I guess this is just called The Suicide Squad and not Suicide Squad 2 like I’ve been calling it. This is a sequel and not a reboot, right? I guess the film does kill off most of the returning cast. So maybe it is a soft reboot.
Harley Quinn basically has plot armor as she’s the most likely to return for further sequels and what have you, so you know she’s safe. The others on the other hand…
I know there was a sequel to a film recently that did the same thing… Am I thinking of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? I think I am, where J.J. Abrams just acts like the second film didn’t happen.
I reviewed the first Suicide Squad film and I was not happy with it. A lot of people I assume agree that the film wasn’t very good.
David Ayer I don’t think was the right choice for that project, it really did need someone like James Gunn, not to elevate it, but make it what it should have been.
I remember in my review I said the first Suicide Squad movie needed to be just dumb fun. And that is exactly what James Gunn’s version brought to the table. Pure, over the top, dumb fun.
It’s also incredibly forgettable as I can’t seem to remember a damn thing about it, just that it was hyper violent, fun and that I ultimately liked it.
There’s barely a handful of characters that return this time around, those who made the cut are Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn of course and Rick Flag. Not to mention Waller who is still running this bizarre black ops group of super villains.
Added to the roster this time we have… it’s kind of a giant list, so let me prefaces this by stating kind of the obvious, a majority of the folks I’d waste time introducing have maybe one line before they are horrifically killed off.
Plus, I don’t even remember all of them or what they could do. Or if they even got a chance to show off what they could do like Javelin. Who I’m guessing just throws a javelin at people.
But that’s the joke, they all have idiotic superpowers. I’m pretty sure Harley Quinn’s powers is mental illness, as I doubt plot armor is a real superpower acknowledged by DC.
The plot this time around is kind of the plot to the 60’s film The Guns of Navarone. Where a ragtag group are assigned to take out an enemy target behind enemy lines.
But this time add silly costumed super villains.
Back leading this group is Rick Flag, on his team are Harley Quinn, Boomerang, Weasel which is just a giant weasel… and a whole bunch of others that are just meat for the grinder.
We aren’t really clued in on what their mission is, much like them we are just dropped right into it with the team landing on an island, Weasel being the first casualty as it can’t swim.
One of the teammates Blackguard, played by Pete Davidson double crosses the team, calling in the military to ambush them.
And he’s the second to kick the bucket as everyone on the team gets slaughtered, even Boomerang who was pretty confidant at the start of the film.
Turns out, this team was just the distraction, as the real Suicide Squad was deployed on the other side of the island, away from the military forces.
This team is led by our Deadshot replacement Bloodsport played by Idris Elba. He is basically Will Smith’s character from the first film, even including an estranged relationship with a daughter.
At least I think that was Deadshot’s backstory. It wasn’t exactly a film you want to go back and watch ever again, so my memory might be off a bit.
Like Deadshot, Bloodsport is a marksmen. Instead of a sniper rifle however, he uses arm mounted crossbow bolts.
But he also wears a suit that carries with it weapon part mods to make his handguns more powerful. I really enjoyed his design, especially when he wears his mask.
He really stands out, as everyone else in their costumes look ridiculous, especially Peacemaker played by Jon Cena.
I loved Peacemaker. I didn’t really know much or should I say ANYTHING about the character beforehand, so I looked him up.
Basically he’s so patriotic that he’ll do anything it takes for peace and America. He’s like Captain America but if he were a Nazi.
But his outfit is ridiculous looking wearing what looks to be a toilet seat as a helmet.
The others on the team are Ratcatcher 2, a teenager who can control rats thanks to a device her father made, Ratcatcher.
Polka-Dot Man, the most interesting member on the team whose power is to shoot polka dots was my favorite of the bunch, followed by King Shark, who is just this big dumb shark that eats people.
Their mission is to sneak onto the island of Corto Maltese whose regime just fell to an anti-American dictator. Suicide Squad’s mission is to sneak in and destroy a secret classified facility where they fear scientists are working on a WMD called Project Starfish, fearing it could be of alien origins.
While the first team acts as a distraction, getting massacred, team 2 is able to go unnoticed. However Bloodsport and Flag have army pal type of history, so they go off mission to rescue him once they get the news he is still alive.
I saw this coming a mile away, but it was still funny, but they sneak into the camp Flag is being held, slaughtering everyone, only to find out that this camp isn’t the military, but resistance fighters.
What’s left of the resistance fights don’t have much of a choice now, so they join the Suicide Squad in their mission to take out the lab and the new dictatorship.
The second half of their mission is to kidnap The Thinker, who is this mad scientist with a bunch of light bulbs screwed into his head.
He’s the main scientist working on Project Starfish, using people as test subjects for this alien creature starfish looking thing found in space. He has a way of spitting out copies of itself, attaching to peoples’ faces, taking control.
I’m not a comic book fan, I don’t think I’ve ever read a DC comic in my life, growing up I was always on team Marvel or to be more exact X-Men, but aside from The Death of Superman I do remember seeing the cover of a comic with all the DC favorites with starfish over their faces.
But of course before the team goes after The Thinker, they need to rescue Harley Quinn as she has been captured by the military and brought before the country’s new dictator… who Harley quickly kills.
She learns of the plan to unleash the starfish on the populace if they go against the government, even using it as leverage against the US.
No longer needing to get rescued, she meets back up with Flag and the rest of the team where they interrogate Thinker, getting him to agree on letting them into the facility holding Starro, the alien starfish.
The plan is to sneak in and by sneak in I mean use the rain as cover as they quickly slaughter everyone in their way, sealing the impenetrable doors behind them.
After that, they need to set up explosives that will topple the tower.
But this is the Suicide Squad and nothing ever goes as planned. Thinker reveals this is actually a US government facility and this mission is to wipe out any evidence linking their involvement.
Peacemaker has his own mission and that’s to make sure the evidence never sees the light of day, killing Flag in the process.
Also while this is happening, Bloodsport and the others accidentally set off the rest of the explosives, bringing the building down on top of everyone and releasing Starro.
What’s kind of strange was how little Harley Quinn cared that Flag died. She seemed more upset Boomerang kicked the bucket than Flag, who she seemed to have kind of a bond with.
Actually, now that I think about it, no one really seemed to care at all when someone died. I think the most anyone batted an eye was when some random resistance fighter who was helping them took a bullet.
I guess it makes sense, seeing as they are criminals and killers.
So now our team is up against a giant starfish, rampaging through the city, spewing it’s mini starfish at people. This isn’t exactly a job for this group to handle. Technically their mission is over.
But they decide to break protocol and take this thing out before it does anymore damage.
Kind of like the first film, it did feel weird that they would unnecessarily take this mission on. Remember, they’re only doing this because Waller put bombs in the back of their heads.
So for them to go off book, risking their heads from popping feels out of character. I guess technically they aren’t the worst people. Bloodsport is more of a mercenary, PokaDot’s I don’t remember what he was in for, maybe just being insane. Harley on the other hand is a known psycho killer.
Oh and Ratcatcher 2. Knew I was forgetting someone. Which is a shame seeing as she basically saves the day in the end with her army of rats.
I won’t go into too much detail on how it ends, just that I found it satisfying.
They do set things up for more sequels, I hope Gunn returns, as I know he made this back when Marvel fired him for old tweets.
The eventually brought him back, which kind of makes you won’t how much of this was planned.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this version of Suicide Squad, it reminded me a lot of Super a bit. I’m slightly disappointed that there wasn’t at least a small cameo for The Crimson Bolt. Just him and his wrench in the background, anything.
The film does a good job of giving the audience each character’s backstory. The film does take a pregnant pause at times to do it, but I think the film is better for it.
Ratcatcher 2 being the one they spend the most on.
If you’re a James Gunn fan, I saw absolutely check this one out. If you aren’t that familiar with his work, but like the DCCU films, this might be a bit of a departure from what you’re used to.
It doesn’t take itself as seriously as those other films. Well, not including the Aquaman film or Shazaam.
This is one worth checking out. I give it a SEE IT. It did exactly what it needed to do and what it needed to be. Enjoyable dumb fun.
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