NS: The Suicide Squad discussion

[cyberghostface]

For those who saw it, what did you think?

The reviews have been off the wall with many saying that it’s both Gunn’s best and the best of the DCEU. I personally prefer Gunn’s Guardians films and as far as the DCEU goes I think the first Wonder Woman film is still at the top but it’s still a great film. It’s definitely one of the strangest superhero films ever made and a nice break from some of the formulaic stuff coming out lately.

One thing I was concerned was that Gunn was going to give us a Guardians of the Galaxy retread but it’s really not similar at all beyond the idea of the characters being misfits. The dynamics are considerably different and most of the Squad is a lot darker and more fucked up than the Guardians ever were. I’d be surprised if Polka Dot Man doesn’t start showing up in the comics more or if we don’t get Ratcatcher 2 in some form.

Definitely check it out and if you feel comfortable it’s worth seeing on the big screen.

Comments

[akodo_rokku]

I do feel like it's kind of an anti-Guardians. Similar "group of misfits coming together" vibes, but in this case it was to save themselves instead of everyone else.

[ebailey140]

Even the decision which led to the climax, after Waller ordered them to get out of there and leave the city to its fate?

[akodo_rokku]

In the sense that they were saving their own souls, yeah.

[bravest_spinja]

Well, by that metric there's just about nothing that falls outside the purview of self-interest.

[dcbanacek]

What I thought was that it was a better film than the other Suicide Squad movie, however, that one was so muddled up by executives its hard to say what it would have been like if left alone.

Spoilers and opinions ahead:

NO Joker, thank the gods.
The film made good use of the R-rating in the action scenes.
Starro is fucking terrifying.
Liked Idris Elba more than Will Smith.
LOTS of deep cuts to Suicide Squad lore from Jotunheim to the Osprey pilot being named Briscoe to the support staff in Waller's command center.
Waller is still a bit of a dick.

I recommend it, it was fun.

[cyberghostface]

Yeah I preferred Elba as well. He felt different enough that I was able to buy him as a separate character.

[ironymaiden]

I liked that they took basically the same motivation and came up with a very different relationship and tone

[bravest_spinja]

Yeah it was almost a deconstruction of the cuddly "I want my kid back" ex-con trope. Like, maybe she wouldn't be a daddy's girl, maybe their relationship would be dysfunctional?

[bruinsfan]

And they lampshaded it with his similarities to Peacemaker.

[lordy_co]

I plan on watching it probably next week at the movies, tho since I still haven't been vaccinated I'm a bit worried. Cinemas here in Brazil are working at a third of regular capacity and most people probably aren't comfortable enough to start watching films again, but I'm still not sure I should go.

Anyway, I'm really glad the tone of the movie is apparently close to that of the Ostrander/Yale run. I absolutely love that phase and am very glad they're leaning on it.

[leahandillyana]

It was surprisingly good - actually, one of best DC live action movies (which sounds like an overly narrow superlative but it isn't). I was ready to hate this movie because it started as a crude military propaganda, but then the reveal showed the middle finger to pro invasion hawks. I found it deeply satisfying. What's more, this is a movie that had a story to tell rather than toys to sell like most superhero movies nowadays. It's a low bar to cross, but too high for far too many movies nowadays. I enjoy Gunn's directing style and find the controversy about his old edgy jokes to be an artificial one. A good one if you are immune to gore and enjoy black humour. I'd actually watch it in a cinema, but cinemas in my country are still closed and the cinema in my town closed four years ago anyways :(

[mastermahan]

Spoilers, obviously:

This one really felt like a proper Suicide Squad movie. It had the hallmarks Ostrander set up in his original run.

The sense that anyone can die. The Ayers one killed one character, and it was blatantly telegraphed loser who gets tossed in separate from the others and given the description "The Man Who Can Climb Anything". TDK had a more useful gimmick.

Betrayal within the squad. The sense that these are untrustworthy, unpredictable characters is part of what makes a good Suicide Squad story interesting. Making the traitor Cena, who's best known for playing a squeaky-clean face, was smart casting.

Starro was a perfect choice of villain. He's ridiculous and terrifying simultaneously.

The tradition of opening a run by killing most of a squad as a means of show, don't tell explaining the concept.

Elba made a better Deadshot than Smith.

Gory, very rated R, and ultimately quite good.

[tinygaylaura]

I'd mainly heard reviews talk about how funny this film is (And it is) so I went in expecting it to basically be a black comedy with a bunch of villain protagonists. Basically It's Always Sunny in Spandex. Instead I was surprised in a good way by how many emotional moments and character stuff was packed in here as well

I was crying during the final flashback with Ratcatcher and her father (The music only made it even sadder for me) and I felt so sorry for Starro. All he wanted to do was float in space and look at the stars :(

There were so many great scenes. Everything with Harley was awesome and I was in hysterics during her break out scene.

Ratcatcher was just too adorable and she was definitely my favorite of the new Squad.

Bloodsport was great. I've seen some people say that he's basically a better realised version of what the first film was trying to do with Deadshot's character.

King Shark was so cute! I did not like the scene where those octopus monsters attacked him :( He is a good shark and he deserves friends

Polka Dot Man was brilliant and I loved the pay off with him and how it showed that Bloodsport really had learned how to lead a team because he knew just how to motivate him in the fight against Starro

Rick Flagg was much more enjoyable and likable in this film as well. I really wish he'd wound up taking out Peacemaker and not the other way around honestly because I had a deep loathing of Peacemaker

Loved the themes of the movie and despite the "Don't get too attached" warning I found myself really loving almost the whole team and I was so happy that they were able to free themselves from Waller's control even if I wish they'd been able to do it while still exposing what the US government was up to in Jotunheim

I am sad that the DCEU version of Amanda Waller is more like her current comics self as opposed to how she was back in the Ostrander run but I suppose it had to be the more coldhearted and villainous Waller in this story for it to work. Loved the cameos by the support staff from the original Ostrander run tho

[lucean]

I'm still astonished that they pulled off the emotional beat of that Rat Catcher father/daughter discussion. I loved the movie, but it had that chaotic energy to it that is such an incredible accomplishment that they stuck the landing with such a genuinely earnest moment. Hell, I'll freely admit that I was tearing up with that flashback as well.

[ebailey140]

And with the climax, Marvel must be thinking "Damn, we actually COULD have done cinematic Squirrel Girl."

John Murphy's beautiful score for the climax...

https://youtu.be/O7SrCdDZ8-k

[lucean]

I don't know on the Squirrel girl thing, as a character she's a bit too much of a meta-joke and the association just doesn't work the same.

However completely agreed on the score. I was just thinking that I don't think enough of credit is given to the recent scores of the DCEU movies as I think they are doing much more with music than necessarily the MCU films, at least in my opinion. Hell, just look at the Nirvana cover in the Batman trailer.

[tinygaylaura]

The emotional moments with the characters felt very genuine and heartfelt and I liked that.

It also felt like we saw the team coming together in a way that felt more genuine than in the first film where there was just too much going on for it to really feel like a team movie

[lucean]

Absolutely loved this movie and had such a blast watching it. Almost all the performances were good and the jokes were hilarious.

I was also kind of lukewarm to the movie at first as not only am I not as big in to GotG as many, but Star-Lord and how he is presented is kind of squiky for me. So I feel was perhaps worried that this would fall in similar traps, but instead it was something spectacular. Although it had this weird impact for me in that I already felt the GotG movies hadn't aged that well, this movie actually makes them feel even weaker still. This movie also puts a lot more pressure on the next GotG movie as now we have even a better idea what kind of insanity Gunn is capable of, but I worry that Starlord will prevent the movie ever from going there.

[deh_tommy]

I wasn’t pushed to see this until I saw that clip with the Weasel (I think that’s his name?), now I’m trying to see when I’ll be free to see that myself.

[blueprintstyles]

Man of Steel is my favourite DCEU film with Wonder Woman as my #2, the big CGI fight felt a little forced for the story.

[mazway_75]

I was thrown at Boomerang killed so early. HIs whole thing in the comics is he's the team cockroach who keeps surviving when he shouldn't and wasn't bad in the first flick so bumping him off in the opening was a good sign of "no one is safe."

[dan_ingram]

I liked it, though I wish the plotting were a little tighter and Waller weren't so evil/stupid.

[ironymaiden]

The actress is great; it was disappointing to see her used so little

[informationgeek]

Really enjoyed it but I do wish Captain Boomerang stuck around a little longer since he was the second best character from the first film. I liked his brief dynamic here with Harley.

Regardless, fantastic film and second best film I've seen this year, Mitchell vs. The Machines being the best.

[tinygaylaura]

That was a great movie :)

My personal favorite movie I've seen this year has been the Fear Street trilogy but Suicide Squad is in the top five and Mitchells vs The Machines is on there too :)

[jeyl]

**SPOILERS!**

Overall, the film is a 5/10.

For a James Gunn movie that's rated R where he can unleash whatever he wants, it felt insanely average. The stand outs are Ratcatcher 2, Bloodshot and Starro. Even when Idris Elba is playing a character who cares little about everything, it's still more compelling than Will Smith's performance from the first film. I also liked the chill do-gooder nature of Ratcatcher 2. Especially Sebastian who loved to express simple positive gestures. It was funny in a sincere way without being stupid.

Also I'm probably one of the few here who was very thankful that Captain Boomering bit the dust that early. I have nothing against the comic book character, I just don't want to watch Jai Courtney.

Harley Quinn felt the most superfluous character in the whole story next to King Shark. You could have written her out of the film and a lot of the film's beats wouldn't have been missed. I was more blown away by her glitter assault on the police station from Birds of Prey than any action scene this movie had to deliver.

That said, I still don't know why DC/WB is so intent on making 'Suicide Squad' a staple. Even with these two movies, they would rank very low on my list of titles I would want to see more of. I'm just done.

....ok, ok. Still better than Army of the Dead.

[cyberghostface]

"For a James Gunn movie that's rated R where he can unleash whatever he wants, it felt insanely average. "

It certainly wasn't akin to Joker in terms of breaking the mold but it was probably the most daring 'comic cinematic universe' film since (ironically) the first Guardians of the Galaxy film.

[walkingthroughforest]

Boy, this sure is a take.

This is on my "best of" for 2021. Spectacular cast, great direction, and surprisingly emotional. Gunn hits every beat flawlessly.

When you can get me to care about Rick Flagg, your job is done.

[nyadnar17]

I enjoyed damn near every single frame of this movie.

John Cena was a treasure.
Elba was amazing.
Harley was.....this is probably the first time I really liked her character. Every scene with her was awesome.

Hell I even liked fucking Rick Flag. Great movie.

[tinygaylaura]

The cast were so damn lovable on the whole

Only ones who weren't were Waller, Thinker and Peacemaker but that's because they weren't meant to be

Waller is a cold blooded sociopath

Thinker is Mengele with a Scottish accent

And Peacemaker...well, every single thing about him is vile

I want a stuffed toy of Starro

I have heard that Ratcatcher's funko pop toy comes with a little Sebastian the Rat and that's adorable if true

[ladymidath]

We are in lockdown here which means that I haven't been able to see it. We can't get HBO in Australia which sucks so I am going to have to wait until either, the lockdown lifts and the theatres reopen, or wait until it comes out on Blu-ray. I would much prefer to see it on the big screen, but unfortunately, we can't. This is the one movie I was really wanting to see. :-(

[stubbleupdate]

Was Thinker's accent even Scottish? He sounded much more English than in anything else I've seen in him.

I didn't like hearing Waller shouting. Shouting sounds like you've lost control and Amanda Waller should never lose control of a) a situation b) herself