DanLives1980

In five or ten years the next generation will no doubt appreciate this much more than we did, although I'm not dismissing it. Suicide Squad has plenty enjoyable qualities and enough to keep your attention. It's not a terrible film as long as you're not a film connoisseur or a comic book fan. For the most part it enjoys a superb production, albeit inconsistent at times. Saying that, I've never met a fan of the source material; not even over the great expanse of the Internet!

A rarity these days is that I managed to watch the movie from beginning to end, whilst paying attention. Saying that, I've done the same with Punisher War Zone and Freddy Got Fingered. I have a high threshold for good trash. I have a low threshold for vapid, soulless trash.

They made some pretty uninteresting characters work for the screen, but desperately diminished others, such as Harley Quinn in regard to her notorious qualities and back story; no doubt to handle the audience with kid gloves.

Will Smith's character is possibly the strongest in the whole film, even though his Deadshot is also light on authenticity. But he works at it while the likes of Killer Croc just snarls and skulks and Katana just serves as a token Asian with a fancy sword.

Jay Hernandez's El Diablo is the underdog for me in terms of redemption and likability and Cara Delavigne does a great job switching character, but is given little else to do other than look impressive. Joel Kinnaman is wooden at times, as always, but has come a long way.

But Jared Leto's Joker? I went in without expectation. I came out with "Feminist Trans 4Chan Toad doing a Scarface impression whilst sounding very much like Rob Schneider's Deuce Bigalow after dental surgery..." He is horrendous but girls will like him anyway, because, "Jared Leto!"

Scott Eastwood and Adam Beach are also massively wasted, and I'd feel sorry for Jai Courtenay, but he chose to audition for a character called Captain Boomerang so exactly what was he expecting to have to work with? Dumb dialogue? Poor humour and action? Check!

Otherwise it's full of spectacle that looks good for the most part and it creates a tone I'd expect of a movie based around comic villains, minus the romanticised Joker/Harley thread which I feel was the weakest link. But if this was the version the studio wanted me to see, I want to see Ayer's Director's Cut.

Damn it, DC, have some faith in your audience. I'm a Marvel fan and I'm still rooting for you!

This is what I'm talking about. Just when you think you're so jaded that nothing can affect you, along comes a film that straddles the line between horror and harrowing drama with the effectiveness of the movies that caused the worst nightmares of your childhood! Citadel flew under the radar back in 2012 and I can see why. It's too grim for the average viewer; the kind of people who seek to escape reality with the absurdity of popcorn movies. Citadel does not want you to escape. It wants to drag you deeper into the cold, black depths of its own private hell. That it does with perfect writing, directing, acting and location.

Too often the torch of "best horror film since..." is passed onto the rip-offs that have no intention of producing originality. They seek recognition for their ability to mimic their betters. Citadel is all alone in its personal nightmare, but if you see it, it will drag you in.

It's amazing how, with the right tools at your disposal, simplicity can lead to such profound filmmaking. Citadel's strengths may seem few at first glance, but through amazing acting on behalf of its lead character, the psychology of fear - the victim mentality, the onset of panic and anxiety, and a visceral insight into post-traumatic stress syndrome - can leap to the viewer like a virus.

With elements of Harry Brown and Tyrannosaur, Citadel is one hyper-real Aphex Twin urban nightmare, shameless in its teasing of the nerves and building atmosphere and suspense like the steam inside a pressure cooker.

See it!