This has been such a long time coming.
The Suicide Squad is one of my favourite movies of all time. The acting, the story, the soundtrack, the comedy, the gore — this movie is a perfect balancing act with a perfect product as a result. I went in with low expectations, not only because 2016’s Suicide Squad is one of my least favourites, but because I was a little worn out of the found family trope. Ever since the first Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel and DC seem to be in a pissing contest of who can make the most found family films with varying degrees of success. And by that I mean, only the Guardians work as a found family because only James Gunn knows how to believably bring together a group of assholes without compromising any of the members’ characters or motivations. Suicide Squad tried to crudely re-capture this magic back in 2016 and I have never seen a bigger misinterpretation of work in my life. Shallow connections, nothing but exposition, and floundering action scenes, the 2016 Suicide Squad is one of few superhero movies I walked out on the three times I tried to watch it. None of these characters said anything of substance to each other, but they’re talking over a Queen song — so it’s supposed to make you feel just like Guardians without understanding WHY Guardians worked. Gunn made us care about characters no one besides real comic nerds knew — and one of those characters was a fucking raccoon. One cannot deny the fact that James Gunn is great at making weird characters compelling. They don’t need a large fanbase to suddenly become fan favourites.
I should have raised my expectations when The Suicide Squad announced Ayer was out and Gunn was in.
The Suicide Squad feels like an entirely different movie — the colors are rich, the action scenes are actually action packed, and the characters are exactly what a found family film requires: they’re assholes, but they have heart. Ratcatcher 2, Polka-dot Man, and King Shark in particular bring the sentiment needed to weave this group of jackasses together. The Suicide Squad brings back some familiar faces — such as Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and these two are having a much better time. Robbie and Kinnaman were definitely the stronger team members in the first film, but here they have so much more to work with and are visibly having the time of their lives. The real upgrade though is for Viola Davis, who reprises her role as Amanda Waller. Unlike the first film, Amanda Waller is actually hugely impactful in every scene she’s in — she is frightening, she is ruthless, and she’s usually twelve steps ahead of the morons she picks for these teams. Gunn allows Davis to shine as one of the antagonists of the film, and Waller eats every scene she is in. Her stoic demeanor rarely cracking is such a stark contrast to the chaos that surrounds her, and the relatively jovial nature of Flag and Quinn. Viola Davis is always a force to be reckoned with on screen, and it’s so nice Gunn allows her shine as the Oscar winner she is. Boomerang is also there, and no shade to this actor but I hate that character so I’m glad (spoilers) his role is short lived.
Besides the familiar faces, we have some new recruits to this team as well, such as Idris Elba as Bloodsport. Firstly, what a fucking upgrade from Deadshot in 2016’s squad. Elba is an amazing actor in pretty much everything, but he doesn’t usually get to show off his comedy chops. His character is brutal in The Suicide Squad, but he also can fumble and get embarrassed, which makes him a better character than the always cool Deadshot. He’s stronger because of his faults, and Elba is so compelling as this tough guy reluctantly turned leader. His foil is Peacemaker, played by John Cena. Unlike Bloodsport, Peacemaker (on the surface) is not complicated and is basically Captain America if Captain America was America’s jackass. He’s impatient, impulsive, and a poor excuse for a leader–but he’s also incredibly efficient at what he does. Cena also deserves to be in everything after this performance, earning himself a solid status as a comedic action star. Dude is a legend holding his own against Elba, and they play off of each other so well. Peacemaker and Bloodsport balance violence and comedy perfectly, and together they are the perfect foil for Rick Flag who goes full dad mode this movie, and just wants everyone to get along! (And complete the mission, maybe, once they get along first). The three of them represent every trope in superhero movies with a meta awareness that pushes the ultraviolence and simultaneous heart narrative forward.
There are other newcomers here, and I would be remiss if I didn’t quickly voice King Shark, a humanoid shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone. Gunn is the king of putting cute sidekicks into things (Groot in Guardians, Eagly in the Peacemaker series) and specifically went out of his way not to do something cute in this. While I couldn’t figure out why, it could be because EVERYTHING in superhero lore has been trying to recreate Groot to little to no success (besides Eagly, who is perfect). Yet somehow, Gunn out-cuted himself as King Shark is EVEN CUTER. I don’t know if I can credit that to Stallone’s voice acting or the incredible design of King Shark, or even his motivation — which is just to make friends. But King Shark is the absolute cutest ever and I love him.
I also love Polka-Dot Man and Ratcatcher 2, two characters with exceedingly brutal backstories (Gunn’s specialty of making us love unheard of or jokes of characters is truly unmatched in this film). Polka-Dot Man, played by Cinema-Cemetery fave David Dastmalchian, is based on the comic character of the same name but this time with his existence not only justified, but necessary. A new spin on the comic character, Polka-Dot Man is now extremely sympathetic while maintaining a level of unhinged that makes him still threatening. Ratcatcher 2, played by Daniela Melchior, is less threatening but exceptionally needed as the heart of the team. She manages to bring everyone together and really bring out the best in some of the worst people. Both of these characters are so desperately needed in a film where everyone else is a trained soldier or pretty much a ruthless killer, adding the family to this found family. Melchior and Dastmalchian also are just so naturally talented and easy to root for and they elevate a cast of already incredible people.
For how much I hate gore, you would think 2021’s The Suicide Squad would be a movie I avoid, with it’s over the top violence and bloodshed. But the gore is perfectly used in this movie, enhancing the story instead of being the main focus. The gore is so over the top it just adds to the campy violent nature of the movie. Watching Michael Rooker’s Savant get set up as the main character, only for him to die so brutally is genius and something that just makes this movie a class above most superhero and action movies.
I fucking love The Suicide Squad, and after rewatching Suicide Squad (2016) with my friend, I can confirm this is not only the better movie, it’s just a really fucking good time.