince of Crime’s new look has continued to be a focal point of ire among many comic readers and casual viewers, Ayers and Warner Bros. have stood by the forehead tattoos and all. Despite fan misgivings, I think it’s safe to that this trailer is definitively a step in the right direction, and even though some of the CGI and dialogue is certainly questionable, it’s refreshing to see a superhero (villain) film that’s actively trying to do something different than your standard comic book movie.
Suicide Squad will open in theatres on August 5, 2015.
