‘The Suicide Squad’ Film Review: Why Couldn’t They Have Done This the First Time?

“All The Cruelty Tears You Apart After A While”

In 2016, the first attempt at a suicide squad film was released, leaving many people trying to forget its existence.

Now five years later, with the launch of The Suicide Squad, it leaves fans wondering… “why couldn’t they have done this the first time?”

Overview

A team of some of the most dangerous supervillains is dispatched by the government on a top-secret mission. If they fail, the world as we know it will be destroyed, and if they refuse to comply, they will perish.

Why Can’t I Stop Laughing?

If there’s one aspect, The Suicide Squad mastered, it’s comedic timing. With a film filled with gore, violence, and emotional beats, it’s been easy to have a joke at the wrong time, but they avoid that. 

The jokes don’t drag, so even if you didn’t think it was hilarious, you don’t have to worry about the film patting itself on the back for 40 seconds over a bad joke.

A Beautiful Massacre

This is an incredibly violent film. You won’t go too long without seeing limbs flying or face peeling off. However, it’s done well. This doesn’t feel like your run-of-the-mill superhero movie.

It had its own identity even though it has clear inspiration from Deadpool.

The fight scenes kept me wanting more throughout the film. The choreography alone was awe-inspiring.

Great Lead and Supporting Cast

The Suicide Squad accomplishes something its predecessor failed to do: it gives the impression that the team has truly bonded and meshes nicely together. One of the most enjoyable components of the film is watching the squad become cohesive.

Throughout the journey, I wondered when I would get to see this wide array of characters share the big screen again.

No one is safe

This film separates itself from the rest of the bunch by killing a seemingly significant character from the jump. This came as a great surprise superhero films generally follow the same beats and the heroes come out of the fight with some bruises, but they typically walk away the victors.

The main characters die just as much as a villain does, and it keeps the action tense. You don’t know the fight’s outcome before it begins in most cases, which kept me on the edge of my seat during the most pivotal moments.

Okay… We Could Speed Things up a Bit

Overall, The Suicide Squad does an alright job with the pacing. With so many characters, it’s hard to give each one adequate time to be introduced and truly be understood. 

Towards the end of the film, I thought the pacing could’ve sped up a bit. There were exciting setpieces and great moments throughout the entire length of the film, but I’d be lying If I said all 2 hours and 12 minutes of this film were necessary.

Conclusion

In almost every way, this picture outperforms the previous in terms of style, action, acting, dialogue, and so much more.

The Suicide Squad radiates color and has a distinct personality. It also has a good amount of comic value. While humor is subjective, I believe there is something for everyone here, and it isn’t just attempting to be a Marvel film with quippy dialogue.

I would rewatch so many action scenes for a second time the way those scenes are shot and the choreography you can tell love went into this project.

I don’t think it’d be possible to speak upon how fun this film is and not bring up the cast. Idris Elba (Bloodsport) serves as a great protagonist alongside Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), John Cena (Peacemaker), David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), and so many more just come together to give the audience a great experience.

The cast is fantastic, but that isn’t going to keep them alive. This is a risky assignment, as the title suggests, and not everyone will make it out alive. It’s a refreshing change of pace, especially considering that a new superhero film is released almost every two months at this time.

The biggest hiccup this movie has is the pacing. While most of the time, it’s okay when it gets a little too slow and uninteresting, it makes you think the adventure could’ve been trimmed a bit.

Even at 2 hours and 12 minutes, the film doesn’t give enough focus to all the characters that they want us to root for it feels. Some characters I completely forget existed, and if I had missed a scene earlier in the film, they could’ve been entirely cut out, and not many would notice.

If you plan to see this film, you’ll most likely enjoy it more than the first they just knew what they wanted to do this time and have confidence in their product. This was a tremendous in-theater experience, and I’d recommend going to see it.

Verdict 8.5 out of 10 Stars

Now available on HBO Max!