If the “Suicide Squad” franchise keeps going, I suppose we’ll get cringeworthy titles like “Suicide 3” and “Squad 4” and “SS5.” But I hope it does keep going, if the second entry – “The Suicide Squad” (HBO Max) (not to be confused with the “The”-less first installment) – is any indication of its limitless potential.
Sticking to his Gunns
Writer-director James Gunn can make gorgeous cinematic pop-art in his sleep now, but I’m glad he gives (and is allowed by his DC Extended Universe bosses to give) a lot of attention to “TSS.”
He and his collaborators (including brother Sean, who motion-captures Weasel and cameos as Calendar Man here) tap into the color and the special effects and stylized violence and comedy that also brought the “Guardians of the Galaxy” pictures to life.
“The Suicide Squad” (2021)
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Stars: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena
But they also recognize the particular vibe of this saga: a dash more violence, a smidgen less jokiness compared to “Guardians.” The plot is similar to that of David Ayer’s 2016 original, and that allows the sequel to use expositional shorthand and hit us with surprises.
Even before the opening credits, “TSS” pulls off an eye-opening about-face, and more moments follow. Like “Degrassi” a decade ago, this movie “so goes there.” By surprisingly killing off major characters, or new characters played by name actors, we feel a sense of peril throughout.
Sure, it’s a cartoonish kind of peril, but that’s not nothing. “TSS” is the latest (and best) in a year of monster movies (or movies with monsters in them). When compared to, say, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” it’s clear that this film is more interested in the humans (or meta-humans, as it were) and how they play off each other.
Squad goals
Suicide Squad version 2.0 – again dispatched by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) on a dangerous mission, this one to an island nation – is again a ragtag bunch. But the interplay is better as Gunn’s screenplay hits on light and dark comedy but always sees these people as thinking and feeling beings.
Ratcatcher 2 (Portuguese newcomer Daniela Melchior) – who controls rats — befriends King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone), who otherwise is prone to eat people.
Polka-Dot Man (veteran character actor David Dastmalchian) is able to unleash violence only by picturing the enemy as his mother (Lynne Ashe).
Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) expand on their nicely understated bond from the first film.
Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and Peacemaker (John Cena) realize they have the same superpower (accurate shooting), so they argue about who is more perfect at it.
DCEU comes alive
In further conversations between these two, Gunn presents his major thesis: Which is more important to liberty – the truth, or hiding horrific truths?
That’s the sort of question you could find in the first film by scratching away at it, but that movie is too flawed (not entirely the fault of Ayer, as we’ve learned since then) for most viewers to go to the effort.
“TSS” could be a guidebook on how to do everything better, yet it’s not stiff and workmanlike. It’s consistently light and fun (even when the humor and commentary get dark).
We get a monster-movie finale that could stand aside other city-smashing fests from 2021. But it’s in smaller moments where Gunn puts his stamp.
Smart art
As Harley (who could compete with the men in target practice) shoots her way through a swath of bad guys, we see her skewed point of view, with imagined flowers bursting behind her.
Also behind many scenes are a great indie-leaning soundtrack (an improvement over the on-the-nose selections from the original) and a versatile score by John Murphy (who, interestingly, worked on “Kick-Ass,” a lesser version of Gunn’s brilliant “Super”).
“The Suicide Squad” passes Special Effects Action Movie 101 with literal flying colors, but it also boasts a handful of moments that aren’t like anything we’ve seen before. For instance, a fight in a sunlit rainstorm pops out.
Even though this island nation is new to the DCEU, we don’t sense that Gunn is inventing this landscape – as he is, of course, standing on the shoulders of previous superhero actioners. But he’s certainly living in it, and reveling in the fact that anything can happen to his Squad.
And we delight when numerous “anythings” do happen.