During his extended time out from Disney and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, James Gunn decided to take his talents to the Distinguished Competition and revitalize the Suicide Squad.
Like Zack Snyder before him, David Ayer likely dealt with an insurmountable mountain of red tape and suggestions on high that diluted/spoiled his vision of Suicide Squad. Given the number of viable franchises that hadn’t already been critical and fan disappointments it was a bit of a surprise that Gunn wanted to take another crack at Suicide Squad.
Fortunately for fans of the brand, Gunn delivers the most true to the source material effort from the DC Extended Universe. That’s a low bar, but Gunn has the concept of the series down and does right by fans wanting just one DC film to feel like it’s a direct translation from the comic book.
Ayer’s version of Suicide Squad got the tone of the comic books about half right. The formation of the team was fun and seeing them interact with each other lined up with the comic book. Then it all went haywire when the Squad faced off with raisin head villains and a gyrating belly dancing Enchantress.
Since the audience is already familiar with the concept, Gunn doesn’t have to waste a lot of time on a Squad origin. Amanda Waller (a fantastic Viola Davis) sends the Squad, led by Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnanman), to take out a threat on the island of Corto Maltese. Predictably, the mission immediately goes south and the Squad is left trying to survive a bloody initial salvo.
The opening act is nuts with a slew of characters getting killed off in dramatic and gloriously over the top fashion. It’s one thing for Gunn to promise every character is fair game, but it’s another thing entirely to watch characters you don’t expect getting killed in such shocking ways.
Gunn clearly added some Mort of the Month winners to the cast solely to get killed off, but the cast still has plenty of interesting additions. Peacemaker (John Cena, F9: The Fast Saga) was actually prominently featured in John Ostrander’s acclaimed Suicide Squad comic book run. Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) is another wild card added to the mix presumably to catch the right bullet at the right time for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn.
Too often in the first film it felt like Harley was featured to make her a breakout character capable of headlining her own movies. Gunn dials down the emphasis on Harley’s spotlight without diminishing her as a character. Now in her third time playing the character, Robbie comes off more comfortable and assured of exactly how to play the loose cannon.
The only significant character from the first film missing is Will Smith’s Deadshot. Smith didn’t throw his Tom Cruise star power card around and blended in nicely with the ensemble, but scheduling issues prevented him from returning. Gunn made a pivot that arguably works better with the addition of Bloodsport (Idris Elba), who’s positioned as a secondary leader a la Bronze Tiger in the comic, with a cooler arsenal than Deadshot.
Elba is so good at times it’s easy to forget his range. He gives Bloodsport the right kind of edge to fit in with The Squad while coming off like an immediate player in the DCEU. Cena gets the dichotomy of Peacemaker as the ruthless killer fighting for peace and how that can be played for laughs as well as a commanding intensity.
Crafting two Guardians of the Galaxy films informed Gunn on how to handle an ensemble of such diverse characters and properly spotlight them all. Groot and Rocket Racoon were completely off the mainstream radar until the first film and it’s highly likely that King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) are going to emerge as major fan favorites.
Melchoir provides Ratcatcher 2 with a surprising amount of heart. That makes for a nice contrast for a character who’s main gimmick would traditionally make her a super outcast.
Gunn clearly has a strong comprehension about the Suicide Squad at their core. He brings in comic book elements like the briefing room and Waller’s support staff, who were a vital part of the dynamic.
Ostrander had some tension relieving moments, but didn’t write with an emphasis on comedy. Gunn manages to navigate deadly scenarios with very funny sequences or character quips that work perfectly in that specific moment. The musical selections add to the film’s overall cautiously optimistic and fun mood where disaster could pop out at any second.
Following the opening act where Gunn largely plays the deaths for shocks and awe, subsequent character deaths have far more meaning. There’s still some outrageous killings, but it’s nice to have some significance for more of them.
Bold, prominent colors also help avoid the overall washed out sepia and darker hue visuals of the Snyder Justice League. That color palette worked for Snyder, but shifting the aesthetics to vibrant colors was a smart choice. And as far as that big bad villain showdown at the end? Gunn nails it and delivers a conclusion well worth the build up.
Warner Bros. is already announcing Gunn will be returning for more projects with them. While we might never get Man of Steel 2, at least the odds sound much better for The Suicide Squad 2 if enough characters survive this experience.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
Source: Fwoosh
