MovieChat Forums > The Suicide Squad (2021) Discussion > Margot Robbie Cannot Carry the DCEU

Margot Robbie Cannot Carry the DCEU

posted 3 years ago by cyberbob (3488)
51 replies | jump to latest

She's been given 3 chances by 3 different directors/writers, all very talented in their own right. Say what you will about studio interference, she has not delivered IMO

She just is not on the level of Robert Downey Jr. I know that she was not originally meant to play this role, but this is the job she ended up with and she has not passed the test

She was originally just meant to play crazy Harley Quinn opposite crazy dumbass Jared Leto. But circumstances made her the face of the DCEU and she hasn't risen to the occasion

I liked this movie a lot. Lots of characters were likeable: Ratcatcher 2 easily outperformed Robbie in her first-ever attempt. Bloodsport, King Shark, Peacemaker, Polkadotman, and Rick Flag all dished out way better performances than Harley Quinn

Except most of them died. Harley Quinn had plot armor. Robbie was miscast and it's overdue that we accept this fact

She simply cannot rise above mediocrity. I never look forward to her next performance as Quinn, I just expect it. The character of Harley Quinn itself is compelling enough to survive recastings, Robbie just isn't charismatic enough to make herself must-watch despite being given the biggest spotlight

Robbie will always be among the prettiest starlets in show biz. And she has enough talent to not make us laugh at her casting. But that's just not enough at this point. Every scene that she is in is boring to me. I can't be the only one that feels this way

[–] Goliard (1421) 3 years ago

Nah, you're not the only one that feels this way.

You are, however, Very Much in the minority.

Shrug.

[–] mcqueen (1150) 3 years ago

And yet, she is doing exactly that.

[–] cyberbob (3488) 3 years ago

She's done 3 films. One failed critically, the other underwhelmed financially, the third was a carry job by James Gunn

Use your brain, kid

[–] hurricane (1960) 3 years ago

Margot Robbie was born to play Harley Quinn.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

She plays a good Quinn.. the problem is the writers and directors seem to have forgotten that Quinn isn't supergirl, she is just a batshit crazy woman. She doesn't have the power to fly through the air to survive falls and other damage that would send a person to the hospital... yet in her movies she seems to have superhuman powers. It is really hard to accept this type of treatment of the character which I don't blame on Robbie. It is a case of the writers and director fucking things up.

[–] GreenLantern (188) 3 years ago

To be fair, most human comic book characters in all media (comics, T.V., cartoons, movies, etc) survive way more than a regular human would (in this movie alone Bloodsport should have snapped both his legs falling 3-4 floors through Jotunheim, but instead did the superhero landing). It's not just a Harley thing.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

You are correct, I was simply responding someone talking about Harley... but Bloodsport was guilty of quite a few miraculous feats.

[–] GreenLantern (188) 3 years ago

Fair :) I also missed your first sentence. I enjoy her as Quinn too.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Levtones (594) 3 years ago

Samara Weaving would have been better.

[–] 123 (543) 3 years ago

i actually like that suggestion, Samara weaving looks like robbie but without the annoying voice, loved her in the babysitters movies, ready or not and in guns akimbo which shows her playing the pyscho like harley should be, not some luck struck super soldier she does in both these movies.

[–] DoctorThirteen (14202) 3 years ago

She'd be very interesting.

[–] cyberbob (3488) 3 years ago

For sure, that's a great idea. She was super charming in Ready or Not and proved that she can carry a film

I'm not trying to be a Margot Robbie hater. I don't hate her, I think she has enough talent to have a place in Hollywood

But realistically, her breakout role in Wolf of Wall Street is most famous for her showing how good she looks naked. She wasn't bad in the film at all, but she wasn't a revelation either

Other hot young "it girls" of recent memory like Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone were able to parlay their momentum into Oscar wins. Robbie has tried on several occasions (I, Tonya, Bombshell, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) to reach for the brass ring, but she cannot get over that hump. She has never even won a Golden Globe or a BAFTA

I am not trying to shit on her. LOTS of very good actors go their entire careers without winning a bunch of awards. But I'm trying to say that the amount of attention and influence that she currently has in the industry isn't proportional to her talent ceiling

She plays Harley Quinn the way that a movie star who doesn't truly understand the appeal of comic books would play Harley Quinn. Harley Quinn literally originated in a cartoon and is cartoonish, but Quinn plays her as a caricature of a cartoon character instead of as a genuine cartoon character brought to life

[–] DoctorThirteen (14202) 3 years ago

I am not trying to shit on her. LOTS of very good actors go their entire careers without winning a bunch of awards. But I'm trying to say that the amount of attention and influence that she currently has in the industry isn't proportional to her talent ceiling

Have to say I agree with that.

[–] DoctorThirteen (14202) 3 years ago

I agree with you. Whilst I liked Robbie as Harley, I've never felt that she was crucial to the character. If I heard tomorrow that she was leaving, I'd just think 'Huh, wonder who they'll get?'.

[–] M1sterDoct0r (4423) 3 years ago

As someone who's not a huge fan of Harley Quinn in general, I honestly liked her in this. Found her tolerable at least. That's the thing with Harley for me at least, she usually works best when she's in an ensemble & not the main lead.

Like the Harley Quinn animated show for example, I legit thought I was gonna hate it but it's hands down one of my favorite comicbook shows. It's a group dynamic. That's what I love about it. Also, just great writing all round

That's something that's definitely missing for Harley's live action counterpart. The writing for Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn has been both inconsistent & insufferable. With one or 2 good odd moments here & there. Apart from that, I don't get the hype.

[–] cyberbob (3488) 3 years ago

I concur, good sir

[–] TheReccher (344) 3 years ago

"Robbie was miscast and it's overdue that we accept this fact"

I feel the need to correct you. This is your opinion, not a fact. I think Margot Robbie is wonderful as Quinn as do most people. So please accept that the hill that carries you alone does not stand for truth.

Thank you.

[–] cyberbob (3488) 3 years ago

Tis the truth

[–] darkpast (8757) 3 years ago

No One Cares About Harley Without Joker, its not the actress fault, mostly

[–] Erting (202) 3 years ago

I'm getting really tired of Quinn being shoved front and center in the DCEU. While I liked The Suicide Squad, if there's a bright spot to the film being a big box office flop, it's that this and the box office disappointment of Birds of Prey will likely spell the end of Quinn as a lead character, at least as played by Robbie. Her "romance" subplot with the president of Corto Maltese really halted the film dead in its tracks, especially when the first 40 minutes before that had been an absolute blast up to that point.

[–] cyberbob (3488) 3 years ago

Agreed on all points