Movie Breakdown: The Suicide Squad
Pre-Screening Stance:
I don’t have it in me to try and revisit the bizarre path that led to James Gunn writing and directing The Suicide Squad – the sequel to David Ayer’s oft-maligned Suicide Squad – so I’ll just point out one little thing – the movie looks like a lot of fun. I’m ready!
Post-Screening Ramble:
The Suicide Squad is a blast, and I think it’s because James Gunn got to do whatever he wanted. This is a film that – outside of a few familiar faces and name drops – feels very much like a standalone effort, plus it’s hyper violent and weird as hell.
The story revolves around a largely-new bunch of Suicide Squad-ers being sent on a secret mission. Naturally, things go wrong, and then those who make it are left to complete said mission or have their heads exploded by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). There’s clearly a lot more at play, but this movie has so many surprises of all sorts that I’d be doing you a disservice by providing any further plot details.
What I will do though is give you a few of my highlights. The first is the film’s pace, which just absolutely hums along and never drags. Gunn has a knack for knowing when to – for lack of a better phrase – turn the volume up or down, so there’s a flow to The Suicide Squad that really works. There’s also the all-around great cast, with John Cena (as Peacekeeper), Idris Elba (as Bloodsport), Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn) and Sylvester Stallone (as King Shark) especially standing out. And then, just to excitedly reiterate what I noted earlier, the film is hyper violent and weird as hell. Definitely expect to see a lot of blood and people exploding and so on and so forth, and you should also get ready to say “WTF” a lot and be weirdly into a group of insane criminals.
If the first Suicide Squad didn’t do it for you, then you’ll be happy to hear that The Suicide Squad certainly will. It’s a big, fun, nutty movie that deserves to be seen in a theater. Catch it there or on HBO Max this Friday, August 6.
One Last Thought:
Sylvester Stallone’s King Shark is great in this movie, but I remain overly attached to the Ron Funches version from the Harley Quinn series. Here’s hoping I eventually get a live action version of him.
