Movie Review: Suicide Squad

This weeks movie is Suicide Squad, another chance for DC to try and get out of Marvel's long shadow in the Cinematic Universe. Their good vs good with Batman vs Superman did not go over as well as they would have liked, so lets see how their bad vs evil handles the pressure.

The movie starts with us going to a top secret prison and following the guards into a cell where we see Deadshot (played by Will Smith) just beating down on a punching bag made of pillows and sheets. The guard teases him as he hands him his dinner. When the weird mystery dinner is questioned by Deadshot the guard gives a rude comeback. This causes Deadshot to threaten the guard who then takes him using the strength of other guards to torture him.

Next door we come into a large spacious room where we find Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie) swinging on tied up sheets in a cage. She starts flirting with the head guard as he has other guards get ready to electrify the cage. He reminds her that she is not to touch the cage bars, she giggles and flirts some more. He gives a signal and the electricity flings her backwards. She gets mad and runs at the bars again, this time getting knocked out cold. He states she is a special kind of crazy.

The story plot started out well with a great introduction to the characters, with promises of wonderful anti-hero moments filled with attitude. Then we get into the action and it almost all fizzled out. The bad villains, even with life threatening reasons to play nice, were just a little too nice. The characters were underused, which leaves us feeling a little unsatisfied with the story line. It was better than Batman vs Superman, but I think the DC cinematic universe needs to look at a better director and/or writers to get out of Marvels long shadow. I almost wish they had tried to go for a higher rating on this movie to bring the story to life. 

The acting was done very well in most parts, but in some parts it felt a little bland. I don't even blame the actors for it. For example, you could see hints of genius with Jared Leto's Joker, but he had such little screen play it made it hard to see. Margot Robbie at times seemed to be over playing Harley with her craziness, but then again Harley is an over board character, but after the introduction she seems to fizzle a little bit. I give her props for showing a wide range of emotions when it comes to her. Will Smith did a great job with Deadshot, but again he seems to fizzle out and this is what leads me to think it was probably a combination of the script and editing, not the actors.

Overall, even with the problems with the movie, I think it is heads above the last one DC put out and worth seeing. I think as they grow in the cinematic universe we will see them find the footing they need to make great movies. For this reason I would rate this movie 7.9/10.

Movie Review: Jason Bourne

This weeks movie is Jason Bourne, which I haven't seen much of or do not remember. However I have heard that it's a great series and I cannot wait to see the rest of the movies. But for now, I have to go off of just the one movie for history of them all, so here are my thoughts on the movie, Jason Bourne.

The movie starts with a flashback to when David Webb (played by Matt Damon) was first in the Treadstone program, training to become Jason Bourne. After a short montage type part, it jumps ahead eight years after Jason Bourne, who had been hiding in Greece, exposed Blackbriar. It goes to Jason and another man getting ready to fight each other while every other person makes wagers on who will win. All of them get ready to see a good fight, but Jason punches the other guy out with one punch.

Over in Iceland, Nicky Parsons (played by Julia Stiles) goes to a secret hacker base to get information on the CIA. She inserts a USB into her computer and begins hacking in, but soon after the CIA notices, but can't trace where it's coming from. Nicky gets access to the secret training programs such as Blackbriar and Treadstone and starts downloading them into the USB, then someone from the CIA traces her computer and places malware into it. Once it's done downloading, Nicky grabs the USB and prepares to go, when all the power gets shut off and everyone panics slightly. Nicky fights and runs out of the building, only to be chased by some agents from the CIA.

The acting seemed comfortable to the actors. They know their roles and how to portray them well. I have to say that Matt Damon rocks the title character. He really seemed torn, lost, and determined, which makes for a great action lead. The stunts they performed were amazing as well. Some of the younger actors did seem to have some troubles keeping up to his abilities, but it was still enjoyable to watch.

The story plot was full of action, including a car chase in Las Vegas that I think out shines the one from Fast and Furious 7. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. The only thing I have to say is that after watching the montage at the beginning of the movie, it seems like this is a repeated story line for this movies franchise. I could be wrong and will watch the rest of the movies to find out for sure. I do give it credit for making me want to watch the rest of the series. 

Overall, the acting was really good, but it felt like a repeat of another of the movies. Some things could have been changed to make it more original, but I would rate this movie 8.2/10 for the reasons stated above.