‘I was happy in space, looking at the stars…’
One of the reasons that comic book adaptations have become so tiresome is that people take those movies so damn seriously. I enjoyed The Batman as much as the next film nerd, but what I didn’t enjoy was the endless discourse surrounding the film. Why can’t these movies just be fun? Well, a decidedly not fun film was of course the original Suicide Squad. In fact, it’s a film so devoid of fun that absolutely every human being in the world hated that movie. Myself included. Now. Writer/director James Gunn does know about fun. The man made Slither. The man made Super. More pertinently perhaps, he made The Guardians of the Galaxy. And so, his iteration of The Suicide Squad is a massive improvement on what came before…
Hmm… the plot. After a genuinely stunning bait and switch in the opening scene, we are left with a plot that, to be honest, really isn’t important. It is the squad themselves that make this movie a winner. Led by Bloodsport (Idris Elba), the Suicide Squad this time consists of Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) and erm… some guy named Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian). And, of course, the ever present and always wonderful Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie). There are also plenty of cameos along the way that help to ensure that The Suicide Squad is never dull despite the bloated running time. Seriously, no film that contains a gigantic starfish as the main antagonist needs to be over two hours long.
As a director, James Gunn has developed his own inimitable style and it is all on display here. Well placed needle drops, visual flair, time slips. Gunn throws everything at the wall here, and while only some of it sticks, when The Suicide Squad is good, it’s really good. The DCEU is renowned for casting everything in shades of grey, but this is a vibrant, colourful movie with vibrant, colourful characters (apart from Bloodsport – Idris Elba is a charisma vacuum, as ever), and it’s all the better for it.
The Suicide Squad is probably the single most entertaining DCEU movie since Zak Snyder started running the show. A surprising success.