The Suicide Squad (2021)

[BetterButter]

 

Edited August 22, 2020 by BetterButter

[VCRTracking]

There are so many characters I'm thinking a lot of them are going to get killed off(probably in hilarious ways) which I'm totally for. 

Edited August 22, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Trini]

I feel like Pete Davidson's character gets killed first, but that seems too easy a guess? But I think Polka Dot man will last longer than you'd think, because they'll want to keep him for jokes.

[WritinMan]

With the exception of Pete Davidson, I'm intrigued.

[scarynikki12]

Have they said who the Big Bad will be? If not I'm wondering if they'll do one of two things: 1) The Thinker is the Big Bad or, 2) they want us to expect him to be the Big Bad so they can subvert expectations and kill him first. Personally I'd prefer the latter.

The roll call alone has me excited for the movie. Now we just need to make it safe to go to theaters so I can support it.

[Trini]

On 8/23/2020 at 11:40 AM, scarynikki12 said:

Have they said who the Big Bad will be?

Whoever/whatever the villain/threat is, it needs to be better than the first film, because that was the biggest disappointment for me.

[MarkHB]

First post since we recovered from FanDome:

 

[BetterButter]

 

[MarkHB]

Since I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone...

Spoiler

HOLY FUCK STARRO!

 

[MarkHB]

Character posters (there are three posts in all):

 

[MarkHB]

One more thing that I don't think anyone saw coming...

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by MarkHB

[Chicago Redshirt]

I laughed out loud more at that trailer than I did in the entire previous Suicide Squad, so my hopes are high. 

[DollEyes]

My verdict: Hell, yeah! If the trailer is any indication, this is gonna be one of the rare times when the sequel is better than the original. This is what happens when the studio trusts a great director who not only knows what they're doing, they care about it and the people they work with-unlike, say, Joss Whedon.

  James Gunn has not only made the Guardians of the Galaxy cool, as this trailer proves, he's made the Suicide Squad cool again, plus Margot Robbie and John Cena are hilarious, Idris Elba's even hotter than ever and I want a King Shark Funko Pop.

Edited March 27, 2021 by DollEyes

[cambridgeguy]

One fun thing is trying to figure out who falls into the Slipknot/X-Force category of dead meat.  It looks like there are two squads in the trailer - the one that doesn't have Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie, and King Shark in the group shot is probably toast.

[starri]

I'm surprisingly into this, although it's clearly just going to be an R-rated Guardians of the Galaxy.

Savant is queer, but I have a real suspicion they're going to sidestep that.

[Trini]

Y'all still trusting the trailers? Very similar positive comments were given for the first Suicide Squad trailers, I'm just sayin'. This will probably be better by default, but marketing can be deceiving.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Trini said:

Y'all still trusting the trailers? Very similar positive comments were given for the first Suicide Squad trailers, I'm just sayin'. This will probably be better by default, but marketing can be deceiving.

The trailer for the first movie was all style (mostly from the music and creative editing) with no substance. It didn’t surprise me they were covering up a mediocre movie. My guess is that this trailer is a more accurate representation of the actual film. 

[Racj82]

5 hours ago, Trini said:

Y'all still trusting the trailers? Very similar positive comments were given for the first Suicide Squad trailers, I'm just sayin'. This will probably be better by default, but marketing can be deceiving.

Unlike the previous trailer for the earlier movie, I don't think we are getting a bait and switch here. Which is the important part. Ayer's trailer painted this serious world with a lot of darkness but we got a silly needle dropped filmed romp with comedy that failed left and right. At the very least, it's looks fun and very Gunn-like. So yeah, I'm ready for this. Don't know how good it will be.

[Morrigan2575]

I have to be honest, I wasn't impressed or amused. Maybe the next trailer. Otherwise I'll just wait for GOTG3.

I did get a minor kick out of Blue Space Merle becoming Blonde Hair Band Merle and Gunn bringing in Stallone...it's a GOTG2 reunion...is Sean Gunn in this too?

Edited March 29, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[Chyromaniac]

2 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

I did get a minor kick out of Blue Space Merle becoming Blonde Hair Band Merle and Gunn bringing in Stallone...it's a GOTG2 reunion...is Sean Gunn in this too?

Yep- he plays someone called Weasel.

[MarkHB]

1 hour ago, Chyromaniac said:

Yep- he plays someone called Weasel.

That's the thing licking the window in one shot. 

I realize the some of the folks in that first squad are probably toast; I just hope that Boomerang and Flag aren't among them.  They're the key connection to the original comics team.  Well, them and John Ostrander, the original writer,  who can be seen in this trailer playing the doc who injects Savant with the bomb. 

David Ayer has said on Twitter that his original cut of Suicide Squad was close in tone to the "I Started a Joke" Comic-Con preview,  and the needle drops,  etc. were all done after he turned his cut in.  I believe the story is that WB gave the film to a trailer company to do the final edit.  Ayer said point blank that the caption saying Harley was complicit in the death of Robin, which makes no sense given the backstory for the Joker's tattoos,  was a Geoff John's addition. 

[Morrigan2575]

9 hours ago, Chyromaniac said:

Yep- he plays someone called Weasel.

Hah! I do like Sean Gunn in GOTG. It's funny how Directors always give their brothers roles in their movies. Ron Howard (Clint), Sam Rami (Ted), James Gunn (Sean).  I'm not complaining, I enjoy seeing them pop up, they're like Easter Eggs 😁

Edited March 29, 2021 by Morrigan2575

[cambridgeguy]

4 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Hah! I do like Sean Gunn in GOTG. It's funny how Directors always give their brothers roles in their movies. Ron Howard (Clint), Sam Rami (Ted), James Gunn (Sean).  I'm not complaining, I enjoy seeing them pop up, they're like Easter Eggs 😁

Never underestimate the power of nepotism.  That's true in general but it's especially bad in Hollywood.  Spouses and children are also good for a brief appearance and quick paycheck

[Unclejosh]

This looks terrible.  I actually enjoyed the first movie surprisingly but this trailer was brutal.  Not one funny or exciting moment to be found.  Maybe James Gunn blew his load with GOTG1?

[tennisgurl]

Yeah I thought the Suicide Squad trailer looked cool, then the movie was just a garbled Guardians of the Galaxy ripoff that lacked all of the charm, heart, and originality of GoTG. Now that they have the actual director of GOTG, I fear that it will be even more of a ripoff, as much as I like James Gunn as a director. Maybe he already used all his best ideas for GOTG?  

They DO have me excited to see King Shark in live action though, he looks pretty awesome. Of course, that just makes me wish we were getting a Secret Six adaptation instead...

[MarkHB]

On 3/30/2021 at 5:12 PM, tennisgurl said:

They DO have me excited to see King Shark in live action though, he looks pretty awesome. Of course, that just makes me wish we were getting a Secret Six adaptation instead...

Personally, nothing against Gail Simone, but if there were to be a Secret Six adaptation I'd want it to be a take on the original 60's spy team, not the villain teamup version.

New theatrical trailer, distinctly different from the red-band version.  I don't know how Gunn came across Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher 2), but that young lady appears to be charming as hell, even if she's surrounded by vermin.

 

[Morrigan2575]

I saw this trailer last night, I like it better than the first one I saw.  

 

 

[MarkHB]

The Suicide Squad has officially been "Rated R for strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use and brief graphic nudity. "

[BetterButter]

 

[MarkHB]

I didn't think this tie-in would happen until the Discovery merger went through...

 

[peridot]

I really liked this movie! It was better than the first.  The first scene was shocking, and so was a scene near the end.

[scarynikki12]

I really enjoyed this. As predicted there’s a massive body count with blood flying everywhere.

I won’t go into it until more have seen it but I love how Gunn played with the characters. I hope he gets to do another.

[Jediknight]

Sometimes a studio interferes and you wish they would have just let the director do what they wanted.  Sometimes a director gets to do what they wanted, and you wish the studio would have interfered.  But sometimes, the studio doesn't interfere, the director has complete creative freedom, and you get a fun as hell movie with a lot of heart.  Happy to report that this movie is that last sentence.

It was obvious this movie was 1000% a James Gunn movie, and it more than worked.  He did what he did with Guardians, he took B and C list characters like Bloodsport, Ratcatcher, Peacemaker, Milton, and Polka-Dot Man and made you like and care about them.

Mentioned it having a lot of heart, but I've gotta mention I was a big fan of Harley and Flag's friendship.

Unlike the first Suicide Squad, we saw the steps to the Squad becoming close friends and family.  Believable character development, Gunn showed and didn't just flip a lightswitch.

Edited August 6, 2021 by Jediknight

[callie lee 29]

9 hours ago, Jediknight said:

Mentioned it having a lot of heart, but I've gotta mention I was a big fan of Harley and Flag's friendship

Yes!!! I really liked that part a lot.  

Outside of Sebastian, Flagg and Harley I think Polka-dot Man and Milton were my favorite characters.

[AngieBee1]

Quite enjoyed it. Very much a spectacle. Have to do a re-watch because there are bits that, upon reflection in the AM seems so much funnier like Peacemaker taking notes during their orientation.  

People are feeling sympathetic to David Ayers for not getting the desired cut of his SUICIDE SQUAD and are judging Gunn's unfairly, but I think everyone should agree it's refreshing we can actually see the set pieces in this film unlike the dimly lit Ayer's Suicide Squad and all the Zack Snyder films.

[paigow]

Need to lodge a dissenting opinion... Gunn wrote a stupid opening-  Why would Waller sacrifice Flag & Harley in a diversion?

Going to skip Peacemaker series

[Captain Carrot]

53 minutes ago, paigow said:

Why would Waller sacrifice Flag & Harley in a diversion?

As I see it she sees everyone as expendable if their death helps the mission. (She did also send Peacemaker on the mission specifically to deal with anyone including Flag that might want to release the information on the computers). So the two most 'patriotic' characters in the movie were worse than all the others.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Captain Carrot said:

As I see it she sees everyone as expendable if their death helps the mission. (She did also send Peacemaker on the mission specifically to deal with anyone including Flag that might want to release the information on the computers). So the two most 'patriotic' characters in the movie were worse than all the others.

The base would never have been infiltrated without Flag and the rebels. Something Waller never anticipated. Anybody could have been sacrificed in the diversion... no reason to waste Flag...

[Matt K]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Need to lodge a dissenting opinion... Gunn wrote a stupid opening-  Why would Waller sacrifice Flag & Harley in a diversion?

Well Harley is an unpowered wild card.  She's not much different than Blackguard or Savant as far as Waller is concerned.  At least Bloodsport and Peacemaker had military training and both were relatively easily controllable.  As for Flag, I wouldn't be surprised that he expressed similar feelings about other shady missions so Waller probably figured it might be a good idea to get rid of him.  Plus you needed someone to lead that team and he was probably the best choice.

 

As for the movie, I really enjoyed it.  Rat-catcher and Polka Dot Man were really well done.  A nice amount of pathos and very well acted.  Harley Quinn was great as well.  They really managed to capture the character and her being kind of crazy but still a competent threat.

[dwmarch]

This is definitely without a doubt my favorite DC movie. Fun, whimsical, gory, funny, emotional. Every character was good and had good moments. The set pieces were great. It was a delight to watch and I will definitely watch it again.

James Gunn borrowed some of that MCU greatness and did not let it go to waste. The R-rating was a plus too as almost every superhero movie has a scene or scenes where the entirely appropriate response is "WHAT THE FUCK?!?!"

Yesterday I had no idea who Ratcatcher 2 and the Polka Dot Man were. Today, I skipped right past fan and straight to air conditioner.

[rwlevin]

This was SO Much better than the first movie. I feel like the first one took itself way too seriously and this one was so much fun. The end kind of reminded me of the old anime super hero cartoons, like Sailor Moon, with the giant monster fight and taking over random civilians and being defeated in the end by heart. It felt more like an MCU movie than a DC movie too. Also, so many familiar MCU faces.

Sad we lost Flag. Ratcatcher and polka-dot man were awesome. Weasel was…really gross. Nanaue was kind of adorably useless.

[Sakura12]

I guess I'm in the minority in not thinking it was that great. It was miles better than the first one, but that is not much of an endorsement. The first one was a mess. 

Like the first one he best part was still Harley. Her fight scene was awesome.  I didn't care about Rick Flagg in the first one but I did feel bad about him in this one. So the characters were much more fleshed out, at least the ones that lived past the opening scene. 

[Morrigan2575]

I actually had the body count guessed right except for Flagg. Shame he died, I actually liked him.  Movie was fine, had some funny stuff in it but, Capaldi was wasted in his role. I also wasn't fond of some of the stuff they did with Quinn (all those flower power images).

[paigow]

How were any civilians still alive with that many rats on the island? All their food supplies would have been eaten years ago and disease kills anybody not starved to death.

[thuganomics85]

I actually didn't hate the first film even though I didn't think it was all that good (Batman v. Superman was what got all of my rage), but I definitely thought this was superior by far.  Much better directed, the laughs were stronger, I actually ended up caring for almost all of the main characters, and the story and main villains were generally stronger.  Not perfect, but a contender for the best out of the DCEU line-up.  I know he might not be for everyone but between this and the Guardians of the Galaxy films (even the second one, which I liked more than many), I think James Gunn really excels at these types of films.

Still debating over who was the standout.  Margot Robbie was once again pitch perfect as Harley Quinn and got much better material here.  I certainly hope she keeps doing this for however long she wants to (and, hey, Gunn managed to film her in a way where she was still extremely gorgeous, but didn't practically duct tape a camera to her ass like David Ayer pretty much did in the first film.)  While Bloodsport definitely had a lot of similarities to Deadshot (wouldn't surprise if the initial drafts were him and got changed when Will Smith decided to not come back), Idris Elba did an excellent job and avoided some of the "straight man" traps, and still made him a fun character.  David Dastmalchian is one of those recognizable faces that I enjoy seeing (including Kurt in the Ant-Man franchise), and he was great as making the ridiculous sounding Polka-Dot Man (and his equally ridiculous outfit) actually compelling and interesting.  King Shark was fun as expected and Sylvester Stallone was a good fit.

But I think my MVPs are between two performances that are different in their own ways.  First, there is Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher.  Not familiar with her going in, but I'm a huge fan now.  It's a bit cliche, but she really made Ratcatcher the "heart" of the team, and I thought she made the character very relatable and sympathetic.  The flashbacks with her dad (Taika Waititi!) honestly hit more with me than stories with way, way more scenes and build up.  Hopefully this isn't the last we see Ratcatcher, but either way I hope Melchior goes places, but she was a real standout here.

The second is John Cena as Peacemaker.  As my screen name might suggest, I was definitely a fan of his during his wrestling days, but have been a bit more mixed with his film work.  But I think his turn here is more proof that he excels best with comedy, because he had me laughing almost every time he said something (and sometimes he didn't have to say anything.  His bad dancing in the club scene almost had me on the floor.)  And while I still won't say he's going to be a thespian anytime soon, I do think he established good rapport and banter with some of the main talent: especially with Elba.  Curious to see how the spin-off show will go; especially after Peacemaker's heel turn at the end; but I'm looking forward to seeing more of Cena in this role.

Even with limited screen time, no one can command the screen quite like Viola Davis can.  She really makes Amanda Waller more chilling and even scary compared to ones with all powers and whatnot.

Most films would be satisfied with Evil Scientist Peter Capaldi as the main villain, but of course this film would just have him be the appetizer for the main course: Starro the Conqueror!

All the deaths were fun, even if I predicted most of them: from Captain Boomrang's "surprising" early exit to Polka-Dot Man being the last one to go right after his heroic moment.  Only main surprise was Rick Flag, which is kind of ironic after finding him to be one of the weakest parts of the first film, but actually kind of liking him this go around.  Still, it was fun watching a parade of familiar faces go out in creative ways, like Pete Davison getting an especially graphic death (have to imagine both Gunn and Davison knew what they were doing there), and Gun mainstays Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion showing up as well.  And, of course, James would make sure he has a nice CGI role for his brother: this time as Weasel!

The whole gag with Milton the driver and how that played out reminded me of the whole Peter bit in Deadpool.

Bloodsport and Peacemaker unknowingly taking out a rebellion camp to "save" Flag was some grade A dark humor: especially once they realized what happened.

Harley's massacre of the henchmen was both beautiful and likely a good way to avoid an NC-17 rating with how brutal it probably was in real time.

After the surprising disappointment of Wonder Woman 1984, I'm back to cautiously hoping the D.C. Films might get their act together again.  Which means I probably should prepare to be letdown...

[AimingforYoko]

2 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Even with limited screen time, no one can command the screen quite like Viola Davis can.  She really makes Amanda Waller more chilling and even scary compared to ones with all powers and whatnot.

It's quite interesting that in a film filled with supervillains, dictators and a giant alien starfish, she's the worst person in the movie. (Waller, I mean. Viola Davis is fabulous, as always.)

[callie lee 29]

4 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

I actually didn't hate the first film even though I didn't think it was all that good (Batman v. Superman was what got all of my rage), but I definitely thought this was superior by far.  Much better directed, the laughs were stronger, I actually ended up caring for almost all of the main characters, and the story and main villains were generally stronger.  Not perfect, but a contender for the best out of the DCEU line-up.  I know he might not be for everyone but between this and the Guardians of the Galaxy films (even the second one, which I liked more than many), I think James Gunn really excels at these types of films.

Still debating over who was the standout.  Margot Robbie was once again pitch perfect as Harley Quinn and got much better material here.  I certainly hope she keeps doing this for however long she wants to (and, hey, Gunn managed to film her in a way where she was still extremely gorgeous, but didn't practically duct tape a camera to her ass like David Ayer pretty much did in the first film.)  While Bloodsport definitely had a lot of similarities to Deadshot (wouldn't surprise if the initial drafts were him and got changed when Will Smith decided to not come back), Idris Elba did an excellent job and avoided some of the "straight man" traps, and still made him a fun character.  David Dastmalchian is one of those recognizable faces that I enjoy seeing (including Kurt in the Ant-Man franchise), and he was great as making the ridiculous sounding Polka-Dot Man (and his equally ridiculous outfit) actually compelling and interesting.  King Shark was fun as expected and Sylvester Stallone was a good fit.

But I think my MVPs are between two performances that are different in their own ways.  First, there is Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher.  Not familiar with her going in, but I'm a huge fan now.  It's a bit cliche, but she really made Ratcatcher the "heart" of the team, and I thought she made the character very relatable and sympathetic.  The flashbacks with her dad (Taika Waititi!) honestly hit more with me than stories with way, way more scenes and build up.  Hopefully this isn't the last we see Ratcatcher, but either way I hope Melchior goes places, but she was a real standout here.

The second is John Cena as Peacemaker.  As my screen name might suggest, I was definitely a fan of his during his wrestling days, but have been a bit more mixed with his film work.  But I think his turn here is more proof that he excels best with comedy, because he had me laughing almost every time he said something (and sometimes he didn't have to say anything.  His bad dancing in the club scene almost had me on the floor.)  And while I still won't say he's going to be a thespian anytime soon, I do think he established good rapport and banter with some of the main talent: especially with Elba.  Curious to see how the spin-off show will go; especially after Peacemaker's heel turn at the end; but I'm looking forward to seeing more of Cena in this role.

Even with limited screen time, no one can command the screen quite like Viola Davis can.  She really makes Amanda Waller more chilling and even scary compared to ones with all powers and whatnot.

Most films would be satisfied with Evil Scientist Peter Capaldi as the main villain, but of course this film would just have him be the appetizer for the main course: Starro the Conqueror!

All the deaths were fun, even if I predicted most of them: from Captain Boomrang's "surprising" early exit to Polka-Dot Man being the last one to go right after his heroic moment.  Only main surprise was Rick Flag, which is kind of ironic after finding him to be one of the weakest parts of the first film, but actually kind of liking him this go around.  Still, it was fun watching a parade of familiar faces go out in creative ways, like Pete Davison getting an especially graphic death (have to imagine both Gunn and Davison knew what they were doing there), and Gun mainstays Michael Rooker and Nathan Fillion showing up as well.  And, of course, James would make sure he has a nice CGI role for his brother: this time as Weasel!

The whole gag with Milton the driver and how that played out reminded me of the whole Peter bit in Deadpool.

Bloodsport and Peacemaker unknowingly taking out a rebellion camp to "save" Flag was some grade A dark humor: especially once they realized what happened.

Harley's massacre of the henchmen was both beautiful and likely a good way to avoid an NC-17 rating with how brutal it probably was in real time.

After the surprising disappointment of Wonder Woman 1984, I'm back to cautiously hoping the D.C. Films might get their act together again.  Which means I probably should prepare to be letdown...

I agree about Cena. I'm not really familiar with his wrestling days but while he's not the best actor he's got something about him that makes me like watching him on screen. He just seems like a nice guy who's having a blast and he's just enjoyable! 

[Lantern7]

That was fun. Not much I can add that hasn't already been said. I think the first (or diversionary) invasion might have been inspired by Deadpool 2. Cast a few "names.," hype them up, then kill them right away. I mean, most of those guys deserved to die on themes along. I mean, TDK had promise, but the limbs just floated around aimlessly. Looking back, it is fitting that the other CGI "hero" there lived. I hope Weasel loves eating alien starfish chunks!

Great to see Peter Capaldi back to his pre-Doctor Who element: dropping a buttload of f-bombs. His Thinker didn't show any abilities other than pontification, but I'm guessing most fans of The Flash prefer him to the other Thinker . . . the OP villain of that show's fourth season.

King Shark was fun, and I'm guessing Sylvester Stallone had a blast voicing him . . . but I still prefer the version from Harley Quinn. That's Ron Funches voicing the humanoid shark version of himself. What's not to love?

I'll probably have more to say. Dunno if a Peacemaker series on HBO Max will work . . . but I thought the same thing on Watchmen.

Edited August 8, 2021 by Lantern7

[dwmarch]

Just for fun, a list of things that stood out to me in this movie that never, ever would have happened in an MCU film:

Bloodsport having a screaming match with his daughter where they both say "fuck you" to each other multiple times. (Take that, Tony Stark!)
Harley sleeping with a guy she just met, complimenting him on his big dick and then killing him. (I think Tony's "hide the zucchini" quip in Ultron was as close as we will ever get to acknowledging that MCU characters even have dicks)
The heroes accidentally killing (edit: accidentally killing via brutally murdering) a whole bunch of potential allies and being very nonchalant about it. (In the MCU this led to a civil war between the heroes)
A hero character that you have been following the whole movie is killed kind of randomly. (Imagine if this had happened to say... Mantis in Endgame)
Ratcatcher dying of a heroin overdose (needle still sticking out of his arm) right in front of his daughter. (No one in the MCU so much as smokes weed or cigarettes)

Edited August 8, 2021 by dwmarch
emphasis

[AngieBee1]

Quote

 And, of course, James would make sure he has a nice CGI role for his brother: this time as Weasel!

He was also Calendar Man -  seen teasing Polka Dot Man when they left Belle Reve.

Quote

 (Imagine if this had happened to say... Mantis in Endgame)

Funny you mention Mantis. Pom Klementieff was the dancer in red when the Squad entered the bar.