In 2016, Warner Bros. tried their hand at something slightly different with the first Suicide Squad film.
Receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews, the PG-13 effort also failed to impress audiences at large thanks to a flat storyline, underwhelming character development and downright criminally terrible editing.
Few expected there to be any follow-up to the muddled mess that was the first Suicide Squad, but once James Gunn was brought on board to direct an R-rated sequel that many perceived to be a soft reboot of sorts, it seemed that this second chance could allow some obscure DC Comics baddies to shine after all.
And shine they do.
Being back in his true element with an R-rating and minimal studio interference, Gunn is allowed to creatively utilize the type of language and gore that filled his efforts before he became a household name thanks to the surprise success of Guardians of the Galaxy.
The humor is dark, the laughs are plenty and the gore is sufficiently over-the-top without becoming completely ridiculous in this sequel that completely blows the 2016 film out of the water, as the escapades of the new team makes The Suicide Squad sit somewhere between Guardians of the Galaxy and The Expendables tonally.
A handful of fan favorites from the first film return, including Jai Courtney’s surprisingly enjoyable Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinnaman’s team leader Rick Flag, Viola Davis’ callous Amanda Waller, and of course Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, whom she continues to embody with vigor and panache.
In terms of the new additions to the team, these characters not only serve a practical purpose of forming a team with the right combination of skills needed for the mission at hand, but their individual arcs are also fulfilling on both a narrative and emotional level.
While the hilariously petty rivalry between Idris Elba’s surly Bloodsport and John Cena’s douchey Peacemaker ensures that the internal rivalries in the group are amusing, it is the heartfelt nature of the likes of Daniela Melchior’s unshakably positive Ratcatcher 2 that truly makes the film come alive.
Much like Gunn made us care about a snarky raccoon and a tree with a very limited vocabulary in Guardians of the Galaxy, the brilliance with which Gunn’s writing imbues his characters with humanity and relatability enables us to emotionally invest in a human-eating anthropomorphic shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone, just as many viewers may find themselves thinking of rats with a newfound fondness after watching the film.
As for the antagonists of the film, anybody but Gunn would likely have stayed far away from the likes of Starro the Conqueror, and while the absurdity is palpable, it is nonetheless intentional, resulting in the extra-terrestrial starfish being used to great effect when the entity is eventually unleashed. Until we reach that point in the story, however, the film deals with more standard human villains, which always stands the risk of diminishing the narrative sense of urgency, but Gunn has thankfully made sure to make the characters self-aware enough that tired, problematic tropes are largely avoided.
In terms of the action, the aforementioned gore and humor serves the film well in this regard, as the action set pieces are not only plentiful and creative, but also strike a healthy balance between pure entertainment and propelling the story forward at a brisk but steady pace.
All in all, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad easily places itself as a highlight of the countless offerings from the ever expanding superhero genre thanks to a fun and self-aware script that is expertly realized. As for Warner Bros. and the DCEU in particular, this film will hopefully help to finally drive home the point that the studio needs to take more risks and learn to trust the creatives instead of trying to play it safe by churning out more Batman remakes – much like The Suicide Squad relies on a rowdy band of unknowns to save the world, Warner Bros. also needs to continue to trust in the unknown to save their hopes of competing with Disney’s MCU at the box office.
Verdict: 9 out of 10
The Suicide Squad arrives in theaters and HBO Max on August 5th, 2021
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Produced by Charles Roven, Peter Safran
Based on Suicide Squad by John Ostrander
Written and Directed by James Gunn
Starring Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone,
Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior,
Michael Rooke, Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, Sean Gunn,
Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Steve Agee, Storm Reid, Taika Waititi
