It’s been a real rollercoaster of a year for comic-book fans so far, and we’re not even halfway through it. As we sit here at the breaking dawn of Marvel’s ‘Civil War’, dissecting next year’s ‘Dr Strange’ trailer and hypothesizing about who will might be playing Captain Marvel in ‘Infinity War’, you could be forgiven for thinking that the Geek truly have already inherited the Earth.

But there are warning signs that the market has become a more dangerous prospect for the two big studios. Marvel have experienced their first wobbles with ‘Age Of Ultron’ receiving uncharacteristically mixed reviews, the car-crash that was ‘Fantastc Four’, and the announcement that a planned ‘Inhumans’ movie has now been shelved.

In DC’s case, the ‘Constantine’ series faltered as soon as it left the gates ‘Dawn of Justice’ was a big miss with the critics, and it looks like ‘Supergirl’ will be lucky to be renewed after a lackluster end to it’s debut season.

The reviews would suggest that ‘Civil War’ is going to be a big hit, as expected, so how worried should DC be for their next release, ‘Suicide Squad’? If rumours are to be believed, panic has already set in, with urgent reshoots planned to lighten the tone and move away from Zack Snyder’s maligned vision. And with the film’s release date so far down the line of this year’s offerings, will the movie fall victim to the onset of an apparent developing superhero-fatigue?
Well we don’t think so, and here’s 5 reasons why we here at ‘ScreenGeek’ think everybody can breathe easy, because the film’s going to do just fine….

5. The Director

David Ayer is one of the safest pairs of hands in the business. Yes, there is an elephant in the room in the form of ‘Sabotage’, I’ll acknowledge that from the start, but that one film is easily outweighed by the rest of his back catalogue.

Ayer grew up in South Central, LA, and his written work reflects his understanding of the darker side that society has to offer. His scripts for ‘Training Day’. ‘Harsh Times’ and ‘Street Kings’ all demonstrate that he knows what it takes to craft a complicated and truly convincing bad guy.

He is also a former serviceman, and his ability to direct an ensemble cast is evidenced in both ‘End Of Watch’ and ‘Fury’. The selection of Ayer is absolutely the best choice that DC could have opted for for this movie, and all the elements or his previous work match perfectly with the subject matter he’s been asked to replicate for ‘Suicide Squad’.

4. The Comics

The ‘Suicide Squad’ has been in existence in some form or other since 1959, making it older than the majority of offerings on the modern market. For example, they’ve been around 31 years longer than Deadpool.

The decision by DC to make them the second outing in the embryonic DCCU is an inspired move, demonstrating the large breadth and depth that they want their new project to have. A big declaration of intent to a market filled with embittered Marvel fans and film industry cynics.

And now is the perfect time for that source material to be seeing the light of day. Audiences have shown signs of starting to tire of standard superhero fayre, forcing studios to generate new and varied storylines. Content needs to be different, to have an edge of some kind of that stands out from the rest of the herd. ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Kick-Ass’ might have generated controversy, but they got people talking, and cemented a future for themselves as cult classics.
Having a load of scummers running amok that Batman has already imprisoned once is fertile ground for a skilled director like Ayer to work with, and the freedom the studio allowed Zack Snyder to use in making ‘DOJ’ indicates Ayer will be able to push the characters in a direction he wants to take. Lingering on the subject of the source material, the Squad members aren’t the only reason this project is sure to succeed.

3. You Must Be Joking…

I’d argue that The Joker is probably a more valuable property for DC than any number of the other superhero characters planned for insertion into their cinematic Justice League. His inclusion on a project usually spells success, with both Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger’s portrayals of him fixed in cinematic history.

Mark Hammill has made a post-Star Wars career out of voicing the legendary super villain, and all the indications are that Jared Leto’s unique take on the character, which has been heavily influenced by some legendary comic editions, is also going to be a big hit with the fans.
The Joker is Batman’s ultimate nemesis. A product of The Dark Knight’s early missteps, he has no moral compass. No limit to the madness or depravity he brings to a movie. And, of course, it’s not just him. We’re also going to be seeing a live-action version of his girlfriend Harley Quinn too (I choose to forget that ‘Birds Of Pray’ incarnation with the hypnotic eyes…).

2. Battfleck

Of course, you can’t have a Joker without a Batman for him to tango with and this year has already shown that Ben Affleck is one of the best incarnations of Batman that the cinema has ever known.
Regardless of wether people got Snyder’s vision of ‘Dawn Of Justice’, few have criticised Affleck’s portrayal, as he has buried the memory of Daredevil way down, and burst back into the genre full of anger and aggression.

After 30 years of fighting crime, of course the ‘DOJ’ Batman is going to have become a little jaded and desensitised to the horrors of his crusade. From the opening desperate dash through the streets of Metropolis, to his final scenes with Diana, this is a Bruce Wayne you can truly believe in. A simmering pot of brutal rage and lethal violence, just waiting for a reason to explode.

1. The Trailers

But perhaps the best indicator that the project will be a success is what little we’ve already seen so far. The look and feel found in both of the main trailers is a million miles away from the rainy dark and depressing skyline that Bats & Supes were slugging it out on in ‘Dawn Of Justice’.

The trailer music choices are spot-on, the first one playing to a haunting melody which ends on the Joker’s signature laughter. The second running to a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ mega mix. And they nicely complement the well-edited action taking place onscreen, showing there’ll be a lot more going on in this movie than in some other superhero offerings, which is unsurprising given the number of characters onscreen.

Margot Robbie has already stolen the show, completely replicating the brilliance with which her character first debuted in the 1990 Animated Series, and easily sidelong Will Smith. The quickfire bromance between the other squad members seems to negate the requirement for the aforementioned script rewrites, even managing to make Jai Courtney’s appearance an appealing prospect, despite his having appeared in a series of recent duds. There is nothing predictable or standardized about this film, and if anybody needs to worry, it’s Marvel….