No matter what the critics tell you, you just can’t put out all the hype that’s been building up for the last few months. Suicide Squad is another movie from DC that packs a punch, with an ocassionally faltering storyline. For everyone looking out for the Joker, Leto doesn’t disappoint even with his limited screentime. All other actors fit in very well into their characters, especially the unmistakably quirky Harley Quinn. With a lot of dark humour, supported by probably the soundtrack of the year, Suicide Squad is definitely something you can’t miss out on. — Pablo Dutta, fourth-year student of Heritage Institute of Technology

DC comics has a boatload of villains who you just can’t hate. And to see them in a live action movie? Count me in. The story follows the path of BAD v EVIL, and how you blur the line in between. DC is known for its dark storylines, but this adds a little touch of craziness to it. The film itself is visually impressive and contains awesome action sequences and gratuitous cameos. Margot Robbie shines as Harley Quinn, Will Smith totally kills it as Deadshot and the other characters were also very impressive. The only thing which didn’t live up to the hype is Jared Leto’s performance as the Joker, although his screentime was little. Overall, I found the movie well made and I would definitely recommend it. — Jeet Dutta, third-year student of Netaji Subhas Engineering College

The movie follows a cliched storyline where the protagonists face extreme odds and ultimately manage to prevent the end of mankind. There is the ever-so-boring happy ending where order is restored. It is the characters that make Suicide Squad so great. Will Smith as Deadshot was incredible. I have to say, my favourite was Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. She was absolutely amazing. Crazy as a loon and very, very unpredictable, Quinn delivers numerous unforgettable moments. What I liked about her was the fact that it is impossible to define her, to fit her within the confines that society is comfortable with. Her relationship with Joker is interesting and inexplicable at the same time. It’s almost like she’s two people in one. I would have loved to see more of Jared Leto as Joker though. Despite it’s cliched storyline, Suicide Squad is an entertaining watch. It is packed with excellent action sequences. And if you’re a comic buff like myself, you’re in for a real treat.— Adrija Das, third-year student of Jadavpur University

The film didn’t follow the Assault on Arkham storyline if anyone thought it would. Harley Quinn was very fitting where as Deadshot seemed too emotional. The other characters were satisfactory too.  Mr. J has been portrayed very differently here. He will not stand anyone or anything insulting his Queen (Quinn). All the characters had their chance to contribute to the mission. Amanda was the perfect amount of badass. The Enchantress was appealing for the CGI only, the acting could have been better. I feel they should have shown a little more back story there. All in all it is a very engaging film and a must-watch for all DC fans.
— Anumita Ghosh, fourth-year student of St. Xavier’s College

I am a DC fanboy. On top of that, I pretty much worship Batman and his world full of lunatics and clowns. So naturally, I was very excited about Suicide Squad. I was so sure that I’d love the film, but I didn’t. It didn’t excite me at all from the very first shot. The film was nothing apart from a building block and I have a problem with this. Man of Steel was bad, but it felt like a standalone film. Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad simply felt like they were setting the stage for a bigger film. 

Suicide Squad had two major stars — Will Smith and Margot Robbie. Both of them did a phenomenal job. They stole the show and were totally in character, though I tried very hard to figure out why both of them were given screentime before the starting credit while others just didn’t make it. Apart from being fan favourites how are they any different from the other squad members? The Joker was nothing but an extra in the film; he was there simply for the Quinzel to Quinn story and to add an unnecessary romantic angle. “The greatest comic book villain of all time” was nothing but a not-so-crazy and not-so-menacing clown who went from point A to point B like a Bollywood hero to save his lady love. Similarly, Batman and The Flash were like decorations in the film which didn’t make sense. And why is the scary-looking, human-killing Batfleck such a philosophy daddy in his chat with Deadshot? I like cameos but damn it, make them good or don’t keep them. 

All this being said, the film wasn’t all that bad. It had a few fun moments that got laughs. The action scenes, especially a portion in the climax, was extraordinarily shot and Enchantress looked as spooky as spooky can get. But that is about it. It was a great experience to watch all of them come to life on the big screen. But as a comic geek and a film lover, I wish this was a better film. The film lacked a good script, crisp dialogues and a good direction. They had all the ingredients to make something out of the box, but they blew it off hoping to play safe and please the fans.
Also, did anyone notice that the bar scene was actually a Martha scene? “I lost someone”, “I lost someone too”, “I am ugly”, “We are all ugly”. Great, let’s become the indispensable Suicide Squad and fight monsters then.
— Priyankar Patra, Asutosh College graduate

Being a legitimate DC fanboy, I could not wait for Suicide Squad to hit the theatres. I walked into the first screening of the movie with great expectations but came out utterly disappointed, with no positive emotions at all. The movie had no impact on me whatsoever except for a few “cool/badass” scenes which faded away eventually. We can easily call it the “Deadshot/Will Smith Squad”. The movie has two standouts. The brilliantly portrayed cold and lunatic Harley Quinn, by Margot Robbie, and the stone cold Deadshot. Except for these two, the movie is “meh”. Oh and also, Leto does not have ample screentime to be judged how well he played Mr. J. And that is a bummer. All in all, DCEU (Extended Universe) lacks proper script, proper storytelling method and jawdropping action sequences. They always rely on the cast and the background score to save their franchise, which clearly never works out. I would kindly hope that DC does not lose individuality by mimicking Marvel into making a “light humorous” movie with a “post-credit scene”. Yep! That’s there too. So original! As a DC fanboy, I sincerely hope Wonder Woman and Justice League will
re-establish their stature and save the franchise.
— Santam Joardar, second-year student of University of Calcutta 

t2 talk

While Marvel Comics is known as the house of superheroes, DC Comics has always emphasised on supervillains. Joker is obviously the main reason to watch the Suicide Squad. After The Dark Knight, I have been fond of the Joker, and he is my favourite supervillain, thanks to Heath Ledger’s spectacular act but other than the Joker, I am looking forward to Harley Quinn, or rather I would say Margot Robbie! After watching the promos, I can bet that she is going to be one of the key reasons for the film being successful. Apart from them, Will Smith as Deadshot is going to be the third reason, and it would be a nice experience to see him as the baddie (Who will you watch Suicide Squad for? August 4). 

Prithwish Roy
Heritage Institute of Technology

There are two characters for whom I’ll watch Suicide Squad. First is Harley Quinn. We finally get to see her on the big screen after waiting almost two decades. She’s the true scene-stealer in the trailers. She kills people for fun, like the other members of the Squad. Her character has a lot of diversity. She’s a badass. She gleefully kills people while doing backflips and cartwheels which is funny to watch. 

Originally Harley was mainly a sidekick to the Joker but in this case she’s an anti-hero with her own rightful and well-deserved place in the squad. But under the veneer of fun, she is a woman who is in love with a monster. Harley is obsessed with the Joker, who was responsible for her transformation from a talented psychiatrist to a psychopath in the first place. Harley is a useful tool to him at best, at worst an annoyance to be thrown away. That’s what is so painful yet fascinating about her character. Whatever cute, goofy or evil act she does for love and attention, she will never get either. This is something that many girls and boys can relate to nowadays. 

The other one is Enchantress. I find her extremely captivating. She is ageless and her powers have absolutely no boundaries. Who wouldn’t want to be or see that? Regardless of that, her struggle to keep her humanity or a hint of it is immensely plaintive. Also Cara Delevingne is playing the character which is definitely a plus. 

Angana Roy,
Raja Narendralal Khan Women’s College  

Suicide Squad is the movie for which I waited with my heart in my hands since I came across the teaser before the screening of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I am kind of obsessed with superheroes and supervillains but this particular movie starring Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress just got me hooked! These two devilishly stunning women claimed every bit of my attention since day one of the trailer. Where Margot treated us to the bat-shit crazy lover girl who is a mixture of chemical wonders and whimsy, Cara amazed us with some hot spooky moves! For these two, Suicide  Squad is a must-watch.

Srina Sarkar

I wanted to watch Suicide Squad for Will Smith and Margot Robbie because I saw their on-screen chemistry in Focus and they were really good. Robbie is one of the major attractions of the film and truly speaking she is so beautiful that she really attracts me. Will Smith is a fantastic actor and he is reason enough for me to watch the film. 

Arkajit Datta Gupta, 
Barrackpore