The Suicide Squad

 

 

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Suicide Squad is a soft sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad and follows a large ragtag group of miscreants and villains forced to serve the American government for a reduced prison sentence. In this feature the team is deployed to the South American nation of Corto Maltese to destroy the nefarious Project: Starfish. The manner in which this film opened had me surprised and hooked almost immediately. From the beginning we are propelled right into the action, as a team of seemingly capable villains is air dropped behind enemy lines, flashbacks showing us how they are recruited and pulled into the mission. Yet almost immediately the mission goes wrong, bodies start dropping and Amanda Waller's team falls apart so quickly and gruesomely you feel like you are watching a Tarantino dark comedy set in the superhero genre. From this opening the story only really continues to improve and build upon itself; threading a variety of wild or unique personalities who are so absolutely unheroic together that it becomes interesting to see how they could possibly function together. In fact watching these characters develop bond and depend on one another is a great strength that ties into why the final fight sequence works so well. There is also a really consistent theme around morality in the film that I think is delivered brilliantly; in fact you see the murky perceptions of doing 'what is right' delivered exceptionally well through the differing viewpoints of Rick Flag, Ratcatcher II, Bloodsport and Peacemaker in particular. Watching a superhero film where the action is brutal yet supernatural and gargantuan at times feels like a nice blend and you can't help but want more of this dark oddity. The humour is admittedly quite dark and tongue in cheek but it works well for these antagonistic heroes who hardly desire to be in the situations they find themselves in. The cinematography is some of the nicest I've ever seen from James Gunn, with these perfectly framed shots that I think will live timelessly in my head. The special effects were very impressive from the loveable rats to King Shark's brilliant design or even the monstrous Starro. The score for the film had a nice low, heavy tone for  the action scenes but built into these wild intensive pieces for numerous key moments; it was a very worthy and key aspect of setting the tone throughout.

 

Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Jai Courtney and Flula Borg, who played Savant, T.D.K., Captain Boomerang and Javelin respectively, are a major reason why the opening of the film is so solid and captivating to watch; in particular Rooker's role as horrified onlooker stood out and the emotional Bond between Courtney and Robbie onscreen really paved the way for an emotional beginning to the feature. Viola Davis, who played Amanda Waller, really came out swinging in this one; Davis has this deadly and ruthless aura onscreen and the scene in which she threatens to kill the leads is one of the moments that will stay with me. Joel Kinnaman, who played Colonel Rick Flag, comes across as a noble and empathetic leader this time around; the good nature of Flag is what Kinnaman champions in a great moment of conflict with Cena's character. Margot Robbie, who played Harley Quinn, has probably struck her best outing yet as the character; I liked seeing Robbie portraying her role's ownership of her self-worth while also being a completely unpredictable threat to her enemies. Idris Elba, who played Bloodsport, is brilliant as our leading character; Elba plays this very jaded mercenary who finds himself on the path to reluctant hero over the course of the film. John Cena, who played Peacemaker, is a very complex character with a warped approach to peace at all costs; this is easily the best performance of Cena's career. David Dastmalchian, who played Polka-Dot Man, is quite a withdrawn role who feels weighed down by the disturbing origins of his abilities; Dastmalchian manages to create both a role who seems disturbed while also very compassionate for others he allies himself with. Sylvester Stallone, who voiced King Shark, really steals the show in a number of scenes and is going to be a fan favourite coming out of this; Stallone's take on King Shark is a loveable if not very dangerous idiot. Peter Capaldi, who played the Thinker, is quite straight edged as the cynical hostage of the Squad; Capaldi's impassioned speech about illegal US involvement is a stand out scene for him. Taika Waititi, who played Ratcatcher, is a brilliant cameo that gifts us one of the better character motivations of the film; seeing Waititi play this man who should be full of hate or sadness filled instead with nothing but ecstasy and joy is a truly great moment.

However, the best performance came from Daniela Melchior, who played Ratcatcher II. When first we meet Ratcatcher II she seems aloof and apathetic, more lethargic than equipped for a life or death mission. But the charm in Melcior's performance is that her character becomes the heart of this anti-hero squad. Ratcatcher is the one who teaches King Shark how to be friends and not hurt those he's meant to protect. She gently aids Bloodsport through his fear of rats and distrust of others over the course of the film. In a lot of ways Melchior plays this earnest guardian, a character who builds trust in others and has this deep-rooted faith that ultimately good things deserve to happen. Seeing Melchior play to the death of a major character and take up his fight for justice was this really impactful moment that made the feature for me.

The Suicide Squad is a very strong depiction of just how great r-rated comic book films can be, but it's those moments in which the film tries to paint a more grounded world that things wear down. There's a major subplot throughout this film that the fictional nation of Corto Maltese is ruled by a number of militant dictators, some of who are puppeteered by the US government. While the film makes some strong points around American involvement in South America, the storyline and characters actually involved in this storyline are stereotypical and not very engaging. The resistance from this country who are attempting to rebel against their tyrants feel very tacked on to the major story. There are also a few comedic beats in the story that really intrude on the sincerity of the plot, Waller's team knocking her out cold being a prime example. James Gunn is known for his phenomenal film soundtrack compilations but this film didn't wield a very strong track list, with a few minor exceptions here and there.

Mayling Ng and Pete Davidson, who played Mongal and Blackguard respectively, are the weak links in the opening of the film; neither role is ver funny or impactful so is just appearing for a cool CGI death scene. Steve Agee, Tinashe Kajese and Jennifer Holland, who played John Economos, Flo Crawley and Emilia Harcourt respectively, are a comedic backdrop to Davis' Waller that is decidedly unneeded; the fact this group of people struggle to be funny in the scope of their roles only proves that further. Storm Reid, who played Tyla, is a very generic role that I would've expected more in the background of the last Suicide Squad; her troubled relationship with her onscreen father Elba is nothing that hasn't been played out before. Alice Braga, who played Sol Soria, is quite a stoic forgettable character pushed behind the events of the Squad; Braga as this generic freedom fighter is quite a good example of wasted potential. Juan Diego Botto and Joaquin Cosio, who played Presidente General Silvio Luna and Mayor General Matteo Suarez respectively, are dull as minor antagonists for the feature; this pair are despots but little more than that and Botto's romance subplot with Robbie is a strange one to say the least.

Not only has this revitalized the experience of watching a DC film but it has really set a high bar for the superhero genre as a whole. I would give The Suicide Squad an 8.5/10.