The Suicide Squad [2021]
"We're all gonna die.
-- I hope so."
If you had asked me what I thought about pairing the words "suicide" and "squad" together five years ago, I'd have told you that even if it was the last thing that could be done to save the human race, the film industry should never see those two words side by side again. If you asked me again today, however... I'd tell you that as long as they're preceded by the word "the" I will be going out of my way to not only recommend, but see future installments of this franchise.
The Suicide Squad is 2021's re-engagement of the franchise and shows us all why second chances are so important. While the story isn't going to be turning any heads, the fights, FX, cinematography, clever editing, and brilliant intro will be. The trailers for this movie promised high flying action, lewd jokes, and graphic violence... and boy howdy did we get exactly that.
My biggest gripe about Squad is that it's too long. When the film is cracking jokes and shooting bad guys it almost can't go wrong. When it slows down to try and link the chapters together with narrative, however... it loses a lot of its identity. There are two scenes in particular that I would have shortened or cut entirely, shaving the film down by about 15 minutes total. The beginning is stunning and fun and the end is moving and impressive, but the middle slumps and could have just been thrown away.
Other than that though, The Suicide Squad is an absolute study in innovative and daring camera work and editing. Scenes are well framed with vivid colors and dynamic motion without anything being too garish or distracting. We get very unique and energetic camera movement that takes some seriously impressive vision to make work -- fast snap zooms, quick swoops to precise scenes. Squad is a great example of doing something meaningful and creative with your camera without venturing into the world of art house obscurity.
From a visual effects perspective, Squad is on par or beyond anything else I've seen this year and will give GvK some decent competition. They're mostly very believable and they're all very, very fun and well imagined. Equally well imagined is the score, which is that tricky blend of i-Pod Shuffle soundtrack combined with a typical film-style composition. Squad nails it with some very in-tune sound editing, making the songs seem right at home alongside the rest of the film.
I'm honestly stunned at how much I liked this. Yes, it has issues. No, they aren't any worse (and most are far less glaring) than anything in a Marvel film. If DC wants to really make something of themselves, they need do nothing more than hand James Gunn the keys and leave him alone.
Get some rowdy friends together, amp yourselves up, and strap on your boots... because The Suicide Squad absolutely kicks ass.
"IT'S YOUR MOM!"
