Turns out the greatest trick the devil ever pulled might have been editing those Suicide Squad trailers—remember how much fun we were seemingly promised?—because David Ayer’s contribution to the DC Extended Universe isn’t going over too well. Not with critics, anyway, as the film currently has a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And there isn’t a Sweet or Rolling Stones or Queen song loud enough to distract the filmmakers from that drubbing.
For his part, Ayer’s kept a stiff upper lip, quoting Mexican revolutionaries on Twitter while calling Suicide Squad the “best experience of his life.” He’s been considerably more gracious about the whole thing than some fans, who recently mounted a petition to “shut down” Rotten Tomatoes, just to admit it was only a “symbolic gesture” before even scoring 20,000 signatures. This kind of dissonance between critical and audience reception isn’t uncommon, but it has also baffled Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, who recently raved about the Squad.
Jenkins will of course confront her own critics when Wonder Woman hits theaters on June 2, 2017, a date that was recently moved up, which has to be a good sign. The first trailer also augurs well for the movie, with Gal Gadot delivering great fight scenes and pithy lines, all while bringing Chris Pine along for the ride. Let’s just hope the praise ends up heaped on the film and not the trailer editors.