Suicide Squad Releases
DC tried to make a villain team-up movie. Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was perfect. Jared Leto's Joker was...a choice. The movie was a mess but made bank.
📍 Quick Facts
- Date:
- August 5, 2016
- Category:
- Movies & TV
- Tags:
- moviesdcharleyquinn
The Story
August 5, 2016. Suicide Squad was supposed to be DC's Guardians of the Galaxy. A ragtag team of misfits with a killer soundtrack. It was not that. The movie was messy. Studio interference was obvious. Reshoots changed the tone. Multiple edits existed. The theatrical cut felt choppy. But Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn was instantly iconic. Her performance transcended the film's problems. The character became a phenomenon. Jared Leto's Joker was divisive. The damaged tattoo. The grill. The method acting stories. Sending dead rats to castmates. Most of his scenes got cut anyway. Will Smith as Deadshot was solid. Viola Davis as Amanda Waller was terrifying and perfect. The premise worked: villains forced to save the world for reduced sentences. The execution didn't. The villain was a ancient witch. The Enchantress. Her dancing CGI became a meme. The climactic battle felt generic. But that soundtrack though. Twenty One Pilots' \"Heathens.\" Panic! At The Disco. The music videos were better than the movie.
Cultural Impact
Harley Quinn became a cultural icon overnight. Halloween 2016 was full of Harley Quinns. The baseball bat. The \"Daddy's Lil Monster\" shirt. Hot Topic sold out. Margot Robbie's career exploded. She became a producer, started her own company. More Harley content followed. Birds of Prey. The Suicide Squad reboot. Animated series. All better than this film. The movie's failure pushed DC to reevaluate. They needed better creative control. James Gunn's The Suicide Squad in 2021 showed what could have been.
The Internet's Reaction
Critics hated it. Audiences were mixed. Opening weekend was huge. Then massive drops. People were disappointed. Harley and the soundtrack were praised. Everything else got roasted. The Joker/Harley relationship was toxic and romanticized. That got criticized appropriately. Jared Leto's Joker became a meme. The damaged tattoo jokes never stopped. The movie won an Oscar though. Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Because Killer Croc's makeup was actually good.
Legacy
Suicide Squad is remembered as a fascinating failure. A good movie buried in there somewhere. Margot Robbie saved it from being forgotten. Harley Quinn's popularity outlived the film's problems. The movie made $746 million despite its issues. Proof that IP and marketing can overcome quality concerns. Also proof that studios should trust filmmakers. David Ayer's director's cut supposedly exists. Fans want it. Maybe someday. For now, Suicide Squad remains a cautionary tale and a Harley Quinn showcase.
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