The Suicide Squad

In "The Suicide Squad," the action-packed sequel to "Suicide Squad," the thrill starts right from the beginning. Set in a lush jungle on a mysterious island, the movie immediately captivates the audience with its promising backdrop. The second installment outshines its predecessor in various ways, particularly in the realm of characters.

While Will Smith's performance in the first movie was rather commendable, Idris Elba takes the reins in part 2, displaying his immense talent and becoming the perfect leader for the squad's perilous missions. The addition of Peacemaker brings a refreshing dynamic to the team. Harley Quinn's character undergoes significant development, making her role even more delightful. Unlike the first movie, where some superheroes seemed out of place, each character in "The Suicide Squad" has a well-justified presence, contributing to a greater character arc.

Engagement and entertainment remain consistent throughout the film, with very few dull moments. The writers skillfully follow a classic approach, bringing the story full circle by ending with a scene that harks back to its origins. Among the diverse cast of superheroes, Bloodsport shines as one of the best, while ratcatcher 2 also impresses with her captivating performance.

While the script is engaging overall, there was one instance that seemed implausible even in a lighthearted context. A character's head is chopped off, the peculiar part was that his eyes continued to move. Although this added an element of dark humor, it might have stretched the bounds of believability even within the superhero genre.

In conclusion, "The Suicide Squad" surpasses its predecessor by delivering a gripping and action-packed adventure. With improved character development and a smart balance of humor and action, it keeps the audience entertained. Director James Gunn masterfully crafts a superhero spectacle that fans and newcomers alike thoroughly enjoy.

The first time I watched The Suicide Squad it was with a number of other people and I have to admit that I really didn't get much from it. It was just OKAY to me.

A couple of months later, my husband and I watched it and I really listened and paid attention, and I thought it was excellent - apart from the dumb / gratuitous harm to the birds (what the heck was that about, anyway?) and the ridiculous villainous "thing" (I won't say more in order to avoid a Spoiler tag). The 'twist' early on, and the comedic flow, especially between Elba and Cena, was fantastic.

The thing is, although I normally do not find many movies to be rewatchable, we just got through watching it (for me, a third time) with family, and if anything, I found it even funnier than the last time! My rating of 9, is for the times I laughed just today.

...but this has all the imperfections and grit I want in an ADULT superhero movie. As odd as this seems, I saw "Invincible" animation series, and this reminded me of an IRL version of that.

The comedy is actually funny and not cheesy or cringy, the superheroes outside of Cena don't all look roided to be powerful, and there's actually good acting.

Marvel is for kids, DC is for adults-hate it but if you're honest you'd agree.

This movie is surprisingly fantastic. Much has been said about it so I want to just add my two cents about universe building in movies. From the very first scene, Suicide Squad made it clear what it was. You understand the world you are in and the rules in place, or lack there of. It then follows those defined rules throughout. Comic book movies can take many forms from gritty realism like Joker all the way to off the wall zany like we see here. As long as the movie follows it's own rules, viewers are willing to go wherever the director wants. What an absolute blast of a good time this one is.

The smartest move DC ever made was to quit concerning themselves with cinematic world building and focus on making (mostly) standalone films that were simply entertaining...and didn't require a master's degree in Snydernomics to appreciate.

Their second smartest move was nabbing James Gunn for The Suicide Squad, and not just because the first film was terrible. Material like this needs Gunn's flair for irreverence, clever dialogue and, most importantly, instilling characters with engaging personalities. He may not have created Suicide Squad, but this adaptation has his stamp all over it.

And for the first time since his directorial debut, Slither, Gunn is unbound by the restrictions of a PG-13 rating, something else the material really needed. Hence, the film is vivid, violent and vulgar, yet at the same time, seldom feels pandering or gratuitous. Punctuated by gobs of gags and hilarious dialogue, the movie earns its dismemberments and f-bombs along the way. In fact, the whole thing plays very much like Guardians of the Galaxy without a filter.

And like Guardians, it's ultimately the characters that matter. Ironically, the one we're most familiar with - Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) - is the least interesting, perhaps because she's already been established with two previous films and there isn't much more Gunn could do with her. But everyone else is wonderfully realized and played perfectly by the ensemble cast. As Bloodsport, the de-facto leader of this new team, Idris Elba strikes the right balance of stoicism and uncertainty, while John Cena (as Peacemaker) once-again demonstrates he's more adept at comedy than pure action. Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmaichian) and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) are also fun, each with amusing backstories. But King Shark steals every scene he's in, a perpetually hungry manfish who manages to be both monstrous and endearing (and a role Sylvester Stallone was born to play).

With the exception of Task Force X director Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), the antagonists are perfunctory. Their plan, however, is gloriously insane; the dictator of Corto Maltese plans to wipe out America using a 30-year-old experiment gone wrong: Starro, a giant extraterrestrial starfish that spawns face-hugging offspring to re-animate & control the dead. This leads to a final act that's as hilarious as it is grotesque, aided by amusing visual effects.

Unlike the first film - which was mostly just bells & whistles - The Suicide Squad is the complete package, delivering an abundance of action, humor, violence and well-realized characters. James Gunn's playful approach is just what was needed, making it the best - and maybe the smartest - DC film since Christopher Nolan hung up his spurs.