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The Suicide Squad " is one the smartest comic-book movies ever. A second watch will make that clear. - You don't need to know anything about the 2016 "Suicide Squad" to enjoy this
movie . - Cena, Robbie, Dastmalchian, Melchior, and Stallone's King Shark are the film's stand-outs.
Warning: There are minor spoilers ahead for "The Suicide Squad."
"The Suicide Squad" is relentlessly unapologetic, wacky and weird, violent and bloody, and darkly humorous. It also has so much heart that you may find yourself fighting back tears by its end.
Not only is "TSS" the strangest comic-book movie you'll ever watch, it's also one of the smartest - you just may not grasp that until a second viewing.
Director James Gunn 's 'The Suicide Squad' is better than the 2016 film in every way
Gunn's extremely rewatchable "The Suicide Squad" is easily a top-three film in the DCEU, far surpassing the 2016 movie that shares its name (though, let's be real, that was a low bar).
And no, you don't need to have sat through the earlier "Suicide Squad" film to understand this one - WB considers it a standalone, rather than a sequel or reboot.
The new movie follows a group of misfit DC villains who are forced, against their will, to do the dirty work of an off-the-books government agency. This time around, the squad (aka, Task Force X) heads to the small island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy files on something called Project Starfish.
Beyond those basic plot details, it's better to experience this wild ride firsthand.
It's bloody - expect a lot of deaths
No one - not Gunn's real-life friends or any returning members of the 2016 "Suicide Squad" - is safe in this movie. That's made clear from the movie's deliciously bloody and off-the-wall opening action sequence.
Some of the deaths in this film will completely blindside and shock you.
This is James Gunn, uncaged.
It's also an incredibly smart film, though you may not grasp that until a second watch
There's so much going on in "TSS" that it may be a bit overwhelming to process during an initial watch.
You're immediately introduced to a large roster of characters, including many minor DC characters you likely haven't even heard of: Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), TDK (Nathan Fillion), Weasel (Gunn's real-life brother, Sean Gunn), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Dick Hertz/Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Javelin (Flula Borg), Mongal (Mayling Ng), Nanaue/King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), and Savant (Michael Rooker).
Upon a first watch, you're so focused on learning the ins and outs of every character and figuring out who the film's villain is that a political plot brewing beneath the surface may fall by the wayside.
If you go into superhero movies wanting something a bit more grounded in reality, "TSS" delivers. At its core, it's a political thriller that makes you reconsider who the real villain of the film is - and how we should even define "villain" to begin with.
Not even the film's absolutely bonkers Starro the Conquerer is the real bad guy here. Once you realize the real villains, it makes you want to watch the film again from an entirely different point of view.
Polka-Dot Man, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, and King Shark are standout characters among a spectacular cast
Gunn's greatest gift is his ability to make you fall in love with the most obscure characters.
At this point, we shouldn't be surprised that the man who made the world fall in love with a tree voiced by Vin Diesel and a talking raccoon in "Guardians of the Galaxy" can also make your heart melt over a rat with a backpack or a humanoid Shark voiced by Sylvester Stallone in "Suicide Squad."
Fans are also going to fall in love with Dastmalchian's Polka-Dot Man. Gunn told Insider he searched for the dumbest DC villain while creating his squad. With Polka-Dot Man, Gunn took an obscure Batman villain, who is basically the laughingstock of DC Comics, and turned him into a rich character with a tragic backstory and journey that'll leave you teary-eyed.
John Cena's Peacemaker steals every scene he's in as a straight-laced, by the books, keeper of the peace (as his name suggests) no matter the cost. It's no wonder why he's getting his own show on HBO Max.
Cena's hilarious. That's particularly on display in nearly every scene he shares with Elba's assassin-for-hire Bloodsport. Any time Elba and Cena are opposite each other, it's movie magic. The two received big laughs in both my screenings as they competed in an over-the-top murder spree to see who's the better marksman.
Gunn also reinvents characters featured in the 2016 "Suicide Squad" movie. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) wasn't very impressive in the earlier film, but he's a bonafide hero in this one. He's the Captain America of the DC Universe, just without superpowers.
Melchior is the unexpected heart and soul of this film as Ratcatcher 2 (the daughter of a Batman villain) and her budding friendship with King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) is the most endearing relationship in the film.
Keep your eyes out for a delightful cameo from Taika Waititi (previously announced in the cast) who winds up delivering one of the film's most important, profound lines.
Fillion's TDK/The Detachable Kid, Davidson's Black Guard, Sean Gunn's Weasel, and Rooker's Savant all deliver big laughs. (You're probably not supposed to laugh at that last one, but if you're a longtime fan who knows how Gunn loves messing with his good friend Rooker, then you'll be in on the joke here.)
Knowing that Gunn made his own brother a weasel in this film makes that performance even funnier.
The only character who doesn't get his due is Jai Courtney's Boomerang. His potential is wasted here.
The movie is stuffed with great scenes, many of them music-driven - Elba, Cena, and Robbie get some of the best moments
Gunn's other greatest strength is his impeccable song choices.
Music is always tied so intricately to Gunn's works. Your foot will be tapping no less than three times because of pin drops, once at the film's start (to Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues") and again when the film's intro credits start to roll with The Jim Carroll Band's "People Who Died."
There are so many fantastic individual scenes in this movie. The most impressive and unique is a fight sequence seen in the reflection of Peacemaker's helmet, as two characters are struggling to fight for their own versions of peace.
Elba's Bloodsport gets another breakout scene during a screaming match with his estranged daughter (Storm Reid) from behind bars. The scene is equally funny and heartbreaking as it shows a fractured family relationship.
And if you thought Bloodsport was simply a stand-in or replacement for Will Smith's Deadshot from the last film (they're both excellent marksmen and join the Suicide Squad for their daughters), Gunn almost makes Bloodsport into an alternate universe version of Smith's character.
Harley gets her best scene in the DCEU during a beautiful fight sequence set to the tune of Louis Prima's "I Ain't Got Nobody," which feels like a Harley comic brought to life as she stabs, shoots, strangles, and slices her way out of danger.
The film treats Harley Quinn with the full respect her character deserves
If you're watching with younger viewers at home or in theaters, you should know there are three very brief blink-and-you'll-miss them nudity scenes, one of which contains frontal male nudity, but isn't sexual in nature.
That's something that surprised me a lot watching this film. Unlike other comic-book films, "The Suicide Squad" didn't play up its female character's sexuality just for the sake of it. Instead, it leaned into sexualizing some of its male roster. (Cena sports only tighty-whities for an almost uncomfortable amount of time in one scene.)
Harley is such an easy character to over-sexualize - case in point, her ridiculously impractical costume in 2016's "Suicide Squad" - so fans may get a bit emotional to see her treated as a respected lady instead of as a mere sex symbol.
Things you may not like: Some gratuitous gross moments, but that's about it
It's very clear Gunn was given full rein to do as he pleased. At times, it almost felt like he was pushing so hard to see what WB would let him get away with. The studio seems to have let it all fly. And with that in mind, there are at least two moments where the gore and deaths feel a bit gratuitous and unearned - just gross for the sake of being gross.
Personally, I'm not a skittish person, so seeing a dude's brains or insides don't bother me. But some viewers may watch certain scenes and wonder, "Was that really necessary?"
Not everyone is going to love this film and that's OK. It's really weird at times. It is the most comic-book-y, comic-book movie I've ever watched.
Did we need another "Suicide Squad" movie? Absolutely not. But this is such a bloody damn good time. It's everything you want from an R-rated comic-book movie.
PSA: Make sure to stay through the credits for not one but two end-credits scenes.You definitely don't want to miss that second one.
"The Suicide Squad" will be in theaters and available to stream on HBO Max starting August 6.
Grade: A-