Batman: Assault on Arkham review/spoilers

[Agent Fisher]

So, the latest release from DC for their movie series was Batman: Assault on Arkham. Batman is more of a secondary character for this one. The stars of the movie are Task Force X or Suicide Squad if you prefer. Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, King Shark, Killer Frost, Harley Quin, and Black Spider. No Rick Flag though. The movie is set after the Arkham Origins video game, and despite never playing the game, I had no trouble at all following the story. Waller is there, of course, running the Squad and setting them on their mission of breaking into Arkham to retrieve a data drive that the Riddler had on him when Batman captured him... from a squad of special forces soldiers that Waller sent to capture him first. Action was great, the violence and gore not as over the top as Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox was. And of course, shout out to the voice actors. Kevin Conroy returns as Batman, Niel McDonough as Deadshot, Jennifer Hale as Killer Frost, Hynden Walch also returns as Harley Quinn. And of course, C.C.H. Pounder for Waller. Overall, I'd give the movie an 8/10 and I hope to see more Suicide Squad stuff in the future, always loved that group.




Now, having watched this movie, of course I went into Netflix and watched the Task Force X episode from Justice League Unlimited. Think I'd have to give it to the Task Force X episode because I remember that from my younger years, plus it was just such a great heist story.

[Mr Bean]

It was violent, gory and unexpected I'll give it that. Parts of it dragged but the ending was a let-down in being a touch two violent. Also I wanted to punch Deadshot far to often. It's like he learned how to lead people from watching the first part of Full Metal Jacket over and over again.

[Batman]

6/10. Maybe. I mean the visuals were good and kudos for using all the right voice actors, and the plot was easy to follow without having played the game, but it was an easy to follow mess. It made no sense. If all Waller wanted was to kill Nigma, she could have one of her operatives do that in the opening sequence-put gun to Nigma's head before I show up, pull trigger, mission accomplished. But no, she had to send in a team she knew was gong to disintegrate and make a huge spectacle of it in the process, then they had to insert the stupid Harley/Joker/bomb subplot when without it, despite the idiotic premise, Task Force X having been betrayed by Waller and trying to fight their way out of it might actually have made a pretty interesting movie.
I didn't mind the violence so much, but the faux nudity did add exactly zilch to the story, nor did Harleys bedroom antics.

[Havok]

Just bribe a corrupt prison guard to kill Nigma. It was all way overdone and unnecessary.

And really, who honestly gives a fuck if the Suicide Squad roster list gets leaked?

Nothing memorable, but it was nice to hear Conroy and Hamill again.

[FaxModem1]

Well, it wasn't the roster that was important, it was the fact that Nygma found out how to disable the little bombs in the back of their necks. Still, using the suicide squad on Arkham is just idiotic, and makes Waller seem more petty and vindictive then she is in the comics or in any other interpretation.

Frankly, after a while watching this film, I just lost interest in whoever was going to win, as it became rather silly the way the team was betraying each other for no reason, the most evident of which was Captain Boomerang and Deadshot being unwilling to share a massive helicopter. If for no other reason, so that the Joker can sneak up on Deadshot later.

Honestly, the Suicide Squad works best when it is going up against somebody much more powerful or evil than them, and still working as a heist film. Look at the JLU episode "Task Force X" or the Arrow episode, "Suicide Squad" for examples of how to do it right. There was needless conflict for no stated reason, such as Boomerang and Deadshot not wanting to share a helicopter, for no stated reason, just because. Setting it in Gotham could have worked, as it could have shown us a new side of Gotham, or some other thing, instead, we pretty much are limited to the sets of the Arkham Asylum video game, with those not in the know of who these people are being confused by all the references, and those who are in the know wondering why certain things aren't happening. For instance, why isn't the Joker being electrocuted when he leaves his cell by the electric floor?

Having them go against the League of Assassins, or storming the batcave, or something where we had someone to root for would have worked a lot better. Heck, a way better movie would have been Task Force X being hired by the US government to take down Batman.