James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad’ Gets it Right – The Spoiler Filled Review
We’ve been waiting a while for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad to hit screens – that wait was worth it.
Thanks to the rise of the Delta Variant and the hybrid release (it did very well on HBOMax according to HBOMax) it didn’t do as well at theaters as expected, but that doesn’t reflect on how good the movie is. James Gunn has made a really fun action movie with just the right mix of big CG-packed sequences, smart humor, and universe building; plus it has a ridiculously appropriate big bad and a perfectly timed soundtrack.
If you were worried that it would just be another Guardians of the Galaxy, it’s not. It is very much its own thing.
Check out our spoiler-free review here.
Yes, Blackguard, there are spoilers below the GIF.
Like the fact that Pete Davidson’s Blackguard has his face blown off 10 minutes into the movie. Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Jai Courtney, Mayling Ng, Flula Borg, and Sean Gunn (kind of) all die before the opening credits. The tagline on the character posters was not joking around – don’t get attached. It’s a masterclass in stunt casting.
Since we’re on deaths – there were a lot of them. It’s a rated R story about anti-heroes and villains, it’s not an optimistic comic book movie meant to be safe for kids. It has some great kills. My personal favorites…
- All King Shark kills – nomnom is the best
- TDK’s arms being shot to uselessness
- Captain Boomerang’s head slice trick
- Guard being killed by a rat jumping in his mouth
- Harley’s entire escape scene (Robbie did her own stunts)
- Peacemaker’s sword skills
- Polka-Dot Man’s revenge for Milton
- Bloodsport taking out Peacemaker with a tiny bullet
- Starro being eaten by rats
via DC and Warner Bros.
Let’s talk about Starro the Conqueror for a moment. The alien starfish is an out-of-left-field and perfect choice for this bunch of characters to battle. He shows up in the comics for the first time in 1960 in The Brave and the Bold, and was the first villain Justice League of America ever fought. Starro has taken over the brains of all of Europe, turned the citizens of Metropolis into apes; he has been stopped with cold, quicklime, nuclear weapons, and now (in this dumbed-down, lost, and angry form) he has been defeated by Harley Quinn with a javelin and thousands of rats. I approve.
via Warner Bros.
It’s not just the big bad, the characters (and cast) Gunn went with play off each other in unexpected ways. The real standouts aren’t the leads. David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man is sensitive, quirky, and has some really hilarious moments thanks to his traumatic fixation on his mother (played by Lynne Ashe). Daniela Melchior is a great Rat Catcher 2 that embodies the sleepiness and empathy of Gen Z perfectly.
John Cena has done comedic roles before, but this take on Peacemaker is perfect for him and it really makes him stand out. We’ll get to see more of that in the series that’s being streamed on HBOMax – filming wrapped in July, so likely next year.
The real break out here: King Shark. The ocean god is voiced by Sylvester Stalone and was played by Steve Agee on set. I’m very happy Gunn went with a derpy version rather than the aggressive, mean version of the character. It makes him more fun and a better addition to the team.
Nomnom, via Warner Bros.
Special mention to the office workers that took out their boss, Amanda Waller (who is the real villain in all of this), before she killed the remaining members of the squad.
I give it a solid four stars. Overall it’s a really fun movie that will make you laugh. The story can be a little all over the place, but it never stops moving. I was never bored. The music is awesome – I don’t think Gunn is capable of producing a bad one. It is such a better take than the one we got in 2016.
