Warner Brothers and the DC film universe has a lot riding on the shoulders of their next big film, “Suicide Squad”, which is set to hit theaters in just over three weeks on August 5th, 2016. The first two films within this movie universe, “Man of Steel” and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, were met with a fair amount of criticism. Critics have complained the films were too dark, had no humor and contained too much within a single film.
These criticisms are what make “Suicide Squad” a major release for the studio, as it’s success at the box office as well as in the eyes of the critics will have a major impact moving forward. As things stand now, the shared universe is set to feature films for Wonder Woman, the Flash, Cyborg, multiple Green Lanterns and two Justice League films. There is also the potential for a solo Batman film, another Superman movie and more. But these plans could change if “Suicide Squad” is met with the same criticism as the first two films.
Luckily for WB, all signs point to the Skwad producing major laughs and a huge hit with the fans. Early reviews have been nothing but positive, and the advertising has been nothing short of phenomenal. The film will feature a group of villains, some of whom are classic characters, doing some good to help the world. But not all of the characters are household names, as some of these characters are ones fans do not even know yet. The entire concept of the Suicide Squad is likely only familiar to those who read the comics.
There is sure to be some dysfunction within the team at first, as they will not join forces because they want to, but this is what will lead to some of the humor. This coming together and bonding as the film progresses will help cement them as good guys of sorts.
And the trailers have done a f
antastic job in getting fans excited for the film, and its soundtrack. The funky old school song selection seems to fit perfectly with the desired tone of the film, and these tunes will surely be featured within the movie itself. Fans have gotten to enjoy some good laughs already, but there is still plenty of mystery and intrigue surrounding the movie.
Does all of this sound familiar? Well if you are a fan of Marvel, it sure should. “Guardians of the Galaxy” followed a very similar path. And when all was said and done, the film raked in over $770 million globally and was loved by fans. It is considered one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite being considered Marvel’s first big risk. WB is banking on “Suicide Squad” to be their Guardians, and I am certainly buying in. Let’s take a closer look at some of the similarities.
Not a major comic book entity
Back in 2014, before “Guardians of the Galaxy” hit theaters, no one knew who any of the characters really were. Who the heck is Star-Lord? Why is there a talking raccoon and human-like tree? Who are the two green people?
But once it hit theaters, fans had some new favorite characters, and they became household names. When a Marvel fan watches “Jurassic World”, they see Star-Lord among the dinosaurs, not Chris Pratt. When Dave Bautista was in a WWE ring, it was Drax taking on Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose. And whenever a Marvel fan sees a raccoon, they cannot help but think of Rocket.
But going into the film, the bar was set very low, because we did not know who these characters were and what to expect. Now the Suicide Squad does feature an iconic character in the Joker, but besides him, not many household names in the mix.
Harley Quinn is beloved by comic book readers. But this is the first time she will get time to shine on the big screen, meaning this is the first time moviegoers will get to learn who she is. And based off of what we have seen from Margot Robbie in the trailers, she is set to become synonymous with the character like Chris Pratt is to Star-Lord.
Deadshot is played by Will Smith, and he is also set to become a fan favorite. Especially among fans of the former Fresh Prince himself. If you watch the show “Arrow”, you may have some knowledge of the character. But the film will likely go far more in depth in letting fans know what he is all about. And these are the characters that are the more well known in the film.
Killer Croc, Katana, Captain Boomerang and El Diablo are not in the same category as Batman, Superman, Flash and Wonder Woman. Anyone could tell you something about those characters, even if they do not read comics. But who could tell you anything about a character known as Captain Boomerang unless they read the comics? Not much if anything.
But that is set to change after the release of “Suicide Squad”. We will come to love some of these characters, and they will take that step up to stand side by side with the likes of Batman and Superman. Once a character is brought to life on the big screen, they take a step forward. And when so little is known about them going in, the expectations are so much lower since there is no predetermined standard to compare them to.
That is what makes characters from the Suicide Squad so similar to those that are members of the Guardians. Going in we do not know what we want from them, so if the actor does their job well, they become instant favorites.
Group of baddies turned good guys
The large part of the plot revolves around the fact that our heroes will be former inmates in prison because of some bad they did in the past. If you think back to “Guardians of the Galaxy”, our heroes found themselves in jail as well. Star-Lord was essentially a petty thief of sorts. Gamora was an assassin. Rocket and Groot liked to steal things. And Drax had some anger issues.
This led to them all coming together while in prison. They worked as a team to get out of prison and worked with one another moving forward to do some good.
Now the Suicide Squad will not be breaking out of prison. They will be brought together by Amanda Waller, the head of A.R.G.U.S.. Waller will be taking the villains out of prison to go on a mission to help save the world. Over the course of this mission, the Squad will need to work together to do some good in the world.
Overall, the main plot points are along similar paths. While they have their differences, it is this unique take that helps both films standout from the rest. It is not your typical hero with a tragic past that overcomes adversity to take down a purely evil baddie. These are groups of baddies who need to join forces to help the world they live in. They do not come together by choice, but by circumstance. And this will lead to some tension.
Put it all together and you have yourself an enticing and fun story-line to work with. The direction they decide to go and possibilities with the concept are endless. And that is what makes the movie so fun. It is simply unpredictable thanks to the over arcing concept.
The trailers and music
I was sold on Guardians as soon as I saw the first trailer. And why was that you ask? The music. “Hooked on a Feeling” played during the course of the first trailer, and it seemed to fit the tone and mood they were going for with the film perfectly. Then trailer two came out, and it went along to the beat of “Spirit in the Sky”. This only confirmed to me that the music for the film was going to be perfect.
And that is exactly what happened. Awesome Volume Mix 1 as it is known, became one of the most popular movie soundtracks of all-time. It fit the movie perfectly, and had fans clamoring for more. One of the most anticipated parts of the next Guardians film will be the soundtrack.
That brings us to the first trailer for “Suicide Squad”. Set to a slower and creepier version of the Bee Gee’s tune, “I started a Joke”. The song immediately helped set the tone the film will be going for. It is going to be different and unique. It was one of the best trailers I have ever seen. It was so creepy good, and capped off with our introduction to the latest take on the Joker.
The following trailers helped to show the fun and humorous feel the film is set to have. They were more upbeat, and the music helped portray that. “Bohemian Rapsody” helped to give the trailer a fun feel, going with the a weird but upbeat tone in trailer two.
Trailer three featured two songs, “You Don’t Own Me” and “The Ballroom Blitz”. Both songs helped keep with the unique and fun feel from the prior trailers. The tone has officially been set. And it is all thanks to the trailers and their music.
These trailer and music combos have made me anticipate this film more than any other this year. It is just so reminiscent of how I felt when watching the Guardians trailers. I was convinced then that Guardians would be a hit soley based on the music and trailers, and I am convinced about “Suicide Squad” for the same reason.
Conclusion
So at the end of the day, all signs point to the Suicide Squad being DC’s version of the Guardians. The film is set to have tons of laughs, just like Marvel’s band of misfit heroes provided. The music has gotten fans pumped for the release of the film, just like James Gunn did with Guardians. The story line of turning bad guys good is the same. And both properties are not the big names, meaning fans are not going to have a limited view of what to expect.
DC and WB made the right decision in having the Squad follow Batman and Superman’s big clash, as it is set to turn things around. The Suicide Squad is sure to be one of the biggest films of the summer, and even likely to be considered a bigger success than DC’s last film.Will it reach “Guardians of the Galaxy” level? I sure believe it can, and I know I will be there for one of its Thursday night previews. You can get you tickets starting this Friday, and catch “Suicide Squad” in theaters August 5th.
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