When I saw how bad the Suicide Squad was five years ago, I began to believe that the DCEU project was doomed to fail. Justice League which was released a year ago is the “gong”. But, somehow, the failure ended in a blessing. Since Aquaman, DC films have always been satisfying, giving the shared universe another form of alternative to Marvel. Thanks to this new direction, we have the opportunity to witness James Gunn “switch” the studio, giving birth to a standalone sequel which, compared to its predecessor, is grittier, but also funnier, and of course better.
Everyone must have expected Gunn to offer comedy. Among the directors/scriptwriters of the MCU, he is the one who has the most success in using humor as a way to strengthen the characterizations in the two Guardians of the Galaxy films. But gritty? How do “gritty” and “funny” coexist? Best Movie Site
The answer can be seen in the opening sequence, when Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends a Task Force X team to destroy Jötunheim, the laboratory where an experiment called “Project Starfish” takes place. Old faces such as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), and Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) are joined there. I won’t divulge the details of the scene. In essence, Gunn succeeded in achieving what Ayer failed to achieve, namely emphasizing why Task Force X was nicknamed “Suicide Squad”.
Not because they have to undergo an extraordinarily dangerous mission. Not only that, because all superheroes experience it. It’s about the essence of Task Force X, as a team whose lives are considered worthless, so they can be sent, not only to bet their lives, but (literally) to die.
After that, we also met the new members. Bloodsport (Idris Elba) as the leader, Peacemaker (John Cena) who is willing to kill anyone to achieve world peace, Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) who is able to control mice, Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) with super powers in the form of…well. , throwing polka-dotted objects, and Nanaue aka King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) the man-eating fish-man but with an innocent personality.
The Suicide Squad appears like a remedy of the previous film. A weapons expert as a team leader who is willing to take part for his daughter (Bloodsport and Deadshot), a woman who steals attention (Ratcatcher 2 and Harley Quinn), a comedic character with strange powers (Polka-Dot Man and Captain Boomerang), and a monster (King Shark). and Killer Croc). But as remedial should be, this time the results have increased. Gunn understands what went wrong and why.
Gunn’s characters are interesting, because they don’t take themselves too seriously. Bloodsport is not a boring cliché Deadshot. Helped by Elba’s expertise in handling comedy without losing his charisma, he plays an active role in bringing Gunn’s signature humor to life, including his duet with Cena. Bloodsport and Peacemaker create an intriguing rivalry between the two alpha males, who always have time to make fun of each other.
Neither was the King Shark, who wasn’t a personalityless monster like Killer Croc. He is the team’s mascot, arranged like a combination of Groot and Hulk. If the green giant is synonymous with the word “smash”, then “nom nom” becomes the catchphrase of King Shark.
Gunn confirmed, The Suicide Squad to be an ensemble film instead of a “Harley Quinn film”. Harley’s portion is reduced. Even after the first half, he was separated from the team. Gunn realized that no matter how well he wrote, Robbie’s charm was too strong, potentially drowning out other characters. Instead, he is given an action sequence of his own, while his comrades run “Operation Harley Quinn”, in order to save Harley from enemy threats. But of course, as one of the greatest symbols of empowerment in the modern superhero film scene, Harley doesn’t need to be saved.
Regarding the presentation of the drama, Gunn’s writing actually doesn’t deserve to be called smooth, because it depends on the expositions that are forced into it. Especially about Ratcatcher 2’s past, which makes the character play an important role in the whole plot. How flashbacks tucked in, seems awkward. Weaknesses that are fortunately made up for by the sensitivity of the direction, when Gunn, as in the two Guardians of the Galaxy films, makes “family” the strongest weapon. Movie Review
In the realm of action, The Suicide Squad reminds the audience that James Gunn is a “graduate” of Troma, which is synonymous with splatter (Gunn’s debut was writing the script for Tromeo & Juliet in 1996). Accompanied by a choice of first-class songs, Gunn flooded the screen with blood and pieces of human bodies. When the humor and the thin plot start to reach the limit after passing one hour (it won’t be too pronounced if the duration is under two hours), the action always manages to restore the attraction. Moreover, unlike Ayer’s version, The Suicide Squad, with a budget of “only” an increase of 10 million, has much more capable CGI quality (For example, Starro and King Shark).
Taking the majority of the setting in the middle of a forest that is bombarded with fire and explosions, giving the team of heroes a caper film-style infiltration mission into the military headquarters of an enemy country, The Suicide Squad appears like a war movie. Precisely war films from the 1960s to 1970s. The Dirty Dozen (1967) first comes to mind, because like The Suicide Squad, this film by Robert Aldrich also tells about the formation of a team of the most dangerous criminals, to undertake a suicide mission. Even the posters for the two films are similar (an intentional tribute). Combine that with Gunn’s signature Troma touch, and it creates an incredibly enjoyable dish. As soon as the film was over, I immediately watched it again. Top Movie