It is finally “Suicide Squad” week! This Friday, August 5th (or Thursday August 4th for those late night previews), the blockbuster film will finally be in theaters. And that means the wait is almost over. It feels like fans have been waiting ages for this movie to come out, likely since its first trailer dropped at Comic Con 2015, over a year before the film was set to release.
Well three full length trailers and countless tv spots later, and the film is just about here. And it is expected to be one of the biggest movies of the summer, if not the biggest. It is expected to smash August records, and take down Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” as the biggest August film of all time.
And the film is expected to be so huge for good reason. The film is loaded with great actors who are set to play exciting characters. Will Smith will be playing the sharpshooting Deadshot, who will certainly not be lacking in confidence. Margot Robbie will be taking on the incredibly crazy and entertaining Harley Quinn. Jared Leto takes on the iconic Joker, in the first live action version of the character since the late Heath Ledger was in the role.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Bottom line is this film is going to be loaded with awesome characters, great action, fun laughs and plenty of talking points. So when you head to the theaters, there will be plenty to on the look out for. So here are five things to keep a close eye on as you sit down to enjoy David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad”!
Rick Flag’s relationship with with other characters
Rick Flag is one of a few characters that is not technically a bad guy in this film. He also serves as a bridge between the team and their “puppet master”, Amanda Waller. The Suicide Squad was Waller’s idea, but she knows she cannot just send a bunch of criminals free to do a mission without a watchful eye. So that is why she picks Rick to go on the mission.
So the first relationship of note for Flag is the one with Waller. Does he respect her? Fear her? Or does he not really care what she does? How those two interact with one another could play a crucial role later in the film. If Flag is scared of Waller, he will likely do everything she says, word for word. If he is nonchalant when he interacts with her, it is very possible he starts calling his own shots. And if he respects her, but is not scared to death of her, things could go any which way.
Next comes his relationship with Katana. She is not a criminal, but a body guard of sorts for Flag. So it will be interesting if he calls the shots with her, or the other way around. And will he treat her as if she is a member of the team, or on the same playing field as him.
And finally, how will he interact with the actually Squad. In the beginning it is likely he will be demanding of his team. But as the film grows, will his respect for them increase? Or will he view them as criminals the entire time? This could come into play late in the film. Maybe there comes a point where Flag needs to decide if he is going to throw the team under the bus, or sacrifice himself on their behalf. That decision would likely be foreshadowed through his evolving relationship with the team.
Will Katana turn on the team?
Remember what I said about Katana earlier? She is going to be assigned to be Rick Flag’s body guard by Amanda Waller. Now Waller is the one who designs the mission, and she is certainly going to be hiding some things from her team. Because that is what she does. She cares about one person, and one person only – herself.
So it is entirely possible that she sends the Suicide Squad out on a mission with the sole purpose of having them fail. Why you ask? It would be because it would benefit her in some way. I have no idea how she would benefit. But if that is at all a possibility, she is going to send them in there to lose.
And if that is the case, there is a chance she does not tell Flag this, as he would not agree to do it. So that is why Waller needs an ace in the hole. And that ace could very well be Katana. Now this is simply a theory, but certainly one worth monitoring.
Pay careful attention to everything Katana says and does. If she has a secret agenda, they will not make it obvious, but they will lay some seeds as the film goes on. She is not a villain, and therefore does not have to be on the mission. So why would she agree to join the team?
Batman’s portrayal as a bad guy from eyes of main characters
Whenever we have seen Batman on the big screen, it has been as the main character and the hero. But “Suicide Squad” will be different. When we see him, he will be hunting down the characters we are cheering for in the film.
Harley Quinn is set to become a fan favorite. But technically she is a villain right? In a sense yes. But in this film, she will be one of our main heroes and someone fans are truly going to get behind. So what will we think of Batman as he is riding on top of the pink Lambo trying to apprehend Harley and the Joker? Maybe you want him to take down Joker, but not Harley.
It is this conflicted view that will make Batman’s appearance so interesting. We have only known him as the big good guy. But if someone like Harley steals the heart of fans early on, they will finally see Batman from the viewpoint of the villains. It will be a different and interesting take on an iconic character.
How Enchantress plays into the overall plot
Enchantress is one of the biggest mysteries of the film. At the beginning of the film, she appears to be Rick Flag’s girlfriend June Moon (another relationship with Flag worth monitoring). She will start on the side of the government for sure. But then she will be possessed by the Enchantress.
Now when she is first possessed by Enchantress, it seems she will be able to switch between her identities. Waller will be bringing her with her as a form of show and tell project when she tries to convince some government suits to form the Suicide Squad. It is at this point I believe Enchantress will fully take over and go rogue.
And if that is the case, does she become the main villain? And if so, what was the mission Waller wanted to form the Squad for? At the end of the day she is the ultimate wildcard who has the biggest influence on what direction the film goes.
Will her relationship with Flag impact the final mission? Will she be the true big bad, or at least a part of the final battle? There are so many questions surrounding the character, which will make every scene she is in even more crucial.
Every scene that features the Joker
Anytime a character as iconic as the Joker takes to the big screen, he is going to draw a lot of attention. And considering how well loved the last version of the character was, played by the late Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”, the pressure is on. Jared Leto takes on the role that will likely define his career.
And he sure looks like he is going to hit a home run. From the clips we have seen, Leto’s Joker is going to be insane, sadistic and downright entertaining for a baddie. Add in the intrigue that is we do not know how he is going to factor into the plot as a whole, and you got yourself a storyline well worth monitoring.
Every time Leto graces the screen, my ears are going to perk up just a little bit extra. His character, like Enchantress, is a total wildcard. Everything he does is going to be worth noting. He will likely be on the hunt to get Harley back, but how will that impact the mission the squad is on? Who will he get to interact with in the film? There are so many questions I can ask.
Finally, he is a very good bet to be one of the more quoted characters in the film. When you leave the theater, the majority of the lines you will be bouncing between yourself and your friends will likely be from the mouth of the Joker. He is an iconic character, and it is a performance that will be a central talking point after the fact.
Where all the characters stand at the end — and what it means going forward
We must not forget, this film is a part of a larger cinematic universe. The third installment of the DC Universe is set to follow up this years’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”.
So that begs the question, where will it fit in in relationship to the other characters. We know Batman will be appearing in the film, with another member of the Justice League rumored to also appear (I will not spoil it here for those who have not seen that potential spoiler).
Throughout the film we will likely get references to remind us of the larger universe. But the real interest will come at the end of the movie. Will our characters be on the loose come the end? Will they tend back towards their villainous ways? Or will some of them make the official turn to the good side?
Some characters will likely be set to make future appearances in other films. Where they stand when the credits roll will likely foreshadow who will do just that. Could Deadshot be poised to appear in a solo Batman film? Will Harley and Joker end up with one another? And if so, could they be set to terrorize Batman in the near future? So many characters and so many possibilities.
Conclusion
And these are only five things to watch for. This list could go on and on. “Suicide Squad” will have plenty to unpack and a lot to digest. Each and every character has the potential to be a scene-stealer. One thing is for certain, and that is that fans will be talking after the film is over. The expectations are high and it would be a very big surprise if the film did not deliver.
What are you most looking forward to in the film? What will you be watching for when you go to see “Suicide Squad”? Tell us in the comments!