The Suicide Squad

Among the many issues people had with 2016's Suicide Squad was its poor attempt to mimic Guardians of the Galaxy. Well, now Guardians writer/director James Gunn is in charge of The Suicide Squad. The first film was OK but this is significantly better.

As before, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assembles some of the most unsavory characters for a secret mission. Their mission, that they have no choice but to accept, is to infiltrate the Banana Republic country of Corto Maltese. They have to infiltrate the secret Jotunheim base and destroy all traces of something called "Project: Starfish." Anyone who falls out of line gets blown up by an implanted bomb. That includes Savant (Michael Rooker), the first character we even meet. He understandably AWOLS after fellow Squad member Blackguard (Pete Davidson) sells them out to the enemy, who massacres them.

Meanwhile, the actual "heroes" undertake the mission. They're Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher II (Daniela Melachor), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian) and King Shark (Sylvester Stallone). They meet up with first team survivors Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman). They also agree to help the Corto Maltese Freedom Fighters liberate the country. It gets serious when they discover the Junta's secret weapon is the ominous Starro the Conqueror.

Gunn's prologue quickly establishes the wacky carnage to come. The first team is hopelessly outclassed by the Corto Maltese military. Some more so than others, especially T.D.K (Nathan Fillion), a reworked version of a ludicrous character called Arm-Fall-Off Boy. The aptly named Weasel (Sean Gunn) doesn't make it to shore, at least initially. I know I complained about the first film's Slipknot dying so quickly. But the first team's decimation is the punchline to a hilariously gruesome joke.

The actual squad is a likable bunch of anti-heroes. They have their own issues to deal with in addition to Starro and the Junta. Polka-Dot Man's insecurity makes him the most sympathetic of the Squad. Bloodsport's strained relationship with his daughter gives him a compelling arc. King Shark's a laid-back guy who needs to watch his cravings for people. Ratcatcher II's good nature makes her the most endearing squad member. Peacemaker's absurdly blind jingoism goes from hilarious to creepy to sad. Their raid on what turns out to be the Freedom Fighters' camp barely dents their likability.

The Squad's elaborate and sometimes goofy costumes were designed by Judianna Makovsky. The makeup department adds some strong help to these designs. They fit in right well with the story's wackiness. Starro, in particular, is a goofy and creepy CGI monster. The same goes for his little Starros which latch onto unfortunate faces. King Shark is a much more pleasing CGI creature ... even when he eats people. John Murphy's score contains an alluring track when King Shark meets some fellow sea creatures. It's a strong setup for another gruesome punchline.

The Suicide Squad is a brutal yet endearing tale of super misfits and their problems. Its unlikely heroes are as memorable as its director's other super team. Its human villains are OK but its alien villain is better. Its final battle and resolution are awesome displays of super feats and super blackmail. See the film to get what I mean. See it all the way through to see the fates of a few characters. See it on HBOMax or theaters Now.