I miss the cinema. I LOVE going to the movies and, now I’m fully vaccinated, I was hoping I could get back there now there are some great movies coming out.
I was let down by my local cinema since they only had showings of The Suicide Squad at times not great for me and they also have removed all social distancing which I find a bit premature.
So I was able to sort out my HBO Max subscription, last used to view the Snyder Cut of Justice League and also Wonder Woman 1984. Really glad I did!
The most bizarre description I’ve heard about The Suicide Squad was this. Imagine giving James Gunn a bucket of cocaine, an unlimited budget and the permission to make whatever film he wants to make, however he wants to make it.
You know what? That’s about right!
The Suicide Squad is unlike ANY other comic-book movie I’ve ever seen. Arguably you could say it’s unlike ANY movie I’ve ever seen. It’s insanely, graphically violent, it’s visually stunning, it’s hilarious and it’s equally touching in the most magical of ways. Truly, this movie is a masterpiece. It’s insane, but genius is akin to madness, right?
Every single member of the cast is both just “there” yet also explored. This is part of why James Gunn has been so genius with the movie. Yes, there is some need for back-story but yet none of that is allowed to interfere with the pacing of the movie as a whole. Just as an example, one of the “heroes”, Polka-Dot Man, has his back-story explained through exposition. In so many other movies, this would consist of 10 minutes of character study and flashback. Not here. In around 50 seconds you get everything you ever need to know about the man. Yet in that incredibly short time, the story is nonsensical, intense, emotional, funny and intriguing. The balance is truly perfect and the same is true for every character. The two characters most deeply investigated, Rat Catcher (2) and Bloodsport are beautifully brought to the screen by Daniela Malchor and Idris Elba respectively. These two characters utterly deserve and need their stories to be deeper but, again, it doesn’t take anything away from the plot. With every single one, including King Shark, they are exposed as so flawed and so relatable. If anyone questions how you can possibly feel empathy toward a walking, talking shark played by Sylvester Stallone, just hit a single, 10 second scene where he is left waiting outside a nightclub in a van. It’s remarkable.
Now all of that is great in itself. Then Starro appears. Starro the Conqueror is just utterly bonkers as a concept. Yet even when he is doing his thing, you even start feeling sorry for HIM and have a degree of understanding of his pain.
I never thought I would be describing this movie as a character piece. It shouldn’t be. It should be a wild, intense, action-filled ride through mountains of effects. In a sense, it is that. But it all takes a back seat to the inter-twined relationships of all the characters. There is heartbreak, there is genuine friendship, there is betrayal, there is honour. It is so much more than a comic-book movie yet it is all packaged up in this whole bag of utter nonsense. The vibrancy of Starros colours utterly belies the absolute viciousness of the character yet it is all delivered with 100% accuracy.
The last time I felt so utterly impressed and so utterly surprised by a film was Jo-Jo Rabbit. Taika Waititi turns up in this movie too as the original Rat Catcher. I’m not saying he had any influence over James Gunn but I just found it interesting how both movies ended up being so utterly surprising in their complexity.
Now, this movie has an ‘R’ rating and, make no bones about it, this is NOT a movie that any parent should take their kid to see. The violence is really graphic, the language is pretty full on. But for any adult looking for something that at the same time is pure entertainment for a bit over 2 hours, it is just brilliant!
