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The Suicide Squad (2021) Review

Deadly Good


SCORE: 88/100

Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker. Alice Braga, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Taika Waititi, Mayling Ng, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis

Synopsis: Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of D-list supervillains join the shady Task Force X, and are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. 


****BEWARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD****


REVIEW:

There was no way this wasn't going to be better than 2016's Suicide Squad. That film was poorly written, poorly executed, and mostly poorly acted. I'm glad to report that the new film from James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, is a complete reversal of that. Even if it doesn't quite stick the landing. 

Notably, James Gunn was announced to direct this after being fired from Marvel and before his subsequent rehiring. He is undoubtedly one of the film's strengths here, since it feels very similar in tone and writing style to Guardians. What's incredibly surprising to me is that he was able to take characters that are useless, like Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2, and turn them into useful main characters with good backstories. Also, characters that are so far back in the DC lists like Peacemaker, Bloodsport, and all the other newcomers feel welcome and hilarious. Finally, his music choices and scene transitions are on point in this movie, easily carrying over from his previous films.

Another positive here is the carnage. This movie is unapologetically violent and gory, and I actually think it nailed fatalities better than Mortal Kombat earlier this year. This is the Squad we should have gotten in the first place. They're criminals and villains, they're not going to hold their punches. In addition, the dialogue gets more curse-laden, making all of these grown adults feel more like real people which just adds to its charm. But, with a team called The Suicide Squad, there are going to be quite a few deaths on their own team. I won't spoil any of those here, because it's too damn funny when they all happen in the movie and I don't want to take that from you.

Let's talk standouts. Idris Elba kills it as Bloodsport, adding layers that I wasn't expecting. Daniela Melchior is awesome as Ratcatcher 2, ending up far more useful than I thought she'd be. I cannot wait for John Cena's Peacemaker show because this seems like the role he was born to play. David Dastmalchian is hilarious, tragic, and demented as Polka-Dot Man. Margot Robbie gives probably her best performance as Harley Quinn yet. Finally, Sylvester Stallone is a complete scene stealer as King Shark, offering plenty of comedic relief and violence. That's not to discredit everyone else in this movie because across the board this film is well acted, which is a stark difference from the first.

My biggest issue with this movie was the final act. The final fight in this movie didn't feel quite as climactic as I was hoping for, and didn't last for as long as I wanted it to. While not feeling like an after thought like Jungle Cruise, you can tell that the majority of the film's strength lies in its first two acts and its characters. Also, there's a conflict within the group that I don't quite like, but it does set up further properties. In addition, I wish we would've gotten more screen time for a few Squad members. I get that it's funny to show the deaths of these characters, but I wanted to see more of them. 

Other than that, The Suicide Squad is all around a blast, offering fun characters and gory violence to boot. If this is the direction DC takes their films, I'm all for it. It's another prime example to go back to the theater, which this movie demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible.

Conclusion: DC's semi-sequel to the 2016 failure is an action-packed, funny, and gory ride that only really stumbles in its ending, but has all the heart you'd need from these expendable characters.

Score: 88/100

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