Welcome to the latest edition of Making the Grade—a review format segment here on Fanboys Anonymous where we break down the major components of something and give it a score based on the standard report card lineup: A, B, C, D, and F for a total failure.
The next report card is for the latest DC film and sequel to Suicide Squad, oddly enough entitled The Suicide Squad (2021).
The Suicide Squad (2021)
Written and Directed by James Gunn
STARRING: Idris Elba (Robert DuBois / Bloodsport), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), John Cena (Christopher Smith / Peacemaker), Joel Kinnaman (Colonel Rick Flag), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher 2), David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), Peter Capaldi (Thinker), Alice Braga (Sol Soria), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Michael Rooker (Savant), Nathan Fillion (T.D.K.), Pete Davidson (Blackguard), Sean Gunn (Weasel / Calendar Man), Taika Waititi (Ratcatcher), Flula Borg (Javelin), Mayling Ng (Mongal), Dee Bradley Baker (Sebastian), and Sylvester Stallone (Nanaue / King Shark)
WARNING - SPOILERS BELOW
STORYTELLING SUBJECTS
STORY: B
Considering the general premise of the Suicide Squad team is always "Task Force X is made up of a bunch of villains and antiheroes who are sent on a deadly mission and let's have fun watching them take out the bad guy or achieve their goal", you know what you're getting into when you see this film. It's not the most intricate story in the world with a complex weave and tons of twists.
With that being said, that's not to say this was bad on a story side of things. Again, I knew full well what I was getting into and it served its purpose well.
I do deduct some points for copying a similar story to what Deadshot had with Bloodsport. It sort of feels as though Deadshot's character was meant to return, Will Smith didn't/couldn't, and instead of recasting the role and getting backlash, they just did a "replace all" in their Word doc and changed the character name, added one scene of "He's a jerk to his daughter, though" and said "Good enough." That part of the story was weak for me.
The overall redemption arc for the characters works. The mission for Starro is good enough, even if the villains leave much to be desired. It's a solid B.
CHARACTERS: A–
An ensemble film like this lends itself to having tons of characters—some of which are great, others are just okay.
The least of the bunch would be Mongal. She contributed nothing, wasn't memorable and I doubt anyone would consider her a better character than even Milton.
The core cast and some of the supporting ones, though, are great. Peacemaker was definitely my favorite character of the bunch. Ratcatcher 2 was surprisingly endearing. I liked Rick Flag better this time around than last time. Harley Quinn is always a win. King Shark was awesome. Polka-Dot Man stole the show in many scenes.
Alice Braga's character? Pass. The temporary team like T.D.K. were great for their bits. Weasel, too. It was good to see Captain Boomerang back, but I think he was a bit wasted and mostly just brought in for a surprising kill.
Again, points taken away for the villains. I couldn't even tell you any of their names.
TONE / ATMOSPHERE: A–
ACTION: Great action sequences that were fun from start to finish. Solid A.
DRAMA: This film doesn't take itself too seriously, so the dramatic elements aren't as strong as something that's a legitimate drama. If you judge it based off that, it's about a C.
COMEDY: Absolute A+. This was the film's strength, to no surprise.
ROMANCE: While it doesn't technically classify as romance in a traditional sense, I think the Harley love sequence stuff went on a little bit too long for what it was worth and the father/daughter relationship between Bloodsport and Ratcatcher was fine, but a bit forced.
TECHNICAL SUBJECTS
ACTING: B
Everyone nails their parts. I just can't score it higher because there aren't any Academy Award performances in this film.
VISUALS (FX, MAKEUP, COSTUMES, SETS): A
All the characters looked great. The practical effects were impressive and the CGI wasn't wonky. Nothing at all to complain about. King Shark was delightful. Starro was cool.
AUDIO (MUSIC / SOUND): B–
Some of the placement of the songs was fantastic, but I can't tell you many songs that stuck with me beyond the music that played when King Shark was looking at the other fish in the fish tank. I'll be grabbing the score at some point and I might end up changing this rating based on listening to it outside of the film itself, and upon a rewatch of the movie.
The audio itself, I saw no problems with. Then again, I know nothing about sound design/mixing, so unless it's bad and problematic, I just write it off as a good thing.
EXTRA CREDIT
I hate the title. You shouldn't have two films where one is the same title but with just "The" in front of it. It should have been called something else with a subtitle (just not "Suicide Squad: Reloaded")
The marketing was very faithful to the movie. It didn't disappoint or paint a dishonest picture.
FINAL GRADE & ASSESSMENT
GRADE: A– (Pass)
This movie was a TON of fun. It's overall less structured of a film than the first one, but it has much better execution. I can definitely recommend it, even if you disliked its predecessor. As long as you go into it knowing it's goofy and you're ready for that kind of atmosphere, you're going to love it. That's where this film's strengths are and if you think it needs to be a serious movie like Batman v Superman or The Dark Knight, you're going to be disappointed.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE FILM?
LEAVE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
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