Suicide Squad

How many superhero comic book movies does it take to make you yawn with boredom? Replacing superheroes with supervillains, the plot of Suicide Squad kicks off with government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) deciding to recruit inmates—“the worst of the worst”—from Belle Reve Penitentiary in Louisiana to undertake covert missions in order to win their freedom. Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is their handler, along with samurai swordswoman Katana (Karen Fukuhara), and in order to keep the thugs under control, bombs are implanted in their necks. The lineup includes nihilistic Deadshot (Will Smith), rugged Boomerang (Jai Courtney), reptilian swamp/sewer-dweller Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), rope master Slipknot (Adam Beach), and fiery ascetic El Diablo (Jay Hernandez). Also on hand are the cackling, tatted Joker (Jared Leto) and his manipulative former psychiatrist/girlfriend, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). While witchy archeologist Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) briefly occupies their attention, Midway City actually faces a far more catastrophic threat from a mystical enemy. Directed by David Ayer, this characteristically overstuffed and underdeveloped comic book adaptation (based on John Ostrander's DC Comics series) is an optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurettes “Task Force X: One Team, One Mission” (23 min.), “Joker and Harley: ‘It' Couple of the Underworld” (15 min.), “Armed to the Teeth” (12 min.), “This Is Gonna Get Loud: The Epic Battles” (11 min.), “Chasing the Real” (10 min.), “Squad Strength and Skills” (9 min.), and “The Squad Declassified” (4 min.), a gag reel (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a big but hollow supervillain flick.] (S. Granger)