How DC Learned Its Lesson - The Suicide Squad
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- čas přidán 7. 06. 2024
- DC finally learned its lesson. The first 1000 people to use the link will get a one-month free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/thecloserlook08211
How did DC go from making wonder woman 1984, one of the worst superhero movies ever made, to making the suicide squad, one of the DCEU's best films? In this video essay, I ask why.
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Video released 1 minute ago with a 28 minute old comment... What is this sorcery?
@The Closer Look
Hi Henry, great video. How is the Cyberpunk 2077 vid coming?
Suicide squad is just ripping off marvel gaurdians of the galaxy style. Dont care who made it. Couldn’t even finish watching it. I was pulled out of the story left and right with distractions. Terrible movie. Be original. I know people think this was better than the first suicide squad but that just means it wasnt total trash.
This video is very true in the creative department of stories. Every now and then, there will be bad ideas. And I know. After I write something, on the odd occasion, I wake up the next morning, think about it and go “maybe that’s not the best direction” or “I need to tweak this because somethings not entirely right”. It’s that mind set that’s going to help you in your writing, knowing when to move forward, stop, and ask for advice and help. Because if you just sit there saying “all my ideas are great” then you’ve failed, but if you do something not so great and then think “maybe I could do something better” or “this isn’t right” then that’s part of the mind of a good and careful writer.
@@csciabar I personally loved the film. It had twists and turns I didn’t see coming, like all the gruesome visuals, deaths and that beach scene.
I was moving in seat on several occasions, especially that final act where starro is escaping that building and Ratcatcher 2 is trying to get out alive, the Rick flag and peacemaker fight, and where the team goes up against starro.
the violence was gloriously brutal, again, going back to that beach scene as an example.
and so many characters, I absolutely loved, liked the pure innocence of Ratcatcher 2 and that weird, rotten hamster thing called weasel.
This film made me appreciate DC again. Be sure to watch it again at some point. I will admit, this film might not be for everyone, the violence and visuals might be much for people on occasion, but at the end of the day, like every film, it all comes down to taste. There’s lot of great stuff in this movie.
This movie is so good that it has only two flaws:
-Polka-Dot Man's death
-It ends
And making King Shark sad at any moment...like, how dare you?
I would say Boomerang's death. His death only served to show that not even Harley have plot armor, but it's not convincing, she still has plot armor.
@@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom Honestly with how Harley has been portrayed in the movies, I would've rather she died.
I’m sad we won’t see his mom anymore.
I hate Harley in this movie. All her jokes are so incredibly unfunny and forced.
"Creative people don't just come up with the best ideas they also come up with the worst ideas" that's honestly the most reassuring thing I've heard all year
I mean it's mostly about processing and linking things which rarely have been previously linked, the more you do the more the "not so good" ideas
I’m no creative person but hearing that strengthens me to always ask for feedback in our projects every now and then
Honestly I thought this guy opinion was a sarcastic joke but I soon realised it wasn’t.
I personally believe the second suicide squad is far worse than the first one.
It’s so boring and filled with meaningless killing and killing and bla bla I couldn’t care.
I never really knew who was the main villain if it was Wanda, cena, the president, the general, doctor who.
The story was pretty shallow, the only interesting part was when the colonel was fighting over the tape. The only real exciting stuff.
The rat thing was personally disgusting thought I found the actress hot.
Starfish was stupid
@@SelfImprovement1111 what are your favorite movies
@@daviesugo7641 free guy was hilarious, fantastic beast, hobbit desolation of Smaug, man of steel, captain America civil war, Batman begins, Harry potters, last samurai, casino royal, Jurassic world, Thor, interstellar, the Martian, life, cars, toy story, Star Wars rogue one.
Good enough for you 😂
The build up with TDK being like "its time for me to shine" and his arms detach and float over to the soldiers and just starts slapping the shit out of them... Was... Hilarious!!!
not that the original character would be anymore effective, by using his arm as a club, but his version got to be more silly, with an actual useful power that was just useless in that situation, imagine him holding guns with his detachable arms
@@devforfun5618 right. I'm just talking about how anticlimactic his power was portrayed in the scene. Mild nuisance to the soldiers
Considering the fact that all punching and slapping power is generated by the lower body makes his gameplan of detaching his arms even funnier. He'd be a great assassin tho
Well James did confirmed that TDK survived the battle so we might see him again
And Harley asks 'TDK is The Detachable Kid?' Which implies he's famous - so that's a whole thing.
A boss who refuses to take any advice from their employees is displaying a fatal flaw: an Inferiority Complex. They feel that, if they are not calling all the shots, they are showing weakness that will cause others to doubt they are in charge. So, the boss overcompensates, seeing any advice given as a direct threat to their leadership which leads to explosive overreactions. After this happens enough times, their employees learn to just keep their mouths shut and blindly do what they are told with no passion or creativity. Thus the whole venture often fails and the flawed leader blames everyone but themselves.
Superiority complex is also possible, why should they listen to those they think inferior of themselves.
A great team is one with a great leader and a great leader is someone that can tell when it's the right time for someone else to lead
Yeah, a huge but highly fragile ego.
You are talking about Patty Jenkins or Amanda Waller?
@@AltamashSayed LOL nice one
I think you may have slightly misunderstood the scene between Bloodsport and his daughter. Yes, it starts out as a really funny subversion of this type of scene. But then, it turns around and does everything that type of scene is supposed to do, except _better._
Initially, when his daughter was talking about stealing something, I was expecting him to berate her for it. Y'know, criminal doesn't want his daughter to follow in his footsteps. Basic, but strong characterisation. But instead, he enables her. And she gets mad at him for it. This tells us so much about her: She only stole something to get his attention. To get him to talk her down. She _wanted_ him to be a father figure and try to keep her away from that path. Instead, he responds with apathy, and that angers and frustrates her.
But then, by the end of the scene, we also understand _Bloodsport's_ underlying motivation: He sees himself as a terrible father, and he doesn't want his daughter to listen to him. He wants her to distance herself from him, make her decisions independently of what he tells her to do. That's why he doesn't tell her to stop stealing, and instead says something outrageously enabling instead. He's given up on himself, and wants his daughter to let him go. Then, over the course of the film, he learns to believe in himself again, to believe that he can be a better person, that he can be someone his daughter can look up to.
This is so much more powerful than a simple "stop stealing, don't be like me" would've ever been. These characters are layered and feel real. The true genius of this scene is that it's _both_ hilarious, _and_ it tells the story far better than the serious version of the scene ever could.
Also don't forget about the fact that this later comes into play with Ratcatcher 2 who he in a sense or at least I saw that, becomes a father figure for anyways through out the movie and how he grew through out it because of the other people around him.
Fair point, that bit went totally over my head. But that makes me respect the scene a whole lot more.
As a probation officer who deals with these situations: That's EXACTLY how I read that scene and loved them for it. Cliche and cliche subversion: Drake no meme. Subversion by doing something unexpected: Drake that's my jam meme.
Sometimes even in real life drama, people say funny shit, especially if it's a good burn or a clever roast. It happens. I appreciated that scene, too.
@@TheCloserLook a couple of things went above your head in this video
I’m just glad that King Shark has friends now.
I still like the Harley's animated King Shark. He's cool. 😎
King Shark is a Shark
We don’t deserve him. But I think we all need a friend like king shark.
No more sitting alone in the van for king shark
He’s the shark people refer to when they say “most sharks do not attend church”
You need to remember that the first Suicide Squad has been made as DC's attempt to replicate James Gunn's style in order to repeat the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And then James Gunn said: "Fine, I'll do it myself". And now we have this delightful movie
I wish George continued his idea for JarJar being the ultimate Sith Lord.
Just imagining an alternate revenge of the sith.
"Have yousa have heard the tragedy of Dath Plagueis the Wise? Moy moy."
We came so close to greatness.
@@TheCloserLook I unironically want this but drop the gungun.
it would make way more sense than him supporting palpatine just because he is dumb
it would also explain why he is so clumsy, but also lucky, by imlying he is just pretending
Darth Jar jar wouldn't talk like an idiot. He's basically professor Quirell from the first Harry Potter, just scaled up all the way
@@vario6492 Great analogy🤟🏾
I love how they made polkadot man from a joke to a fan favorite
Also king shark
and bloodsport and ratcatcher 2 and rick flag ❤ :)
Yeah. Polka Dot man was fuckin OP. Reminded me of fireboy Diablo from the first movie. How he had legitimate SUPER powers, and that it was realised by the rest of the team and they kind of respect him a lot more after he showed that. Powers that could actually deal a lot of damage in terrible situations, or help out in some huge effort task. Quite unique.
I already loved King Shark from the harleyquinn show so it was very nice to see him in a more realistic twist
"Hand" 😄👉 ✋
I love him
James Gunn found him by looking up “worst DC villain”, and he was at top spot
Executive meddling sounds all too familiar to me. Years ago my old boss got me a spot on a publisher so I could publish a book for children. The publisher was sorta a sister company to the one I worked for, but it was chaotic. The editor tried to push the book in one way (liked my style, but wanted to change the themes) and my boss tried to push it in the opposite direction (hated my style, also wanted to change the themes and minimalize the fantasy elements to make it more grounded), and neither of them cared about the direction I wanted the book to take. I ended up quitting.
And just in case anyone is curious, I was just trying to make a 15 pages children's book that used fantasy elements as a metaphor for bullying. Nothing grand nor groundbreaking. Not even a novel.
Now I totally get why superhero movie directors quit and/or are fired all the time. Good thing James Gunn got his new chance in WB.
And before anyone says it: I know he was rehired to do Guardians vol. 3 and a holliday special.
Did you ever complete your book? Why or why not?
@@blackwolfnews1722 I wrote it 7 years ago and deleted it. It was just a random short fantasy story about bullying for toddlers. Not exactly high art. It wasn't even very original.
I'm however currently writing a totally different four-volume sci-fy adventure saga for kids 9 and older. Not high art either, but at least I'm proud of it.
@@Alejandroigarabide if you could, keep us updated on it! Would love to see the end result :)
@@GAPSYO3O1 Well thanks!!! I probably will end up commenting right here.
@@Alejandroigarabide commenting to keep informed :) !
I think the weasel sets the tone for the movie perfectly: EXTREMELY weird "person" who doesn't even make it to the beach. 10/10 would watch again
Watch the end credit scene.
Weasel was MVP pure gold every scene
@@namesarefortheweak I did, I didn't want to spoil it lol
@@fishraposo7192 oh sorry.
It was top-tier opening with weasel lmao
That one quote from Jenkins perfectly explains her attitude towards the criticisms to WW84, she literally was like "you guys just don't ~get it~" like it was just TOO DEEP for any of us peons, who she mostly assumed were men just hating on a woman (I'm a woman), and meanwhile she's out here basing her main romantic storyline on a plot that involved raping someone else's body.
If its too deep for your artists its too deep for your audience and those are 2 intelligences you should never underestimate
Why was it subtitled 1984, anyway? The movie plot has nothing to do with the plot of that book, and from what I've heard the 80s setting barely factored into the plot
@@Gloomdrake Honestly, the quote in the video explains that, too. It's entirely because Jenkins thinks it's deep. People who think others don't understand the meaning of their art usually do so because they confuse meaningful symbolism with meaningless symbols.
That, or she has a very strange idea of what 1984 is about. It's a common problem these days.
Well she did a very good job in first wonder woman
@@gavinobrien223 That might be the problem, actually. The same thing that happened with Lucas - well-earned praise for one part of a project ends up causing an excess of confidence and creative control in the continuation.
I can't believe this film, while doing many amazing things, managed to make the Polka-dot Man a realistic, complex character and his powers impressive.
I think he might be the second most OP one of the main squad. Maybe even more depending on the situation. He did the most significant direct damage to Starro.
the bar scene was amazing
@@chaoticgoodcreations947who’s the most OP?
@@RedDeadDepressionist King Shark, due to him being nigh invincible.
This video wasn’t about The Suicide Squad. It was about WW84 and Star Wars.
James Gunn had a cameo.
It was mainly about Skillshare.
Exactly
It's just an excuse for unfounded Lucas-slander.
@Palpameme he didn’t actually say too much bad about Lucas.. just that not all ideas from creative geniuses are great, and that he was detrimentally surrounded by yes-men
@@margaretcollins2374 yeah, which isn't true. He's just parroting the narrative started by RLM without doing any research into the behind the scenes of those films, and deliberately taking those clips he used out of context so as to misrepresent Lucas and Rick McCallum.
“Sometimes you have ideas that are not immediately popular but are the right choice”
*everyone looks at Dave Filoni creating Ashoka*
Or at Christopher Nolan casting Heath Ledger as the Joker. Although castings are a different topic.
I remember Ashoka getting so much hate when she was first introduced, now she’s insanely popular!
@@JUANxxTNAFAN yeah it’s cause she was made to be hated, which allowed them to grow her character into something good.
Filoni knew he couldn’t make a good character side by side with Anakin and Obi-Wan- they’d either be a Mary Sue or utterly forgettable, so he made Ashoka unforgettable, not too strong, and deeply foolish to give her room to strength and wisen.
Mad respect to this chad for reading all the comments and hearing other people’s takes on different scenes.
It is a video about hearing other people's opinions, so 🙂
I've expressed this before, but I prefer to say that this movie redeemed the genre. It was a time of waning and 'The Suicide Squad' gave it a new breath.
Yea it was a redeemed
I disagree. It was only one movie, wait for a trend of improvement.
@@lainiwakura1776 even if it was 1 movie it definitely reignited my personal love for superhero movies. As much as I love marvel as the next guy, it’s extremely refreshing to see a DC movie execute the seriousness and the goofiness that is the DC universe as Marvel is not allowed to go nearly as dark and serious as WB can with their stuff. That is my one issue with marvel movies. Even when marvel does try to go dark, it’s either ruined by the standard “Marvel Jokes” or they feel extremely forced because of them having to work around a big company that wants multiple groups to over see what is good and not good to show.
@@GAPSYO3O1 I hoping Batman gets an R rating and kills in the box office, so some of these studios get a reminder that not everything has to be kid friendly.
@@grindcoreninja6527 You mean like how Deadpool already did that? I think it's more important they're reminded how important it is to respect the audience and the source material (of which the audience are most likely to be fans of). WB execs just don't get that at all. And still don't if looking at some of their more recent decisions.
I cannot think of a single bad actor in this movie. Everyone just did such a great job. Anyways, excellent video as always!
Margo and Kinnman ?
@@mat_j Excuse me...?
@@MrExuvia you liked their "acting"?
@@mat_j Again....excuse me?
@@mat_j Margo has been consistently good throughout most of her movies, even the bad ones(although she's least featured here). Kinnman was good too. Terrible in the first one. Cena was the surprise actor since he had proven many times that he's a bad actor (lol). He's surprising good here, even better than Elba. That's goes to show how much a good director can affect an actor's performance.
Thor: “Are you copying me?”
Harley Quinn: “Only if your redemption movie is bad ass.”
Fuck yeah I love Birds of Prey
"Creative people don't just come up with the best ideas, they also come up with the worst"
Holy crap, this is insanely accurate and true. I consider myself a very creative person and it's hard for me to swallow that some of my ideas are just terrible, even if some of them are amazing.
Polka Dot Man had some great character development, I personally believe his character had the most growth out of any character in the film.
The entire cast of this film was absolutely amazing, Peacemaker (John Cena) was my personal favorite.
Yeah, I can't think of any actor who did anything less than a great job in this.
"I cherish peace with all my heart, and I don't care how many men, women and children I have to kill to get it."
@@yuothineyesasian and then almost cried when he killed flag, Cena did a great job in that scene, showing that he actually care when he kills, him losing the helmet wasn't just for a cool visual
I felt lukewarm with Peacemaker's character until his final scene with Flag. The moment Ratgirl stumbled across what he did and he just stared at her with dead eyes froze time and his "DON'T" gave me chills. Best scene in the film
King Shark is best boi
"How did a company-" James Gunn, the answer is James Gunn
lol yea, they left James Gunn alone to make a James Gunn film and James Gunn films kick ass.
If only Disney could control themselves and stay out of it the same way. They stole our Lord and Miller Solo and Edgar Wright Ant Man films. The bellends.
@@Gazmus Disney wanted Edgar Wright, he just left. He hated the super connected MCU idea back then(there were already plans even before Iron Man). He felt that it would hamper his creativity because he just wanted to make 1 or 2 movies about Antman.
@@seraby7151 can you blame him?
@@owyemen9367 No but at the same time, marvel movies helped james gunn and taika waititi to create amazing superhero movies (gotg1>tss just saying). So marvel/disney do have confidence on their directors.
It's usually the nobody directors that blunder(like what happened to cap marvel and black widow).
@@seraby7151 what's wrong w the direction of black widow? just asking.
Captain Boomerang’s and Flag’s deaths literally made me cry. That pretty much never happens
Yeah, flag was sad af. But I'm glad we had peacemaker as a villain/antagonist, cuz we got his duel with bloodsport, my personal fav scene in the movie. The "smaller bullets" thing was pure sweet irony, especially cuz it was clear as the bullets were fired, and I went like "wait didnt u have the bigger bullets, OH SHIT HE CHANGED HIS BULLETS"
James gunn is a freaking genius he made me care about boomerang with a one smile before death and starro by a one line
I feel like Boomerang’s death was the perfect character for “we’re not fucking around, there will be guts and blood, even after this there will be some important characters dead” since he has always been a major character in the Suicide squads
@@flying_gorilla8069 yeah boomerang is usually a big name for suicide squad. So killing him off early really set the tone
Don't stress. Enchantress will resurrect Flag.
This video made me realize that George Lucas is great, not only because he made one of the best modern myth that is the Original SW trilogy, but also because he admitted that the prequels were far from being another masterpiece.
I have utmost respect for a creator like that.
Even if the prequals have a special place in my heart, especially 3, they are far worse movies then the OG trilogy.
@@chaoticgoodcreations947 I'm pretty sure most people would agree with that.
I felt like I was watching a superpowered version of a DND adventure through this whole film
Bloodsport: Lawful Neutral Rogue
Harley: Chaotic Neutral Fighter (She uses ranged and melee weapons)
Flag: Lawful Good Fighter
Polkadot: Chaotic Neutral Sorcerer
Ratcatcher: True Neutral Druid
King Shark: Chaotic Evil Barbarian
Peacemaker: Lawful Evil Paladin
Milton: That one NPC that follows the party
Yup, sounds about right.
@@ridwana4037 Milton? Who the f is Milton? I Don't rEmEmBeR any Milton
@@ko71k52 WHAT
HE HAS BEEN WITH US THE WHOLE TIME
@@ridwana4037 Rat Catcher could be more of a Ranger as she doesn't turn into a Rat.
Bloodsport would be an awesome PC to build; Prolly Assassin lvl3 into either a Hexblade (Reflavor stuff like pact of the blade or spells as the different weapons of his suit) or Eldritch Knight with weapons appearing seemingly out of nowhere.
@@boxtupos7718 nah i'd say circle of the shepherd or circle of the swarm druid since ranger isn't really the animal companion architype
Hearing Kevin Smith say those things its hard to see him fall so far
Live long enough to see yourself become the villain I guess.
Kevin who? ...
This guy was on Degrassi
Facts one mess up can stain a good career. Shame really 😕 he has a good run but the He Man Royal screw up really messed with his representation.
There's an interview with Guillermo del Toro in which he says exactly the opposite of what Jenkins does, he says that he'll take feedback from everyone on his team as long as they understand that he's the director and understand if he chooses to use it or ignore it.
Mayonesa McCormick
"Every day with that fucking spider" that's hilarious
James gun did an amazing job at directing he brought some of his own unique style to the dc universe and it is one of my favourite dc movies!!!
and listened to the actors, when the actors are invested and get their characters their opinions is as valid as the director when the movie is an adaptation, like, i like the way tarantido makes movies, were his word is law and nothing changes, but this works because he created the characters, so he is the one that understand them
this became evident when he put Bruce lee in the movie and people got mad because his version of Bruce lee wasn't the Bruce lee everyone else knew, just like the Joker version of Jared leto is not the Joker everyone else know
the Joker wouldn't make it a priority to save Harley Quinn unless he needed her for a job, yeah he does save his underlings often, but only for his own good
They hired a talented writer/director, gave him the budget he needed and let him work. Very simple. If they had any sense they’d let gunn, helm a new dceu.
I don't think that would be a good idea.
@@juliandavidquinteroferrer1916 Why? He’s a huge dc fan and actually respects the characterisations of its established characters. I bet he wouldn’t slaughter it like snyder. Just give him some time to plan it out and I think it could turn out great.
I don't think Gunn would want to helm an entire DCEU
He's clearly got his own niche and passion in directing movies, and so it wouldn't necessarily translate to an entire DCEU. At that scale, it's less about a strong vision, and more about a flexible vision that allows room for multiple creators to do multiple entries
Gunn's style doesn't lend itself well to the darker and grittier style of DC. He can do it well with goofy and weird teams like the Guardians and the Suicide Squad, but I don't think the same thing could work for say a solo Batman movie.
@@theochua2810 I disagree with your contention that DC is necessarily a dark toned universe. It really isn’t. People have this perception from the shitty snyder films. Nolan’s trilogy was a bit gritty but that was his take on batman. Burton’s style of batman was way closer to the comics. And also the animated series. I said gunn could helm the universe not that he’d direct and be the sole writer of each film. There a lot of talented writers and directors who’d do a better job than snyder and the other frauds.
As a writer, I can absolutely confirm it is essential that you have people you trust around you who are always willing to give you honest feedback and constructive criticism.
This really explains why Death Stranding's execution was so self-ingratiating. It's literally called Kojima Studios.
What do this and Joker have in common ?
Talented directors doing what they wanted to do.
Not just that, but also collaborating effectively
And paranoid schizophrenia
Dang. This video put into words the difference between the good teams and bad jobs I’ve had in my life. Now that I’m a leader, I’ll refer back to the advice of this CZcams video a lot. You might’ve changed my life! Masterclass stuff for sure
Well, thanks. Good luck with the job!
I’d recommend watching some Simon Sinek if leadership is something you’re interested in. Guy is a masterclass in himself
"Creative people don't just come up with the best ideas they also come up with the worst ideas."
I love this sentence. Creativity allows for someone to conjure the unthinkable. Doesn't mean that it's good.
Interestingly, Jordan Peterson said the exact same thing about the nature of creatives. So we can extrapolate that the more successful creatives have an EFFECTIVE external way to filter out the bad to keep the good.
Just a correction, that Patty Jenkins interview with Empire excerpt was actually about the making of her movie Monster (hence her talking about having Charlize Theron on her side)
This needs more up votes.
While it indeed does not apply to wonder woman 84 it does apply to Patty's character which TCL is getting at. It just shows that this mentality has been with her for far longer.
@@chaoticgoodcreations947 agreed
Wonder woman 1984 was more of a bad circus. There's a lot of good acts there, but there's some bad ones, but we're not too sure if the bad acts were bad on purpose or not.
Don't kid yourself ... 'The' Suicide Squad was trash too.
@@Fiveash-Art I actually enjoyed both Suicide Squads. Even though both were pretty bad.
@@Fiveash-Art tell me why, please
@@masierity2917 Cringe worthy 'comedy' .. non existent characters/development ... cookie cutter story ... It's just another marvel movie with dick jokes and CGI gore .. It's boring.
@@deliriouszora I liked bits and pieces of the first one.. but yeah, it was bad, .. the studio raped that movie. It may have been ok.. might've been a decent movie before it was trashed.. but you wouldn't know it by the way they hacked it to pieces .. The new one seems more competent and feels like they let the director do his thing. Which is good... but I'd rather watch a car wreck than something as bland as this new version. It's just boring.
Having James Gunn direct it was a super smart move. DC is known for dark stories but the reality is that their comics aren't always grim, and mixing a Suicide Squad that has a Harley Quinn and a cast of otherwise silly Silver age villains with James Gunn brings out the perfect vibe for the team
Snyder DCEU was edgy and cringe .not dark
I remember watching the Wild, Wild West as a kid, I knew even back then that that film was just bizarre 😂
it was let it say a strange experience.
For me, it’s one of those movies where I know it’s bad, but I still like it somehow 😂
So happy to see The Suicide Squad getting the credit it deserves. The writing/humour can be a bit dodgy at times but the movie has a clear identity and the characters are written and acted so well with my personal favourite being Ratcatcher 2.
I didn't care a thing about a single one of them .. and you're correct, ... the comedy is garbage. Makes the non descriptive characters even more annoying really. Anyone saying this movie had good character development is seriously delusional ... Did the CGI shark 'hit you in the feels'??? 😂
@@Fiveash-Art your opinion.
@@harrydifelice7693 Of course it is .. I typed it. 🙄
@@Fiveash-Art just wouldn't call people delusional for having a different opinion to mine thats all pal.
@@harrydifelice7693 just don't deal with ppl like him
Idk, I think DC has been redeemed for a while. Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Shazam, Aquaman, The Snyder Cut, Joker and now this. They’ve been putting out good movies for a while now.
But The Suicide Squad is definitely a big step up in quality and made people pay attention for the first time in a while.
It’s more like they’re getting their footing back, these movies are fun watches but they haven’t made 9/10 or 10/10 masterpiece. Hopefully the trend continues and we see something at the level of the Dark Knight!
@@StripedJacket Well, how many 10/10 masterpiece comic book movies have their ever been? or even 9/10? It's kind of an outrageous standard for hold any comic book film to.
Wonder Woman was shit, Birds of Prey was shit, Aquaman was terrible shit, the Snyder Cut was very average (it's only good compared to the Whedon shit), and The Joker is DC in name only. Shazam was fun and bucked the mould, but it isn't a redemption for all the other shit they have squirted out.
Iron Man 8.5/10
The Avengers 10/10
The first Maguire Spider-Man movie 10/10
The Tom Holland trilogy 10/10
Thor Ragnarok 10/10
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1 10/10
Vol 2 9/10
Infinity War 10/10
End Game 9/10
Batman Begins 10/10
The Dark Knight Rises 10/10
The first Christopher Reeve Superman movie 9/10
The first Tim Burton Batman 9/10
X-Men First class 10/10
Deadpool 10/10
There are so many 9 and 10/10 superhero movies.
Simple Answer: James Gunn is a good writer, humble director, and open collaborator.
Talking about "Ayer's vision", I seriously doubt a serious character drama would fit the sheer insanity of a Suicide Squad comic.
Yeah, a lot of people as a general don't seem to understand that the Suicide Squad as a concept isn't really meant to be serious. Sure, various runs have serious moments, but they don't take up the majority of the comic run.
Honestly all of the Ayer Cut leaked script so far is terrible.
@@gabrielesegapeli4053 It reads like something I'd have written in middle school. Not great when you're a professional and you have the same level of writing skill as the average 12 year-old.
@@hawktalon7890 Yep. Honestly it looks like a Fanfiction: the only two perhaps best things are Joker (which at least looks more like Joker and less a Ostia dealer) and a semblance of a character arc given to Harley (even if that version has little to do with Harley for me: she is too little crazy and cartoonish, she looks more like a generic "boss babe" than Harley).
@@hawktalon7890 Zack Snyder's writing skills are for a 13 yr old too
4:17 recommending your own class makes perfect sense, as the people who watch your videos already like your voice and style, so it might make more people try out skill share from your fan base.
So true, his video is half of the reason that I’m even considering getting skill share 😂😂😂😂!
Also Jar Jar can’t go, he is “the key to all of this”.
A great example of someone doing it the right way: Vince Gilligan. I really love hearing his interviews because that is a guy who wants the writers to push back on ideas, and his shows have greatly excelled for it.
So weird seeing Peter Capaldi as an antagonist in a film after watching him as the 12th doctor for years.
This whole thing is basically just a lengthy explanation on why I keep my creative projects close to my chest. I don’t have anyone to look over my work and I know there’s probably a ton of stupid mistakes.
When I was 14 I wrote a story and a friend of mine looked it over. He pointed out some of the obviously stupid things that I just couldn’t see myself. Now I have no one and I know I can’t catch those mistakes anymore. It sucks
Polka Dot man is literally my only complaint. This man saw himself become A hero and die as soon as he realized how he could be fighting for good as someone who was helping and not destroying
He was too OP and living a shitty life with that virus bro
You either live long enough to see your self become the villain or get crushed by a giant star fish as a hero.😂😂😂
I love how u and filmento had the exact thing to say but due to different directing vision the same point came across through 2 very different journey .....
I like filmento but some of his videos like MOS are horrible
@@herloss448 bruh u know that opinions are subjective ?
The really clever thing James Gunn did for this movie was the use of subversion in storytelling. He takes all your expectations and does a 180, however he doesn't do it for shock value or forced subversion he does it as part of the films storytelling and world building (for this movie), giving you this real world sense of nothing is as it appears on the surface and nothing will go according to a plan because life doesn't work that way.
The viewer can feel informed without being spoon fed and is rewarded without being distracted by a joke instead he delivers both humour and catharsis without losing any of moments that are earned along the way. If anything this film showed off James Gunn's talent as a director and writer.
But then, can I tell? It's the same, identical thing that Rian Johnson did. So why is he criticized while Gunn (rightfully) isn't?
@@gabrielesegapeli4053 I agree that sometimes people don't realise they are being a bit hypocritical praising one director for something and then complaining about another who did the same thing.
@@gabrielesegapeli4053 I think it just it's execution. Ruin Johnson did it horribly while James Gunn did it in a more natural way
@@lordchungus1552 It seems a bit weak and imprecise speech to me (and frankly I find it childish to insult a director by crippling his name)
@@gabrielesegapeli4053 There can be good ideas buried by terrible execution. Pretty simple. I'm gonna ridicule him bc I just don't like his directorial debut in TLJ but knives out was kinda cool so Ruin Johnson seems fitting.
Someone get Peters his damn spider.
Who tf let a fucking hairdresser becomes a producer. That's as horrible as making the unaccredited background dancer in an "Indiana Jones" films, becomes the head of the LucasFilm studios.
@@Gilgamoth I think is fine, if they are good in that position and have money is ok, also the other movie with will Smith is one of my favorites
Maybe he's obsessed with the spider because he has Peter in his name.
😂😂
@@Gilgamoth Blame Barbra Streisand, who wanted a rubber stamp producer on her remake of A STAR IS BORN, and somehow recruited her hairdresser (who must have talked some serious game) to be that "producer." Once you have one credit, it becomes possible to have a career, I suppose.
Between this and the snyder cut ,dc had an incredible year. And next year ,if WB doesnt fuck it up,will be just as good imo
Henry you mad man, you’ve done it
After years of watching your videos you’ve finally convinced me to sign up for skillshare. First time a youtuber has ever convinced me to do anything lol, thanks mate
James Gunn is such a genius when it comes to making people fall in love and care for the most underdog and unknown rag tag group of characters. Hes without a doubt my favorite director in the Super Hero genre. The Suicide Squad is my favorite super hero movie of all time. His creative genius truly shines in TSS, HBO Max Peacemaker, and GotG. The Eternals really couldve learned so much from James Gunns creative mind.
Love your videos my dude! You're the reason why I know so much about writing and give a crack at writing myself. Never stop uploading!
I'm really glad to hear that, Joseph! Good luck with the writing.
honestly, i love that henry uploads a lot through a month!
Maybe power corrupts, but he could have mentioned that Patty Jenkins also directed "Wonder Woman," which is actually the best DC film to date. And I really enjoyed "The Suicide Squad."
That's a good observation. Although comparing it with the first movie would likely also prove his point.
Wonder Woman credits: Screenplay: Allan Heinberg. Story: Zack Snyder, Allan Heinberg, Jason Fuchs
Wonder Woman 1984 credits: Screenplay: Patty Jenkins, Geoff Johns, Dave Callaham. Story: Same
1) The second movie has none of the first movie's writers.
2) In the first movie, the story is already written. Jenkins only directed it. It is likely that she had ideas of her own. It was also very likely that the studio was there to stamp out her too "out there" ideas.
By contrast, In the second movie, Jenkins is much more involved, as seen in the story and screenplay credits. With a 1 billion movie under her belt, she is allowed to make more decisions.
Long story short, the first movie being a success is partially thanks to Jenkins. But acting like she's the only reason for the success, and giving her more creative control over the sequel is a big mistake.
@Humans Against Monkey Abuse So?
And that is what sucks about WW84
James Gunn is a genius. If you observe him and his way of making films you'll realize that he has a solid plan as to how to continue with the other films. If you see The Suicide squad and The Peacemaker you would realize that.
Clicked instantly! Love your content, especially this longer essay format you've been doing recently!
i loved this movie and how you broke it down, the only problem I had with this movie was the apparent plot armor and sometimes over convenient events.
Yeah, but pretty much only harley had plot armour. Not sure anyone else did.
@@TheCloserLook nitpicking but things like when the starfish was taking over and the main cast didn't have to cover their faces, the sudden change of faith by the people that hit Amanda Waller, bloodsport falling through a crashing building and landing perfectly without a scratch in time before ratcatcher dies.
@@msannioba5760 Oh yeah, I guess that too.
only harley had plot armour bro .
Yeah. This film wanted a very certain combination of certain bits of my brain off and others on.
"Written and Directed by James Gunn"
There, I saved you all 20 minutes. Turns out putting talented people in charge is the key. Who would have thought?
True, that's actually the point.
James Gunn is such an amazing director. Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad are both masterpieces
I love your reviews!!💕💕
Once again, another great video. Keep making more :)
Thanks, Van! I'm glad you liked it.
Bro I clicked on this expecting a Suicide Squad essay, not another Wonder Woman one.
THAT’s how bad Wonder Woman 1984 was.
@Chris Gates plus, it helps to show why something is good by contrasting it with something bad.
Great great work man. That's something I knew in longform but you put together perfectly. Creative genius is a confident leader with smart people he/she trusts.
I have to say, your optimistic enthusiasm is such a boon. Thank you so much for your work, sir ❤️
I am officially scared for Patty's Rogue Squadron movie
Finally a good DC movie :)
I hope Gunn adapts Green Lantern or Lobo.
Finally? Wasn't joker, aquaman and wonder women greet?
Average at best to be honest, Joker is saved by Joaquin Phoenix besides of him it's just an homage to Martin Scorsese filmography.
@@C1ockwork of course it's saved by joker he's the main guy if he did a bad job the movie would have sucked but since he did good the plot and joker moved together perfectly
I absolutely love your work man
Wow.. this is what I want from a movie review! You did reaserch you hit every point. You brought up such intelligent points.. this is the first video of yours I've seen and though it might not be much of a difference, you sir have earned a subscriber, i haven't subscribed to anyone new in a while, I generally just click on my suggested videos, watch and leave. But this was so captivating! Thank you!
I had the weird experience with these 2 movies where my reaction to WW84 was “well that wasn’t good but if I was bored and someone turned it on I’d probably watch it” and my reaction to the new Suicide Squad was “I know intellectually that that was a good movie but I never want to sit through it again.”
Rat-catcher 2 is my favorite part of this movie.
Another great vid henry!
I really like what you did with Jenkins’ quote where when you skipped some, the missing part automatically appeared on screen. Very minute detail but I really like it!
I just really enjoy you bringing up WW only to tear it apart every time bc there’s so much potential within the character and instead i wasted a couple of hours of my life so I can’t agree more!
5:11 that story sounds like what a comedic playing a film director could have come up with lol
I love that you didn't spoil the storyline I'd the film or any big moments. I haven't watched tss yet, but I still understood and enjoyed the video.
A class act. All the way.
Ahh! Such a good video! I like it a lot better than some of your recent videos with those weird gags in them. This video has a nice middle ground of still having some funny jokes but not going over the top. Keep it up
It's literally the most Gunn Fun
I've had watching a movie in long time..
I bloody loved Suicide Squad. I am a big James Gunn fan and knew he could pull this off. I am a little disappointed it did not become a box office success, but I can understand why people might not be drawn to this movie. The heroes are very daft, it's rated R and DC has released some extremely disappointing movies previously.
Great video. One of your best in my opinion. Some interesting points covered, especially the 'yes' people..
I like that point you made about creative people. They get lots of good ideas, but also lots of bad ones. As an idea person myself, that's a good thing for me to keep in mind.
Personally, I think some of the most effective action scenes in the original Wonder Woman were done by producer Zack Snyder. The use of slow motion, then the sudden change to fast action and back again are very reminiscent of Snyder. This would especially be the iconic "walking into no man's land" and the fight with the soldiers in the second story of the house later in the film.
Be careful praising a talented director around here lmao
To be honest, 2 of my 3 criticisms towards the original Wonder Woman are lack of action and too much slow-motion. The biggest criticism though is the final fight scene and "twist", which was probably some studio execs.
@@thepsychedelicmystic2003 Snyder is talented? He’s mediocre but really good with visuals
The no man's land scene came from Patty Jenkins
@@groot7844 talented ? Joke of the day
8:30 I'm okay with you not doing the popular thing, George. Just finish your books please. We've already lost Roy Dotrice as your narrator for the audiobooks, I've suffered enough.
very inspirational, I have learnt a lot in this video, thank you
I really like your Videos :)
I enjoy your video essays immensely, however I have to admit I'm with ConemaWins on Last Jedi and WW84. I loved the first and thought that latter had only relatively minor issues.
I'm in agreement on The Suicide Squad all the way, though. It's a well known fact that the original Star Wars trilogy was a creative and combative collaboration, rather than a one-man vision, and it sounds like James Gunn understands that as well. Hopefully things continue to improve for the DCEU and we end up getting Justice League part 2 because the Snyder Cut was so damn good.
Honestly, I find it a bit strange that the video (rightly) praises TSS for merits that can easily be attributed to Last Jedi: two weights and two measures obviously.
I agree with your thoughts, especially about the ways in which Gunn and Jenkins viewed the creative teams around them. I hadn't thought of that aspect of their directing.
I would just add that it's their vastly different skills as writers that contributed as well. Gunn is a fantastic writer; we all know that. So The Suicide Squad is a pretty well-written movie. However, for Wonder Woman 1984, the writers from the first Wonder Woman were all ditched, and Jenkins wrote 1984 along with a few other new writers. Aaaaand oh my God, it shows. They wrote 1984 so poorly!
I'm not saying they had to hold onto the original Wonder Woman writers, yet the 1984 writers certainly learned nothing from that movie's success. Whereas Gunn clearly saw Suicide Squad and knew what he had and wanted to do differently with that IP.
Great great great video! Pretty insightful, thank u
Very well said, making a movie is a collaborative effort.
This is the best live action comic book film in years
Lies
Agreed
You mean redemption of DCEU since the release of BvS the following installments have hindered creative control like SS and JL.
I totally agree with your argument, but then I think of David Lynch who is known to also keep people in the dark about what his vision is or why it is that way, and his work hits differently anyway. Why dou you think that is?
Great video!
simple .give DC to actual directors who love and respect DC comics👍
Being a raging nerd that actually understands the source material really well. That helps
When The Closer Look posts a new video, I drop everything
Very well put comparison, kinda teaches you a life lesson.