Nearly five years ago to the date, DC released what is universally known as one of the worst superhero movies of all time. Luckily, they found just the right writer/director to make up for their woes in James Gunn. His iteration of the anti-hero superhero movie brings a colorful and completely rated R spin on the idea of having villians save the world. The Suicide Squad is wildly unpredictable front start to finish, something that has seriously lacked in DC movies from the better part of the last decade.
When I learned movies in the Netherlands typically premier a week earlier than the U.S, I immediately booked our tickets in a 4DX theater. If you haven’t tried 4DX yet, its a multi-sensory experience which introduces wind, water, lighting, and rollercoaster-like movements syncing to the movie. It was well worth the money for us and I couldn’t recommend spending the couple of extra dollars enough.
The cast for a lighthearted superhero movie has to feature believable badasses who also have impeccable comedic timing; something Marvel has done right since the MCU began. This was well-executed this time around with leads Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Idris Elba (Bloodsport), and John Cena (Peacemaker), among a ton of other well-known actors. Robbie and Viola Davis are the only returning cast from the original because as far as Harley Quinn goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Peacemaker was another standout performance by John Cena, who steals every scene with his ability to go all in for the sake of comedy and action. I can’t wait for the Peacemaker series coming early next year. Gunn and Cena are magic. We want more! Sylvester Stallone voices Nanaue, a Great White Shark/human hybrid with an insatiable hunger. He doesn’t say much, but the character is well done.
The soundtrack had a similar tone to Gunn’s previous work with Marvel in Guardians of the Galaxy, which has been lauded for its nostalgic tunes. It’s not likely to win any awards, but it keeps the mood light. There is a lot of experimentation with colors and lighting like replacing bloodsprays with flowers that works pretty well. The hits to the credibility of the movie come intermittently with some pretty cheesy dialogue relating to each characters backstory. There are certain characters we all could probably care less about, but it does do the job of bringing the audience closer to the lesser known members of the squad.
The comedy is near-perfect. The writing is original and unpredictable. The casting could hardly be done any better. There are some short skippable moments, but overall, this is a damn good action movie. It’s rated R (as it always should have been) so leave the kids at home. After a long year and a half of avoiding public places as much as possible, this was a sweet sweet return to the theater.
What did you think of The Suicide Squad? Are you going to watch it after reading this review? Drop a comment and tell us! We would love for you to follow us on social media to keep up with our travels and nerdy adventures..
