The Suicide Squad reaches new heights of wonderful, brutal insanity
On Aug. 5, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad was simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max, starring an ensemble cast including Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, Sylvester Stallone, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Daniel Melchior, Peter Capaldi and David Dastmalchian. The Suicide Squad sees a team of misfit superpowered criminals, designated “Task Force X,” dispatched on a mission by the U.S. government that they have little hope of returning from alive. Contending with a brutal South American dictator, an extraterrestrial monster, and their own callous commander, Amanda Waller, the members of Task Force X must fight to survive or else live up to their sardonic nickname: the suicide squad.
A big part of what gives this film such a wonderfully unique look is the costume design. All too often, comic book movies seem to be embarrassed about their source material and tone down the more ridiculous elements of superhero costumes-see Bryan Singer’s X Men. In The Suicide Squad, costume designer Judianna Makovsky embraces the absurdity, and the results are spectacular. The costumes burst with color every time the characters are on screen, faithfully adapting the vibrant aesthetic of superhero comics to the screen in a way only rivaled by Into The Spiderverse.
The action set pieces are equally over the top, with positively astronomical levels of gore (and well-honed sense of dark humor to match), frenetic fight choreography, and a giant blue CGI starfish monster. But if it was solely ridiculous and no care was taken towards character development, The Suicide Squad would just be fun, substanceless spectacle. Perhaps that alone would be enough. But committed performances from the cast and satisfying writing ensure that the lovable misfits of Task Force X leave an impression long after the screen cuts to black.
After years of the box office being inundated with scores of superhero movies that tried their best to neuter or entirely abandon the inherent childish absurdity and wonder of comic books, The Suicide Squad is a breath of fresh air, an absurd amount of fun, and most importantly a faithful and joyous celebration of the comic book stories to which it owes its existence.
The Suicide Squad is currently streaming on HBO Max.
