Suicide Squad, one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2016, came out Aug. 5 and by the time Aug. 6 rolled around, bad reviews were everywhere. For those who are unfamiliar with the Suicide Squad, it is a team of villains set up by the government in case any other ‘metahumans’ (humans with unnatural powers)act up. But let’s move on to the squad.

Of all the villains in the DC comics, the movie focuses on Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Killer Croc (Common). Deadshot is an assassin who never misses a shot. Harley Quinn is the product of the Joker’s abuse and manipulation which has made her even more crazy than him. Captain Boomerang is a world class thief who uses a boomerang for his heists and always has his trusty pink unicorn sidekick. Diablo is a man with extreme fire powers, given to him by the Devil himself, who has sworn off of violence. Killer Croc is a man with a rare genetic condition that gives him a crocodilian appearance which causes him to act as a crocodile, cannibalism and all. Together the government manipulates them into doing their bidding.

Now, if you know very little about the Suicide Squad and saw only the trailers and so on, you will be wondering where the Joker (Jared Leto) is. Well, he isn’t a part of the squad. He is in the movie for backstory and audience appeal. He just wants to rescue Harley from government captivity.

Let’s take a moment to think about a good Joker. Many say that Heath Ledger is the best Joker and I agree. Jared Leto’s portrayal is a little more “not-so-serious’ instead of ‘why-so-serious.’ His gaudy appearance and clothes are a little much, but it fits the style of the movie. His overall performance is awful. Besides giving Harley a backstory, he is completely unnecessary to have. He can’t even do the Joker’s laugh. He is more laughable than villainous. Plus what’s up with the teeth? Is that even necessary? I think his main reason is for the end. I’m not going to spoil it, but I think it would have been better if that was the only part he was in other than Harley’s backstory. His parts in the present time offer nothing until the very end.

Another problem is the plot and script, or the lack thereof.  The main plot isn’t introduced until halfway through the movie because there is backstory to show. Even when it starts going, it’s still really hard to follow. One could even argue that there are three different plots going on at the same time. One where the squad is formed, one about the Joker, and the main one about fighting the Enchantress (Cara Delevingne). I understand that most movies have subplots, but this movie was edited in a way that you didn’t know what the main plot was until halfway through. The movie has to cram a lot of backstory into the film, which proved to be difficult.Then there’s the script. I didn’t laugh once during the movie when there was a joke. I know DC’s style is more dark than Marvel’s, but they tried to make you laugh and it wasn’t effective. It felt at times like they were trying to mimic the comedy of Deadpool without trying to seem like they were copying Deadpool. Other than that, it was typical action movie dialogue.

Although Suicide Squad has definite flaws, there are some great things about it too. It’s a DC movie that isn’t only about Batman and Superman. The characters of the squad are fantastic and there is a lot of development throughout the movie, even though they’re villains. Once the plot was actually introduced, it was fantastic! There was so much action and twists. You also got to see the DC Universe through different eyes. It didn’t make the bad guys look good, but it showed more of the inner workings of how and why they do what they do. Also, the movie is very aesthetically pleasing with the sets and costumes. If you look over some of the imperfections of the movie, you can see how good it is. I went into the movie with low expectations and I came out pleasantly surprised, and I think that’s how people should approach Suicide Squad. If the movie hadn’t been so hyped up for being fantastic, it wouldn’t have gotten such bad reviews. It isn’t Civil War or Avengers, but if you look at it in a different way it can be held to its own standard. I had fun watching the movie and I feel like others would too if they stop looking at it like a Marvel movie. DC is known for being darker than Marvel and I feel like this movie is no different from any other DC movie.

Overall, this movie was entertaining. It’s something I would watch again.  I love the characters, minus the Joker, and the action is great. The way the movie looks is amazing, the backgrounds are beautiful and effectively set the mood for scenes. I honestly think why this movie is so poorly rated is because of the advertisements and the studio hyping up the Joker so much, and then he ended up being awful. The Joker was used more as a marketing technique because everyone knows who the Joker is. If Diablo was played to be the main character, only hardcore DC fans would know who he is and they probably wouldn’t have had nearly as much excitement prerelease. Fans of superhero movies should definitely go see this movie, even if you’re a Marvel fan like me. If you go see the movie, go a few minutes early to catch the Wonder Woman trailer, so even if you don’t like the movie, you know you have something to look forward to in 2017.