‘Suicide Squad’ Fans Quash Critics

Critics trashed “Suicide Squad.” With a 26-percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film should have been a disaster. Instead, “Squad” broke the box office record for an August opening, bringing in an estimated $135 million — roughly $40 million more than the previous champion, “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

On top of its impressive debut, the film also earned much stronger support from fans than from traditional movie critics.

“This is exactly what I needed. I love this movie.”

Cinemascore, a company focused on tracking audience reactions to new movie releases, published a B+ audience rating for “Squad.” The fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from audience members also sits at over 70 percent.

The film is new territory for comic book films in that it focuses on a team of villains and anti-heroes as its protagonists. Despite a very harsh lashing from critics — which included adjectives like “abysmal” and “incoherent” — audiences love the flick, highlighting the sometimes fraught relationship between film critics and the audience they are meant to serve.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this but #SuicideSquad may be the best DCU film since The Dark Knight,” tweeted @Crazy4ComicCon. “Thank you thank you thank you @SuicideSquadWB for creating my new favorite movie of all time!! I already want to see it again! #suicidesquad,” tweeted @breelee62.

Critic reviews read very differently, with site after site denouncing it.

“Appallingly bad ‘Suicide Squad’ has the lamest villains ever,” was the headline for the New York Post’s film review. “The summer of disappointing blockbusters continues unabated with the slog that is ‘Suicide Squad,'” wrote Christy Lemire at rogerbert.com.

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Meanwhile, more nontraditional critics seemed to share in the same enthusiasm as fans over the “Squad.” Jeremy Jahns, an independent movie critic sporting over 1 million Youtube subscribers, praised the film in a video review. “This is exactly what I needed. I love this movie.”

Podcaster and director Kevin Smith shared his own thoughts online and called the movie “magic.” Smith even defended the passion behind “Squad” fans, who created a headline-grabbing petition to shut down Rotten Tomatoes over negative reviews.

The large gap in opinion between audiences and critics for “Suicide Squad” brings into question the role of the modern-day movie critic. A movie critic’s job is simple: be an authoritative voice on film with an ability to recommend which flicks people should spend their hard-earned money on.

However, audiences largely buck critics today, choosing to see films like “Squad” while ignoring many Oscar-bait movies promoted by traditional critics.

“I think critics go into movies wanting and hoping for different things than most moviegoers. Critics are judging the film for its artistic merits, its acting etc. A lot of people go into movies with different expectations,” freelance film critic John Hanlon of JohnHanlonReviews.com told LifeZette.

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“In terms of something like ‘Suicide Squad,'” he continued, “I think fans of the comic book want to see this movie no matter what the critics say.”

Regarding the growing dissonance between critics and audience members, Hanlon sees both sides of the issue.

“I don’t think there’s a problem when critics and audiences disagree. I think that’s natural. At the same time that I am a critic and appreciate critics, I can also understand the frustrations that fans feel when a movie they admire isn’t as appreciated critically as they believe it should be.”