The Suicide Squad (2021)

[Eric the Minion]

Discuss

[TigerPaw]

Best movie i have watched by a mile so far this year. Glad i watched this in IMAX.

[Rorschach]

It's been a long while coming, but I'm glad to say that this is the first DCEU film that I've legitimately loved. It feels weird, though, that the film that would finally be that ice-breaker would be a soft reboot/standalone sequel to one of DC's worst films. Thankfully, this is one of the most pleasant surprises of the year, incredibly refreshing after a pretty lackluster summer of disappointing blockbuster tentpoles. 

 

It's irreverently funny, ultra-violent (indeed, a very well-earned R-rating), and boasts an incredibly strong ensemble cast. On the latter point, Idris Elba and Daniela Melchior stand out as the strongest of the newcomers, bringing with them the film's heart and soul. There are a few things that keep me from fully loving it: the first half of the film has a few plot digressions that halt the story entirely (I think we easily could've done without the over-long Harley romancing with evil-dictator-man scene entirely). However, the film does pick up significantly in the second half to where this issue doesn't end up dragging the whole ship down with it. 

 

Honestly, it feels really good to write positive marks about a DC film after it feels like I've been shitting on them for so long. Between this and how much I genuinely enjoyed the Snyder Cut, I'd say this year's been a pretty welcome redemption arc for them. Hopefully, they keep up the momentum going forward.

 

4/5

[FilmFincher]

This was so much fun, big smile on my face throughout. Wonderfully violent, funny, occasionally gross and disturbing. Full James Gunn and zany to the max. It's sets itself apart from Guardians by injecting a darkly humorous/cynical edge to the film. It helps give it a unique tone for the film. Reminds me a lot of how Sam Raimi's films would do this professional tonal juggling act paired with inventive visual direction. 

 

Doesn't miss out on the heart as well, great character work/dynamics across the board (nice to see The Suicide Squad actually feel like a team) and all the little character arcs come together nicely. Ratchcatcher and Peacemaker were the standouts for me representing both the heart and the humour of the film. I was genuinely surprised by how much Gunn endeared me to these (on paper) ridiculous characters, and the ones I didn't care for in the first film like Rick Flagg. There's not a weak kink in the armour aside from a couple of lacklustre villains.

 

It's pretty straightforward plot wise (maybe too simple) but it keeps you on your toes with a couple of twists and turns.

 

Looks pretty nice as well (seems like they added a thin layer of grain to some scenes like 'Nobody' to give it some texture), CGI was strong, solid action sequences. Gunn also has a clear, distinct vision for how he wants to shoot scenes. None of it feels like just 'coverage'. 

 

The film delivered where it should unlike some of the other bigger blockbusters this year. It's a great time at the cinema and I'm excited to watch it again.

 

8.5/10 

[Webslinger]

When the first Suicide Squad arrived almost exactly five years ago, it whiffed due in large part to its feel as a film cobbled together haphazardly from a variety of visions – the most glaring and oddest of which was a misguided attempt to make it feel like Marvel’s united misfits smash Guardians of the Galaxy. So, in the grandest of ironies, by bringing on Guardians’ own writer-director James Gunn, this new iteration of The Suicide Squad is a deliriously entertaining popcorn flick that works in all the ways the first film didn’t, delivers just about fully upon its potential, and even eclipses Gunn’s Guardians films in pure entertainment value. Under Gunn’s direction, the film moves gleefully from one big, silly set piece to another and does so in a manner that is frequently exciting, darkly funny, and sometimes surprisingly poignant. It also does a far better job than the 2016 film at living up to the potential of its premise of a bunch of bad guys with nothing to lose being roped into service to fight worse guys; what works so much better this time is that the stakes feel more relevant, the actors are given room to breathe and really hone in on the comedic and dramatic energies of their characters (and it’s not anywhere near as gross in its depiction of Harley Quinn), it leans into its absurdity with just the right level of tongue-in-cheek audacity, it has some well-executed surprises, it traces character arcs and builds bonds between the titular team that feel genuine, and its third act *kills*. The huge cast works well together, with highlight performances coming from Idris Elba in a fun turn that understands and wields his gruff action hero persona perfectly (and wrings a few laughs in the process), John Cena in a role that makes stellar use of his comedic sensibilities, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis in character revamps that redeem many of the missteps the first film took with them, Daniela Melchior and David Dastmalchian as the biggest, most pleasant surprises among the newcomers, and Margot Robbie continuing to take Harley Quinn in the fun, giddily unhinged and self-assured direction she started on in last year’s Birds of Prey. All told, this reinvention of The Suicide Squad is wildly successful; it doesn’t just correct the most obvious flaws of the first film – it also stands as the DCEU’s most inventive and enjoyable film to date and an exceptionally fun and satisfying popcorn flick.

 

A-

[Wormow]

This movie is written to appeal to prepubescent teen boys and it seems to have done that wonderfully. I’m not in that democratic though, so…

 

F. Don’t let James Gunn touch a Harley Quinn solo movie, thanks. 

[CJohn]

One of the best superhero movies ever made and my favorite movie of the year so far. Daniela Melchior is a revelation. America is not worthy of the Portuguese Queen.

[Thegun]

Ironically, this reminds me a lot of the first two GI Joe films.  I like different elements to both, but I don't think either one edges the other out.  But both Suicide Squads are better than those films thankfully. I definitely would have preferred a continuation (I don't care what anyone says Smith was awesome in the first, I don't care if it's a bad adaptation of the character) I guess he could have easily been the Flag or Elba role (Obviously the Flag role could have been a greater shock if it was Smith, but the film is sorely lacking in an emotional anchor.)

 

And the film's villain is not unlike Enchantress.  I mean it just comes down to which ridiculous CGI monster you like more (The teaming up at the end definitely worked better in the first.) Despite the higher body count on characters, this feels much less stakes.  And I was hoping to get more out of Waller.  Side characters were all solid though, and fun turn by Stallone, Cena, and pretty much everyone.  Elba was surprisingly the weak point, but he does his best with a very underdeveloped protagonist.

 

I think I'm at a B+ for both.

[filmlover]

A giddily bloody romp that is indeed what the 2016 movie should've been. James Gunn brings the same kind of playful energy from his Guardians of the Galaxy movies to this, and it makes full use of its R rating. Great ensemble all around: Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn remains a deranged delight, Idris Elba's talents are put to better use here than they've been in almost all the other blockbusters he's appeared in to date, and John Cena is a blast as Asshole Captain America. Not a single weak performance to be found. One of the better movies in the DCEU so far and I'm sad we won't get a sequel. B+

[Chicago]

The first blockbuster I've thoroughly enjoyed since the Pandemic began. It managed to surprise me just in the prologue. Nathan fillon being in the film got me excited, only for him to be despatched in the most hilarious way. 

 

I appreciated how they didn't try to make these characters seem nice. Bloodsport isn't some loving father, cute birds didn't get a pass, peacemaker isn't some heroic soldier and the big cute shark only cares about num nums. It took Ratcatcher to try and bring some form of humanity into these characters. We weren't insulted with trying to paint these people as good guys from the start, that way when they end up needlessly killing the Rebels, it's not out of character and it's darkly humorous.

 

The film is gloriously weird and almost managed to stay fun throughout. My only complaint like other have said was how it dragged in the middle, just before Harley needed "rescuing'" but it managed to pick straight up.

 

9/10

 

 

[lilmac]

I loved SS. Much better than the original (which I liked). Up there with the Snyder Cut version of JL as the best DCEU film. I wouldn't mind a sequel but one directed by James Gunn. Enjoyed the Taika cameo. Pleasant surprise.  

 

 

8.5/10

Things I liked:

Comedy - dialogue, creature design, deaths
Unashamed introduction to truly ridiculous 'heroes' (Weasel, Shark, etc)
Special FX were top notch
Action played faithfully grounded to real word physics and natural laws 
Action scenes
Idris Elba
Characters were fleshed out enough to care

Cons
Wish we got more Polka Dot man 😄

Edited August 12, 2021 by lilmac

[Barnack]

Most of the humors in themselve did work (collection of good lines in there) and most characters was not bad, but did not click has a whole at all for me, barely felt like a movie.

 

Saying there is not stake would not even be a thing here and that would not have been issue if it went more pure comedy with it, but it did not.

 

It did loose in the middle, where it feel like it stop, maybe Harley was too big and strong presence of a character to be in this assemble movie filled with just unknown, but her segment felt a bit like it was a different movie going on.

[Menor the Destroyer]

It was fun but not that amazing, not sure I really understand the glowing reviews and the glowing (online) response. The pacing gets weird in the Harley section in the middle (which I did not like). The part with the guerrilla commander did not land at all for me, she should have been way more angry that they just slaughtered her entire camp. The character arcs were mostly pretty thin, Polka Dot Man's was the only one that landed (and then he died gratuitously). Like Bloodsport's "arc" is that his daughter sees him on TV being heroic, but they never actually get any moment of reconciliation, so it falls flat. Still I liked the ending with the starfish villain, and it was overall entertaining throughout. B

Edited September 14, 2021 by Menor

[IndustriousAngel]

6/10, B

Fun movie with a few nice gags and good action but of little substance, just like a lot of other SH movies.

[ZeeSoh]

Late to watch but this was really good. It was like a day and night difference between this and the 2016 one. The 2016 version was the worst DCEU movie and one of the worst SH movie for me. But this was easily top tier DCEU. It even made me like Harley who I had disliked in every role till now. 
 

Unlike the first one pretty much every squad character here was likeable. In the first one I didn’t care for anyone but here I even cheered when weasel was shown alive. 
 

Solid B+