by Austen Terry, Contributing Writer
The Suicide Squad is the best comic book film to come out of DC Comics and Warner Bros. this year. I have always enjoyed dark humor, especially in movies, and this film does not disappoint. Writer-director James Gunn’s style and humor are all over this film and are a big reason why the film is as good as it is. The casting in this movie is absolute perfection and every actor is on point with delivery and tone. Gunn’s writing aside, his direction and editing style in this movie truly make this a one-of-a-kind comic book movie. I watched The Suicide Squad both at home and in IMAX, and it is great either way. I just 100 percent recommend this movie to everyone.
There is my spoiler-free version of the review. I recommend you watch the movie before going any further.
Spoilers to follow for The Suicide Squad!
Plot-wise, the movie is all over the place, but it is easy to follow. The Squad, consisting of Colonel Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), and Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), are sent into fictional South American island of Corto Maltese to deal with Project Starfish after a coup has left the island under a new regime. That is the simplest way to put the plot. In reality, there are so many supervillain characters that it would make a long list. Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends in two squads — one as a distraction and the other to get to the city. So when James Gunn tells you not to get too attached to the characters, he means it, because there is go much death in the first 10 minutes. It is unreal. Another tagline they could use for this movie is, “The Suicide Squad a.k.a. we can not afford all these actors.” All in all, the story progressed in an easy-to-follow way that kept you involved.
Each actor knows their role and plays it to perfection — I’ll highlight some of the best performances. Davis again delivers a powerful performance as Waller that is both intimidating and frightening. Waller is a pretty corrupt person and Davis can deliver every aspect of why she should be feared. Elba as Cena are just perfectly cast, and they work so well together. BloodSport and Peacemaker’s petty one-upmanship was a flawlessly-executed and hilarious scene with some excellent camera work. Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Tinashe Kajese play Waller’s people in a chair, and they work well together from the first moment the whole team is in a scene together where they place bets over who will die on the diversion team. Towards the end, they take out Waller and join with the Squad in helping them save the city from Starro. The characters are perfect comic book representations and feel lifted straight from the page to the screen. King Shark is also excellent as a character and is more than just the group’s Hulk or “muscle.”
The music in this movie flows with the scenes that the songs are accompanying. The song “People Who Died” begins to play just after the first 10 minutes, and as it is playing, the camera follows Waller’s team around as they are paying off the bets of who just died. The music flows with each scene like it belongs there and not like someone is just shuffling through their most popular music.
Also, the way Gunn uses on-screen text is just phenomenal. Where, in some movies, it is annoying and does not need to be there, Gunn finds ways to fit into the movie that works. For instance, he has debris blowing on a beach forming the word “NOW” after a flashback scene to indicate we are back in the present-day, and he uses the clouds form “8 minutes ago” to go into another flashback scene.
The blood and gore also work very well. Some people may not be a fan of gore, but when you have a team of villains going to save the day, there is going to be a lot more gore than in other comic book movies. Having King Shark nom on a skull, eat people whole, or rip a person in half seems unnecessary out of context, but it works for this movie and shows how gruesome villains can be.
The Suicide Squad is a movie that needs to have an R-rating because of the source material. A team of villains going to save a city is not going to end like some superhero just came in and saved the day. It will end in death, destruction, and dismay because the people are unhinged lunatics. And as Peacemaker said, “I cherish peace with all my heart. I don’t care how many men, women, and children I kill to get it.” So if language, lots of blood, and extreme amounts of gore bother you, maybe stay away from this film. If those things don’t, or if you’re just a fan of the property, I strongly recommend this movie. Either way you choose to watch it — whether in a theater or at home — just watch it for a great time. The Suicide Squad deserves all the praise it has gotten and will get. “Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures, my love. But if they have purpose, so do we all.”
Grade: A+