Suicide Squad has been branded ' disastrous' and 'stupid' as it was savaged by movie critics in its first reviews.

The comic book film - featuring an all-star cast of Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie and Cara Delevingne - was criticised for 'appalling sexism and hideously timed gun worship'.

The widely panned film has been dubbed 'mundane' and 'predictable,' while one reviewer warned that it 'isn't even the good kind of bad'.

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Widely panned: David Ayer's highly anticipated DC Comics flick Suicide Squad has been slammed in the press as the first reviews rolled out on Tuesday

One of the harshest reviews seemed to stem from Richard Lawson at Vanity Fair, who along with the aforementioned quote, called it: 'A shapeless, poorly edited trudge that adds some mildly appalling sexism and even a soupçon of racism to its abundant, hideously timed gun worship.'

He also wrote: 'Suicide Squad is bad. Not fun bad. Not redeemable bad. Not the kind of bad that is the unfortunate result of artists honorably striving for something ambitious and falling short.'

However, Richard was far from the only person to take a passionate stance against the film, as BuzzFeed's Alison Willmore 'couldn't stand it'.

'Mildly appalling sexism' One issue many critics had with the film was how it handled women, with one arguing they 'can't control themselves' and are 'always dragging down the men'

Disappointing: Many also complained that despite being teased in much of the advertisements, Jared Leto's Joker was barely even in the movie

Her critique of the movie focused on its use of women, suggesting: 'The women can’t control themselves and they’re always dragging down the men around them.'

She found the most fault with the portrayal of Harley Quinn (Robbie), calling her 'an embodiment of all the conflicting things this frankly disastrous new movie... is attempting to do'.

'Harley Quinn is meant to be Suicide Squad’s dark heart. Instead, she’s been made into its damaged dolly jerk-off material,' she also wrote.

A host of reviews collected on Entertainment Weekly's website did not have the star-studded flick faring any better.

The EW reviewer was one of many to comment on the boring foe of the film, noting: 'I can’t imagine there wasn’t a better villain in its [Suicide Squad's] back catalog.'

Todd McCarthy suggested that while the peppy trailers will bring fans in, the numbers will soon drop as the disappointment of the actual end product of the film is discovered.

Making an arrival: Will Smith, one of the stars of the film, was seen arriving at Claridge's in London on Tuesday night ahead of the British premiere

Signing: He was clearly in high demand and was seen signing photographs outside

Many critics noted that after the overwhelming disappointment surrounding Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the few, comical segments found in Suicide Squad did mark a 'small step forward' for DC, while noting that it could have been a big leap had the film actually delivered.

Though 99 per cent have marked Suicide Squad as 'want to see,' the current standing for the film on Rotten Tomatoes is a disappointing 35 per cent, with an average rating of 5.3 out of 10.

Many critics complained Leto's Joker is not in the film for long enough, but many praised Robbie and Viola Davis as the movie's stand-out performances.

The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin criticised the 'eardrum-puncturingly bad dialogue, scowling self-pity, covert pornography and scrappy CGI'.

Also arriving Jai Courtney was also spotted after a flight into the British capital

Holding his suit: No doubt ready to suit up for the premiere, he held his suit in hand

By his side: Jai Courtney's girlfriend Mecki Dent followed him into the venue

Low-profile: Jared Leto's portrayal of The Joker has received mixed reviews, with many critics complaining he doesn't have enough screen time

He also focused on Cara as The Enchantress; 'Cara Delevingne gives not only a personal worst performance, but something close to a former-profession-worst performance... and talks like Vanessa Redgrave on rhinoceros tranquiliser.'

However Empire's Dan Jolin saw some good points: 'False starts, oddly placed flashbacks, clunky cameos and a muddled chronology detract from the grungy, kooky DayGlo-splashed fun, and it takes a good 45 minutes for the set-up to stop flapping and the action proper to kick in.'

The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw gave the film a mixed review: 'It’s undoubtedly an advance on that recent uneasy face-off, Batman v Superman: It’s a clotted and delirious film, with flashes of preposterous, operatic silliness. But it doesn’t have much room to breathe; there are some dull bits, and Leto’s Joker suffers in comparison with the late Heath Ledger.'

Championing the movie: Will and Margot with Audi Canada President Daniel Weissland (2nd lefT) and director David Ayer (far right) in Toronto last week

Defense: Director David Ayer said he was proud of the movie and enjoyed making it

Meanwhile, The Independent's Geoffrey Macnab wrote: 'This is an ensemble piece - which means that the exposition is painfully cumbersome... The plotting here is haphazard and convoluted.'

Director David addressed the critics on Twitter with a Emiliano Zapata quote: 'Prefiero morir de pie que vivir de rodillas', which translates as 'I'd prefer to die standing, than to live always on my knees'.

He tweeted: '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.'

Suicide Squad - which also stars Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Scott Eastwood and Karen Fukuhara - hits theaters on August 5.

Having premiered the film in New York earlier this week, the stars arrived in London on Tuesday night ahead of the forthcoming star-studded screening.