Earlier today, the review embargo was lifted for critics who got a chance to see Suicide Squad. Unfortunately for many fans (myself included) who hoped that the film would earn positive reviews especially after the not-so-stellar reaction to Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the consensus from critics seems very mixed, and as of right now, the David Ayer film has a critic rating of 37% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rotten Tomatoes aggregates a collection of many different critics’ reviews, and rounds them all up to a certain approval rating. In response to the critics’ score, some DC fans decided to start a petition on change.org, calling for a shutdown on the site. The description of this said petition is described as follows:
We need this site to be shut down because It’s Critics always give The DC Extended Universe movies unjust Bad Reviews, Like
1- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 2016
2- Suicide Squad 2016
and that Affects people’s opinion even if it’s a really great movies
As of the publishing of this article, the petition has 3,083 signatures, and I can’t help but feel sorely amused at this fact. Even as someone who has been one of the biggest flag-wavers of the DC Extended Universe’s future slate of films, particularly Suicide Squad, I find the fact that this petition is even a thing to be quite pathetic.
Now hear me out. I understand the frustration and disappointment coming from the critical consensuses of not just Suicide Squad, but from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Man of Steel. In particular, when the first critical reactions from Batman v Superman were released, I was legitimately bummed out to see that critics were not enjoying the film, because this signified that the general audience would not respond to the film the way Warner Bros. and DC would have hoped – and it showed through the film’s box office returns. While the movie still made a good profit, it did not hit the $1 billion mark that the studio both expected/hoped for.
But what I even more disheartening is that there are sections in many fandoms that ignite a certain toxicity on the internet that only adds more hostility and cynicism. The sentiment behind this petition only illustrates that some are taking these reactions to the film on a personal level. Now, let’s remember that almost all of these signatures are from people who have not even seen the film for themselves.
I am not saying it is wrong to hold your fandom of choice so closely to heart. If that were not the case for me, I would not be writing about comic book films so often. The trouble is that with this mentality, it does not welcome new additions to your fan community, but rather alienates them. And if the most toxic nature of fandom continues to perpetuate, it can lead to dangerous repercussions.
I still intend on seeing Suicide Squad this weekend with all the excitement that I have, because of my love for comic book movies. So to all my fellow fanboys, please understand that someone’s review whether positive or negative should not be taken personal. Check out Suicide Squad for yourselves and make up your own mind. Just understand that some people won’t share the same opinion as you, and that is okay. There are other things in the world that deserve your outrage more than what some critics say about a movie.
Source: Change.org
