The Suicide Squad (2021) (Review)

With the horrendous and exceptionally disappointing film in Suicide Squad from 2016, who would’ve guessed a sequel (reboot?) five years later would be as good as it is.

At the leadership of James Gunn and an ensemble crew to back it up, DC has finally released a film worthy of competing against the wave of Marvel films with The Suicide Squad, a standalone sequel to Suicide Squad and the tenth film in the DC Extended Universe. Similar to the atrocious Suicide Squad from five years prior, this film follows a task force of convicts known as the Suicide Squad (hence the name) who are sent to the island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy evidence of the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror.

If the convicts follow orders correctly, they’ll get years off their prison sentence, and everyone lives happily ever after. If they don’t and try to escape, then the explosive that’s implanted inside them will explode, killing them immediately. Sounds like a simple enough plot to follow, right?

❝It takes an interesting approach of using characters most movie goers aren’t familiar with❞

There are a few characters from the original Suicide Squad who reprise their roles with Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, the latter of which is only in it for one scene. The film basically feels like a mulligan for the 2016 film and says: “Okay, we understand we messed up. Here’s a standalone sequel with a great director in James Gunn and a bunch of no-name characters outside of Harley Quinn you’ll all love,” or something to that extent.

Characters You Don’t Know But Love

The characters are a big point in The Suicide Squad. After all, the characters of comic book movies are what primarily drives traffic to the theatres. No one will want to see a Batman movie or any comic film if the actors and characters aren’t compelling.

The Suicide Squad takes an interesting approach of using characters most movie goers aren’t familiar with rather than rely on the appeal of the Joker like they did in 2021. I personally think Gunn chose this route so he can have more freedom with the characters. We all remember when Tim Burton said Batman’s parents murdered by the Joker for some unknown reason in his 1989 Batman film, infuriating everyone since we all know Joe Chill killed his parents. Come on Burton!

So rather than go with notable characters like the original Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad features characters like Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), and Cleo Cazo (Daniela Melchior). Sure, Harley Quinn is in it still, but the freedom of mainly having unknown comic characters gives Gunn the freedom to create unique backstories that may stray from the comics.

Margot Robbie’s Best Performance As Harley Quinn

Although The Suicide Squad is mainly filled with unknown characters, its most notable character, Harley Quinn, steals the show with Margot Robbie perfecting her performance as the character. She’s likable, hilarious, but still carries the insanity you’d expect from a character like Harley Quinn, but it’s not overdone in any way. It’s nice to see Robbie get an excellent script for the character finally.

The Benefit of Its R-Rating

What The Suicide Squad does best is understand what kind of film it is. It didn’t feel rushed and cut like the original did and instead was a fun time throughout the whole film.

Is it a unique or groundbreaking comic book flick like The Dark Knight Rises or Avengers Endgame? No, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s a Rated R hilarious bloody time that’ll hopefully spark more Rated R films in the comic book spectrum.