DC Comics’ Suicide Squad meets the mind of director James Gunn for a mixture of gore, action, and a whole lot of love.

With a long history of working in the popular Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gunn’s foray into the competitor began when he was fired from Marvel, then rehired in 2019.

DC snapped him up to direct any film of his choosing and Gunn settled on everyone’s favourite band of oddballs; the Suicide Squad. 

The relationship between 2016’s Suicide Squad and 2021’s The Suicide Squad is not overtly clear to the casual viewer at first glance. 

2016’s poorly received incarnation was directed by David Ayer, who has since come out numerous times against the production company, stating a number of notes and poor editing culminated into a movie he didn’t originally plan. 

This meant that 2016’s version was plagued with many issues: limited character arcs, unequal screen time, and poor story structure. 

Due to its poor reception, Warner Brothers and DC allowed Gunn to make his version of the film with free reign. However, Gunn’s rendition ensures that none of the stories his film brings forward undoes that of Ayer, with some storylines actually following on from that of its predecessor. 

Simply put, 2021’s The Suicide Squad could be considered a standalone sequel to 2016’s Suicide Squad. Gunn, having close to complete creative control over the film, allows characters to thrive, fights to be won, and leaves audiences never wanting it to end. 

If you’re at all familiar with his unique direction and production of the Guardians of The Galaxy franchise, you’ll be happy to know that The Suicide Squad is no different.

With an MA15+ rating and nowhere near as much CGI as a Marvel movie, it makes for a compelling two hours and 12 minutes where audiences meet a range of kooky human and non-human characters.

The director is known as a fan of the source material for comic book movies, which means the film is littered with little-known characters.

A variety of lesser-known characters are introduced by Gunn within the first few minutes of the film. These include Pete Davidson as Black Guard, Flula Borg as Javelin, and Nathan Fillion as the Detachable Kid - each being talented comedic actors that are great spring-boards for Gunn’s unique brand of humour. 

Comic book movie super-fan Caleb Barker said he was glad to see the lesser-known inclusions as comic books and graphic novels are full of weird and wonderful characters that are often ignored in major productions. 

“Utilising lesser-known characters not only introduces audiences to new heroes and villains, but also allows the director more freedom as they are no longer restrained by the clauses and guidelines that come with those like Batman and Joker,” Mr Barker said.

“More creative freedom almost always leads to a better experience.” 

The film wasted no time in getting to the action by opening with a pretty confronting scene set in a prison. Viewers are reintroduced to a character they met in 2016’s Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller, played by Viola Davis. In this film Viola’s character has a noticeably clearer arc, and a personality with a greater degree of depth.

In classic James Gunn fashion, every clichéd superhero movie trope is turned on its head with this opening scene swiftly followed by a major battle sequence which would typically close out a movie of this kind.

The movie is filled with an amazingly talented cast, featuring the likes of John Cena, Idris Elba, Margot Robbie and many others. Gunn works hard to ensure that no character takes the limelight – an issue which often plagues ensemble movies and leads to bigger stars receiving more time in the spotlight.

The film’s classic song soundtrack is another notable aspect. Something heard in his Guardians films, 80s and 90s music juxtaposed with intense fight scenes are littered throughout The Suicide Squad. This naturally makes for some fantastic viewing.  

Compared to 2016’s version and other films in the DC Universe, The Suicide Squad sits on the line perfectly between intensity and heart. Audiences are bound to enjoy adventuring into the minds of this loveable band of misfits. 

And this film is certainly setting the tone for DC Universe projects to come, with Gunn signed on to adapt television shows for HBO Max based on The Suicide Squad characters. 

No matter what your thoughts are on 2016’s Suicide Squad, James Gunn, or superhero movies in general, this genre-jumping film has something that all types of people will enjoy.