William N. Law Blog: ‘Suicide Squad’ Trailer Breakdown: Batman, a Creepy Origin Story, and More Batman

Monday, April 11, 2016

‘Suicide Squad’ Trailer Breakdown: Batman, a Creepy Origin Story, and More Batman

When the first Suicide Squad trailer arrived, we went through the whole thing frame-by-frame to squeeze as many secrets and tidbits out of it as humanly possible. Did you think we weren’t going to do the same thing for the brand new trailer that just arrived? Of course not. There’s a lot to dig into here and no time to waste. Let’s get started.

The trailer opens in a White House briefing room with a government big shot pondering a hypothetical scenario where Superman decides to kidnap the president. It’s a moment that serves a few purposes. First, it instantly establishes that Suicide Squad exists in the same universe as the new Batman and Superman. Second, it explains the kind of thinking that would lead people who should know better to create a black ops team consisting entirely of super villains. Bonus: it gives us a new look at Viola Davis‘ Amanda Waller, who could be the DC movie landscape’s secret weapon if she’s utilized well.

The trailer then runs through the basic cast, showing how each of them are spending their time in prison. I’ve grabbed this shot of Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje‘s Killer Croc because I think he still looks absolutely amazing…

…and I’ve grabbed this shot of Jay Hernandez as El Diablo because he actually gets some cool stuff to do in this trailer, which suddenly makes him look at lot less expendable.

I’m a total sucker for when studios modify their logos to fit the tone of movie, so this grotesque-but-colorful take on the Warner Bros. shield totally does it for me. It also offers a long listen at Jared Leto‘s Joker laugh, which sounds more mocking and inherently sinister than the more gleeful cackling of past iterations.

Highlights from the “military rounds up our anti-heroes from prison” montage: Margot Robbie‘s Harley Quinn putting on quite a show for the men as they enter…

…Will Smith‘s Deadshot, strapped to a chair and seemingly amused by all of the chaos and commotion going on around him…

…and Adam Beach‘s Slipknot, who remains one of the biggest enigmas in this movie. A prediction: he dies early and quickly to raise the stakes for everyone else.

And now, highlights from the “everyone gets their equipment and costumes back” montage: Here is a close-up of Deadshot’s arsenal, which we see him using to great effect throughout the entire trailer against targets both stationary and moving. You’ll note that the “I am the light” is written on the barrel, which suggest a righteous/religious connotation that is completely new to this character, who has been traditionally been portrayed as a hardened assassin who works strictly for cash.

And, of course, we get a gratuitous shot of Robbie dressing in her skimpy outfit. Whether the movie presents her choice of clothing as a cunning choice from a psychopath who wants her enemies to underestimate her, or if this just about a very attractive actress showing a lot of leg, remains unknown.

“This is the deal. You disobey me, you die. You try to escape, you die. You irritate or vex me…” Joel Kinnaman‘s Rick Flagg certainly looks like a straight-arrow, by-the-book military man, which hopefully means he’ll be the kind of foil this movie needs. The normal guy standing next to the psychos is just as important as the psychos in a movie like this.

This trailer does offer us one shot of Slipknot in action, using a grappling cannon to scale a building. In the comics, this character is a master with ropes…which is not the most exciting ability in the world. That’s just more fuel to him not seeing the third act of the movie.

Well, would you look at that? Jai Coutney‘s Captain Boomerang is actually wielding a boomerang! The movie hasn’t really showed off his skills yet (although the trailers have showcased Courtney’s bonkers reaction shots) and we don’t blame anyone. Like having a mastery of ropes, being really good at boomerangs sounds awfully lame on paper.

In a movie where so many iconic characters are given drastic makeovers, Katana’s (Karen Fukuhara) very traditional costume should provide some grounding for diehard comic book fans. She looks amazing.

“I’m known to be quite vexing.” Hey, the camera really, really loves Margot Robbie.

Like with the past trailer, the actual threat the team is fighting remains undefined. However, there is this shot of massive urban devastation, making it very clear that the threat is capable of Superman-level destruction. Maybe it is Superman? I kid.