Suicide Squad Review

[Westside Steve]

Suicide Squad 2021

 Warner Brothers

R                         132 min

 With films like THE DARK KNIGHT HARLEY QUINN BIRDS OF PREY DEADPOOL et cetera I've been thinking that DC Comics, my traditional favorites, had found their niche bringing a little more competition to the relative upstart Marvel series.  It has seemed to me that Marvel has turned out film after film,  not all but many, with just about the exact same plot, a humorless noise fest that more often than not revolves around an ensemble cast of super guys finding some sort of silly glowing blue icons foretold in an even sillier legend.  I don't mind the ensemble cast but I prefer I prefer any films to be character driven as opposed to graphics and action driven.  It’s almost impossible to incorporate foul language adult humor and really violent action if you were forced to go for the PG rating. SUICIDE SQUAD unabashedly accepted the R rating, mostly, I think, because of blood-and-guts and F bombs.   Of course, if you are looking for nudity you are SOl.  Anyway, this one does involve an ensemble cast in an actual mission irreverent approach along with a few little devices plucked from other movies and shows. The 1st pilfered hook is from the rash of movies that imitated the DIRTY DOZEN; prisoners offered a release if they participate in a deadly mission.  In this case that mission involves invading a South American or Central American or whatever country where there have been some secret scientific experiments going on. And here is another oft used book the bad guys in the military have found some sort of freakish abomination they can use as a weapon. In this case it's something called Operation Starfish. I'll give you a hint for the climax the monster itself is an actual giant starfish with a Cyclops eye which is just about as frightening as GHOSTBUSTERS marshmallow man. It also spits out hundreds of little starfish that attach themselves to people's faces like those flying stingray creatures in STAR TREK  if I recall correctly.  The supposed admission of this group of misfit heroes is to destroy the entire operation leaving absolutely no trace. Supposedly I said. When you do find out the real reason hopefully you will roll your eyes like I did. Still, that's a pretty singular mission and they stretch that out into well over 2 hours of noise and nonsense that soon got on my nerves.  There were actually a lot of heroes involved arranging from just odd to completely creepy. And while I'm certainly a fan of vulgar humor in this case it's not as funny as it could be and it seems like they try too hard to incorporate the F bomb where it doesn't really help.

 I was hoping to give this one more than a C but….

C

WSS