The Suicide Squad

Stick to your Gunn. It’s got a bit more balls and less heart than Guardians, the shotgun of gags is a little less polished, but DC finally has what it's been craving for years. A fun ride with pace and structure, where the characters don't look like a bunch of staged consumers of horse tranquilizers or hangers-on for crappy gags. Marvel should have guarded their gold better, but generally speaking, we all benefited from this. The Suicide Squad is a wild ride with an excellent last third and in which the charisma of Idris Elba and surprisingly Joel Kinnaman stand out. I say keep it up, though I honestly don't see how this fits into a universe that gave the world a lot of shit films. (03/08/2021)

Guardians of the Galaxy had more heart, better jokes, and a story that went somewhere and fit into its universe, Suicide Squad is a bunch of weirdos who don't fit in anywhere. Yes, it can’t be taken seriously, and some of the jokes and winks are exceedingly subtle, but it won't suit everyone. If someone had told me it was Guy Ritchie's side-kick on drugs, I might have believed them, but it wouldn't have changed my rating at all. (28/08/2021)

Nothing for the faint hearted. I didn't expect to see anything like this in these politically correct times. The world of comic book movies, which today languishes under the reign of Marvel's childish colouring books, needed someone like James Gunn, a Troma alum, an original in his own right, which is strongly evident in his work. His film is incredibly daring, with a lethal cadence of over-the-top humour, without being a chaotic mess. Gunn has a clear vision, he's fantastic at timing politically incorrect visual jokes, and many of his screenwriting ideas are surprising; he has a God-given talent. And at times, in the barrage of this snarling R-rated gorefest, I felt like I was watching an expensive midnight movie in some grindhouse cinema in the deep 70s. And last but not least, the most original kaiju monster of all time. Hats off to Warner Bros. for not being afraid to give Gunn a wide theatrical release. (07/08/2021)

I also liked the film of the same name from 2016, so unlike others, I wasn't waiting for salvation, but I was just looking forward to more madness from the head of my favorite James Gunn. In Gunn's world (Gunn's worlds), the rule is that anything can happen, and Suicide Squad follows this as well. Everything that happens is mainly a source of entertainment, constant entertainment consisting of machine gun dialogues and their (self-) murderous points, in action scenes that go off the leash, and unpredictably evolving small stories that support the central inconspicuous plot. As soon as something smells of clichés, Gunn deals with it by snapping his fingers. And of course he's not alone, because he has well-chosen actors and actresses at his disposal, thanks to whom (and thanks to his screenplay) we quickly like the characters we meet for the first time, and who looked more like more ardent cosplayers from the trailers. I'd love to see it (and really enjoy myself) again. (05/08/2021)

Yum, yum. This Suicide Squad adaptation was excellently done and yes, it’s all thanks to the errant director, James Gunn, whose brief dismissal from Disney was a real godsend for Warner Bros. The guy who phoned Gunn back then should get a fat bonus, a new Ferrari and a beach house too. The mission to the island of Corto Maltese is presented non-linearly (but still consistently) with dispassion, humor and with respect for the comic book original. The new team with just a few familiar faces is bristling with diverse characters (but I can do anything that they can!) and each of them gets their moment to shine. Harley plays the princess (flowers and all) and Idris as a replacement for Will ends up destroying him in a rough punch-up. John Cena rocks even with that toilet on his head and so I’m really looking forward to his solo series. But the heart of the movie is the King Shark and Ratcatcher 2 duo. It’s easy to make a man-eating shark in shorts into the cutest of them all - just give him the mentality of a two-year-old. I look forward to watching it again. (05/08/2021)