Danvers Mail

The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad– 2021 (Action, Adventure, Comedy)
rated    –    star star star star star

Okay, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. If this title sounds familiar, it’s because DC/Warner Brothers released “Suicide Squad,” a film with a very similar story just five short years ago. Just a few years later, why did they release another movie with the same name (plus the word “the”?) That is up for debate. Is this a remake, reboot, or sequel? So, there are returning cast members such as Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang (then 13 NEW members as well, that’s an issue for further in the review.)

I’m still a Marvel fanboy, and I don’t deny that; few films in the DCEU (DC Extended Universe) have appealed to me like the Marvel films. With that being said, I do appreciate them playing fast and loose with continuity. Usually, that would be a big negative for me. Still, with the upcoming film “The Flash,” DC will explain all of their continuity issues away with a movie that takes from the comics, the flashpoint storyline to be specific. This just illustrates that there are multiple parallel universes, so basically, anything is a go. This is similar to what Marvel will be doing with their new Spider-Man and Dr. Strange films (and what Sony did with the cartoon version of Spider-Man in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” All of these franchises try to copy off each other in one way or another. What it comes down to is how successful they are. The plus to this is that DC has hit paydirt a few times, in my opinion, specifically with “Joker” and “Wonder Woman.” Those are the only two DC films that I hold up to Marvel level (since their current batch of films, “The Dark Knight” trilogy, is some of the best superhero films ever made.)

So back to a previous issue I had with this film, they introduced no less than 13 new characters, and I’m sorry, but it was just overwhelming and sloppy. They started to go in-depth on some of their backstories and not others. Some were just there to take up space, and others felt like they should’ve been far more critical than they were. Then there’s the issue with Will Smith’s Deadshot (an excellent and nearly perfect marksman) being replaced by Idris Elba’s Bloodsport (an excellent and nearly perfect marksman). I get Smith was busy and couldn’t come back for the “sequel” (even though there have been talks about him coming back if they do another. It felt more like pandering than a new and well-deserved character.

I don’t know what the future holds for the DCEU; I do know that I’m excited for the new Flash film, as well as “The Batman” (a new Batman film in the DCEU without any of the previous people who have played Batman, including Ben Affleck who is the “current” Batman in the DCEU.)

Personally, my favorite Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) appearance was in last year’s “Birds of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).” It may have a crazy name, but it was a great movie, and I still stand by the fact I think the choreographers deserve their own Oscar category. The funhouse fight scene in the film was nothing short of amazing. 

Where to watch: In theaters and streaming on

where to watch

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