The Suicide Squad

2021 must be the year of redemption for the DC Comics Cinematic vision.  Earlier this year, we got the director's cut of Zack Snyder's Justice League which, while it did not fix all of the theatrical release's problems, did manage to create a much more coherent and guided film than what we got in 2017.  Now here is The Suicide Squad, a sort of sequel/second chance to redeem 2016's Suicide Squad movie that, despite making almost $750 million worldwide at the box office, was largely panned by critics and was not fully embraced by fans.

That was a movie with a million dollar idea, about a team of villains from the DC roster that were tasked with a suicide mission by the government in order to get some time shaved off of their prison sentences.  Unfortunately, the film was largely wrestled away from its director, David Ayer, who has largely gone on to disown it, and was the victim of studio interference, leading to an over edited and total mess of a film that divided audiences.  For the follow up, Ayer has been replaced with writer-director James Gunn (the Guardians of the Galaxy films), who brings to it a sense of fun and genuine humor that was largely missing from the bloated original, as well as gets to show his cinematic roots in low budget horror films by throwing in plenty of gruesome and grisly violence.  But most impressive of all, he manages to make us actually care about these largely second-string villains, which includes a guy who throws deadly polka-dots, and an anthropomorphic shark with the IQ of a toddler and the strength of a titan.  

Aside from a few select characters, most of the original Squad are not back for this entry, giving Gunn the opportunity to create his own spin with his pick of villains who are being forced to save the world.  The main returning character is Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn whom, long-time readers may remember, had the effect of nails on a chalkboard to me in her last film, Birds of Prey, which put her and all of her psychotic kookiness front and center, and basically tried to bash you over the head into falling in love with her.  The movie had its fans for sure, but I was not one of them, and I kind of dreaded her return.  Luckily, she is much better used here, and also used more sparingly.  She is an important part of the adventure, but is no longer so dominate that she is constantly in your face.  Like I said in my review of that film, a little Harley goes a long way, and I'm glad the filmmakers realized that.

Of the villains who have been gathered up by government agent Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, also returning from the last one) for the latest suicide mission, the key figure this time is Bloodsport (Idris Elba), a mercenary with deadly accuracy and a high-tech battle suit.  He gets blackmailed by Waller into joining her Squad by using his teenage daughter (who seems to be headed for a life of crime as well) as leverage.  Joining him is Peacemaker (John Cena), a militaristic psycho who believes in achieving peace at any price, including murder; Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), whose job is to keep these guys in line; Ratcatcher 2 (likable newcomer Daniela Melchoir), a bank robber who can control rats with the aid of equipment created by her father, the original Ratcather villain; the bizarre Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), who has the ability to summon and throw deadly polka-dots, and has serious mother issues; and the scene-stealing King Shark (voice by Sylvester Stallone), a CG shark whose simple and child-like nature hides a deadly appetite and super strength.

I think what surprised me about Gunn's approach to The Suicide Squad is that he genuinely seems to be trying to make as care about the characters, and does so by exploring their unique personalities, and what they think about everything going on around them.  Rather than get lost in murky and endless battles with CG monsters like last time, this movie seems interested in these villains who are being forced to take part in this mission (they have all been implanted with an explosive device inside their head that can kill them instantly if they disobey orders).   Some form bonds, some can't stand one-another, and some just seem to be along for the ride.  I liked the focus on individuality here, and how these characters were mainly identified by their personalities, rather than just their powers or abilities.

That's not to say there aren't a few issues here.  The plot is largely forgettable, centered around an island nation that has been overthrown by an Anti-American regime, and is harboring a top secret weapon that they can use against their enemies.  Sure, said weapon is probably the last thing the viewer is expecting, and to be fair, the final confrontation with it is off-kilter enough to be fun.  But until the climactic battle, I was much more involved in the Squad itself, rather than the mission they were on.  And while the main cast is largely handled well and get plenty of moments to stand out, some supporting characters seem to be a little short-changed here, or don't get the chance to be as memorable as they could.  One particular casualty of this is a character called Weasel (Sean Gunn), who is introduced early on, and looks like he will be a lot of fun, but is then written out of the rest of the film.

What really matters here, though, is that the movie itself is just a lot of fun, and certainly is a better take on the idea than the original.  Gunn has brought his humor and love for odd characters here, and it works just as well in the D.C. Universe as it does at Marvel.  I would love to see him get another chance with these characters, as he certainly brings the passion and the right style to them here.

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