The Suicide Squad

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)

This feature-length version of the Starro Attacks sketch from Robot Chicken is garnering rave reviews thanks to the fact that a big-budget comic-book movie has finally dispensed with both seriousness and sophistication and instead gone the route of juvenile trash (which was an essential characteristic of comic books for many decades before they were taken over by nerds who had the need to justify their childish obsessions by faking profundity). But on the other hand, compared to the unapologetic futility of the best and funniest comic-book movies like Batman: The Movie (1966), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011), the new Suicide Squad feels too forced and made-to-order – like products from The Asylum that try too hard to be camp, but can never elicit pure enthusiasm like pure trash can. (28/08/2021)

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)

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)

Is the new Suicide Squad that much better than the first one? Ordinary audiences despair about what the movie theaters have to offer, but an educated audience familiar with films from the palette of the seasoned viewer will be satisfied. Everyone else can safely consider it a slightly different comedy from the comic book blockbuster family. It's a lot of great fun for well-read comic book people, but for people with other media backgrounds, there's something extra in it. For example, the great Harley Quinn escape scene backed by the classic hit "Just a Gigolo." She didn't have the courage to do something like this before. It's fun to watch that development. (14/08/2021)