Review | The Suicide Squad

Since the news that we would have another feature of Suicide squad, we didn't know if it would be a sequel or a reboot. behold it arises James Gunn, responsible for the successful franchise Guardians of the Galaxy. Although the 2016 feature divides opinions, we have to agree that the talented Margot Robbie with one Harley Quinn insane and popular with fans and critics and won a movie to call his own. the feature of David Ayer, even with a shitty script and bizarre plot, it had some interesting things like the characters and the cast. Charged with making the story rise from the ashes, Gunn used all his creativity and the film is…SUPPIMPA! The script is super tied, new and not-so-known characters are included, special effects are from another galaxy, soundtrack by character and a lot, a lot of blood. It's hitting, shooting and bombing. The New Suicide Squad or James Gunn's Suicide Squad as many say is The Suicide Squad refreshed, absurd, insane, terribly good, a story independent of the 2016 plot.

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If you haven't watched the 2016 feature and you're wondering “Do I need to watch it before the 2021 feature?”, “If I don't watch the previous one, will I not understand the current one?”… the answer is a resounding NO! They are independent features. The current feature was inspired by the basis of the previous feature. Like this? James Gunn's feature features the villains who will have to be part of a team "enabled" to save the world under the command of Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) and supervised by the terrible Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). However, just like the previous one, Amanda has some secrets that when discovered makes the mission look like a fraud for some characters.

Right from the start, we realized that the film will be an interesting misadventure just to see the opening scene and the tone that will guide the production through to the end. Quickly and painlessly, Amanda Waller, Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and Harlequina are put into action and with the premise that the viewer knows that they have been together on other occasions. The explanation of what the The Suicide Squad is made by Flag when explaining the mission to Sage, character of Michael Rooker, who joins the team with other “persuaded” villains to invade Corto Maltese and destroy a scientific experiment that no one has ever seen in the South American country.

The most interesting thing is to see how absurd this movie is. The characters have strange powers like dropping little balls all over the body, being a humanoid shark, attracting rats from all possible places, even a weasel is part of the group of villains who have the mission to save the world from a huge starfish. Director James Gunn explored the DC Universe and found characters we might never see on the big screen. Gunn managed to portray all this incongruity in an amusing way and nothing was forced or meaningless. In the film, for example, we have characters like Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Weasel (Sean Gunn), Ball (David Dastmalchian), Bloodthirsty (Idris Elba), OCD (Nathan Fillion) and others that arrive in a funny, unusual, bloodthirsty way.

As in the previous feature, each one has a history of pain and trials and this, in a way, is presented as a challenge for them to begin to understand themselves and others. Another detail, all are treated in a throwaway way by both Waller and the director, who eliminates almost his entire cast in the first act. That's what you read! Some of Hollywood's most sought-after actors are shot, set on fire, drowned, and blown up in one fell swoop. So don't get attached to any character, as he can die and if it wasn't at the beginning, it will probably be at the end.

Despite the narrative of The Suicide Squad not be something original - other productions like the franchise mercenaries already has in its essence the characteristic of calling villains as heroes. In Guardians of the Galaxy, the heroes are dysfunctional characters compared to a Captain Marvel or Black Panther who have a totally different worldview. Here Gunn balances this common space with a lot of creativity and making the production have its own personality and this is reinforced by the performance of Elba, Robbie, Kinnaman, John Cena, Dastmalchian and Daniela Melchior – the Portuguese actress is an excellent find by Gunn, the girl shines on screen and not only for what she does, but for having a moral and emotional that shows that there is a duality both in the human being and in the super hero or villain. good or bad and these aspects of her character make the new squad's formation have a more human character. Next to his mouse, Sebastian, and the King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Rat Hunter 2 manages to unite the team in a natural way, without that “friends-who-turned-family” aura portrayed in the first film.

In the film we see that the evolution of Harlequina seen in Birds of prey is maintained. The scenes between Bloodthirsty and Peacemaker (Cena) have some of the funniest passages in the narrative and, by the way, exaggeratedly violent. Even Rick Flag, who presented himself all arrogant and a little soldier who obeyed orders in the 2016 feature, comes with a new outfit, he is more “empathetic” and when needed, he goes against Waller's orders. In addition, they change the focus according to the unforeseen or small missions that arise until reaching the main focus, which is to end the mysterious scientific project.

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Another positive point is the exposure of the characters. The characters who are part of the mission or of the guerrilla that fights against the misgovernment of the South American country, are not sexualized. We see beautiful characters, but strong enough to face any problem. Another interesting point is the development of some characters that vary in screen time like the dictators of Corto Maltese who fall apart one by one during the course of the plot and we see how generic they are.

The Thinker character of Peter Capaldi even with very little screen time, he showed that he knows how to act very well. In just a few seconds of scene, his power of manipulation and genius are proved and proven by his eccentric personality – a little reminiscent of the Nazi concentration camps. He's provocative and menacing, despite an awkward characterization. And it is through him that the great villain starro is developed. Without too many spoilers, it is because of his actions that the rage of the great villain Starro results in catastrophic actions in the third act. 

An aspect that both in the feature of 2016 and the feature of 2021 is the unbeatable soundtrack. If before the soundtrack was darker with a hallucinogenic touch, the current one is fun to match the spirit of the film and comes in a rhythm with an 80-90s feel, but it has some more famous and famous hits like Gloria Groove, for example. The aesthetic is more colorful and clearer, compared to the previous one, the amount of special effects surpasses and in some scenes where Harlequin fights, effects similar to those used in Birds of Prey are used. Great! The photography was well thought out, the aesthetic look of the film was very well produced. With some caveats, James Gunn's feature was beyond expectations.

The film was inspired by the group's comics in the 1980s, written by John Ostrander and Kim Yale. The Suicide Squad arrives in Brazilian cinemas on August 5, 2021.