Upfront, I am not a DC fan, of the comics or the movies, although I do like a bunch of stuff that falls under the Vertigo imprint and the Heath Ledger Batman movie was excellent. But I like to think I went into Suicide Squad on Friday night with a reasonably open mind and, following the trailer, a sense of optimism. However I'm sorry to report that it's just...not a good film.

It lacks plot, motivations, character development...and yep, it's sexist and racist. It feels like a bunch of YouTube videos, with punchy soundtracks, strung together - admitedly a few good videos and there's some nice colours and cinematography in there - but that does not a movie make. It's not edgy, it's not what it wants to be, and it's just not good.

( some more comments WITH SPOILERS behind the cut )

So. People who're more DC fans than me might like it more, but then again you might be more disappointed if your favourite characters are stuck in this mess. You'll have to let me know. In the meantime I will try and remain optimistic for Wonder Woman.

Non-spoilery review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child reads like fanfiction - which, essentially, it is. Don't get me wrong, I like fanfiction, but if you've read a bunch of fics then there's not really anything special or unique here. Some parts I liked, some parts I was less keen on, and much of it was predictable. I did like some of the lovely magical details, there's some amusing dialogue, and some fun moments. However, this is a playscript and I imagine that there's a lot more to it - more emotions and the exposition that we miss in a script - and that it's visually spectacular. Overall I enjoyed it well enough and I won't be judging the play on just reading its script.

( TO EXPAND ON THAT, WITH SPOILERS )

I've spoken to a few people now who've managed to see the play - who going in were in kind of the same place as me, who used to write fanfic and love the books, but are no longer hugely invested if a touch nostalgic - and they rate the play really highly, so there's that :)