"The Suicide Squad": Movie Review
Written By Alex Greenbaum
In Hollywood, second chances are few and far between, but director/ writer James Gunn has been given the responsibility to resurrect a portion of the horrifically constructed DC film universe. While Gunn's track record has been sporadic (to put it nicely) his overwhelming success with "The Guardians Of The Galaxy" in 2014 is one of the main factors as to why he's been granted this opportunity. To watch the striking visuals and over the top gore is one of the primary reasons "The Suicide Squad" successfully entertains. But its torturously unfunny first 40 minutes and a failing tongue-in-cheek performance by John Cena subdues its ambitious intentions.
The premise of the film beings with a group of psychologically insane anti heroes being dropped off on the fictional island of Corto Maltese to eliminate the dictatorship that has taken over. Yet the unknown experiment known as project Star Fish poses an even bigger threat than initially expected.
Watching King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) and others rip people to shreds is visually stunning. The high level detail that is present impresses because even though its characters are whacky, there's such attention and care put into the costumes and CGI to bring these personalities to life. Each possess distinct characteristics, and while not deep, generally are dramatically/comedically engaging.
However, "The Suicide Squad" falters so heavily in its uneven and tedious beginning, that a great deal of its promise inevitably feels lifeless. Sprung into a world where juvenile gags are the primary form of communication not only quickly grows old, but the script relies so heavily on it to start, digging out of its own childish humor as a first impression is an uphill battle. To make matters worse, Cena's abysmal attempt at humor only makes things harder to take as the film begins to spiral even further into comedic torment.
But by the films midpoint, the interesting backstories, engaging villains and eye popping visuals all work flawlessly. Gunn's vision finally exists with purpose as the characters flourish under the increasingly bizarre circumstances that arise. And even with some glowing positives, "The Suicide Squad" remake ends up being just a slight upgrade over the disastrous 2016 "Suicide Squad", winding up as a minor disappointment that could've been so much more.
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