Mixed form for crazed crew
smart-mouth he plays best, Courtney – not my favourite actor – is bristling with charisma... and then there’s Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
Robbie has stolen the show in the movie’s marketing campaign as the manic psychiatristturned-jester finally gets her time to shine on film, and the Aussie’s unhinged, cute-and-crazy turn is like seeing the comic book incarnation literally leap onto the screen.
Jared Leto does well too as the latest take on iconic villain The Joker. He’s no Heath Ledger, but his chilling cackle, mobster boss edge and romantic leanings towards Harley ensure the pre-release controversy relating to his tattooed, metal-toothed appearance is quickly forgotten.
It’s just a shame we don’t see more of him – and Ben Affleck’s cameoing Batman – and less of some of the inferior performers in the Squad.
Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jay Hernandez (Diablo) and Cara Delevingne (Enchantress) are the more super-powered members of the team but find themselves hindered by mediocre makeup and CGI, and the likes of Karen Fukuhara (Katana) and Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) just make up the – too large – numbers.
Guessing who makes it out alive keeps interest alive, and there are many visuals to live long in the memory, but events never quite live up to the early promise and the mix of day-glo and grim and grimy never feels like a happy marriage.
However, for DC’s cinematic output it’s still round one to the bad guys – just – and now it’s over to Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman to take things to the next level – and ensure the critics’ knives are left in their drawers.