Close Menu
NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Subscribe
    NERDBOT
    • News
      • Reviews
    • Movies & TV
    • Comics
    • Gaming
    • Collectibles
    • Science & Tech
    • Culture
    • Nerd Voices
    • About Us
      • Join the Team at Nerdbot
    NERDBOT
    Home»News»Review»James Gunn Proves DC Can Succeed with “The Suicide Squad” [Review]
    Review

    James Gunn Proves DC Can Succeed with “The Suicide Squad” [Review]

    Bill WattersBy Bill WattersAugust 5, 20214 Mins Read
    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

    “The Suicide Squad” finally gives Warner Bros. and DC a much needed improvement over its prior multi-character outings. While they have had a number of solo films that have been really good (and in cases arguably great) “Joker,” “Man of Steel,” and “Wonder Woman” all come strongly to mind. Unfortunately there has only been one decent muti-character film with “Birds of Prey.” Okay, so the Snyder Cut of “Justice League” is on a par, but it still loses points for not being the version that was actually released to theaters.

    THE SUICIDE SQUAD (L-r) JOEL KINNAMAN as Colonel Rich Flag, ALICE BRAGA as Sol Soria, DANIELA MELCHIOR as Ratcatcher 2, KING SHARK, IDRIS ELBA as Bloodsport and JOHN CENA as Peacemaker

    Marvel Studios‘ wunderkind director James Gunn has finally been able to resurrect an idea and bring a new spin to a franchise. This time Gunn dials in the tone, violence, and action to the point that it works with the rag-tag assembly of super-villains. He had already set a pretty high bar for himself with Groot; a tree with enough personality that within one film, audiences were legitimately reacting with emotion.

    Now he takes a number of very oddball new characters along with some hold-overs from the prior “Suicide Squad” (2016), and for those that make it though, the audience FEELS when someone gets seriously wounded (or worse). That’s no mean feat, considering when Warner Bros. had Batman and Superman fighting to the death, audiences mostly yawned.

    In 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” David Ayer‘s production got run roughshod over by the studio, losing any cohesion that there might have been when they retooled the film in reaction to “Deadpool’s” success. However now the film was crafted from the ground up by Gunn, its blood, gore, deaths, and mayhem are balanced against the story. It does have a bit of some rough getting started, where the threads are coming together and some dialogue that is rougher than one would usually expect from Gunn. However once the shit starts to hit the fan, it settles in for a wild ride that comes together in a way that would stand up favorably within the MCU.

    Many of the Squad are back for this installment, but there’s far more new characters overall. Even the eccentrics are compelling (which would seem to be one of Gunn’s strengths). I mean who would have thought that a giant humanoid shark named Nanaue aka King Shark (played by Sylvester Stallone) would wind up being more than a punchline, but then we’ve been rooting for the aforementioned tree and a bionic raccoon for years.

    They take along enough characters that there’s plenty of room for people to die liberally on both sides. It gives an additional level of tension often lacking in superhero films because most of the name characters can’t really die (at least for long).

    Tonally the film’s violence, gore, and comedy reads as a blend between “The Belko Experiment,” “The Boys,” and the first “Suicide Squad.” Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn continues to be a stand-out performance among the crew, but it’s not nearly the lop-sided imbalance from the prior film; Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and Daniela Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 both carry enough weight that it no longer feels like “Harley and friends.” The film also avoids another frequent pitfall with superhero films, in that the big bad at the end is often unremarkable or an afterthought. This time it’s a giant alien starfish, but leave it to Gunn and his team to actually make it an effective kaiju battle.

    “The Suicide Squad” opens in theaters on August 6th. It’s rated R, and runs 2 hours and 12 minutes. There is a bonus scene at the very end of the credits, so don’t leave until the bitter end.

    Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

    Do You Want to Know More?

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleKristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel to host “Wicked in Concert” On PBS
    Next Article Feel Your Soul Slowly Dying With “F9: The Fast Saga” [Review]
    Bill Watters
    • Facebook
    • X (Twitter)

    Bill Watters is a child of the late 70s- he walked into a theater to watch Star Wars, and emerged to become a lifelong fan of cinema and television. Spending nearly a decade as a projectionist, he fell into the Silicon Valley dot-com boom and became a codemonkey for a range of game companies. These days he's a frequent speaker, moderator, and panelist at pop-culture events and conventions, as well as a prolific film and television critic and genre news writer. He is also a member critic of both the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Broadcast Film Critics Association. In addition to his writing, he is also a photojournalist and can be found on Getty Images.

    Related Posts

    The F11PRO 2 Drone – Pro-Level Performance Meets Sleek Design

    July 3, 2025

    President Trump Will “Look” at Deporting Elon Musk

    July 2, 2025

    Revitalize Your Mind and Body: How New Image Wellness Transforms Mental Well-being

    July 2, 2025

    Netflix to Stream NASA Launches, Missions, and More

    June 30, 2025

    Is the BYDFi App Worth Downloading? A Practical User Review

    June 30, 2025
    "M3GAN," 2025

    “M3GAN 2.0” A Sequel That Forgets to Have Fun [Review]

    June 29, 2025
    • Latest
    • News
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Reviews
    Automated Hollow Fiber Spinning Machine for Membrane Production

    Automated Hollow Fiber Spinning Machine for Membrane Production

    July 3, 2025
    Exploring the Benefits of CPAP Therapy

    Exploring the Benefits of CPAP Therapy

    July 3, 2025
    Why Membrane Cutter is Essential in Lateral Flow Manufacturing

    Why Membrane Cutter is Essential in Lateral Flow Manufacturing

    July 3, 2025
    A Step-by-Step Guide to the Conveyancing Process in Sydney

    A Step-by-Step Guide to the Conveyancing Process in Sydney

    July 3, 2025

    The F11PRO 2 Drone – Pro-Level Performance Meets Sleek Design

    July 3, 2025

    President Trump Will “Look” at Deporting Elon Musk

    July 2, 2025

    Revitalize Your Mind and Body: How New Image Wellness Transforms Mental Well-being

    July 2, 2025

    Netflix to Stream NASA Launches, Missions, and More

    June 30, 2025

    “Reservoir Dogs” Star Michael Madsen has Passed Away

    July 3, 2025

    Marisa Abela Joins Chad Stahelski’s “Highlander”

    July 2, 2025

    Marvel Studios Reveals BTS Look at “The Fantastic Four”

    July 2, 2025

    David Dastmalchian to Play M. Bison in “Street Fighter”

    July 1, 2025

    “Trainwreck: Storm Area 51” Gets Teaser for Netflix Docu

    July 2, 2025

    Neil Druckmann Leaves HBO’s “Last of Us” Ahead of Season 3

    July 2, 2025

    First Look at Chatsubo Bar from Apple TV+’s “Neuromancer” Series

    July 1, 2025
    “The Tiny Chef Show”

    “Tiny Chef Show” Raises $80k After Nickelodeon Cancelation

    June 28, 2025

    The F11PRO 2 Drone – Pro-Level Performance Meets Sleek Design

    July 3, 2025
    "M3GAN," 2025

    “M3GAN 2.0” A Sequel That Forgets to Have Fun [Review]

    June 29, 2025

    “F1: The Movie” Thrilling Cars, Crash and Burn Story [Review]

    June 28, 2025

    “28 Years Later” We Live, We Die, Life Goes On [Review]

    June 21, 2025
    Check Out Our Latest
      • Product Reviews
      • Reviews
      • SDCC 2021
      • SDCC 2022
    Related Posts
    • "Peacemaker" Clip Highlights John Cena in Spinoff Series
    • Wanna Watch James Gunn's "The Suicide Squad" Gag Reel?
    • Analyzing "The Suicide Squad" Weekend Box Office with Dan Murrell
    NERDBOT
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    Nerdbot is owned and operated by Nerds! If you have an idea for a story or a cool project send us a holler on [email protected]

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.