8/8/21 - The Suicide Squad - 6-/10
It is definitely too much, pushing hard to be the hard R Guardians of the Galaxy that the first one pseudo attempted to capitalize upon and feigned, but it’s over abundance isn’t enough to drown its likability and fun quotient. As long as you aren’t overly turned off by the dumb, unbelievable, too-cute-by-half, or the gore-fest that roided-out 80’s action extravaganzas only dreamt of; it’s hard not to be tickled by the charm of the actors and copious violent joys.
It’s uneven, a tad choppy while it spreads itself thin, and pursues excess over the complex. The dialogue is generally shallow as is the plot, with large swathes letting the theoretical “cool” overtake depth, intricacy, or full humor. It is generally kind of dumb… but it also knows what it is and owns its intention. With its intentions aligned, it uses its actors and characters to the best of their ability.
Elba is a strong enough actor to wrench the meager feelings from what he is provided. Daniela Melchior does a similarly admirable job, exuding likability and empathy. King Shark, Sebastian the Rat, and Weasel exemplify the simplistic, odd, and lovable anthropomorphized creature characters that click for cuteness and cashing in with Gunn’s work. Dastmalchian’s straight man unbalanced revels in its slightly creepy charisma. Cena is bigger than life, literally and figuratively, and his Peacemaker is dopey and droll. And Harley and Flag double down on their better qualities from the previous film.
This is the rude and rowdy Deadpool-esque spectacle that will delight its intended audiences of teens and 20 somethings - the kind of solid connection with the general public that DC desperately needed. Solid dumb fun adult spectacle that is an easy crowd pleaser.
