One Line Review: The new Suicide Squad which was made to correct the previous version’s blunders ended up creating new ones
Youtube Trailer The Suicide Squad
Starring: Margot Robbie, John Cena, Pete Davidson
Director: James Gunn
Release Date: 5 August 2021
Introduction
Gunn was given a license to give their ailing DC Extended Universe a fresh, R-Rated spin. The planned SUICIDE SQUAD sequel has been stuck in development hell for a while, letting it just be Gunn’s dream project…
Plot Analysis
At first, Gunn seems to lapse into complacency as the camera slowly zooms in on a prison airfield after a cliché needle drop of Johnnie Cash’s ‘Folsom Prison Blues, but then THE SUICIDE SQUAD blasts off without worrying too much. about explanation or possible continuity with the previous films. The new Squad is immediately sent on a mission and represented to the viewer.
For example, there is Savant (Michael Rooker), TDK (Nathan Fillion), and of course eye-catcher Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). She is the only overlap with the previous team with Captain Boomerang (Jay Courtney) and captain Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). Their mission this time is to destroy a former Nazi fortress on the island of Corto Maltese where opponents of the current military regime are now being tortured. Things go horribly wrong on landing, of course, and Flag gets to try and keep his team of riotous but dangerous misfits alive and working as a group. Because there is certainly something at stake for the members: failure means death.
Correcting the mistakes of the previous version
Despite obviously good intentions, David Ayer’s first part from 2016 missed the mark on many fronts. Ayer is good at writing and making raw tough-guy movies like TRAINING DAY (2001) and END OF WATCH (2012), and it was obvious what first attracted him to the concept of The Suicide Squad, a team of serious criminals sent on dangerous missions in exchange for a reduced sentence. What was sorely missed, however, was nuanced, empathy and humor?
Not unimportant if the criminals in question are far-fetched comic book crooks with illustrious names such as Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang. No, rather Gunn, who showed with SUPER (2010) to have a good sense of subversive humor and anti-heroism. His big break GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014) suffered a bit from the tight PG-13 straitjacket that Marvel had imposed on him, but with the freedom, Warner Brothers have given him here, his style only really comes into its own.
Witty and surprising vibes, but with flaws
Like the thematically similar DEADPOOL (Tim Miller, 2016), surprise and charm are not necessarily in the type of story, but in its content. The SUICIDE SQUAD can also be blamed for still playing a standard tune despite the hyped contrarianism. Because of course there is the necessary personal growth, the characters are still more likable anti-heroes than really nasty villains, and indeed the team learns to come together despite their mutual differences to avert The Great Danger just in time. “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey,” an old and wise internet meme once said, and that’s exactly what Gunn is after.
Where the hyper-self-conscious Deadpool relies too much on meta-jokes at times, the humor in THE SUICIDE SQUAD comes from the characters and the film world itself. The film obviously also plays with the superhero myth, but the lightness feels a bit more natural because of this.
That light-heartedness is also desperately needed to put the careless bloodshed into perspective. Because Gunn doesn’t look at a human life more or less. Even people who don’t deserve it are put to the sword with a joke. This playful nihilism will probably not appeal to everyone, but the benevolent Schokkend Nieuws reader will not mind it.
All the more so because the director, who is also responsible for the script, knows what he is doing so well. In the midst of all the fun, he provides his characters with clear motives that keep all the grotesque setpieces grounded. He skillfully plays with expectations and continuity. For example, he manages to turn one of DC’s most idiotic and obscure B-choice crooks, Polka-Dot Man, into a rounded, essential character.
Conclusion
What remains after the nitpicking is a streamlined summer blockbuster with a great cast that does things a little differently than you are used to. No reboot or direct sequel, just ‘ James Gunn’s Suicide Squad ‘.
