Kevin Smith says Suicide Squad did 'DC Comics proud'

Entertainment Weekly
Updated

Filmmaker and comic book aficionado Kevin Smith has come to the defense of Suicide Squad and writer-director David Ayer.

While initial reviews of the DC Comics-inspired supervillain movie have been less than stellar, Smith gave it a glowing endorsement on social media Thursday and called Ayer "a true filmmaker."

"I think he made magic and did #dccomics proud," Smith wrote. "The #Squad movie doesn't look like any other comic book flick I've ever seen."

He praised the cast as "top notch," in particular Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, and also commended Ayer's decision to use Batman (Ben Affleck) and the Joker (Jared Leto) as background characters rather than leads.

Smith is certainly no stranger to the world of DC. In addition to being a lifelong comics fan who named his daughter Harley Quinn Smith, he has written issues for DC (and Marvel), penned a script for the never-realized movie Superman Lives, and directed an episode of TV's The Flash.

He also hosts the podcast Fatman on Batman, where his full Suicide Squad review will eventually appear.

Suicide Squad opens Friday. See Smith's message below.

I look up to @suicidesquadmovie maker #DavidAyer. His #endofwatch, shot with a mixture of media including dashboard & body cams, was the work of a true filmmaker. And I don't know how he got me to love a tank movie, but #fury is another amazing Ayer effort. When I heard he was shepherding a cinematic #suicidesquad, my already-high interests in a @dccomics movie shot over the top: what would a gritty guy like Dave do with the likes of #Deadshot & #HarleyQuinn? Well I think he made magic and did #dccomics proud. The #Squad movie doesn't look like any other comic book flick I've ever seen. The periodic use of both #Batman and the #joker as background characters instead of the usual leads was thrilling and felt like our first real glimpse at an interconnected #dceu. The cast is top notch but Harley, as expected, steals the show. The #jokerandharley beats are simply wonderful for a longtime fan to watch and make you immediately wanna see the all-Harley movie they already announced. Throwaway moments made me so happy (like Katana and her Soultaker sword) but this flick as a whole had me smiling the whole time. Thanks to her name, my kid @harleyquinnsmith_ was already on board for this movie - and she loved it (like LOVED it). I'll be heading back to see it again tonight so expect a brand new #FatManOnBatman review soon. #KevinSmith

A photo posted by Kevin Smith (@thatkevinsmith) on Aug 4, 2016 at 7:00am PDT