The Suicide Squad.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I categorically refuse to believe this is good. I've just watched the trailers again and it looks absolutely embarrassing. Were the trailers really so unrepresentative of the comedy?

No. The rest of the world must be wrong.

So you'll only be watching it half a dozen times?

[Kelvin]

So you'll only be watching it half a dozen times?

Nah, if it's not got Batman or Superman in it, I can skip it (as I did with a lot of the DCEU films post- Whedon's Justice League). Although I am tempted to see it after the enthusiastic critical response. Not sure I can be arsed, though. The trailers look awful, and unlike most people, I consider Guardians 1 and 2 to be among the worst films in the MCU. Maybe the only ones I hated. So I think it's a solid bet I won't enjoy this one either.   

[phantom_power]

I'm with you Kelvin. It's not good. It has a few good constituent parts but it's just as ephemeral as the rest of these films and like Guardians 2, it can't decide whether it wants to lampoon comic book films or be one. James Gunn loses more of his nerve with each passing film.

Have you seen it? I would say it is his ballsiest film since Super

[Magnum Valentino]

I've seen it aye, that's why I wrote that.

[Timothy]

I'm with you Kelvin. It's not good. It has a few good constituent parts but it's just as ephemeral as the rest of these films and like Guardians 2, it can't decide whether it wants to lampoon comic book films or be one. James Gunn loses more of his nerve with each passing film.

Yeah, agreed. I enjoyed the first Guardians movie and even the first Suicide Squad so was expecting to really like this but this film was just a bit disappointing. Quite enjoyed Cenas character but that was about it. Expected more after all the reviews.

Felt like it never properly started and it was just all over the place.

[Glebe]

Saw this at the cinema last night (I'd attempted to see it in IMAX twice but it was booked out on both occasions, never mind just happy to be able to go to the pictures again). Hmmm. I had reasonably high hopes for it, but found it kind of underwhelming overall, despite it's eagerness to entertain. There are numerous witty moments, a couple of quite beautiful sequences and lots of action, but while it's hardly the mess that the previous Suicide Squad movie was, it's actually disjointed and at times tonally off in it's own way (#tryingtosoundlikeaprofessionalcritic).

Again, there are some nice moments (

Spoiler alert

King Shark in the aquarium is a lovely scene, and Harley swimming in Starro's eye)

[close]

and an attempt to add emotional weight to the characters (although

Spoiler alert

Harley's speech after killing the President dude is a bit clunky and Bloodsport having daughter issues is a little too similar to Deadshot in the previous Squad

[close]

). And plenty of humour, although some of it doesn't really work... for instance the running gag about

Spoiler alert

Polka Dot Man's mommy issues

[close]

doesn't have the impact it should, there is an attempt to develop the main characters personalities and relationship to each other but really I think they could have benefitted from a couple of more scenes early on to really get properly established.

Also while there's plenty of comic gore, it's actually quite grim at unpleasant and times. Then you have a sequence with Harley and

Spoiler alert

exploding flowers and cartoon birds (a bit like Birds of Prey, which mixed her delusional fantasy sequences alongside the violence)

[close]

. It's just not as fun as it should be and the mix of colourful fantasy and bloody violence doesn't quite gel.

As to the characters themselves, the Stallone-voiced King Shark and the likeable and easy-going Ratcatcher 2 are the standouts for me. The score is really nice too (was pleasantly surprized with the use of

Spoiler alert

Pixies 'Hey'

[close]

in one sequence).

The Squad

Spoiler alert

massacring everyone in the camp, only to discover that they're the rebels, then the rebel leader agreeing to do a 'deal with the devil' and work with them felt a bit WTF?

[close]

Anyway... there is some enjoyment to be had and some surprisingly nice sequences (again,

Spoiler alert

King Shark in the aquarium

[close]

is a standout), but while I was hardly expecting a masterpiece it was somewhat disappointing. I wish they'd have made it a bit more 'grounded' rather than everything being over-the-top and jokey. Kind of a 3/5 stars movie.

The one flaw was they really

Spoiler alert

wasted Peter Capaldi. Quite odd flaw as well, as he's actually in it loads, has a largd amount of screen-time - it's just that they barely give him any lines, so he spends most of it silently looking at whoever is currently talking. Sad, as his speech near the end is cracking.

[close]

Spot on. He's in it quite a bit, but is rarely given the chance to flex his acting muscles.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Just finished it now thanks to good old HBO Max making it available to all dirty criminal types, I went in with very, very low expectations after this thread and I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy films, preferring Gunn when he used to make low budget indie fare, so am surprised that I quite liked it. I can't argue with many of the complaints made here, Capaldi's wasted, it's not as funny as it thinks it is, the pacing is off (

Spoiler alert

that cutaway to rat girl and her Dad on top of the building right in the middle of the final battle was especially bizarre

[close]

), it's a good half hour too long and even then there's a certain amount of filler. Yet despite that I enjoyed half of it a good deal, the violence and battle scenes were well orchestrated, the big mental star fish thing amused, I liked Harley for the first time (and I really didn't enjoy her solo movie, quitting half way through), and rat girl and shark bloke made me smile a good few times. A generous 7.0/10.

[Glebe]

rat girl and shark bloke made me smile a good few times.

They're definitely the highlights of the movie.

[Junglist]

This was surprisingly decent.

I never will understand the Harley Quinn thing, terribly fucking irritating in any scene she is in, but that aside its got some great moments.

[Rev+]

It's a load of scattered post-it notes with scene ideas scrawled on them.  Lots of fun bits, but they're all just little sketches and you often find yourself waiting for the next bit that'll properly land, because you know in the moment that what you're watching is a slog.  It's like passing through Kings Langley station on a train at times, is what I'm saying.

I'd agree that Harley Quinn was a weak point - she's just a shit character, and feels shoehorned in.  There's nothing wrong with the performance, given what she's got to work with, and it's right and proper that Margot Robbie gets top billing.  But she's just here because she was in the first one, and it grinds to a halt a couple of times because the character has to be accommodated.

It's alright, but my immediate thought was that 'Super' would have turned out to be terrible if James Gunn had proper money to play about with at that point.

I will add a note from another critic though:  during one of the several climactic scenes, one of my pet rats (Mr. Chips Rafferty) became utterly transfixed on the screen in a way I've never seen him behave before.  He was well the fuck into it.  I'll bump it up to 3/5 for its cross-species appeal.

[Goldentony]

Loved Polka Dot Man, haven't been keeping up on production so I had no idea he was a thing at all. Loved the Silver Age looking costume too. Good laugh this, didn't feel particularly great or bad, some of the jokes suffered from the "wow really" shite but yeah, wasn't swayed massively either way. Better than I thought it'd be. The Somewhat Entertaining Squad.

Weasel was great also, forgot

[mothman]

It's telling that the charge I made against HQ a page or two back - her almost-superfluity in the first film - can also be made in the second...

[StewartLeehaslethimselfgo]

Nearly as bad as the other suicide squad. Baffled this has 92% score must be paid for

[Glebe]

Fairly in-depth James Gunn interview, if you're arsed:

James Gunn on 'The Suicide Squad,' "Grounded" 'Peacemaker' and the Day Kevin Feige Came to Set.

Also:

The Suicide Squad has a Guardians of the Galaxy cameo you might have missed.

[mothman]

It's bombed because it, er, didn't have Will Smith in it..?

[mjwilson]

That may be the first time anyone ever used the phrase "Will Smith's Suicide Squad".

[Glebe]

Oh yeah,

Spoiler alert

Calendar Man

[close]

cameo (played by Sean Gunn, who also played Weasel).

Apparently that's Suicide Squad comics scribe John Ostrander as the guy

Spoiler alert

inserting the bomb into Savant's neck

[close]

.

Knew Polka Dot Man was

Spoiler alert

gonna get smushed when he starts celebrating after damaging Starro

[close]

.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I thought Smith's presence in the first one was a sign of how much his star power had waned, not a primary factor in its bafflingly big box office bonanza.

Also, while Addams Family Values is superior, the first one isn't crap by any stretch of the imagination.

[Custard]

This is avaaaaailable

[mothman]

And it has been avaaaailed of. Just need to find the time...

[up_the_hampipe]

Just saw this. If it was 2006 and I was 14 years old buzzing off Powerade, it would have been the greatest thing I've ever seen. It's my first James Gunn experience. I can only describe his directing style as Michael Bay if he browsed Reddit.

[phantom_power]

I know by now it shouldn't surprise me when the general forum opinion is so at odds with mine but for some reason it still does

[Custard]

We whacked it through the film projector at home, and it was nice to watch it without irritating cunts munching and burping covid throughout

I really liked it. Solid action scenes, some nasty deaths, some funny ones, likeable enough characters. The climatic battle was good fun, and utterly bizarre. Great Harley sequence of her killing about 90 soldiers. Rat lady was good, Shark not as annoying as I'd expected, Idris is very good, as is Cena. Amanda Waller is a truly terrifying cunt. No sign of Lego Joker.

It's just what a Suicide Squad film needs to be really, and is so much better than that first attempt

[Alberon]

It's okay and it was shot more interestingly than some action films - there's one shot which is of a fight reflected in Peacemaker's helmet. How Polka-dot man sees the world delivered some of the most amusing bits though while Weasel looked great he didn't actually do much at all.

But as a film it has one or two too many main characters and is only moderately amusing. The first film was shit, but this claws up to the high watermark of passable.

[madhair60]

It's okay and it was shot more interestingly than some action films - there's one shot which is of a fight reflected in Peacemaker's helmet.

I'm probably being harsh but I thought that was rubbish. Seemed a bit, dunno how to put it, affected. Like, look what I've done, aren't I clever. Helmet filming cunt.

[up_the_hampipe]

I'm probably being harsh but I thought that was rubbish. Seemed a bit, dunno how to put it, affected. Like, look what I've done, aren't I clever. Helmet filming cunt.

Yeah, that's how I felt about a lot of the shots. It's hard to describe without sounding wanky, but there's no art to it. Like a media studies student who has been given a Hollywood budget.

It didn't help that there were three lads behind me at the cinema who were amused by every joke and amazed by every effect. When the blood spelled out "Warner Bros. Pictures Presents", one of them said "that's wicked" out loud. Outrageous.

[Goldentony]

i'd like more Polka Dot Man and Weasel level films more than more of this

[Custard]

Polka Dot Man, Weasel, and Rat Lady are all James Gunn creations, aren't they? If so, that's mighty fine work, as they were all definite standouts

I loved Polka's reaction to the other lads not caring that one of their lesser known crew had died. Then admitting that he'd kinda fallen in love with him. Didn't expect that in a James Gunn shoot em up daft-a-thon

[Kelvin]

It didn't help that there were three lads behind me at the cinema who were amused by every joke and amazed by every effect. When the blood spelled out "Warner Bros. Pictures Presents", one of them said "that's wicked" out loud. Outrageous.

I'm on my phone, but imagine I put this paragragh in the Last Cab Post to Make You Guffaw thread.

[C_Larence]

Polka Dot Man, Weasel, and Rat Lady are all James Gunn creations, aren't they? If so, that's mighty fine work, as they were all definite standouts

I loved Polka's reaction to the other lads not caring that one of their lesser known crew had died. Then admitting that he'd kinda fallen in love with him. Didn't expect that in a James Gunn shoot em up daft-a-thon

All three of those are existing DC characters. I think Rat Catcher 2 is a new idea, but there is definitely an existing male Rat Catcher in the comics.