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So before we get into this review, I want to preface a few things. I am an avid Comic Book reader. Most of my preference has been for Marvel Comics, long before Disney was ever a thing. I liked Batman films, especially Nolan's films, but I am not a DC reader. I never thought the books were as good in my formative comic reading years. So if you think that I am biased about anything regarding my take on this film, for any reason, I apologize. I may have some unconscious bias in here. I hope not. I hope that a thick layer of consumer loyalty doesn't cloud my feelings about a product, and I'm happy I can be honest enough to admit I may have a flaw.
On with the review!
Hello my friends, welcome to an excellent bonus content feature for my review of "The Suicide Squad," directed by James Gunn. This stars Edris Elba, Margot Robbie, and Viola Davis. I am reviewing this as it is a film adaptation to the comic book series "Suicide Squad," done by DC Comics. The movie's premise is simple. The bad guys have to make a deal with Amanda Waller to do something that could get them killed. If they live, they can get some years off their sentence. If they don't well, the Government doesn't care because it's the person who was a prisoner, and that's okay in this weird idea for prison reform.
I want to start with some critiques. I have a few. I preface this with I have seen both "Deadpool" and "Deadpool 2" as well as "Christmas Deadpool," where they cleaned up "Deadpool 2" to make it PG-13.
Even considering what I just said, my personal take was that "The Suicide Squad (2021)" well, archaic and simplistic as it sounds, was gross. Seriously. That's the best word for this feeling. It's gross and frustratingly so at times. I never walked away from "Deadpool" movies as the last memory in my mind, as I did after watching "The Suicide Squad (2021)".
To sum up my "Gross" critique, the film was marketed sa a raunchy comedic superhero film. What I watched had the same male nudity as skin-a-max softcore porn, combined with a lot of realistic blood, on someone's slasher film fetish stuff going on. Gross.
I'm still not entirely sure if my next issue had to do with pacing or if the issue was with a writing choice. Hear me out. The movie moves along at a fair clip, but they had to go back and forth between things at times to show stuff because it's an ensemble cast. Writing that is tough. I can't imagine how the script structure was put together, but I know it wasn't strictly linear. Sometimes they'd show the punchline to a premise first and then go back and show you the setup. It's kind of like a Terintino thing, but not entirely because it was the end of a scene first and the beginning of the scene later, at times. I don't yet know if I hated that or if it just would take me time to get used to the idea of a movie full of that. But it is a critique because I'm not sure everyone is going to love that idea.
The only other thing I disliked was that they didn't have the right story structure moves to have that one loveable character they wanted to justify toy sales, in my opinion, as a mom who buys her kids toys for stuff like this. I felt as though the movie wanted me to think that character was King Shark, and I realized pretty quickly it was Rat Catcher 2, but you can't make dolls out of her in the way they could with King Shark, and Sebastian the Rat wasn't on long enough for me to feel like getting my kid a stuffed rat.
So this, I think, was a marketing issue. In Guardian's of the Galaxy, Groot was the moral center in the first movie. He was doing bad stuff, but he followed Rocket because he loves Rocket and is a good guy. Groot was a big-ticket item in my house. My kids love Groot. They have Groot everything. Let me be clear here, and I'm that mom movie makers love for marketing. I'm that mom who watches the movie, judges if the kids can go, takes them a billion times, buys the merch and all the toys and t-shirts. I'm that mom. It has nothing to do with the rating. It has to do with the content and is there a moral center character they make in a plushy my kids would like. The answer. Nope. I can't show my kids "Deadpool" now. But someday, I can. And when that day comes, they can get the stuff I got.
For this film, I think they were trying to do the toy stuff with King Shark. But King Shark, I think, could have been his own Drax. I want him to be his own Drax, and I want him also to have his show. He's not a Groot, though.
Also, I realize that through the film, and as I review it, I keep comparing this to "Guardian's of the Galaxy," and I can't help that. There is a lot of comparable stuff. And that in and of itself is a critique. I'm not comparing this to the "Suicide Squad (2016)" in my head at all. It's nothing like that film. Sure some of the characters are the same, but that's not the same movie as this. This is like "Guardians" in its structure.
So, with that in mind, let me go into what I liked.
The character of Harley needed this film. I felt that she has a better story arc in this story than, frankly, she had in "Birds of Prey." ( I know that's not going to be popular with everyone, but I feel this way). I wouldn't say I liked how that movie treated her entirely. Harley should have had her own thing entirely. But I digress; Harley, as we all should know by now, she has had some weird choices in her life. She's met and loved some toxic men, and she's had some terrible things happen to her, and she's done terrible things.
This movie stands out because, for the first time, in a moment of madness, she did one thing for herself in this movie that I felt was healthy in thought. It was not, however, healthy indeed. She is crazy. If you don't think she's crazy, you haven't been paying attention. I'm not going to spoil this moment, but Harley grew as a person in this film. Good for her! I wanted her to do well, and I'm pleased with the direction here. Also, I loved that she was fighting in a red prom dress, that made me so happy! And more than the esthetics of Harley, I think as we see her do things on screen, if they keep going down this direction, she could potentially have a proper redemption arc, and that'd be fantastic.
The costumes in this film were great and realistic to the situation. I loved that about it. We need great costume designers in our lives, and I think everyone who did makeup and costumes was on point. Bravo!
The cinematography wasn't painting-worthy, but it was good. I liked the shots and the framing and how it worked with the practical and special effects.
I want to give massive praise to the team of people who did King Shark. Stalone was great as the voice. The CGI was fantastic, and the skin was perfect. He looked so good! The rendering was terrific! Great job, CGI guys and gals. I'm so happy! Same with the Starro stuff.
Peter Capaldi, for me, had a fantastic side villain part, and I loved it. I miss him on Who, but he is an outstanding actor in and of himself. I thought he did fantastic in this film and fit the role well.
Edris Elba is never bad in anything I've seen him in. He again was a master, and I enjoyed watching him like the outstanding actor he is always. I'm so glad I enjoyed him in this film too. He captured his character very well.
But I think the role I loved the most is the one that made me buy the ticket. I was debating watching this movie, but it would have meant missing Viola Davis. I don't miss Viola Davis movies. Nope. I love her so much. I am a fangirl, and I hope that's okay. She's amazing. If you never saw her in the movie "Widows," you need to go see that. I mention that film because it's a different approach to this character of "Amanda Waller," and she's brutal. Amanda Waller reminds me of a former manager I had, and I wouldn't want to work for her, no way. But the character is, deep down, very calculated and intelligent, and I enjoyed watching it.
I also want to praise the arc involving "The Polka-Dot Man" and, this was great to cover. It was presented light-hearted, but truthfully, I know what it's like to have to live in the shadow of parents. And I think anyone who has mental hangups that were caused by well-intentioned parents who did the wrong things, sometimes even medically, to watch how the guy made it to the end was beautiful. I'm proud of "Polka-Dot."
Overall, I am giving "The Suicide Squad (2021)" a rating of 3 stars. I liked elements of it, but I walked out uncomfortable. I wouldn't say I like leaving a comedic-toned movie uncomfortable. I think that's what bothered me the most. Anyway, I'm sure I'm in the minority here, and I understand. I am sure others loved everything I disliked. We can agree to disagree. This is my take!
