Suicide Squad is one of this year’s most hotly anticipated blockbuster movies and, ahead of its UK release on Friday, the reviews are in.

The film stars an ensemble cast of Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney and Joel Kinnamen as a motley crew who join together in a bid to save the world.

Of course, it’s not your average superhero movie as they’re all bad guys from DC Comics: The Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot and the rest.

Suicide Squad - Margot Robbie as Harley QuinnSuicide Squad sees Margot Robbie play Harley Quinn (Warner Bros/TM/DC Comics)

The big-screen comic book adaptation, directed by David Ayer, has received a bit of a mixed bag from the critics, with the Daily Telegraph’s Robbie Collin giving it two out of five stars and The Guardian going one better with three stars.

The Telegraph’s man described the effort as “crushingly puerile comic-book pornography”.

He added: “Occasionally, the film feels like Ayer is trying to fight his way out from underneath an enormous, suffocating parachute.

Suicide Squad - Jared Leto as the JokerSuicide Squad’s Jared Leto as the Joker (Warner Bros/TM/DC Comics)

“The film makes you cringe so hard your teeth come loose. But it’s a slog even on its own crushingly puerile terms.”

The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw saw the positive side among the negatives, writing “there’s plenty to like”, and praising Margot and Viola, who is “the real scene-stealer”.

“If only Davis were involved a bit more,” he wrote. “If only we could scale down the inevitable FX-driven action finale involving slightly tiring supernatural forces, in order to beef up the dialogue and chemistry.”

Suicide Squad - Viola Davis as Amanda WallerViola Davis as Amanda Waller (Warner Bros/TM/DC Comics)

He added: “Suicide Squad promises madness, and a dense downpour of madness is what it delivers. I could have done with more fun and more lightness of touch.”

The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab dubbed the film “nowhere near scary enough”, although he did credit Ben Affleck’s Batman as “far more sinister” than the actual villain characters.

A more positive review came from Empire’s Dan Jolin, who gave the “fascinatingly jagged” film four out of five stars.

“Like Avengers Assemble forced through a Deadpool mangle, Suicide Squad gives new life to DC’s big-screen universe,” he wrote, adding that it’s “so bad-to-the-bone it’s good”.

Suicide Squad - Cara Delevingne as June Moone/EnchantressCara Delevingne as June Moone/Enchantress (Warner Bros/TM/DC Comics)

IGN gave another three-star review, with Joshua Yehl suggesting the movie “loses its zany charm” after the first act.

He also criticised The Joker’s storyline, writing: “His sub-plot abruptly cuts across the movie rather than move in tandem with it, never amounting to anything of substance.

“His character feels forced upon the movie rather than smartly woven into it.”

Buzzfeed’s film critic Alison Wilmore said Suicide Squad “used and abused” Margot’s Harley Quinn character, and she was “made into damaged dolly jerk-off material”.

Suicide Squad - Will Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley QuinnWill Smith as Floyd Lawton/Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn (Warner Bros/TM/DC Comics)

Forbes’s Mark Hughes had a positive take on the film, as he said: “I personally believe it’s a great film, I loved a lot of it and really liked most of the rest.”

“It’s going to make most fans very happy – after my screening, I talked to several fans to gauge their reactions and watched how other viewers acted, and it seemed the consensus was that the film is very good, and entertaining.”

There was also a mainly positive reaction from fans who caught the film ahead of its release, as well as on the tough reviews from the critics.