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Aug 6, 2021 · Read Critics Reviews. The story isn't amazing, but the over-the-top action and (sometimes literally) side-splitting gags make this Suicide Squad a major improvement. Read Audience...
Aug 6, 2021 · While it feels like “The Suicide Squad” is a rollercoaster without brakes, it’s actually a very well-calibrated action comedy, alternating humorous beats with bursts of intense violence. On that note, this is the most insanely violent superhero blockbuster yet, making “ Deadpool ” look kind of sweet.
Aug 5, 2021 · The Suicide Squad Rated R for the old laughs and lashings of violence. Running time: 2 hour 12 minutes. In theaters and on HBO Max.
- Gunning for Glory
- Which member of Task Force X is most likely to live until the end of The Suicide Squad?
- The Suicide Squad Who's Who: Full Cast and Character Reveals
- Verdict
By Joshua Yehl
Updated: Aug 4, 2021 8:16 pm
Posted: Jul 28, 2021 4:00 pm
The Suicide Squad hits theaters and HBO Max on Aug. 6.
The Suicide Squad isn’t so much a reboot or a sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad as it is a complete do-over -- and this time, they knocked it out of the park. In fact, this irreverent, ultra-violent romp featuring F-list villains is DC’s best film in years.
The story is, essentially, "The Dirty Dozen but With Supervillains," and it's one hell of a great time. Once again, a group of incarcerated super-criminals is sent on a lethally dangerous black ops mission, allowing the thoroughly R-rated movie to live up to its name in gruesome fashion. While we've come to expect costumed heroes and villains to have plot armor so they can show up again for the next franchise installment, the characters of The Suicide Squad enjoy no such luxury. It's made abundantly clear that no one in its colorful cast is safe. That gives it a rare sense of danger, like the good days of Game of Thrones where any scene might have been your favorite character’s last.
Harley Quinn
Rick Flag
Bloodsport
Peacemaker
King Shark
Other -- let us know in the comments.
The film may be a superhero war caper on the surface, but underneath, it’s a fascinating examination of DC’s bottom-of-the-barrel baddies. Even the weirdest of the weird like Polka-dot Man (David Dastmalchian) and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) are shown to have depths worth exploring. Gunn clearly has a soft spot for outcasts and misfits, and here, he creates a twisted, yet touching, tribute to DC's sad and broken supervillains.
Gunn has previously professed his love for the classic Suicide Squad comic book run from 1987 by the legendary John Ostrander, and while the movie isn’t a direct adaption of that story by any means, it wears its influence with pride. The tone is gritty and tense, Viola Davis is again a force of nature as Amanda Waller, and there are all manner of high-stakes twists and turns, betrayals and deceptions. Those elements are generously lathered with Gunn’s crude, belligerent, and absolutely wild sense of humor, which is also offered to the spectacular cast.
Idris Elba and John Cena are hilarious as rival assassins Bloodsport and Peacemaker, especially in a violent sequence where they try to out-kill each other that’s nothing short of brilliant. Sylvester Stallone voices a walking, talking shark named Nanaue, delivering a performance more silly and charming than it has any right to be. Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag is, thankfully, spared the sort of cheesy lines he was forced to work with in the 2016 movie, and is someone worth rooting for. His dynamic with Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, a rare friendship based on mutual respect, is a highlight of the movie. And speaking of the Maiden of Mischief, the film is by far Robbie’s best turn as Harley Quinn -- she’s funnier and more unpredictable than ever. Gunn distills her into pure insanity and The Suicide Squad can’t help but go off the rails to follow her down the rabbit hole.
If there’s a weak point to be found, it lies with the squad's one-dimensional antagonists. In particular, Peter Capaldi’s Thinker feels underutilized -- a single dim bulb in a lineup of dazzlingly bright lights. The film doesn’t suffer much from this, though, because it mines more than enough tension and danger from the team member themselves to keep us invested.
James Gunn absolutely kills it with The Suicide Squad. The film is a bloody, chaotic ride from start to finish that finally does justice to Task Force X. It’s endlessly shocking and funny, and its showcase of F-list DC villains is nothing short of brilliant.
Jul 28, 2021 · I’m delighted to be proven wrong. And maybe more delighted than surprised. Less a sequel than a do-over, “The Suicide Squad” is the latest film written and directed by James Gunn, crossing...
Jul 28, 2021 · Reviews. Jul 28, 2021 9:00am PT. Critics Pick. ‘The Suicide Squad’ Review: James Gunn Stages a Do-Over With Destructive Style. Back from the wilderness, the director of "Guardians of the...
