The Suicide Squad
Year: 2021
Rating: R
Length: 132 minutes / 2.20 hours
I don’t mind superhero films. I think they’re fun and flashy, and I can turn my mind off for an hour or two. What I do mind is endless reboots of franchises. The fact that I saw three separate Spider-Man reboots in 15 years accentuates my point. Now, I understand that The Suicide Squad (2021) is allegedly a sequel to Suicide Squad (2016). Still, it felt more like a reboot since Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) were the only recurring characters. And, let’s be honest, they can’t cast Harley Quinn with anyone other than Margot Robbie now.
For those who thought that having a great director like James Gunn on board would make this film better than its predecessor, you’re partly right. Sure, there’s a bit of his style of humor that is on display. Still, it’s essentially the same plot as the previous iteration in this series, with different characters filling the main roles. Granted, some of the storytelling is better, even if it felt like the character introductions seemed to drag on forever. At least they sped through the whole “this is what the Suicide Squad is” spiel in the first 10 minutes.
To its credit, The Suicide Squad has a couple of great set pieces (which most well-done superhero films have anyway), even if one of them is an obligatory Harley Quinn sequence. I can also appreciate how this film didn’t try too hard to tie into the greater DC Extended Universe since it’s clear now that they can’t get their act together as Marvel did. In the end, The Suicide Squad is a fun, R-rated superhero romp that improved on its formula with the help of a better director with more creative control.
The same plot as five years ago, but with some improvements, I give The Suicide Squad 3.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
