By James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” is finally here and it manages to capture exactly what a Suicide Squad movie should be plus more.
Synopsis
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Review
The plot of “The Suicide Squad” is very simple, the government uses villains to carry out tasks for them in exchange for a reduce in their prison sentence, all led by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). If they die no one will care about them so they are expendable and easily replaced. If a prisoner decides to escape or disobey orders, the bomb that is implanted in their head explodes, killing them instantly. One of the criticisms of the original movie was that the stakes were too low. There were only two deaths, one being off screen and the other a generic “heroic” death. For a movie that is called “Suicide Squad” there was little reason to be worried if your favorite character was going to die. Thankfully, I can say one thing about “The Suicide Squad” is that there is death, a lot of death. Do not get attached because most likely one of your favorite characters will bite the dust.
While the plot of the movie may seem generic in the sense of “We created a team to save the world” trope, it’s the characters and their individual stories where the movie truly shines. If there is one thing that James Gunn is great at, it’s being able to create an ensemble movie that gives each character an equal amount of time on screen. The main cast of “The Suicide Squad” includes Bloodshot (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Polka-dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Harley Quinn ( Margot Robbie). Throughout the movie we experience character growth, heroism, sacrifices and betrayal. One of the biggest failures of the original movie is that it forgot its characters were human. There is no filler when it comes to the characters. In between all the violence and adult humor, we slowly learn about what makes each person who they are. Just like in Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn gives each person in this group of misfits a chance to show they are not truly evil.
Each character has their own incredible individual arc that brings about their friendships, losses, self love, and abuse they each go through. The cast showed great chemistry with each other resulting in most of the humor and heartwarming scenes. Some great callouts include Bloodshot and Peacemaker’s childish rivalry. King Shark learning how to “human” and Polka-Dot Man’s absurd powers. Harley Quinn has the best character arc being the chaotic, unpredictable force of nature that she needs to be. The heart of the film though is Ratcatcher 2, who only wants to bring people together in world that is only filled with darkness. Disappointedly, the antagonist of the movie was not as fleshed out as the rest of the “villains” in the story. The Thinker (Peter Calpaldi) is only there to progress the plot and setup the big fight at the end. While Calpaldi plays the character the best he can, the villain just ends up being one-dimensional. The most absurd character in the movie though belongs to Starro. This giant intergalactic space star makes its grand appearance in the movie and it doesn’t disappoint. There is no reason Starro should work in a live action movie but here we are. The CGI is surprisingly effective in both in a grand way and grotesque way. The sight of seeing hundreds of tiny starfish flying out beneath the arms is something that is horrifying to witness. The whole sequence against Starro is a third act fight that most superhero movies fail at. For once its not just a CGI fest littered with pointless action scenes. There is a sad realization that not only the characters have to go through but also the audience as we learn more about Starro.
Thankfully the movie earns its R rating, something that questionably was absent in the 2016 movie. James Gunn taps into his horror background and the violence during its action scenes does not disappoint. Blood and guts fill the screen. Characters are maimed, ripped apart, sliced n diced and straight up brutally murdered. The opening scene is the perfect message to the fans that no character is safe. It is very reminiscent of the beach scene in “Saving Private Ryan” that sets the tone of the movie right off the bat. It’s that rare film that uses its violence for shock value and humor however in a way that makes sense for what is happening on the screen at the moment. Not only does it allow each character to show off their abilities, it is also a reminder that these are villains. Every act of violence is meant to get a reaction from the audience. Whether it’s for laughs, shock value or even an emotional one tied to a favorite character. It is because of these reactions is why the film manages to work so well.
Closing Thoughts
For those who are fans of Guardians of the Galaxy will find a lot to love here when it comes to the humor but with an R rated twist. The Suicide Squad is the result when you give someone like James Gunn no restrictions on what he is allowed to do. He pushes the boundaries when it comes to the violence, gore, language and it all comes together naturally.“The Suicide Squad” is the movie we deserved but never got 5 years ago. James Gunn crafted a movie that makes you laugh, cry and cheer every time these characters interact with each other on the screen. It is not only the best DC movie, but probably one of the best superhero movies ever.
The Suicide Squad opens up on August 6th, 2021 in theaters. Select theaters will offer showings at 7pm with HBO Max premiering the movie at the same time on August 5, 2021
Trailer
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