Suicide Squad Critics "Came Prepared to Hate It," Writer Says

The new DC Comics movie Suicide Squad didn't exactly fare well with critics, but ended up breaking box office records. Now, one of the modern-era Suicide Squad comics writers has published his own review of the film, calling out critics who "came prepared" to hate the film before seeing it.

"Everyone has a right to their own opinion even when it's wrong," John Ostrander wrote in his review for ComicMix. "My problem is that, at least with some of the media reviews, is that the critic is also tired of superhero and 'tentpole' films and, overtly or covertly, would like to see their end. Look, I get it--they have to see all the films out there and they must be tired of all the blockbusters.

"If every superhero film is not The Dark Knight, they'll bitch," he added. "I think that's going on here to a certain degree. Just as I came prepared to love the movie, they came prepared to hate it."

Ostrander's late wife, Kim Yale, was a movie critic. He said he knows from attending movie screenings with her that that some critics come to the theater with pre-conceived attitudes about a particular movie.

He was floored by the overall presentation of Suicide Squad, saying the complete package is something new for a superhero movie.

"The look, the detail, the feel of the film is not something I've seen in superhero movies before," Ostrander said, going on to specifically praise Viola Davis' performance as Amanda Waller. He also lauded Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn ("She steals just about every scene she's in"), while he spoke positively of Will Smith's portrayal of Deadshot.

While his Suicide Squad review was mostly positive, Ostrander said the movie wasn't perfect "by a long shot."

"Are there problems with the film? Sure," Ostrander remarked. "The antagonist(s) are not well defined and, to my mind, you need a good antagonist to help define the protagonist(s). It's the antagonist who usually sets the plot in motion and it is defined by what they want. The story is a little more generic 'We have to save the world' than I usually did; I always liked having one foot squarely in reality."

Overall, Ostrander said it's the viewer who is Suicide Squad's "most important critic" because they cast their vote with their wallet.

"You decide if you want to see the movie and then go," he said. "If the film is financially successful... then Warners will be encouraged to do a sequel. And I hope they do. They made a good film this time and I believe they'll do it even better next time around."

In March, it was reported that a Suicide Squad was already in development. The first film opened on August 5 and pulled in more than $260 million worldwide, breaking box office records.

For more on Suicide Squad, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.