Films which feel the need to explain plot lines through clumsy dialogue usually irritate me. This goes doubly so when the plot is thin on the ground. Suicide Squad fits neatly into this category. While I appreciate that the premise of the film is to tee up endless sequels and prequels based around this group and their backstories, most of the time there was no need for the characters to explain their next move to each other. Still the cast, headed up by Will Smith, is great and the story trots along at a reasonable pace — despite being 2 hours and 10 minutes it didn’t feel overly long — meaning I can’t fault it too much. Perhaps next time a little less fighty-fighty and a little more explory-story.
“From the guys who brought you Bad Neighbours” said the trailer. “The same film again!” completed my mind.
But it’s not as bad as all that. While, yes, the idea is the same — 30-something couple end up living next door to a student party house — the second Bad Neighbours film actually tackles a number of things running through the mind of your standard 30-something couple: getting old, wanting different things in life and being a parent. The last one is the key to this film. It’s by being parents that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly (Byrne) resolve their conflict and ultimately find their own place in the world while helping the girls next door, lead by Shelby (Moretz) to find their identity.