FILM REVIEW: The Suicide Squad (2021)

Some Thoughts Regarding Expectations

Generally speaking, when it comes to the more recent Warner Brothers DC movies, I set my expectations rather low. Whether it is the fault of the Warner Brothers executives, the directors and screenwriters they hire, or the marketing of these films themselves is up for debate— regardless, in my eyes the best of the new era of DC films has been Wonder Woman (2017) and Shazam! (2019). That being said, I have found the Zack Snyder films entertaining, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) has become a guilty pleasure popcorn film for me, and I loved Man of Steel (2013) when I saw it in theaters. I am yet to watch Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), because I have been unable to set aside 4 hours to watch the 4:3 aspect ratio epic. Regardless, these newer DC movies, with the exception of the aforementioned two, just haven’t wowed me in terms of quality or re-watchability as other pieces of current superhero media (ex. the early seasons of The Flash and Arrow, most MCU films and TV shows, and Invincible to name a few). Case in point, I remember seeing Suicide Squad (2016) in theaters. Sure, it was mostly entertaining, but I didn’t feel overly compelled by the plot, nor did I feel any strong connection with any of the characters in the ensemble cast. Which brings me to my next point regarding expectations…

It is far from impossible to have a film with an ensemble cast and not feel connected to each member of the group. I remember growing up watching The Dirty Dozen (1967), Steven Soderberg’s Ocean’s Trilogy (2001 - 2007), and even The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003); and in each of those films I felt invested in every single character that was portrayed within that ensemble cast. The films in the MCU have been able to do this as well, albeit aided by their standalone films for the majority of their compositional characters.

That being said, in all of these instances with regards to ensemble casts, there’s still one thing they have in common: a clear protagonist. The Dirty Dozen has Lee Marvin’s Major Reisman, Ocean’s 11, 12, & 13 all have Clooney’s Danny Ocean, The Lord of the Rings has Frodo, and each MCU film with an ensemble cast has a clear protagonist that can be picked out in each film, for example in the first two Avengers it can be argued that the protagonist is RDJ’s Tony Stark and that in The Guardians of the Galaxy films it’s Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill. Having mentioned Guardians, that brings us back to the film in question: James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad (2021).

Hearing that Gunn would be writing and directing this film, I was automatically very interested. Having seen his work in the MCU, I thought it was very exciting to see what a Marvel director would do with DC stories and characters. Then the first trailer came out, and I remember texting a dear friend of mine saying how the film looked like “delectable chaos.” Needless to say, I was looking forward to seeing this movie, in theaters or otherwise. When this week arrived and I realized I would get to stream the film yesterday, I was elated. Which brings us to this review…

Spoiler Free Review

The Good

Bottom line: I am interested in seeing the film a second time, and perhaps, sooner rather than later.

With regards to style, James Gunn does not disappoint. The Suicide Squad screams comic book movie in its visual design, cinematography, direction, visual effects, and dialogue. The extravagantly violent battle scenes and character quips feel pulled right out of the panels of a DC comic book. Additionally, there are some classic Gunn gags throughout the film that makes this movie quite humorous and entertaining. Gunn also leaves his signature mark on this film with a well picked soundtrack of songs that blend seamlessly into the world of the film.

The cast performs quite well— the repartee between Cena’s and Elba’s characters is an amusing waltz, Stallone’s voice acting as King Shark is nothing short of delightful, newcomer Daniela Melchior was fun to watch and her character felt very real, Dastmalchian’s Polka Dot Man portrayal was unsettlingly heartwarming and fun, while Robbie’s Quinn continues to prove to be the definitive live action portrayal of the character. Additionally Peter Capaldi’s Thinker is a welcome presence in the film, as is the ruthlessness of Davis’ Waller.

For the most part, the film hits its beats on time and is well paced. I felt hooked within the film’s first ten minutes, just as any good movie should make you feel. The three act structure is fairly clear, and is somewhat helpfully marked by the cleverly designed inter-titles between certain sequences (which again, present themselves as something straight out of a comic book).

The Bad

I wanted to love this movie, but on first viewing I did not. Perhaps on my second viewing many of my issues with this picture will dissolve away, and I will find that they were merely personal. However, looking at this film objectively, on first viewing, my main problems with this movie boil down to two issues: characters and formula.

Characters

As written above, when looking at a film with an ensemble cast, I expect there to be a clear protagonist. In this film, I initially had a hard time picking out who it was. It almost feels like a game, and it’s a game that I personally don’t like to play.

In some scenes you might think it’s Elba’s Bloodsport, others it could be Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2; and then, you could also get the impression that it’s Kinnaman’s Rick Flag since his character is analogous to Marvin’s Reisman in The Dirty Dozen. However, looking at the film in retrospect, it’s clear that it’s Elba’s Bloodsport.

This is a game no audience member should have to play. Arguably, from the beginning Gunn does make it clear that we’re following Elba’s character. However, by virtue of having to play this “game” I felt that at times, on this first viewing, I lost track of him. That being said, I will probably feel differently about this on my second viewing.

Formula

As other audience members and critics have pointed out, the overall story for this film isn’t quite stellar. In this review I’ve made references to The Dirty Dozen very intentionally, because this movie at times felt very formulaic. Additionally, there was one instance in which I could have done without one of the inter-titles because it only served to draw the red circle around the direction I thought the movie was going in. Regrettably, there were few times in this film where my expectations were subverted.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I would say that this movie is another step in the right direction for DC. On this first screening, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s the leap that Shazam! or Wonder Woman were, however, I think on another viewing I may change my mind.

Having said that, I would recommend viewing of this film if you want to stay in the know with the culture, and if you want to have some mindless fun with a popcorn movie for roughly 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Spoiler Filled Review (DO NOT READ BEYOND HERE IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS)

Concerning Protagonists

With regards to losing track of Bloodsport and the film’s structure, I think this was largely due to how the film was edited. We spend eight of the first ten minutes of the film with Michael Rooker’s Savant while he’s underscored by Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison.” In those first eight minutes, we’re led to believe that he may be the protagonist, but Gunn brilliantly subverts expectations by killing him off.

At that point, our attention then turns to Elba. We learn that he’s a man who sees no good in himself, and he projects that on to the daughter he never wanted. This is a much clearer image of a protagonist if I ever saw one. We follow him and his part of the team as they arrive on the island, as well as his developing father-daughter relationship with Melchior’s Mousecatcher 2. It’s heartwarming and well done, but then we get to the main mission near the end of the second act and the team splits up…

Instead of cross-cutting to show us what’s happening simultaneously, Gunn and his editor elected to show us what was happening in two separate sequences. On this first viewing, I can say right now, as a screenwriter, I am not a fan of this. The team that goes with Capaldi’s Thinker to destroy Starro learns “the dirty little secrets” and Bloodsport is not a part of this team. This sequence, in which Flag and Mousecatcher 2 learn the true nature of their mission, felt like the second act break and the film’s lowest point— but our protagonist, Bloodsport, wasn’t there for it.

Playing back this film in my mind, the closest Bloodsport comes to a drastic lowest point in the second act is when the bunker collapses, he shoots Cena’s Peacemaker, and Starro breaks free. As the third act begins, Bloodsport’s “redemptive” moment occurs when he turns his back on Waller to save the island, arguably motivated by his relationship with Mousecatcher 2. It’s a good moment, but it’s not a great one. It could have been if we had seen a more drastic lowest point for Bloodsport.

Concerning the Film Overall

I liked the movie. I think I will like it more and perhaps be less critical of it when I see it again.

However, there were aspects of this film that I think I’ll still roll my eyes at when I view it the second time. One example that comes to mind is the scene where Bloodsport shoots Peacemaker, which is incredibly badass, but we didn’t need the line about the smaller bullet in that scene. There are a few other moments that boil down to personal preference, but that’s material for another post.

All in all, I would still recommend viewing of this film, and I am looking forward to watching it again in the not too distant future.