The Suicide Squad – Film Review
They're dying to save the world.
Welcome to hell–a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out–even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin, and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them–all of them.
The DC Extended Universe has been easily one of the most divisive movie franchises of all time, and even though it can be kind of frustrating to stick with the series sometimes, it’s also kind of fascinating. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is my favorite of the two but even still, I have to admit that a lot of the time, Marvel can play it too safe.
But the DCEU has never been afraid to take risks even if some of them don’t pay off – case in point, David Ayer‘s Suicide Squad from 2016. Ever since its release five years ago, critics and audiences alike have pulled the movie apart, calling it one of the worst superhero films to ever grace the big screen. I don’t think it’s that bad, but, let’s be honest – it’s not really that good, either.
Much like how Zack Snyder released his four-hour version of Justice League this year, Ayer says that he, too, has a director’s cut of Suicide Squad and fans have been petitioning for months to see his version of the movie which he promises is a gritty character drama that tells a legitimately gripping story. Whether or not the project will actually see the light of day is uncertain.
But even if it never comes to fruition, we can all take comfort in knowing that Guardians of the Galaxy writer/director James Gunn has made a film focused on the team that’s not only the best movie of the year so far, but one of the ten best comic book movies ever made. Gunn’s incredible humor shines brightly in every scene and he ensures that he course-corrects all the faults the original Suicide Squad made.
In that first film, by the end of the movie, I felt as though I barely truly knew any of the members of the Suicide Squad team except for Harley Quinn and Deadshot. The others were developed incredibly poorly, and they almost felt more like quirks than characters. They also didn’t get ample amounts of screen time, either.
Thankfully, in The Suicide Squad, every single character gets an excellent amount of depth and character exploration, and by the time the movie’s credits appeared on screen, I felt as though I did truly know every one of the team members. And, more, the Suicide Squad team actually felt like a team here. Almost like a family. This is something the first film also failed to do.
Do you remember the trailers for that first movie and how much fun they were? The main trailer featured the hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen and virtually everything about the trailer screamed fun. It seriously looked like the perfect action blockbuster and it seemed as though everybody in the world was getting excited to see this deadly team of supervillains team up for something truly special – only to be let down immensely.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
The Suicide Squad is the movie that the first Suicide Squad should have been and so much more. It’s unapologetically vibrant and insanely fun with not a single dull moment in sight. Whether it’s the team getting into an all-out brawl with a group of villains or getting into hilarious arguments with one another, there’s something of entertainment value happening in every passing moment.
It’s also gleefully gory and violent, unlike any comic book movie I’ve ever seen. Some of the kills in this movie make the Saw movies look tame in comparison. Heads come off shoulders and bodies convulse in this sick and twisted movie but it’s never done in a way that seems like they’re trying to show off. It simply feels like a genuine and honest comic book movie that isn’t afraid to show how some kills would really happen in these scenarios.
And when there isn’t an insanely bloody and fun action scene to keep us entertained, there’s always a gut-bustingly hilarious joke coming just around the corner, with many of the best ones coming from John Cena‘s Peacemaker who is easily one of my favorite additions to the entire DCEU thus far. Not only is he outrageously funny and quirky, but he’s also a lean-mean killing machine that’s seriously intimating at times, but especially in the third act.
Another wonderful addition here is Sylvester Stallone as King Shark who is quite possibly the cutest shark character put to screen. He’s not as adorable as Baby Yoda / Grogu from The Mandalorian, but he still manages to be quite the fun character to watch on screen who also happens to be quite a violent character which was exciting to see.
Really, every single character and actor involved with this project did a phenomenal job but without a doubt, my favorite performance here would have to be Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn. I’m ecstatic that this character has finally gotten the arc she so desperately needed and has become her own character.
In the original Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn was essentially only there to be the stereotypical overly-sexualized character. Shots of her legs, breasts, and behind were just a few of the things that were shown in Suicide Squad, and they didn’t do anything to actually develop her into a character. She was just portrayed as a good-looking killer who was in one of the most toxic relationships ever put to film.
My favorite portrayals of Harley Quinn have all been ones where she doesn’t rely on the Joker and is actually her own person. This is, in my opinion, best depicted in Cathy Yan‘s Birds of Prey. In that movie, the Joker is far out of the picture and Harley finally feels as though she has become her own character thanks to the wonderful script that fleshes out her character immensely well.
And in The Suicide Squad, the same Harley that we loved in Birds of Prey is back and better than ever. Harley is just as funny and yet just as violent as she was before and Margot Robbie once again proves that she is one of the best actresses of all time. Not only is this the best performance Robbie has given as Harley Quinn to date, but it’s also one of her best performances, period.
The Suicide Squad is a movie that you absolutely must check out if you’re looking for a good time at the movies, and honestly, who isn’t? This year has been fairly good for movies so far but up until this point, nothing has even come close to reaching the heights of what James Gunn and company have delivered here. I’m just so glad that we live in a world where we finally have a Suicide Squad movie that actually does the team justice.
