The Suicide Squad is a DC Extended Universe (DCEU) superhero film based on the DC Comics team, Suicide Squad. The part-sequel, part-reimagining of the 2016 film of almost exactly the same name is written and directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) – if you didn’t know, I think you’d be able to tell!
Disposable super-villains Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and the ironically named Peacemaker (John Cena) and a collection of criminally-insane convicts join the shady Task Force X. Under the instruction of Viola Davis (The Help, How to Get Away with Murder), the squad are dropped off at the remote, enemy-inhabited and presumably-fictional island of Corto Maltese and are sent to destroy a Nazi-era laboratory and a giant starfish alien thing (Starro) – you know, the usual stuff!
Gunn demonstrates that there are ways to keep things edgy while offering enough crowd-pleasing action and humour to keep the film ticking over nicely. The epitome of this is where Bloodsport and Peacemaker turn the invasion of an enemy camp into a ridiculous game of one-upmanship as they pick off the bad guys one by one (well, sometimes more than one at once).
The film, despite its taskforce consisting of mutant sharks (that sound like Sylvester Stallone…), killer clowns and the criminally insane, somehow succeeds in re-framing its characters as victims, not just villains. As often seems to be the case with these DC Films, Harley Quinn leads the way – particularly in her own little mid-film jaunt away from the rest of the gang.
The storyline is terrible and some of the gore is over-the-top. Nonetheless, it is very funny, entertaining and a massive upgrade on the original film. Gunn expertly performs an early bait and switch manoeuvre on the film’s viewers – so don’t become too attached to any of the characters!
The story is weak and at points it makes little sense. However, it is a magnificent action spectacle worthy of the cinema, with enough genuinely funny moments for three films.
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