It is safe to say that the DC Extended Universe is a complete mess.
Warner Bros.’ cinematic superhero universe has about as much chemistry as pure water. The studio has spent years trying to catch up to where Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe is today. However, the DCEU’s success has been erratic with critically panned films like “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” to outright flops such as last year’s “Birds of Prey” starring Margot Robbie. Warner Bros. has not found its footing in the realm of costumed heroes and the future is even more uncertain.
Five years ago, Warner Bros. used the box office charm of Will Smith and Robbie to create “Suicide Squad,” a story about offshoot superheroes, and hoped to have the same magic as Disney’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.” While box office receipts were satisfactory, fans hated the movie and its planned 2020 sequel lost both Will Smith and writer/director David Ayer.
Since “Guardians of the Galaxy” was the film Warner Bros. wanted to emulate, they hired its controversial writer/director, James Gunn, to take the reins, and brought in Idris Elba to replace Smith.
Starting from scratch, “The Suicide Squad” looks to repair the mistakes of the first film, and it succeeds — for the most part.
“The Suicide Squad” is what we should have gotten five years ago. Warner Bros.’ biggest misstep with the 2016 film was opting to make it PG-13; the effort to reach a broader audience ultimately crippled the creative potential of the characters. Those limitations have been removed here and “The Suicide Squad” is brutal in its violence and dark in its humor.
The two standouts are Cena and Melchior. Cena, in the role of The Peacemaker, is a conflicted character who tries to bring peace through brutality. In one of Cena’s best lines, he promptly states there is no man, woman, or child he won’t kill to maintain peace.
Melchior as Ratcatcher is the film’s humanity and the only redeemable character in the bunch. Ratcatcher has a touching backstory that Melchior brings to life, giving the audience the only semi-relatable character in a caper full of terrible people.
Gunn does a much better job telling the story of a group of anti-heroes than Ayer did. “The Suicide Squad” is truer to the comic book than the first movie, and they don’t have to deal with a terrible Joker cameo bringing down the mood. Arguably the best bit in the film is a game of one-upmanship between Cena and Elba’s characters that ends terribly wrong with a shocking reveal.
Gunn’s go-to move to feature 1970s pop songs is present, as old-school classics accompany many scenes of brutality for comedic effect. The film is far more fun than its predecessor, but still has its issues.
“The Suicide Squad” is a major upgrade from the original film and is far more faithful to the comics. The move to make this movie R-rated was a step in the right direction, and Gunn created the crash TV film Warner Bros. should have made in the first place.
3.5/5
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