The Suicide Squad

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Suicide Squad!

Original image located here. Accessed 20th August 2021

I've never seen the original Suicide Squad - in all honesty, the backlash it received was enough to turn me off completely. But that places me in a position where I can judge this sequel/reboot on it's own terms and without any connection to it's predecessor.

Perhaps it is fitting that i should see James Gunn's earlier piece Super weeks prior because in a way, that movie is effectively a blueprint for this one. The only difference is, whereas Super is mean-spirited (even uncomfortably so) The Suicide Squad is less so. Sure it is loud, obnoxious, gory and has loads of profanity, but Gunn pulls the same trick he did with the Guardians of the Galaxy - that being taking characters that are lesser known, and hardly the type to be taken seriously, and making them work. And that certainly is a feat in itself. Sure Harley is the most recognizable face here (courtesy of the incomparable Margot Robbie) but the real stars are the rest of the Suicide Squad. Which is indeed saying something.
Obviously, the success of Guardians of the Galaxy netted Gunn the job of doing The Suicide Squad but for me, The Suicide Squad is clearly the work of someone who has been left off the leash and is going for it at full tilt.
So yeah, this movie was great and some truly demented fun.

So the big question now is what DC are going to do next. On one hand this movie, as well as Joker, proves that their movies can work well with the villains in mind - and that can't be underestimated.
But on the other hand, I have previously praised Shazam and Aquaman - and now, The Suicide Squad proves the notion that DC's movies can be successful if they take the characters that are either lesser known or not to be taken seriously and make them work.
Needless to say, it would be interesting to see what DC will take away from The Suicide Squad....

Shazam

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Shazam!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th April 2019

Its no coincidence that I saw Big last week. After all, both movies are based around the same theme so seeing how each approach differs would be something to see right?
To be honest I wasn't looking forward to this movie as i though the trailer didn't look anything special - but somehow I've heard some good things about Shazam so i decided i would give it a shot. And sometimes, there is something to be said about being proven wrong.

So yeah this movie was a lot of fun. It was funny and definitely shows signs of a low budget being made the most out of. Indeed one gets the feeling that seeing as Shazam is a lesser tier DC hero, the makers of this movie just decided that, (much like Aquaman) they could whatever they wanted - and in this case this is some sly attempt to remake Big (note the homage) under the guise of a super hero movie.
Of particular note however are instances of particular poignancy that are indeed surprising and are pulled off well.

All in all, a great movie and a sign that DC are heading down the correct path after numerous misfires - Clearly the dour approach wasn't working out for them.
Yet it is a disappointment that this movie does a better job of being a Superman movie than any of the recent Superman movies

Aquaman

And this week's Friday night movie has been.....Aquaman!

Original image located here. Accessed 11th January 2019

So, can Jason Mamoa have enough clout as a leading man? Apparently so.

Well, this is indeed a step in the right direction for DC - and certainly counts as one of the hits after numerous misses.
One gets the impression that seeing Aquaman is a low tier DC hero (and in some cases a joke hero), the people behind this decided that they had a clean slate and they could do what they liked. So yes, there is a sense of fun - and Lord knows the DC movies needed it. There is some great action, some interesting villains, imaginative designs and a cast boasting members that are made unrecognizable.

I'll say it again: This is indeed a step in the right direction for DC. So it remains to be seen whether they can capitalize on this...