The Suicide Squad (2021)

Cards on the table upfront, I’ve never been the biggest fan of the DCEU. They may have created some of the greatest comics, video games and animated TV shows of all time, but the company’s cinematic output has been patchy to put it politely. “Wonder Woman” was the closest thing to great in the franchise, “Birds of Prey” and “Shazam!” were enjoyable and “Aquaman” was average. Unfortunately, for every solid piece of entertainment, there’s a flat-out disaster to endure. As 2016s “Suicide Squad” fits into that latter category, the prospect of another outing with Task Force X didn’t exactly instil me with excitement. However, once it was announced that James Gunn would be writing and directing a soft reboot of the series, my interest was piqued. As a die-hard fan of his “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies for Marvel, I was intrigued to see what Gunn would do with another comic book movie about a ragtag group of outsiders.

I’m not going to beat around the bush, I absolutely loved “The Suicide Squad.” It’s an anarchic, hysterically funny, beautifully-filmed shot of adrenaline that left me grinning from ear to ear! The characters are wildly amusing, the action is unlike anything I’ve seen in the comic book genre and the style is exuberant. It is, without question, DC’s best movie since “The Dark Knight”, proving once again that James Gunn is one of the most talented directors working in this space.

“The Suicide Squad” is fairly similar to the “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies. It follows D-List unknowns who become a family during a desperate mission to stop an intergalactic threat, featuring a CGI being of few words voiced by a growling action star. Despite the obvious parallels, “The Suicide Squad” is a far-cry from Gunn’s MCU endeavours. For one thing, there’s no way on Earth Disney would let him dispatch major and minor players in the way he does here. As soon as the first victim of this bloody ballet bit the dust, I knew this film was going to go in a direction no other DC or Marvel movie had gone before. I thought “Deadpool” was violent when I first saw it, but “The Suicide Squad” makes that film look like a teddy bear’s picnic. Characters are dismembered, decapitated, immolated, stabbed, shot and shredded in consistently grizzly and nasty ways. I can be a tad squeamish depending on the context of movie violence, but I won’t lie, watching King Shark tear a grunt in half in spectacular slow motion was a splendid sight to behold!

This is a movie with such a distinctive tone, style and aesthetic, making it clear that a director with a passion for the source material crafted it. Not a single second of it feels like a studio mandated product; “The Suicide Squad” is a James Gunn film to the core. The humour is sardonic, the costumes are both incredibly silly and immensely cool and the tone walks the fine line between light and dark. His ability to take potentially laughable characters and turn them into fully-realised, captivating individuals is truly impressive. This is a film in which the audience becomes emotionally invested in John Cena wearing a “toilet seat” on his head and a shark with the voice of Sylvester Stallone. As ridiculous as that sounds, in the context of the movie, both characters are complex, humorous and unpredictable. Also, no one can tell me they don’t want to see a movie featuring Polka-Dot Man, a misunderstood loner who crushes his enemies by throwing polka-dots at them!

Speaking of characters, “The Suicide Squad” is a brilliant ensemble movie, every character, regardless of screen time, is memorable and brings a new dimension to the story. Unlike David Ayer’s “Suicide Squad”, a film that unnecessarily overstuffs its roster and thus underserves almost every member of Task Force X, the 2021 instalment gives everyone a moment to shine. From awesome action highlights to hilarious lines, believable interactions and graphic demises, I thoroughly enjoyed every character here.

Sadly I can’t talk about everyone due to the sheer size of the squad, but here are some of the highlights. Let’s start with the familiar faces.

Margot Robbie was fantastic once again as Harley Quinn, providing us with the most breath-taking action sequence in the movie. Although a particular subplot centring on her dragged slightly, Robbie brought a great deal of energy and wit to Dr Quinzel. I was shocked how compelling Colonel Rick Flag was, the squad’s babysitter was such a blank slate previously, but Joel Kinnaman made the character far more well-rounded this time. Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang does more in the first five minutes of this film than he did in two hours of the 2016 dud! Viola Davis gives another intense and explosive performance as Amanda Waller, the head of the Task Force X program with questionable morals and a commanding presence.

The new additions were just as noteworthy. Idris Elba grounded the zany antics as protagonist Bloodsport, a conflicted father and deadly assassin. This role is clearly similar to Will Smith’s Deadshot in the previous film, but Elba’s gruff demeanour and visible frustration with his teammates made for a far more interesting lead. John Cena’s Peacemaker was surprisingly nuanced. He delivers some of the film’s funniest lines and dons it’s most ludicrous costume, but the second half of the film highlighted an unexpected depth to the character. David Dastmalchian was suitably unhinged and delightful as Polka-Dot Man, excelling with both the comedy that stems organically from his character and the earnest tragedy of his backstory. Sylvester Stallone’s King Shark is likely going to be a fan-favourite in years to come, the imposing force of nature that just wants a friend is equally adorable and formidable! A highlight of “The Suicide Squad” in my opinion was Daniela Melchior in the role of Ratcatcher 2. Providing the movie with a beating heart, this character was charming, endearing and vulnerable, acting as the focal point for the film’s themes of family, selflessness and overcoming trauma.

As exceptional as the characters are, it’s best not to get too attached to them. The stakes are as high throughout “The Suicide Squad” as they are in the 1970s war movies that inspired it. With many other comic book movies, if you have your finger on the pulse and are aware of announced sequels, returning characters and contractual obligations, you know exactly who could die and who has to live to star in the next couple of movies. In this film however, almost anyone can die at any moment. With two exceptions, I had no clue which squad members would make it to the end credits, which made the action set-pieces feel more dangerous and volatile. By the last act, I was on the edge of my seat as the film continued to push certain characters closer and closer towards a coffin.

It’s worth noting that “The Suicide Squad” is one of the most visually striking comic book movies of all time. The colours are vivid, the locations gorgeous and the CGI near flawless. It’s all presented in an eye-widening 1.90 : 1 aspect ratio that demands to be seen on the big screen.

It goes without saying that the action in “The Suicide Squad” is superb. Everything is presented in expansive wide shots, allowing us to drink-in every impressive stunt and brutal death. I’m especially thrilled to report that, unlike most DCEU movies, “The Suicide Squad” doesn’t end with a damp squib of a third act, smeared with bad computer generated smoke, lightning and fire surrounding a hulking grey villain. The final antagonist is ripped straight from the silver age of comics, supplying us with a spectacle this franchise hasn’t given us before.

Magnificently manic and gloriously gory, “The Suicide Squad” is a must-watch for fans of the comic book genre. At last, here is a DCEU movie that’s consistently excellent, with an engrossing group of characters, engaging action sequences and a brilliant balance of humour and heart. It pushes the 15 rating to its absolute limits in bold and unique ways, fixing all the flaws of the previous film in the process (let’s all agree to forget the 2016 train wreck ever happened). It may not be everyone’s cup of tea due to its hyper violent action and quirky spin on the DC universe, but if you take your comic book movies weird, wacky and wonderful, you owe it to yourself to see “The Suicide Squad!”