The first Suicide Squad was probably one of the most hated movies of 2016. The characters didn’t work, the story was a complete mess and it seemed like that group of villains would never team up again in the big screen.
It’s been five years since that film was released, and now it’s James Gunn’s turn to bring back the Suicide Squad. This time, a new team is assembled by the ruthless Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to take down a scientific facility where something big and dangerous is hidden.
The Suicide Squad is definitely a better movie than the original. And yes, it is a sequel. Even though you don’t really need to know what happened in the first film or the Harley Quinn solo movie Birds of Prey, fans will recognize certain faces and Easter eggs.
This time around, the story is actually interesting and well-constructed. It has some great moments where the characters shine and the action is pretty solid. The worst part of this movie is, in my opinion, the first sequence. To be fair, this part of the film really shows how disposable the characters are to Waller, and it makes us understand why this Suicide Squad exists in the first place. However, the characters that we are introduced here are not that interesting and the whole scene is not funny or thrilling.
Once we get to the main team, the story takes off. The characters that we get to know throughout this sequel are actually interesting villains. Idris Elba’s Bloodsport, Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 and David Dastmalchian’s Polka-Dot Man have the best moments and story arcs in the film, and they deliver both the humor and the heart.
Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 is without a doubt the best character DC has recently brought to the big screen. She also has the best scene in the entire movie, one that’s both emotional and grandiose. And she is the heart of the story, something I would have never said about someone who controls rats.
Now, The Suicide Squad is not perfect. The humor is one of the elements that don’t work, and that’s probably my biggest complain about this film. Most of the jokes are not funny and even Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn suffer from this. She has some good lines but overall, her jokes don’t land.
The action scenes are good, but I think they could have been better. The main issue with this aspect of the film is that the big bad, Starro, is way too overpowered for the squad. For instance, the final battle between the villains and Starro is pretty underwhelming, and it’s shocking that WB let Gunn made the same mistake again, having a third act encounter with a big CGI monster when the Squad’s power level is basically 0. However, I will say that the best part of the third act is definitely Ratcatcher 2’s saving the world moment.
The Suicide Squad is a solid movie. James Gunn has managed to fix some of the worst aspects that made the first film such a horrible DC story. However, I still think that there’s room for improvement here. If we get another Suicide Squad adventure, I think WB needs to choose a better antagonist, one that the Squad could realistically take down. Plus, the jokes must be funnier.
If you are a DC or even a superhero fan, you will enjoy this film. It’s a good one. Just forget about the first Suicide Squad and you’ll be fine.
THE MAKING OF MOVIES 