Kevin Smith Says David Ayer "Made Magic and Did DC Comics Proud" With SUICIDE SQUAD
Early this year, noted fanboy and writer/director Kevin Smith co-hosted a CW special about the future of the DC Extended Universe with DC Films co-head Geoff Johns. I assumed this arrangement meant Smith would probably just be polite and keep quiet if he didn't like particular aspects of the movies after he ended up seeing them, but much to my surprise, that wasn't the case. Smith didn't really like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and explained why in a couple of different podcast episodes after the film came out. (Mad props to him for speaking his mind and not being beholden to corporate overlords, by the way.)
So with the knowledge that he's said something in the past when he didn't like a DC Comics movie, Smith shared his review of Suicide Squad on Twitter and Instagram, and he didn't pull any punches:
If for some reason you can't see his caption above, I'll transcribe it here:
I look up to Suicide Squad maker David Ayer. His End of Watch, shot with a mixture of media including dashboard & body cams, was the work of a true filmmaker. And I don't know how he got me to love a tank movie, but Fury is another amazing Ayer effort. When I heard he was shepherding a cinematic Suicide Squad, my already-high interests in a DC Comics movie shot over the top: what would a gritty guy like Dave do with the likes of Deadshot and Harley Quinn? Well I think he made magic and did DC Comics proud. The Squad movie doesn't look like any other comic book flick I've ever seen. The periodic use of both Batman and the Joker as background characters instead of the usual leads was thrilling and felt like our first real glimpse at an interconnected DCEU.The cast is top notch but Harley, as expected, steals the show. The Joker and Harley beats are simply wonderful for a longtime fan to watch and make you immediately wanna see the all-Harley movie they already announced. Throwaway moments made me so happy (like Katana and her Soultaker sword) but this flick as a whole had me smiling the whole time. Thanks to her name, my kid Harley Quinn Smith was already on board for this movie - and she loved it (like LOVED it). I'll be heading back to see it again tonight so expect a brand new Fat Man on Batman review soon.
Sounds like he really loved it, and he doesn't seem to be hedging his bets on this one. He's certainly one of the fans that the cast say they made the movie for, so I'm glad some people (Joey included) are digging the movie despite its largely negative reception so far. Suicide Squad is in theaters now.