Mixing the fun of “Guardians of the Galaxy” with the violence of “Deadpool”, “The Suicide Squad” rides its characters to success

When the first Suicide Squad movie was released, it was hastily marketed as a Guardians of the Galaxy-type movie, even though it decidedly wasn’t. So it only makes sense that after that film flopped, Warner Bros. just decided to bring in the guy who made the Guardians of the Galaxy and redo it.

The result is a standard but fun romp full of R-rated gags and violence, an adventure movie let loose from propriety.

Written and directed by James Gunn, The Suicide Squad features a ragtag group of criminals, organized by secret agent head Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), given a risky mission: destroy the secret laboratory known as Jötunheim which contains Project Starfish in the South American nation of Corto Maltese, recently overthrown by anti-American forces. Together, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), King Shark (Sylvester Stallone), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior) must survive a hostile land and unravel the mystery of what is hidden at their target.

Much like the Guardians‘ films, the collection of anti-heroes are funny, charismatic and well-defined. Rather than craft an ingenious plot, Gunn instead settles for a rather run-of-the-mill narrative and populates it with engaging characters. It’s a winning, if not quite supremely memorable, combination.

Freed from the constraints of a Disney-led PG-13 system, The Suicide Squad lets loose the cursing and the violence, grotesque deaths and dismemberment gleefully executed with a certain amount of inventiveness and charm. With Gunn’s strong visual style (see Harley Quinn’s dynamic fortress escape as a perfect example of blending cinematography, stunts and camera movement), the action sequences are fun and vivid, highly saturated frames bursting with deep red blood. You get the sense that Gunn couldn’t believe the budget and free reign he was given and delighted in crafting the most outrageous sequences he could think of.

There’s an interesting anti-imperialist theme running through the story, an interesting angle for this type of film, but it works, adding a deeper element to a simple story. America has often prioritized imaging and money over the rights of foreign countries and the lives of its soldiers, and The Suicide Squad reflects this assumption in a cartoony, heartfelt way. It’s not often that an anti-capitalist message is represented by a giant malevolent starfish monster. The film feels like an homage to the 1970s anti-war action film, a middle finger to America’s history of foreign policy machinations.

While hardly an original plot, The Suicide Squad has plenty of fun, gory moments and engaging sequences to make a sturdy action-adventure movie, one that delights in stunning visuals and memorable characters.