'Suicide Squad' Director Reacts to Bad Reviews

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“Suicide Squad” director David Ayer isn’t letting the bad reviews for his new DC Comics movie get him down.

The action film about a roster of veteran bad guys (and girls) teaming up to fight for good accumulated mostly negative reviews on Tuesday, with a disappointing 33 percent approval rating from 82 critics counted on Rotten Tomatoes, and only 27 of those reviews being declared “fresh.”

The filmmaker whose previous credits include “End of Watch” and “Fury” posted a cryptic message to his followers on Twitter.

Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas – Emiliano Zapata

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016

Also Read: 'Suicide Squad' Fans Petition to Shut Down Rotten Tomatoes Over Bad Reviews

Translated, the Spanish quote means, “I’d prefer to die standing, than to live always on my knees.” A few hours later, he clarified why he quoted the Mexican revolutionary.

Zapata quote is my way of saying I love the movie and believe in it. Made it for the fans. Best experience of my life. ❤️

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016

Also Read: Does 'Suicide Squad' Have a Post-Credits Scene?

“Suicide Squad” stars Jared Leto as The Joker, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Will Smith as assassin Deadshot, to name just a few of the big names in Warner Bros.’ ensemble DC Comics adaptation, which also features Ben Affleck as Batman.

The critics consensus sums up the reviews as follows: “‘Suicide Squad’ boasts a talented cast and a little more humor than previous DCEU efforts, but they aren’t enough to save the disappointing end result from a muddled plot, thinly written characters, and choppy directing.”

Also Read: 'Suicide Squad' Reaction: Supervillain Movie Needs a Better Villain (Video)

Marvel’s “Doctor Strange” director Scott Derrickson took to Twitter shortly after the “Suicide Squad” review embargo was lifted on Tuesday to voice concern over the increasing reliance on Rotten Tomatoes percentages instead of individual reviews.

If you look at Rotten Tomatoes scores w/o reading selected reviewers that you respect, you're doing it wrong. You and cinema deserve better.

— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) August 2, 2016

Also Read: 'Suicide Squad' Review: Margot Robbie, Viola Davis Stand Out in Overstuffed Spectacle

TheWrap’s critic Alonso Duralde was among those less than impressed with “Suicide Squad.”

“Writer-director David Ayer tries hard to make this dirty not-quite-dozen into an engaging band of misfits, but the results feel undercooked and overstuffed, with 10 pounds of supervillain backstory being crammed into a five-pound bag,” Duralde wrote in his review, adding, “No doubt, like ‘BvS’ before it, ‘Suicide Squad’ will eventually have a much-longer Blu-ray cut that fills in this movie’s many blanks, and that longer edit will feel somehow shorter because the lack of characterization and motive in the theatrical version means that the film commits the deadliest of superhero movie sins: It’s boring.”

Duralde did, however, heap praise on Robbie’s turn as deranged Joker sidekick Harley Quinn, as well as standout Viola Davis for her performance as Amanda Waller, the head of a secret government agency that is responsible for organizing the squad of supervillains.

Also Read: Will the Olympics Hurt 'Suicide Squad' and Other August Movies at Box Office?

Bad reviews aside, Ayer can still look forward to this weekend, as “Suicide Squad” is on track to rake in as much as $140 million in just three days.

That gross would easily break the all-time opening record for August, currently held by another band of merry misfits, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which opened to $94.3 million in 2014.

'Suicide Squad': Who's Who in DC Comics Movie's Cast of Baddies (Photos)

We're quickly approaching the launch of David Ayer's "Suicide Squad," the next big piece in the DC Extended Universe of interconnected movies. It's got quite an ensemble of comic book characters most moviegoers don't know, so before checking it out this weekend be sure to click through our brief explainers on who exactly all these supervillains-turned-antiheroes are.
Warner Bros.
Amanda Waller (Viola Davis)

The government agent who proposes and handles the Suicide Squad -- a group that (mostly) consists of incarcerated bad guys looking for a get-out-of-jail (but-not-for-free) card. She's characterized as being tough as nails, which of course you'd have to be to think assembling a Dirty Dozen is a good idea.
Warner Bros.
Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie)

Harleen Quinzel originated in "Batman: The Animated Series" during the early '90s as the Joker's right hand, and that's the role for which she's always been known. Harley was a shrink at the famous Arkham Asylum, where she snapped while the Joker was incarcerated there, leading to the eternal and characteristic devotion.

Also Read: ‘Suicide Squad': Harley Quinn’s Road to The Big Screen
Warner Bros.
Deadshot (Will Smith)

In many comics, this assassin for hire is an adversary of Batman. The world's greatest marksman with a rifle and other firearms, Deadshot is suicidal, after a fashion: he's one of those characters who seeks thrills in hopes that they'll lead to some kind of awesome death.
Warner Bros.
Rick Flag (Joel Kinnamen)

Every story like this one has to have a grizzled military leader, and Rick Flag is it. But he's not a straight arrow, exactly. Flag is known to have a bit of a psychotic edge that generally is thought to suit him to those in his charge.
Warner Bros.
Enchantress (Cara Delevingne)

June Moone was a totally normal person -- until she became possessed by some kind of weird ancient spirit. Now she's a split soul, as the Enchantress and June are hardly a unified entity.
Warner Bros.
Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)

As the name suggests, Croc is kind of a lizard person, with scales and accelerated lizard-style regenerative abilities. He's also extra strong and stuff. Believe it or not, the film's physical depiction is a pretty mundane one -- in some of his other incarnations he looks pretty much just like a crocodile.
Warner Bros.
El Diablo (Jay Hernandez)

An ex-gang member who wields the power of flame, he's known for truly seeking atonement for the really bad things he did with his fire powers.
Warner Bros.
Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney)

Digger Harkness is an Aussie dude who, obviously, does boomerang stuff. And, also obviously, he's a goofy dude who's totally unhinged and tends to serve in a kind of comic relief role. But don't underestimate the power of the boomerangs.
Warner Bros.
Katana (Karen Fukuhara)

She's not a bad guy -- instead, he's Rick Flagg's lieutenant and thus nominally second in command of the squad. Her real name is Tatsu Yamashiro, and she became a samurai after her family was murdered. Her sword isn't just some regular blade, however -- it can capture the souls of those killed by it.
Warner Bros.
Slipknot (Adam Beach)

Like Captain Boomerang, Slipknot has a gimmick: rope stuff. He made his own ropes which are nearly unbreakable, and he can do pretty much anything with them.
Warner Bros.
The Joker (Jared Leto)

Not a member of the squad, but the Joker will play a major role in the events of "Suicide Squad" as a sort of chaotic interloper. Leto's take on the character is a bit different that any we've seen before -- a bit more, uh, ironic? -- but only the finished film will tell if all that preemptive ridicule was valid.
Warner Bros.
Batman (Ben Affleck)

"Suicide Squad" will mark Batman's first appearance on the big screen as the antagonist. His involvement is, of course, Joker related, and director David Ayer has said we'll be seeing him from the perspective of his opponents -- which should be a nice twist.
Warner Bros.

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Prep for the summer’s final blockbuster with our comic book-based primer

We're quickly approaching the launch of David Ayer's "Suicide Squad," the next big piece in the DC Extended Universe of interconnected movies. It's got quite an ensemble of comic book characters most moviegoers don't know, so before checking it out this weekend be sure to click through our brief explainers on who exactly all these supervillains-turned-antiheroes are.

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'Suicide Squad': Who's Who in DC Comics Movie's Cast of Baddies (Photos)

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