“The Suicide Squad”

Directed by: James Gunn

Rated: R

Runtime: 2:31

James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” is not a sequel, yet not quite a typical remake, either. 

If you aren’t one to stay in the know about superhero films and universes, then you are likely confused and out of the loop, which is understandable. I’m here to clarify what exactly this insane, but fun film is. 

In 2016, “Suicide Squad” was released, marking the cinematic debut of classic DC comic book characters like Harley Quinn (played by Margot Robbie), Deadshot (played by Will Smith), and even yet another version of the Joker (played by Jared Leto). The main difference between the 2017 film and this new release is that many of the actors did not come back for the remake. Some of them did, however, including Margot Robbie, who seems to be set on playing Harley Quinn for the rest of her career, as seen by not only this film but also the 2020 pre-COVID-19 release of “Birds of Prey” — the Harley Quinn solo film. 

Among the few actors that rejoined the new film was also the outstanding Academy award-winning Viola Davis, as Amanda Waller, who’s basically the person in charge of the whole operation, and Joel Kinnaman as Colonel Rick Flag. The new faces of this new installment include Idris Elba, Sylvester Stallone, John Cena, Peter Capaldi and Sean Gunn to name just a few.

This particular “Suicide Squad” narrative is very similar to the first one in terms of the squad of supervillains being sent on an extremely perilous mission under the supervision of Colonel Flag with the aid of dangerous high-tech weapons to help them conquer their search-and-destroy mission. But by now you’re probably thinking: What is the difference then? 

To put it quite bluntly, this film is actually entertaining.

Don’t get me wrong, I did really enjoy the first “Suicide Squad” at the time, despite the 27% on Rotten Tomatoes-disaster that it was. Although, when I heard that James Gunn, aka the mastermind behind the “Guardians of the Galaxy” Marvel films, was directing this specific installment, I instantly forgot all about the original one. As fans will know, you can expect amazing action, non-stop humor and a killer soundtrack with a James Gunn film, and even though I do prefer the “Guardians” movies over this one, it was still very much a James Gunn film. 

The director is so stylistic that he automatically can be considered a film auteur, but after this film that was not only a “redo” of a film that critics hated, unfortunately, but also yet another superhero universe that he was able to bring his personal touch to, Gunn has proven himself to be the ultimate superhero auteur. 

One of the biggest differences between this film and the 2016 predecessor is the R-rating that comes with its fair share of gruesome violence. This may be a good thing or a bad thing for certain viewers, but there is a lot of blood and the film overall, is a lot darker, despite the comedic aspects. 

I really enjoyed the film mainly for the characters that I love so much like Robbie’s Harley Quinn, but as someone that cannot stomach blood and gore, I found myself having to look away more than a few times throughout. If you don’t handle these elements too well, be sure to keep the rating in mind. 

This rendition of the 2016 film is definitely worth the price of a ticket or HBO Max stream if you even remotely liked the other one or love the superhero genre in general. 

Despite the ongoing violence throughout the film’s duration, James Gunn manages to pull off an entertaining cinematic experience — no matter how bizarre and gruesome it became towards the end. 

I give it an 8 out of 10.