Finally! The Suicide Squad brought us something that the 2016 movie couldn’t. It is a highly entertaining yet bloody Suicide Squad movie. Oh and did I mentioned that it’s far better than the David Ayer movie? Well, it is. And I’m going to get to that. But first I need to mention a few things.
The Suicide Squad And Our Murder Mystery Sale
That’s right. Our Murder Mystery Sale is unfortunately over, with the writing of this review. But it’s not too late to visit it. Yes, there are still over 400 titles in the sale that are worth mentioning and they’re all available for you. All you have to do is click here, take your pick and enjoy your purchase. Now, The Suicide Squad is not part of this sale Nor is it’s any of the other DC/Warner Bros IPs (sadly). But we do have plenty of Marvel IP’s here. However, if you’re curious about a Suicide Squad game then you should definitely wait a while. It’s just around the corner.
Are You Hyped About Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
We sure are! The open-world action-adventure shooter game will be published in 2022 by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Rocksteady Studios is in charge of the development and as you probably know It’s a continuation of the Batman: Arkham series.
Also, this will be the first game in the series not to feature Batman as the title character or the player protagonist. Furthermore, the game revolves around the titular team’s attempts to defeat Brainiac. When he invades Earth and brainwashes the Justice League, the Suicide Squad will have to step up in Metropolis. They’re of course sent by Amanda Waller to investigate and kill the “Alpha Target” and resolve the issue there.
Not to mention, the game features four playable characters: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark. While it can be played solo, the game also features a four-player cooperative multiplayer mode. But, when played solo, players can switch between characters at will while the other characters are controlled by AI.
Sefton Hill is the designated director of the game. Oh, and The Los Angeles-based company Unbroken Studios are assisting Rocksteady in the development of the game. Which is cool of course.
But What About The Suicide Squad? Is It Good? What’s It All About?
Yes, it’s good. Very good thankfully. But please don’t call it a sequel to the 2016 movie. It’s a rather fun yet volatile do-over to the previous mess of a movie. And it starts with a similar premise I suppose. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends two separate Task Force X teams to the South American country of Corto Maltese. There’s been a bloody coup d’état there, but that’s not what the Suicide Squads are there for. They’ll need to destroy any evidence of “Project Starfish” and especially the US’s involvement with the experiment. The first Suicide Squad (Savant, Captain Boomerang, Blackguard, T.D.K., Javelin, and Mongal) will blow it. But will the second (Bloodsport’s team of Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and Ratcatcher 2 ) eventually succeed?
Just Like The Previous One? Maybe… But Better
It’s a true miracle how much a good director/writer can turn a movie for the better. Seriously. You have James Gunn’s recognizable and very entertaining character introductions here too. But I was glad to see that he went beyond the mere introduction. He actually gave the characters some actual character development. He played with time, space and locations. And you have no idea how happy I’m because of that.
Furthermore with background, history and eclectic presence that’s enough to keep you glued to your seat. Almost (well yeah, almost) every single one of the second Suicide Squad team gets their moment to shine here. And even gets to share something about themselves. Whether it’s something from their past (Ratcatcher 2 and Polka-Dot Man) or something that they’re concerned about the future (Harley Quinn). I was pleasantly surprised really. Hey, we even find out why Bloodsport is terrified of rats. Well done James Gunn. Well done!
Cool Script
Now the script has its moments of weakness, don’t get me wrong. Like Amanda Waller’s descent into a terrible garbage person/villain territory. And some of her stupid decisions too. But I’m glad that she’s not the only baddie among all of the other baddies out there. Yeah. They’re a dime a dozen here, but I’m just glad some of them come out on the other side. For the most part anyway.
In terms of the plot development, James Gunn rarely overstays his welcome there too. Sure there are a few scenes that could have been shorter (or scenes that shouldn’t even make it to the final cut) but those are forgivable mistakes. This is a solid script really. Funny, bloody and with personality. Hey, even some of the team member’s deaths were meaningful. Heartbreaking, but meaningful. Well, the fact that it’s an R-rated movie does help matters much, but yeah. Solid script in that regard too.
The Direction Is Off The Hook!
Oh man, where do I even start? Aside from the constant violence, gratuitous bloodshed and gore (thanks Killer Shark)… Gunn gave us solid entertainment in that as well. Who’d knew? I mean just look at Harley’s escape from captivity. With that gorgeous red dress, she’ll pull a god-damn massacre while looking gracious and beautiful as ever. Oh and Gunn is really pulling some punches there too. I mean pretty flowers with all of the blood, dismemberment and death? Gunn you Genius.
But yeah. As I was watching the movie I kept telling my husband. Damn… This is some good direction. Or that’s a bloody good camera work. Wow. His response was: Are you really surprised? It’s James Gunn after all. But yeah. The set pieces in the Jötunheim were filled with those wow moments. And the subsequent fight with Staro was not too shabby either. It’s the satisfactory finale that we finally got to see in a Suicide Squad movie.
Great Performances Too!
Oh and don’t let me forget. The performances are top-notch as well. You can clearly see the dedication from the cast in this movie. I suppose you put in extra effort when you have a good foundation in the script. But yeah. Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, David Dastmalchian, Joel Kinnaman and Daniela Melchior are outstanding here.
*Side note: If you’re on a lookout for good Joel Kinnaman/ David Dastmalchian movies then I should recommend some of their indie stuff. I skuggan av värmen is something that I would always recommend from Joel’s body of work. It’s in Swedish, it’s pretty sad, but it’s a damn good movie. And as for David, I have to go with 2015’s Animals. It’s a great movie that he wrote, and it’s also heartbreaking but oh so good.
The Suicide Squad: A Really Good Movie?
I was bummed out by some of the deaths for sure. But The Suicide Squad impressed me with its style, creativity and development. As per usual the soundtrack is a solid 10 yet again, and the casting choices are fairly decent too. I enjoyed the work that Gunn did to the pre-existing characters (Flag, Quinn especially). But I’m most impressed with what he did to the newcomers (Bloodsport and Ratchatcher 2 are my favorites now). This is one of my favorite movies of the summer, but I can’t wait to watch The New Guy as well. Maybe Ryan Reynold’s movie will kick The Suicide Squad of the No.1 spot. Stay tuned for that.
