You might've heard that there's a presidential election going on, and it's taking a toll on plenty of people's mental health. Really.

So it might be time to imagine another political world — a fake one.

Barack Obama might be our first black US president, and Hillary Clinton the first female nominee for president from a major party, but they're hardly firsts in fiction.

We've put together a list of the most popular on-screen commanders in chief to get you through the election.

To help us in our search, we consulted The Credits, which surveyed 501 voters on their favorite fictional presidents.

If you're not happy with the election outcome, we recommend checking in with one of these reigning officers.

SEE ALSO: 30 celebrities who love and endorse Donald Trump

12. GEENA DAVIS: "Commander in Chief" (2005-2006)

Davis proved that if a guy could be president, so could a woman.

She played President Mackenzie Allen on ABC's short-lived "Commander in Chief."

11. ANTHONY HOPKINS played two presidents two years apart in 'Nixon' and 'Amistad' (1995 and 1997)

Hopkins may not look like Nixon, but he mastered the 37th president's mannerisms.

Two years later, he played John Quincy Adams in "Amistad."

10. GARY SINISE: 'Truman' (1995)

Sinise won the 1996 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Film for his role as the 33rd president in the HBO film.

Warning: Potential spoilers ahead for season one of "Stranger Things."

For those of you who devoured the first season of the Netflix original series "Stranger Things," you probably have a few questions about the main characters that you're dying to have answered.

Most of the loose ends are tied up, but a lot of people have been wondering whether the second season would be a continuation of the first season's plot, or whether the Duffer Brothers would go down the "American Horror Story" route of having each season be entirely self-contained, tied together only by theme and a few cast members.

Based on comments that series creators Ross and Matt Duffer made in a group interview, they're not ready to leave Indiana just yet.

When Tech Insider asked about the decision to have the second season of "Stranger Things" be a direct continuation of the events of season one, Ross Duffer said, "We had this main tension of Will going missing in season one and we wanted to resolve that tension at the end of the season, but there are still a lot of unresolved issues."

Among those are some big questions surrounding the condition of Will and Eleven:

• What long-term effects has the Upside Down had on Will?
• Did Eleven survive her encounter with the Demogorgon?
• Why did Hopper get whisked away in a black car?
• Does he know if Eleven is alive?

Hopefully, we'll get answers to what's nagging our brains, but Ross Duffer said that the second season will deal with its own set of questions:

"Obviously we've left some dangling threads at the end of the season that we'd like to resolve — and we love these characters and we want to continue with them for a little bit. But unlike a traditional TV show, what we really want to do is treat the second season as if it were a sequel, you know, a movie sequel, in that we do have a new tension. It's still tied into the original events in season one, but there's a new main tension that needs to be resolved as well, and that idea to us is exciting."

Whatever the second season focuses on, we can't wait to tune in. But really ...

Is Eleven OK?

SEE ALSO: Here are the references to '80s movies in Netflix's great new show 'Stranger Things'

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NOW WATCH: Netflix just showed off the trailer for ‘Luke Cage’ and it looks amazing

Sequels are taking over Hollywood. But that's nothing new.

If a movie does well, or if it's based on an existing property, the likelihood that it will get a sequel is very high. Some sequels are simply pale imitations of their predecessors. 

Then there are some sequels that take their source material and bring it to another level entirely. They expand the universes they are a part of, and make us all glad we got to spend more time with the characters.

From James Bond to "Star Wars," here are some sequels that outdid their predecessors:

SEE ALSO: 20 modern classic movies everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

"Toy Story 2" (1999)

The original was cute and innovative, but "Toy Story 2" exposes mature emotional themes like mortality and friendship hiding behind the computer imagery in a way only Pixar can.

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004)

Arguably the best book in the "Harry Potter" series also got the best director of the films, Alfonso Cuarón ("Gravity,""Y Tu Mamá También"), who delivers the frenetic rhythm and off-the-wall art direction the fantasy needs.

"Mad Max 2" (1981)

Sure, the original is appreciated for its "stripped-down" vision of a post-apocalyptic world, but the sequel, known as "The Road Warrior," ups the thrills and gear in all the right ways, putting Mel Gibson's no-nonsense nomad in the middle of a Rube Goldberg machine of death and destruction. It's no surprise director George Miller essentially reimagined the material for the latest installment in the franchise, "Fury Road."

Disney provided some new info about its theatrical schedule stretching through 2019.

In addition to an ambitious movie plan announced last fall, the studio has called dibs on a few more weekends with untitled projects, including more fairy-tale adventures.

With the recent enormous success of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," and the even more surprising staying power of "Zootopia" and "The Jungle Book," Disney really looks like the studio to beat. In fact, it's on track to have its biggest year ever at the box office.

Its lineup of movies includes a mix of animated films, superheroes, reboots, sequels, and multiple trips to a galaxy far, far away.

Here is everything you can expect to see from Disney from now through 2019:

SEE ALSO: 41 movies you have to see this summer

This year we'll get a reboot of "Pete's Dragon," starring Bryce Dallas Howard.

The film will be a remake of the 1977 Disney original, in which a young orphan seeks the help of a giant dragon. This version will star Wes Bentley, Robert Redford, and Karl Urban.

"Pete's Dragon" will be released on August 12, 2016.

There’s nothing better for a filmmaker than when they're given the green light to make a movie. But as with everything in Hollywood, there’s a catch.

For director Jesse Moss ("The Overnighters"), the only way he could make a documentary about the classic 1970s movie “Smokey and the Bandit” was to also have its star involved.

“But I had never met Burt Reynolds,” Moss recently told Business Insider.

This led Moss to Jupiter, Florida, to find the reclusive 80-year-old legend and convince him to be in his movie.

However, Moss didn’t just nab Reynolds. He also stumbled upon an archive that turned his film into much more than a documentary about a famous movie.

“The Bandit,” premiering on CMT Saturday, August 6, does give a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most improbable hit movies of the late 1970s, but thanks to incredible archival footage, it also takes us inside the life of Reynolds, who at the time was the biggest movie star on the planet.

“There was such a rich archive. I thought let’s let these guys tell the story in their own words,” Moss said. “And, as you hope happens with an archive film, live in the period.”

Moss’ treasure trove was located deep inside Reynolds’ estate in Jupiter. After Reynolds came on board the project, he opened his doors to Moss, including a room dedicated to his achievements over the decades.

“We’re at his house doing the first interview with him and afterwards I ask him if he has old photos we can use, and he said, ‘Yeah, look in there,’” Moss recalled. “He has an entire room that’s a personal archive of things untouched since 1974. Scrapbooks that his mother kept. Copies of television appearances. For a filmmaker it was like that scene in 'Indiana Jones' where you see this vast warehouse of archived boxes.”

For a month Moss’ image researcher and coproducer spent their days in the room, scanning 6,000 images and shipping many of the tapes, which included rarely seen Reynolds appearances and footage of his short-lived talk show, back to New York to be transferred from video to digital for the movie.

“I was really flattered that they wanted to do it,” Reynolds told Business Insider. Smokey and the Bandit "was some kind of strange little miracle in a way, for the fact that it made so much damn money and it was so much fun to do.”

But there became a point when Moss was overwhelmed by the material.

The success of the movie (which had a worldwide gross of over $300 million on a $5.3 million budget), the stardom of Reynolds, the movie giving a spotlight to the South, even the popularity of being a trucker — there could be multiple movies dedicated to the “Smokey and the Bandit” phenomenon.

“And early on I was trying to put them all in one movie,” Moss said.

But taking a step back, he got to the core of the story: a buddy movie between Reynolds and his good friend “Smokey and the Bandit” director Hal Needham, who was Reynolds' former stunt double before becoming a director. (Needham passed away in 2013.)

“The film is an elegy to [Reynolds] and his career and his relationship with Hal,” Moss said. “When we started the project, someone who knew Hal really well said he hated documentaries because he thought they were boring, so I set a goal for myself to make a documentary that was fast and funny and had heart.”

“The Bandit” is certainly all those things.

Here’s a clip from “The Bandit.”

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It's been nine years since we last saw Matt Damon in the Bourne franchise, and it seems audiences are happy to see him back.

The latest movie in the series of films based on the Robert Ludlum books, "Jason Bourne," took in an estimated $60 million over the weekend to top this weekend's box office, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Though a respectable figure for an action film catered to the over-30 crowd, the fifth film in the franchise isn't going to have the biggest opening ever.

That distinction still goes to 2007's "The Bourne Ultimatum," with a $69.2 million debut weekend. That movie went on to gross $442.8 million worldwide, a figure Universal would be ecstatic for "Jason Bourne" to hit, as the movie has had mixed reviews with a 56% Rotten Tomatoes rating.

The other major release of the weekend, the comedy "Bad Moms," took in an estimated $23.4 million to put the film in third place for the weekend. ("Star Trek Beyond" came in with $24 million to take second.) It's a big win for two-year-old studio STX Entertainment which is still trying to find its footing after recent disappointing showings by films like "Hardcore Henry" and "Free State of Jones."

Starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Christina Applegate, and Kathryn Hahn, this raunchy look at moms who need a much-needed break from parenting and go on a "Hangover"-like party binge was a big draw for the over 17-year-old female demo (82% of the opening weekend audience was female), who likely didn't want to see Damon playing a bad-ass rogue agent.

Next week, expect a possible record-breaking weekend when the anticipated DC Comics blockbuster "Suicide Squad" opens.

SEE ALSO: The "Jason Bourne" writer tells us if we'll ever see the character again

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NOW WATCH: Marvel’s newest ‘Doctor Strange’ trailer is here and it looks unlike any superhero movie we’ve seen

This summer's slate of big-ticket movies has been a disappointment.

And Hollywood's output is hitting AMC Entertainment, which operates movie theaters, pretty hard.

On Monday morning, AMC reported second-quarter earnings and revenue that missed expectations, with the company citing a "lackluster film slate" that has seen industry-wide box-office revenue fall 10.7% per screen.

AMC chief financial officer Craig Ramsey added in a statement on Monday that industry-wide box-office revenue was down 9.3% on a 10.6% attendance drop.

In the second quarter, AMC earned an adjusted $0.24 a share on revenue of $764 million. Expectations were for earnings of $0.26 on revenue of $774.3 million.

In premarket trade, shares of AMC were down by as much as 6.8%.

July, however, has served the company better with year-on-year revenue up 7% as of Friday.

The company is also bullish on 2017's film slate, which is expected to feature another installment of "Guardians of the Galaxy,""Pirates of the Caribbean," and "Transformers," in addition to sequels for Disney/Pixar's "Cars" as well as "Bad Boys" and "Fast and the Furious."

SEE ALSO: The stock market did something on Thursday that hadn't happened in 45 years

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NOW WATCH: Scientists just collected a mysterious 'purple orb' at the bottom of the ocean, but no one could anticipate what happened next

"Psychopath" in pop culture has become a kind of catch-all slang term for pure evil.

It's not just serial killers any more: Politicians, athletes, your boss, maybe even your friends— all of them are being labeled psychos.

But while it's possible your control-freak boss or that girl you knew in college is a psychopath, the term is mostly used in a way that's completely wrong.

Pop-culture references aren't helping the situation. Sorry guys, but Norman Bates isn't a psycho, and Sherlock Holmes might not be, either. Disappointingly, not even Patrick Bateman of "American Psycho" may be a true psychopath.

These are the five ways we're all getting psychopathy wrong in almost every instance.

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1) It's not very clear what a psychopath is.

With the ease that TV psychologists throw around the word "psychopath," you might think we have a better handle on what that label actually means.

But the label is ill-defined. The words "psychopaths,""psychopathy," or the closely related "sociopathy," never appear in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) — the veritable bible of mental illnesses.

Instead there's an entry for antisocial personality disorder, which is what most people would consider psychopathy. Traits include impulsivity, disregard for other people, a lack of empathy, and a penchant for manipulation.

Scientists are certain there's a biological component to psychopathy — but your upbringing likely also has a heavy hand. (The difference between a born psychopath and a made one is usually cited as the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath, respectively, but this distinction isn't universal.)

And the mere presence of antisocial traits doesn't necessarily make someone a psychopath, either. It's not as fun as an online quiz, but to actually assess a psychopath requires a trip to the doctor's office and a detailed personal and medical history.

But because "psychopath"isn't a diagnosis, you still won't find yourself with that label, but diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.

2) Psychopaths aren't always violent criminals.

Tons of cases of psychopathy go completely unnoticed  — perhaps even to the psychopath themselves.

Famously, this happened to neuroscientist James Fallon, who accidentally discovered he was a psychopath while examining images of brain scans.

“I go to the bottom of the stack, and saw this scan that was obviously pathological,” he told Smithsonian Magazine. The image turned out to be his own brain, showing low activity in the areas that are linked to empathy and self-control.

Later, a genetic test confirmed he had all the biological makings of a psychopath (he’s apparently also related to Lizzie Borden, so there’s that). Fallon considers himself a “pro-social” psychopath, meaning he isn’t violent and more or less follows societal rules.

Fallon has said frequently that he believes this is because he experienced a safe and loving childhood.

3) Psychopaths aren't crazy.

Actually, psychopaths are quite sane.

Try this test: If the psychopath in a TV show or movie is shown hearing voices or experiencing other delusions, they're not a psychopath.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder, not a mental disorder. Hallucinations and other signs of mental illness usually portrayed as part of psychopathy are actually severe psychosis, or a loss of one's sense of reality.

That's why Norman Bates of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" isn't actually a psychopath — he thinks he's obeying the wishes of his mother. Not only would a psychopath likely not care much about his mother's directives, he would be firmly in touch with the reality of her death (and probably not care very much about it).

Patrick Bateman might fall into this category too — psychotic instead of psychopathic — depending on your interpretation of events in "American Psycho."

Delusional serial killers like Charles Manson and Son of Sam? Also not psychopathic.

Sometimes watching a "classic" after its prime makes it hard to understand what everyone loved about it.

In 2009, James Cameron's "Avatar" made history with the technology it used to capture actors' facial expressions in real time to later be used for animation. The film focuses on a U.S. Army mission to Pandora, an alien world full of resources earth desparately needs in 2154. 

“This film is a true hybrid — a full live-action shoot, with CG characters in CG and live environments,” Cameron told The New York Times in 2007. “Ideally, at the end of the of day, the audience has no idea which they’re looking at.”

Roger Ebert said"Avatar" was "one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation."

Well, I missed out on the conversation.

I never watched "Avatar," and I never had a desire to.

But finally, seven years after the highest-grossing film of all time premiered, I watched it. And honestly, I saw some problems. Maybe I missed out on the time that made it special. Maybe it was overblown. Either way, I'm pretty apathetic toward "Avatar."

These were my thoughts while I watched "Avatar" for the first time.

To be fair, I didn’t watch this film in 3D, as it was intended. However, I believe if a movie is truly so stunning, its greatness shouldn't be limited to a format. 3D shouldn’t make “Avatar.” Storytelling and cinematography should make “Avatar."

SEE ALSO: James Cameron just announced 4 more 'Avatar' movies — here's when they're coming out

DON'T MISS: Sigourney Weaver will return for the 'Avatar' sequels in a new role

One minute in and I'm already rolling my eyes at the dialogue — "They can fix a spine if you've got the money. But not on vet benefits, not in this economy."— which is not a good sign for the next 2.9 hours.

I want to watch TV like this. It would be perfect to fall asleep to.

Three minutes in and I'm finally seeing those really cool special effects I was promised.

"Terminator Genisys" was one of the big summer-movie duds of 2015, with a weak $27 million opening and eventual lackluster $440.6 million worldwide gross (it only made $89.7 million domestically).

Not a very good performance for a legendary franchise that saw its star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, return to play the killing machine for the first time in 12 years.

Paramount has since indefinitely postponed any future "Terminator" movies. "Genisys" star Emilia Clarke also confirmed in April that she would not be returning to play Sarah Connor.

Business Insider brought up the "Terminator" franchise to another "Genisys" star, Jai Courtney, while he was doing press for the upcoming DC Comics movie "Suicide Squad" (opening on Friday), and he didn't seem too disappointed about the studio hitting the pause button on "Terminator."

"Um, no," Courtney said when asked if he was sad that no more "Terminator" movies are coming soon.

Courtney is no stranger to franchise relaunches that don't live up to expectations. One of his big breakout roles was playing the son of "Die Hard" character John McClane (Bruce Willis) in the 2013 movie "A Good Day to Die Hard." The weak box office on the movie scrapped any chances of Courtney taking over the franchise from Willis.

"I've certainly become unattached to the idea of it having to come around again," Courtney said of potential franchise movies getting sequels. "If it seems like an obvious movie to make then cool. But with 'Terminator,' who knows, it's probably time to leave it where it is. But if they can get back in there and dig around and decide there is another film to make, I'll take the call."

The good news for "Terminator" fans is there's still hope for a comeback. The franchise's creator, director James Cameron, will get the rights back in 2019. 

SEE ALSO: Here's the moment when Burt Reynolds became the most famous star on the planet

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In Matt Damon's next movie, "The Great Wall," set in ancient China, the actor plays a warrior who defends the wall from fire-breathing dragons.

But since the trailer for the movie went online last week, there has been criticism that once again Hollywood is plugging a white actor into a story that focuses on another culture.

"Fresh Off the Boat" actress Constance Wu took to Twitter and tweeted a statement on why she feels movies like "The Great Wall" are "perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world."

"Our heroes don't look like Matt Damon," Wu wrote in her statement. "They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time."

Here is Wu's full statement:

Hollywood has a history of "whitewashing" topics going all the way back to when white actors wore blackface or played Native Americans in Westerns. The attention to it has increased in recent years, thanks to the outcry of #OscarsSoWhite and actors speaking out about the lack of diversity.

Then there are clever memes like #StarringJohnCho, in which actor John Cho ("Harold & Kumar") is Photoshopped into major movie posters to show the diversity problem.

"The Great Wall" opens in theaters February 2017. Expect this topic to bubble back to the surface around then.

SEE ALSO: I finally watched "Avatar" for the first time, and it has one glaring problem

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NOW WATCH: Jon Stewart just ranted against Republicans who have praised Trump for the same things they have bashed Obama on

Disney will remake the 1984 Ron Howard comedy "Splash" with Channing Tatum playing a merman character.

The original comedy starred Tom Hanks, who falls in love with Daryl Hannah, who happens to be a mermaid.

In this twist, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Tatum will play a merman while "Workaholics" star Jillian Bell will play the Hanks role.

Howard and producing partner Brian Grazer will produce the film.

A script is in the works. No word yet on when filming will start.

The original "Splash" was one of the hit comedies of the mid-1980s, and elevated the statuses of Hanks and Hannah.

The role-reversal idea is the big trend hitting Hollywood at the moment. The recent "Ghostbusters" release had an all-female lead cast, and there's also plans of making a female-led "Ocean's Eleven" movie.

SEE ALSO: The crazy drug-fueled story behind one of Hollywood's most notorious lost movies

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NOW WATCH: Disney just released the trailer for its 'Pete's Dragon' remake

15 years have passed since Daniel Radcliffe appeared in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" with that lightning-bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.

Since then, he's grown up, defeated Voldemort, and gone on to act in a bunch of other different movies.

The child actors in the "Harry Potter" movies have all transformed. Some of their acting careers have taken off after the series, and others are still trying to figure it out. There's no question, though, that the eight-film series between 2001 and 2011 has changed their lives forever.

Here's what the main child actors looked like when they were first introduced in the "Harry Potter" movie series, and what they look like now.

Daniel Radcliffe was just 11 years old when he started filming 2001's "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Since finishing the series, he's had an eclectic career, playing everything from a morose doctor in "The Young Doctor's Notebook" to a flatulent corpse in "Swiss Army Man."

In the early "Harry Potter" movies, filmmakers gave Emma Watson Hermione Granger's famously "bushy" hair.

We will finally see Jared Leto's version of The Joker when "Suicide Squad" hits theaters on Friday, and the Oscar-winning actor hopes that this won't be a simple one-and-done affair.

"I hope it's an introduction [of the Joker] ... and not the end!" he told the Toronto Sun, according to Heroic Hollywood. "Because I could easily just play the Joker a couple more times and then retire. Because it's so fulfilling and so creative and it's so imaginative. It's really difficult to think about doing anything else!"

In fact, Leto wants his Clown Prince of Crime to go up against Ben Affleck's Dark Knight.

"I think it would be incredible to see Batman and the Joker go head-to-head!" Leto said. "This Batman and this Joker. I mean, I don't know, that might be too much! But that would be fun."

It has been confirmed that Affleck is writing a standalone Batman movie that he will also direct and star in.

Affleck as Batman is also supposedly in "Suicide Squad," so maybe we'll see the two do battle sooner than that.

SEE ALSO: Kanye West says he's still very serious about running for president

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NOW WATCH: The trailer for the 'LEGO Batman' movie makes us more excited for it than any other Batman movie

"Suicide Squad" director David Ayer isn't your typical Hollywood player.

Having spent a lot of his youth around South Central Los Angeles, which led to the inspiration for scripts he wrote when he started his career like the first "Fast and Furious" movie and "Training Day," he's far from the usual soft-spoken director who keeps it very PC in public. 

He likes to get a crowd amped up, like at this year's Comic-Con in San Diego, where he announced that DC Comics runs Hall H, the epic convention floor where the biggest event films and TV shows have their presentations during the convention.

But he might have taken his hype-man persona a little too far on Monday night at the "Suicide Squad" premiere in New York City. While introducing the DC Comics movie, he repeated an audience member who yelled out, "F--- Marvel."

People inside the screening immediately started tweeting the occurrence, leading to many voicing their displeasure over Ayer trying to start a rivalry between DC Comics and Marvel properties.

Ayer tweeted an apology soon after:

SEE ALSO: Here are all of J.K. Rowling's favorite books

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NOW WATCH: Watch 'Harry Potter’s' Daniel Radcliffe infiltrate a white supremacy group in the trailer for ‘Imperium'

This summer has been filled with sequels we really didn’t want to see.

From “Alice Through the Looking Glass” to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” they really should have stopped at one.

But in no way are the failures of sequels in 2016 a new thing in Hollywood. There are decades upon decades of bad sequels that have abused our eyeballs.

Here we rank the 15 worse sequels of all time.

SEE ALSO: 20 modern classic movies everyone needs to watch in their lifetime

15. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”

The late 1980s was an interesting time. We were coming out of the Cold War and peace was a big theme throughout the world. So why wouldn't we make a movie where Superman collects all the nuclear weapons the world ever created and throws them into the sun?

That launches Lex Luthor's latest plan to destroy Superman. The problem is we got a poorly produced movie with lame special effects and yawn-enducing action sequences. 

14. “The Godfather: Part III”

When you go and make arguably the greatest sequel of all time, it's likely a studio is going to throw money at you until you finally make a third. That's what happened to director Francis Ford Coppola.

After making two of the most memorable movies ever, he tried to go for the hat trick. And though the (presumably) final feature-length tale of the Corleone family has grown in acceptance over the years, it still is hard to watch. 

13. “The Matrix Reloaded”/"The Matrix Revolutions"

After "The Matrix" became a sensation, it was obvious there would be another movie. And given the hype around Neo and his quest to become "The One," most were dissatisfied by how the eventual trilogy ("Reloaded" and "Revolutions" were shot together) continued.  

Two years ago, Marvel released "Guardians of the Galaxy," a movie about an obscure rag-tag group of heroes from a random '60s comic series. That movie surprised everyone with a huge August debut and went on to be one of the highest-grossing movies of 2014.

Now, DC's trying to do the same with Suicide Squad, but with a rag-tag group of many B-list villains. Sadly, it won't pack the same punch as "Guardians."

These villains, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith), Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) — are you tired yet? There are two more characters I haven't even mentioned which lead the team — have been assembled together by U.S. Intelligence Officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) after the events of "Batman v Superman." As every trailer has iterated, she's creating a task force to save the world from metahumans who may go rogue (think Wonder Woman, The Flash, or any other characters, hero or villain.)

After "Batman v Superman," I really wanted to like "Suicide Squad." I'm a DC girl over Marvel. I grew up loving Batman, but for some reason Warner Bros. just can't seem to figure out how to make a great superhero movie after "The Dark Knight." While there are some good things about "Suicide Squad," I felt like I was watching "BvS" part two.

The film is just stuffed with a few too many characters, all of whom are unnecessary to the overall film. After the movie introduces its initial task force, it randomly adds several more characters to the Suicide Squad club — Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Slipknot (Adam Beach), and a sword-wielding Katana (Karen Fukuhara) with little explanation why.

There are so many side characters in "Suicide Squad" that character development falls by the wayside unless you're one of the big players, primarily Harley Quinn and Deadshot.

I get wanting to introduce a bunch of cool DC villains to the mix, but the film could have done without Slipknot, who I only learned is good at tying knots and scaling buildings, as well as Katana, who's admittedly pretty handy with a spooky sword that holds the souls of everyone it kills. It seems like they're only there to add diversity to the film's cast.

And unlike other screen adaptations of Captain Boomerang, all I gathered from "Suicide Squad" is that he seems to have a random obsession with a pink unicorn plush that's never explained. I guess it's supposed to be funny.

It's just nearly impossible to build an emotional connection to about a dozen characters in a two-hour movie. There's a point in the film where Diablo, a tattooed man who can shoot out flames, says, 'I lost one family. I'm not gonna lose another.' But you don't even feel like they are truly family. This isn't "Fast and the Furious." There isn't enough time to give each character the development they need (outside of a small few) when there are not one, but two villains  — in a movie filled with supervillains, mind you — to take down.

The villains themselves are just too generic (imagine the whole 'We want to take over the world' mantra — is this what we've come to expect from superhero films?) and confusing to anyone who's not deeply ingrained into DC lore. I won't spoil who they are because it's supposed to be a surprise, though some have figured it out by now due to a casting sheet.

It's hard to even get excited about the villains in a movie based around supervillains. They're actually the least interesting part of the film. Half the time you're more invested in Harley and the Joker's relationship to even care about the bad guys they're fighting.

Oh and if you're hoping to see a lot of Jared Leto's new incarnation of the Joker, you're out of luck. While he pops up in the film several times, if you've seen the photos, trailers, and clips released for the film, then you've seen most of his role in the movie.

Though Leto brings a fresh brand of psycho to the clown prince of crime, in a year's time no one will say this performance outshines that of Jack Nicholson in 1989's "Batman" or Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning role in 2008's "The Dark Knight." Maybe that's because this version of the Joker is not the main star of the film. Though a proven psychotic maniac, Batman's main nemesis has a soft spot for his girlfriend Harley, his Queen of Gotham, who he pines after throughout the film like a lovesick puppy.

Joker's still all guns ablazing, but he'll move heaven and earth to be reunited with his number one girl.
The film feeds into the fandom's love for the pairing of Harley and her puddin' Mistah J (the Joker). Fans will be delighted to see the two in a few shots reenacting a popular mad love scene.

You know, this famous shot:

In fact, I wouldn't mind a film centered around those two. Robbie and Leto share some of the movies best scenes.
The film hints that could very well be in the cards. If Warner Bros. is smart, they'll capitalize on the characters' popularity and make a solo Joker/Harley film or include them as the main villains in the solo Batman movie.

The real heart and scene stealer of "Suicide Squad" is Robbie's Harley Quinn, but that shouldn't be a surprise. She has dominated the marketing for the film. And rightfully so. This is the character's first time on the big screen. She was first introduced in '90s cartoon "Batman: The Animated Series" as the Joker's henchwoman. She's grown in popularity starring in her own comics, and fans have been waiting years to see one of the best female antiheroes in a movie.

Though the movie is about a group of villains, it's heavily centered around Harley trying to get back to her love, the Joker. Not that Harley can't take care of herself. She can. We see her take down a number of villains ruthlessly with a gun and a vat without so much as blinking an eye. She even has to save the Squad leader Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) a few times.

When the first trailers came out for "Suicide Squad," I said the success of this movie wouldn't depend on the Joker, it would depend on Harley Quinn, and she nails it. She may not have the accent fans are used to from the cartoon, but she makes the former psychiatrist Harleen Quinzel her own.

While I suspected the film would mostly belong to Margot Robbie, Will Smith (maybe not so surprisingly) dominates the film as well. And that's entirely welcome. If you've seen last year's "Focus," you already know Smith and Robbie have excellent chemistry and they share that again in "Suicide Squad." This movie really belongs to Harley, Deadshot, and the Joker, suggesting WB is perhaps setting the threesome up for some sort of romantic quarrel in the future. I'd throw money at that.

Truly enjoyable moments in the film include cameos from Batman and another future "Justice League" member. That's one thing DC is actually doing better than Marvel — creating a connection between their films that feels natural by having star players show up in subsequent films instead of just mentioning them by name.

The film also has a pretty solid soundtrack. "Heathens" from Twenty One Pilots and a "Bohemian Rhapsody" cover by Panic! at the Disco are stand outs.

Director David Ayer may have said "f--- Marvel" on stage at the "Suicide Squad" world premiere Monday evening, something he has since apologized for, but I don't think Marvel has anything to be worried about.

With "Suicide Squad" as the second movie in DC's planned cinematic movie universe, the films are quickly feeling like pieces that have been slapped together too fast to catch up to the Marvel machine. That's a shame because not only does DC have two of the most lucrative characters in Batman and Superman, but several years ago when Christopher Nolan's Batman was reigning supreme at the box office, it was Disney and Marvel who had to play catch up. (And how they have!)

Opening weekend estimates are calling for "Suicide Squad" to break $120 million. While it may perform well upon its debut for fans eager to see the latest incarnation of the Joker and Harley Quinn's first on-screen appearance, it's not a movie you'll head out to see more than once. The movie thinks it's funnier and more fun than it actually is.

And if it does well opening weekend, a sequel is reportedly already planned. The film certainly lends itself to one. If not, at the least, Warner Bros. has a rotating cast of villains for future films.

"Suicide Squad" is in theaters Friday.

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NOW WATCH: Margot Robbie’s crazed Harley Quinn steals the show in the new ‘Suicide Squad’ trailer

"Space Jam," a movie that exists, came out nearly 20 years ago, and fans are still eager for a sequel to the classic combination of '90s basketball and "Looney Tunes" action. Though nothing has been confirmed, it seems like every other month there's tantalizing talk of a follow-up, and now Michael Jordan has revealed who he would want to take his spot on the Tune Squad. 

During a Q&A session with a bunch of kids at what appears to be a summer camp, the NBA legend was asked the all-important question. Jordan thought for quite a while as kids in the audience shouted out suggestions, but eventually revealed his final decision: Blake Griffin. 

Though almost all the talk of a theoretical "Space Jam" sequel casts Lebron James as the star, the power forward for the Los Angeles Clippers would be a solid choice to ball with Bugs and the gang. In an interview last fall, Griffin said he would "love to be involved in any capacity" when asked about a possible sequel. 

While Jordan's input is fun, our advice is not to believe anything you hear about "Space Jam 2" actually happening until you're sitting down in a movie theater. We've been burned before.

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NOW WATCH: Examples of Michael Jordan's insane competitiveness

Jai Courtney's rise to fame has gone the express route thanks to being thrust into big franchises opposite even bigger action stars ("Jack Reacher,""A Good Day to Die Hard,""Divergent,""Terminator Genisys").

The Australian actor is the first to admit that not all the movies have been successful, but he's learned the dog-eat-dog reality of the business, which has prepared him for the intense scrutiny surrounding his next film, "Suicide Squad" (in theaters Friday), in which he plays DC Comics' dysfunctional Captain Boomerang.

Business Insider talked to Courtney (who was in a foul-mouthed mood, so be prepared) in New York City about those highly publicized "Suicide Squad" reshoots, if there will ever be another "Terminator" movie, and whispers he's heard about stars of another franchise who can't stand each other. (Is he talking about Marvel?)

Jason Guerrasio: So let's get the whole news of you taking mushrooms while Skyping with director David Ayer out of the way.

Jai Courtney: I've heard so many versions of that story.

Guerrasio: So let's get the real one.

Courtney: It's not even worth getting into because it's f---ing — it's just a silly thing when s--- gets misconstrued.

Guerrasio: It was more you having fun with a reporter?

Courtney: Yeah, I was f---ing around a little. But then that's me having to learn when to put the brakes on because when a conversation turns into print, it's a little harder to grasp the concept.

Guerrasio: So we can we say you did not have to go to such lengths to get the role?

Courtney: No. I would never do that.

Guerrasio: All these stories about how David Ayer prepares his cast — having you box each other and get interrogated — at a certain point do you go, "Enough of this, David, let's just act"?

Courtney: That's the beauty of it. It's not like he's complicating anything with this stuff. It's fueling. It's fanning the fire. It's a really cool way to shake up the usual pattern of preparation for a job. It's good that you never really know what that's going to mean, you know? That's a gift.

Guerrasio: Did doing all that actually help your performance?

Courtney: Yeah, for sure. It kind of feeds into it. You can do whatever work you think is necessary for a job but unless you have a system like this in place, you may not uncover certain things. There's not a right or wrong way to prepare. My approach changes on every job. But I think David having this long preproduction and the physical demands — I think it's all in the luxury of rehearsal. You're only going to go deeper and that's what he's interested in.

Guerrasio: You've done numerous franchises. Is this the most prep you've done out of any of those?

Courtney: Yeah, 100 percent. I mean, I have had to do prep that's heavy on the physical expectations, but never had a rehearsal period like this before.

Guerrasio: The "Justice League" character who shows up in a cameo is in a scene with Boomerang. Did you know that person would be in the scene with you?

Courtney: I didn't f---ing know that was happening when we were filming. That was a surprise for me when I saw the film.

Guerrasio: How was it written originally?

Courtney: It was written like we didn't really know. But it's part of the roundup of the squad, so my interpretation was that he had been taken out by [Rick] Flag's crew. But it's not specified [in the script]. When I saw it, I was like, of course!

Guerrasio: But that has to be fun because while filming, surrounded by green screens, you're thinking one thing and then when you see it on-screen, it's another.

Courtney: Totally. It was just a nice little thread. That's what's cool about all this. The potential for that to happen over the course of wherever all this goes is there. The relationships between these characters and different characters in other properties, too. The fact that we can all get into bed and mix it up, the future is bright in that sense.

Guerrasio: How much reshooting was there? Set the record straight.

Courtney: I was a little pissed off by all the reports. The rumors around us having to inject levity into it and all this shit. It was silly because the movie already had all that. All we did was shoot a big action sequence that was changing the shape of another one we had already shot.

Guerrasio: The ending?

Courtney: Yeah. We were just doing stuff with Enchantress. We did things that introduced stuff earlier that they wanted to get rid of basically. Changing her ability to engage with the squad, they enhanced that interaction. It was normal. It was strengthening the ending. The original [ending] we shot was dope, it was just adding to it, not doing an alternative.

Guerrasio: So when you see this movie, you like it? There's no feeling that they screwed it up in post?

Courtney: I f---ing love this movie. It's great to see it all come together. I love that about filmmaking and getting to see everyone else that you don't necessarily engage with on set everyday and getting them to showcase their talents. Whether it's effects, music, the edit, the rhythm of a film is driven by that, so it's cool to see it come together. It's great to be standing in front of something you're genuinely proud of.

Guerrasio: Are you bummed that, as far as the immediate future, there are no more "Terminator" movies?

Courtney: Um, no. I mean, look, I would like to do more, but that's not a decision that's up to me and so for whatever reason they put it on the back burner for now.

Guerrasio: You have been thrown into a lot of franchises. Do you have to have a short memory and not anticipate the sequels too much?

Courtney: Yeah, I've certainly learned to become unattached to the idea of it having to come around again. And that has been a possibility since, f--- man, like ["A Good Day to] Die Hard." It was like, "Oh, we'll make another one."

Guerrasio: And that was early in your career, so back then were you pumped by the idea of more movies?

Courtney: Totally. I was still f---ing impressionable. [Laughs]

Guerrasio: You didn't have the scars yet.

Courtney: Yeah. I'm jaded as f--- now. But look, you learn to really not listen to it. And look, if it happens, it happens. If it seems like an obvious movie to make then cool. The thing is if they are going to make another one then hopefully it's for the right reasons, and if that's the case then I'm game to do it. But with "Terminator," who knows — it's probably time to leave it where it is. But if they can get back in there and dig around and decide if there is another film to make, well, I'll take the call.

Guerrasio: What franchise are you more happy to see in the rear-view mirror, the "Terminator" franchise or the "Divergent" franchise?

Courtney: Most in the rear-view? "Divergent." Look, "Divergent" did a lot for me and I liked that character, but I'm glad I was in and out of there in a couple of films. I don't think it hurts anyone, but some of those guys have been making that movie since 2013, and I'm glad I had the fun with it that I did and it's not my future.

Guerrasio: You had a little joke when talking to Stephen Colbert the other night, saying you were happy with "Suicide Squad" because at least you guys get along with each other. Was that a hint that on "Divergent" you all weren't friendly with one another?

Courtney: No, I didn't mean that. I think the thing was I was joking about the fact that it's not always the case on movies. I've heard stories from other sets, I won't name names, but another high-profile franchise that was shooting at the same time we were, and individuals don't speak to each other.

Guerrasio: A franchise that might shoot down in Georgia? [Marvel Studios shoots a lot of its films in the Atlanta region.]

Courtney: I don't know, couldn't tell you. But it's a wrestle every day when that happens because they aren't the only people shooting a movie. That energy affects everyone on set. So I was just remarking to the fact that it's cool that was something we didn't have to bull--- about in press. We love each other, you can tell.

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This post contains spoilers for "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" might become a movie. Not any time soon. But we can dream.

In any case, I put together a dream cast for a movie adaptation of the play. I'm sure the actors in the theatrical production are fine, but it's all the way in London, so I haven't seen it and can't say for myself. Here, I've cast the main actors based on the strength of their on-screen work. I've also tried to keep Rowling's rule on having only British actors in "Harry Potter" movies, and I've avoided actors who were already in the "Harry Potter" series, because that would be confusing.

For returning characters, the original actors would do a great job. By the time this movie gets made, two decades might pass, anyway, syncing up the actors' ages with the character ages.

Here's our dream cast for a "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" movie if it were made now.

Alex Lawther made his mark as a young Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game," and he can pull off the angst and riskiness of Albus Potter, Harry's son.

Charlie Heaton plays a creepy dude in the supernatural horror show "Stranger Things." As Scorpius Malfoy, he can let out his softer side. He also has the blonde, white look of a Malfoy.

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In "Cursed Child," Harry Potter is more gloomy, frustrated, and commanding than in the books. Idris Elba has the right swagger for the role.