The Suicide Squad (2021)
There's a moment early in The Suicide Squad where a group of genuinely terrible people are dropped onto a beach and almost immediately torn to shreds, and it sets the tone perfectly. James Gunn is not messing about. This is loud, bloody, irreverent, and thoroughly committed to its own madness, and for large stretches of its runtime, it's an absolute blast.
The premise is a cracking hook. Supervillains, misfits, and gloriously unhinged cons from Belle Reve prison are coerced into joining the shady Task Force X, dropped onto the enemy-infested island of Corto Maltese with a simple, explosive mandate. As the tagline puts it, they're dying to save the world. It's the kind of setup that immediately tells you what you're in for: chaotic, R-rated energy drenched in a vibrant, bloody colour palette that is unmistakably Gunn's.
I've loved what Gunn has done with ragtag ensembles before. His work on Guardians of the Galaxy showed a real knack for taking bizarre, oddball characters and making you genuinely care about them, and he brings that same instinct here. The comparison is hard to avoid, and honestly, it's not a criticism. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. What matters is whether it works, and mostly it does.
The cast is the film's greatest strength. Margot Robbie, reprising Harley Quinn, completely steals the show every time she's on screen. She's unhinged, brilliant, and utterly committed to the role in a way that makes every scene she's in crackle with energy. For me she's always been the best thing about this particular corner of the DC universe, as I thought even back when I reviewed Birds of Prey (2020). Idris Elba brings a grounded emotional weight as Bloodsport that gives the film something to anchor itself to amidst the carnage. John Cena is absolutely hilarious as the jingoistic Peacemaker, playing the character's oblivious self-righteousness with perfect comic timing. And Sylvester Stallone voicing King Shark is exactly as gloriously daft as it sounds.
From a technical standpoint, this is polished blockbuster filmmaking. The action set-pieces are brilliantly choreographed, the visual effects are genuinely impressive, and there are sequences here with a real visual invention to them. Gunn stages the chaos with enough clarity that you always know what's happening, which is more than you can say for plenty of films in this genre.
So where does it fall short? Honestly, it's the structure. Strip away the gore, the sharp jokes, and the terrific ensemble, and you're left with a film that follows the exact same beats as a dozen other superhero pictures. The generic third-act CGI showdown arrives right on schedule, and no amount of style can fully disguise the fact that the bones underneath are very familiar. Gunn is working from a template here, and he works it with enormous flair, but he doesn't break it. Compared to the original Suicide Squad (2016), this is streets ahead in almost every department, but that's a low bar, and clearing it comfortably doesn't quite make this the genre-shaker it could have been.
What it is, though, is genuinely entertaining. It knows exactly what it wants to be and delivers it with style, heart, and a lot of blood. The humour lands more often than not, the cast are clearly having the time of their lives, and there are moments here, particularly anything involving Harley Quinn, that are flat-out joyful to watch.
Three stars. A bloody good time that doesn't reinvent anything, but executes the familiar formula with enough wit and mayhem to make it well worth your evening.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2021 | Watched: 2026-07-07
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · HBO Max Amazon Channel · Now TV Cinema · Netflix Standard with Ads
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · YouTube TV · HBO Max
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
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