I have to disagree with people that are saying Margot Robbie nailed Harley.
I get that Harley is a damn hard character to get right in live action; between her accent, random quirks, and happily deranged demeanor, she can either steal every scene she is in or be annoying as fukk. And too many times, Margot as Harley just came off as really annoying....and I'm not sure if it's just too difficult to drag a cartoon character into the real world or if the writing, adlibing, and editing wasn't strong enough. Margot was def trying, and really seemed to have fun with the character, but it's just a really thin line between getting the character right and cosplaying them, and she just seemed to tip toe back and forth over the line.
I think I was
after her first few one liners but about halfway through,
I dreaded any group conversation because I knew in about 10 seconds, she was going to say or do something annoying that was supposed to come off as "cute" but instead felt like the "insert stilted Harley quip" part of the script. Harley from the cartoon felt like a victim of stock-hold syndrome, like she had legitimately turned crazy after being around the Joker, but Harley in this felt like she was simply attention whoring because it was a disguise/persona to hide behind. There is a part in the movie where I did sort of dig that angle, but not really enough for me to enjoy it for 2 hours....and especially not at the sacrifice of what made the Joker and Harley's relationship so interesting. Margot is talented enough to get better with the role if she is given better material but I just can't co-sign that she nailed it this time around.
On the flip, damn Viola and Will
They brought it and I really want to see more of their characters going forward. I will be quoting a few of Will's lines. Enjoying seeing the black excellence on the screen.
I have some other complaints (and praises) but I'll save it for later discussions. The biggest disappointment is the squad never truly felt like a group of villains. They barely seem more evil/selfish than the Guardians of the Galaxy (who were criminals too). It's a shame because the biggest selling point to me was always a film about true villains, not anti heroes that needed to tell the audience that they are bad 10 times, not misunderstood but likable criminals that just need each other for redemption, but cold hearted villains on a mission to kill other villains. People that murder innocents and don't cry about it later. But through the entire film, Viola Davis felt more like a villain than anyone on the squad. Everyone else had a heart of gold. I guess that's my fault for thinking DC would go that route, especially after some of the trailers, but after being told by DC stans for so long that DC is bucking formula, it was a let down to see them play it so safe.
I give it a 6/10.