Review: The Suicide Squad Brings Some R-Rated Fun Back To The DC Universe

Warner Bros. and DC Comics released David Ayer’s live-action Suicide Squad in 2016 and that film, based on the DC Comics, failed to live up to the hype. As noted in my initial review of the movie, “Suicide Squad had all the potential to be the film that puts a bit of swagger back in the DC Comic film universe but it missed the mark entirely. A talented cast and unlimited potential had fans ready for a DC film to be proud of, but again they’re let down by Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder.”

WB and DC Comics are giving it another go, this time leaving Snyder and original director, David Ayer, out of the picture and instead tasking director, James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) with bringing this ragtag team to life. Not the greatest DC Comics movie, that honor belongs to The Dark Knight, but Gunn’s version manages to bring some fun new life back to these characters and to the DC Universe.

Gunn’s The Suicide Squad finds a newly assembled team of villains on a trip to the South American island of Corto Maltese. The group’s goal is to destroy a mysterious new superweapon that could quite possibly bring chaos and destruction to the world. As with any of Amanda Waller’s (Viola Davis) missions, this one is so off the books that only the craziest villains could possibly handle it. Enter Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Peacemaker (John Cena), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), King Shark, and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) to tackle this mission. These villains know and understand any deviation from the mission, the penalty is death.

Filled with enough gore and adult humor to live up to its R rating, Gunn manages to handle the craziness of all these characters without throwing it in your face. There is a fine line between comic and campy, especially when it comes to Harley Quinn and King Shark, but Gunn’s ability to walk that line with precision makes even the most outlandish moments seem right and never over the top.

Like most of Gunn’s movies, the soundtrack helps elevate the scenes. The music chosen was near perfection and did not distract. The same cannot be said about all of the fake blood used. The blood and gore in a few scenes were a little much and overused in some circumstances. That being said, the use of blood and gore definitely helped propel the idea that these are villainous characters, just after two hours it helped propel that notion too much.

Idris Elba leads the new band of misfits as the assassin, Bloodsport and spends the majority of the film in a wonderful pissing match with John Cena’s Peacemaker. Joel Kinnaman reprises his role as Rick Flag in this second iteration and is just as good, if not better, the second time around. His banter with Elba and Cena provides some great moments throughout the movie.

Davis once again reprises her role as Amanda Waller and she remains one of the best casting choices in the entire DC universe. It is Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn that continues to steal the show. She isn’t a prominent figure like she was in past movies, Robbie’s Quinn continues to be one of the best things to come out of the DC Universe. Melchior and Dastmalchian are good additions, but get outshined by their cast mates.

When it comes to DC Universe films, the bar is set very low for creating a good film. However, The Suicide Squad has managed to land itself high enough to be a fun, crime filled ride that will entertain most DC fans. Is it the best DC Comics film, no. But is it better than most of them, absolutely.

Grade: B