'Suicide Squad' Star Joel Kinnaman on Why the First Movie Was Bad and How to Fix Sequel

Hey, remember the Oscar winning 2016 blockbuster, Suicide Squad? Remember how hyped the movie was, with that stacked cast and the tantalizing promise of romance between Jared Leto’s Joker and Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn? Remember how shockingly awful the movie was? (Okay, some peopled liked it.) It made a bonkers amount of money at the box office, but it mostly bombed with critics and audiences alike, who criticized the way the DC characters were handled, particularly how toned down the Joker was in the film (at least in comparison to the movie’s marketing.)

However, because this is show business, baby, the movie got a sequel, a new writer and director, and production is set to begin this fall. Joel Kinnaman, who plays Rick Flag, spoke to Yahoo UKabout what exactly went wrong with the first movie and what new writer and director Gavin Hood is planning on doing to fix it.

Kinnaman admitted that the film went wrong “in the third act,” and its hard to disagree with him. In case you can’t remember or never saw it, don’t you worry, because that third act is seared into my mind as one of the more uncomfortable final battle scenes in recent memory. That’s when the entire Squad finally comes together to defeat the Enchantress, the scary supernatural possessed witch lady played by Cara Delevingne​.

Interestingly, the Enchantress is the supernatural name given to the sorceress that takes over the body of June Moone, an archeologist that Kinnaman’s character, Rick Flag, is in love with. In short, it’s a silly, over-the-top mess, and serves to prove that director David Ayer’s initial instinct to have the Joker be the main villain was probably correct.

“It was a great set-up, great characters,” Kinnaman told Yahoo. “I think when we do the second one I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a more grounded version of the film.”

“The characters are so extreme it could be more effective if we saw less sorcery,” he continued, likely referring to the Enchantress and her downright weird dance moves. “I think the characters become more extreme if you see them in conjunction with real people.”

The gist of what he is saying is true and reflects the fun of the Suicide Squad concept: these are dangerous criminals with extraordinary powers and rich backstories thrown together. It shouldn’t be hard to put them in exciting situations, and little to no supernatural elements are required for a truly effective villain. Plus, as Kinnaman points out, this is a large group of characters with wild backstories, so “grounding” the film in those characters and how they interact would surely provide fertile ground for a more enjoyable sequel. Well, here’s to hoping, anyway.