The Suicide squad- not your usual comic book film

Not going to lie, I haven’t missed watching a film in the theatre this much in SUCH A LOOONG TIME…

The Suicide Squad is now out in theatres and on HBO Max. Directed by the magnificent James Gunn, one of my favorite directors currently working in the industry, the film stars a star-studded cast of Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, John Cena and others. The film features the notorious band of criminals, the Suicide Squad (or more appropriately, Task Force X), who are assigned by Amanda Waller from the first film to take down a lab in a third world country that could pose a threat to the entire world, and subsequently our ‘heroes’ face an alien warlord kept clandestine for three decades is released from captivity.

I’ll be honest, I had high hopes with this film from the moment Gunn took charge. James Gunn is a Promethean filmmaker- his works are farcical but with an underlying beauty that is eventually discovered. Additionally, the star-studded cast and the trailers promised something good.

The smile on my face- I wish you could see it- while watching the film said everything- THE SUICIDE SQUAD IS A DAMN GOOD FILM.

I think it’s time to dissect all the goodness James Gunn’s magnum opus has to offer (without spoilers, ofc)

1. THE CHARACTERS

One thing that was wrong with David Ayer’s 2016 film was its dull, one-dimensional characters. James Gunn fixes that issue brilliantly in his version. These are some of the most memorable characters I’ve ever seen in a film, and each character get entertaining backstories that doesn’t hamper the flow of the current events. These are extremely obscure characters, and Gunn presents them in a lovable way just like he presented Starlord, Gamora and Rocket to us.

I for one loved John Cena’s Peacemaker and Daniela Melchior’s The Ratcatcher. But the one who really stole the show was Silvester Stallone’s King Shark. King Shark is the epitome of Gunn’s ability to portray CGI characters in a lovable way- he is quirky at times, funny, and extremely lovely, like Groot from The Guardians of the Galaxy. Every scene with him interacting with his fellow delinquents is a treat to watch, and when he gets into action, he is absolutely terrifying.

The actors do a great job in portraying their characters. Idris Elba and Margot Robbie handle their parts exceptionally well, and Joel Kinnaman is phenomenal too. It’s also a pleasure to see how these heroes obtained their powers, their backstories are compelling and so are their powers (I mean there’s someone who burns through stuff with polka dots, isn’t that cool?) which are incredibly displayed, kudos to Gunn’s CGI prowess.

2. THE VIOLENCE

I was super excited when I learned that this film was going to be Rated-R. After all, these are (or were) villains who have committed genocides that has led them into being imprisoned, and they certainly didn't leave behind those violent mentalities back in their cellars.

BUT HONESTLY THE GORE IS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE.

I haven’t seen such a violent film in months. Often times, heads and limbs are flying around, King Shark is tearing apart military personnel and chewing on heads, bodies are exploding here and there with blood and brains splattering all around, Polka Dot Man’s polka dots are searing through organs- this film literally had everything. You can say James Gunn properly utilized the freedom he was given. The gory action sequences and vulgar talks really made the battles more intense. In fact, this is exactly what I want from superhero films and shows after what Invincible has shown us.

3. JAMES GUNN’S BRILLIANCE

The predecessor had issues telling a cohesive story. It was almost a blend of three different films, and failed to mesh the different storylines together. Gunn avoids that by making the storyline a cohesive one and the narrative flows smoothly. Moreover, James Gunn takes advantage of the age rating and lashes out at the other superhero films for being too meek and ‘films only for children’. He perfectly balances the gore too, and it is an element in the film that allows us to perceive the intensity of the situation.

Gunn even beautifully balances the comedy. There are scenes which are extremely funny because he knows how to make the jokes work. Crude references show up too, and sometimes the characters poke fun at the current world situation we are going through. There’s even a Covid reference, and it really had me rolling on the floor with laughter.

To conclude, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is a literal masterpiece for an admirer of Comic book films. It sets up the storylines for this unusual bunch of heroes perfectly, and could be the launchpad to a DC universe we have been eagerly waiting for.

I’m going to give The Suicide Squad an ‘A’.