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The Suicide Squad
(Warner Bros. Pictures/DC)
By Lucas Allen
The DCEU’s second attempt at bringing the dangerously fun gang to the screen after the 2016 cult masterpiece directed by David Ayer, “The Suicide Squad,” does a 180-degree turn into a lighter dark comedy route courtesy of “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn. To go from directing for Marvel to directing for DC may seem shocking, but it makes sense for Gunn to want to bring more of his own qualities as a filmmaker that the House of Mouse wouldn’t let him do.
Bellevue Prison, where the baddest of the bad are sent, is actually a cover for the top-secret Task Force X that Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) oversees to send groups of inmates to suicidal missions for the U.S. government. On one particular mission, she sends one group including Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Savant (Michael Rooker), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Blackguard (SNL’s Pete Davidson), T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), Weasel (Sean Gunn), and their leader Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) to a South American island called Corto Maltese. Once they get there, most of them get massacred by enemy soldiers while Quinn gets captured and Flag vanishes.
Turns out the group was merely a distraction for another group to make it through the island on a mission to prevent an evil plot orchestrated by General Suarez (Joaquin Cosio) and the Thinker (Peter Capaldi). The second group is being led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba), who’s only doing it to keep his estranged daughter Tyla (Storm Reid) out of prison. Joining him is the psychotically patriotic Peacemaker (John Cena), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher 2 (newcomer Daniela Melchior) daughter of Ratcatcher 1 (Taika Waititi in a cameo), and King Shark (Sylvester Stallone). Once they find Flag working with Sol Soria (Alice Braga) in a coup to overthrow Suarez plus Quinn in her own usual adventures, this “Suicide Squad” has to capture Thinker and find a way to avert disaster in the form of a giant alien starfish called Starro the Conqueror.
Is this film a sequel or reboot, especially when it contains some characters and actors carried over from the 2016 film? The answer may depend on how each viewer sees the film in their own way. In any case, it has somebody different bringing more creativity and energy to a title previously done before like any other comic book property. It’s more interesting to see how much of a difference the quality is in the final product, which is certainly surprising.
With Gunn, he manages to bring his own edgy style to the project rooted from his early days working for Troma Films even having its founder Lloyd Kaufman in a cameo. The film combines fun comedy and the action with shocking displays of gory violence that will have viewers screaming out loud. With so many characters, it’s natural to see most of them getting killed one-by-one in so many ways especially in the opening moments that help set up the story’s tone. As for the action, it’s visually stylish and appealing to the senses, which makes each sequence a joy to watch. But while the climax gets too excessive for its own good with Starro suddenly appearing, it doesn’t detract from the wild viewing experience.
Much like “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Gun assembles a crack team of actors to bring some of the well-known plus lesser-known characters from the comics to life. Robbie once again brought a playful and deadly assurance to Harley Quinn as well as having some of the character’s best moments yet. Elba plays Bloodsport both seriously and gentle as well as charming, while Melchior leaves a lasting impression along with her pet rat. Both Dastmalchian and Stallone gets the most laughs with the latter’s King Shark giving Vin Diesel’s Groot a run for his money in the CG sidekick department. But the true MVP is Cena who hilariously gives us a character worthy of battling do-gooder Captain America and a villain with more personality than in “F9.”
The best thing to say about “The Suicide Squad” is the fact that it’s a James Gunn superhero film and that’s a good thing. It doesn’t matter if it’s Marvel or DC, the man can find ways to shock us, make us laugh, and be entertaining when he brings his style and vision to any project. On that note, we can’t wait to see what he’ll give us next.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use, and brief graphic nudity)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.75 Stars (Out of Four)
