The Suicide Squad are back everybody. That’s right the supervillain team made to do the things superheroes are too good to do. This time around there are a host of new faces, Mongal (Mayling Ng), T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) and so many more.
They are lead by returning fan favourites Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) who head out on a mission to Corto Maltese. This is a country in political upheaval and there are even more sinister shadows to watch out for. And the Suicide Squad’s latest mission is to bring down the newly formed government before they unleash a supposed superweapon.
The Suicide Squad for me is one of the best of 2021. It’s simple as that. From the bizarre visual imagery that showcases the twisted minds of each of these characters to the intense and zany score, everything is firing on all cylinders in this film.
For example, David Dastmalchian’s character Polka-Dot Man is a meta-human that fires polka dots. He hates utilising this surprisingly dangerous ability but his trauma is so ingrained in him thanks to his horrible mother he sees her wherever he goes. To make this matter worse the film shows this off to the audience so you see this disturbed mentality on full show and it’s strange.
This is suicide
Further delving into the cast, there is a lot of depth to several of them. In particular Bloodsport and Ratcatcher II (Daniela Melchior). These two have a wonderful rapport. This is due to their relationships to their respective families. Ratcatcher II has this tragic but beautiful story about her and her father the original Ratcatcher. With Bloodsport it’s all about his daughter and how he’s failed her due to several reasons.
For one he is not a good person but also he doesn’t want to repeat the failings of his own father. They meet somewhere in the middle and bond over this common ground and it’s wonderful. Mainly because Daniela Melchior is the heart of this film, she brings a lot of genuine empathy to this group of monsters. And have no doubt ladies and gentlemen this Suicide Squad are monsters. You don’t fully know if you can trust every member of the team.
That’s what Gunn has succeeded here that Ayer I feel failed at in the first film. There is a genuine sense of unpredictability in the film. For the most part, you have no idea who will live or who will die. There are a few joke deaths that unfortunately took me out of the film which is unfortunate because the film had done such a good job, for the most part, balancing the silliness and the seriousness of this comic book adventure.
Not only that the action is bright, colourful and pops with character. The stunt team on this film should be celebrated for all the work they put in. This film also has perhaps the best action scene involving Harley Quinn. This is after all our third outing with Harley and Margot Robbie has become one with this character.
It’s like angels are smooching all over us
When The Suicide Squad is at its best it is when it has these characters being their twisted and depraved selves. You will have a favourite and you will hope if they survive. When the film falters it falters in the same places the first entry did. Thankfully these aren’t as serious in my opinion as the last entry. For example, Peter Capaldi plays the Thinker but all he really does is spew exposition in that iconic Doctor Who style audiences love him for.
Meanwhile, there is also a personal issue I have had since the first film. The Suicide Squad are sent on a mission to face off against a villain that is way above their pay grade. In the first film, it was The Enchantress (Cara Delevigne) a magical god.
In The Suicide Squad, the threat is equally as dangerous and their biggest weapon is a (potential) descendent of a sea god with the mind of a toddler (that’s King Shark by the way who is visually fascinating but feels like DC’s attempt at Groot). These are minor gripes but I couldn’t help but see these while watching the film.
The Suicide Squad is a brilliant film. Visually sumptuous, filled to the brim with R-Rated action that pops like the splash pages of the comics they are taking inspiration from and packed with memorable characters. At its centre though it is a film about an unlikely family that band together to try and stay alive. They’re just horrible people that you wouldn’t want to be caught dead with.
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