Suicide Squad

Never mind the good, only the bad and the ugly can be members of the superteam at the heart of this underpowered launch of another comic-book franchise. Following the catastrophic events of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the US government sanctions hard-as-nails Amanda Waller (a menacing Viola Davis) to press-gang incarcerated villains into doing its dirty work - rogues such as hitman supreme Deadshot (Will Smith), cannibal Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) and the Joker's madcap moll, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). So far, so Dirty Dozen. Unfortunately, the end-of-the-world shenanigans of the Squad's mystical, megalomaniac adversaries and their laughably bulbous-headed minions are only routinely thrilling. It's all in stark contrast to the breeze and banter of Marvel's Avengers series and Guardians of the Galaxy, though the cast is undoubtedly game, with Smith and Robbie's coquettish but manic blonde bombshell taking centre stage. However, character chemistry is limited and there's a distinct lack of suspense. Even cameos from Ben Affleck's Batman and Jared Leto's Joker (here played as a feral popinjay with gold teeth and tattoos) cannot provide a sufficient charge to this missed opportunity to make bad guys look good.