When Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn took over this project after Disney fired him, he was able to save this movie from its 2016 dumpster fire status and make it his own. While some may argue that he goes too far into gleeful gore, it’s hard to deny the fact that the film is still a solid entry into the DC Universe. Gunn brings the spirit and lifeblood of John Ostrander’s original Suicide Squad comics to the film and makes it his own.
The film is a lot more focused on characters and the flipped perspective of villains vs heroes. It shows that there are many ways to approach bad guys and this film does it well. Gunn also gives his cast a chance to breathe life into the film, making you care about these psychopaths. For example, Deadshot is finally a hero you can root for and El Diablo has a tragic backstory that makes you actually feel sorry for him.
While the movie could have used more character development and less exposition, this is still a fun action adventure. It is also a welcome R-rated entry into the DC Universe, which feels much more appropriate for this band of misfits. As Fox learned with Deadpool and Logan, an R-rated superhero film can work, but you need to put in the effort.
Unlike the 2016 version, which was too reliant on the action set-pieces and too sloppy with its characters, this version is more in sync with the source material. The Squad is a deniable government task force of death row inmates from Belle Reve Penitentiary, who are sent on highly-dangerous “suicide” missions under the supervision of Amanda Waller. The film is filled with gangsters like Deadshot, Killer Croc and Harley Quinn and magical creatures like Enchantress.
