There is a weird fanboy fringe who seem to believe that critics are part of some secret cabal who meet to pre-determine the fate of particular movies. To this group, we’re all being paid off by Marvel to give them good reviews, while panning anything DC related. I’m not going to dignify breaking down the many ways in which this is ridiculous except to say that the only thing a writer on a deadline has on their mind is getting the piece finished, and if Marvel is paying out, they’ve clearly mailed my checks to the wrong address.
All this is to say that there is no grand conspiracy, critics just really didn’t like “Suicide Squad.” And hey, that’s fine, because you can form your own opinion too….or actually, according to the people who created this Change.org petition, you can’t.
Egyptian fan Abdullah Coldwater has started the petition, subtly named Shutdown Rotten Tomatoes, because “bad reviews…affects people’s opinion even if it’s a really great movie.” Well, they might help people decide whether or not to see a movie, but let’s face it, we all know “Suicide Squad” is going to at least have a killer opening weekend.
However, Coldwater doesn’t actually think Rotten Tomatoes will be shut down as a result, but he wants his petition to serve a higher purpose. “The aim of the petition is to deliver a message to the critics that there is a lot of people disagree with their reviews,” he wrote in an update. “A lot of people the supporters and the opponents of the petition act like we are already going right now to shut down the site…it’s just a way to express our anger.”
Well….yes, critics are allowed to have their opinion, audiences can have theirs, and for anyone who writes about movies, they are more than well aware that sometimes people disagree with them (hello, comments sections). However, while most level-headed people realize this, we’re now in a moment where this recently launched Twitter account is a thing that exists:
Audiences need to ignore critics. This a battle for the soul of movies. Critics must become insignificant. #CrushtheTomato
— Brett Ratner (@crushthetomato) August 2, 2016
Meanwhile, David Ayer has quickly responded in the wake of the mostly negative reviews, quoting Emiliano Zapata of all people to defend his picture, and calling the picture the “best experience of my life,” even if recent reports suggest otherwise.
Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas – Emiliano Zapata
— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) August 2, 2016
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
Lastly, in a bit of random, related news. Did you know there’s an official novelization of “Suicide Squad”? Well, there is, and it’s been penned by famed DC Comics scribe Marv Wolfman. It arrives in stores on Friday, here’s the synopsis:
Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous imprisoned super criminals, provide them the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them to defeat an enigmatic, unstoppable enemy.
U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has gathered a group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose. Once they figure out they were chosen to fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die beating the odds, or decide it’s every man for himself?