The DCEU returns with a new sequel in The Suicide Squad. Starring Idris Alba, John Cena, and Margot Robbie the new film acts as a direct continuation of the previous film as well as Birds of Prey. The sequel follows a (mostly) new incarnation of the team looking to stop a dangerous alien species from being unleashed on Earth.

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 action film, it is produced by DC Films and distributed Warner Bros. Pictures. It is currently in theaters and available for streaming on HBO Max until September 5 for premium subscribers.

Editor’s Note: Medium spoilers for The Suicide Squad and it’s predecessor as well as general Suicide Squad and DC Comics lore may be present within the review of this film.

After four years and a focus on Harley Quinn & the Birds of Prey, Suicide Squad returns to live-action. Will Smith has once again been replaced (a funny Hollywood meme) this time with Idris Alba & John Cena acting as a split perspective of his character Deadshot in Bloodsport & Peacemaker respectively. Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn as the focus of the B (or C?) plot of the film involving the son of an anti-American regime leader. 

THE GOOD: The Suicide Squad (you have no idea how bad I want to use “2”) takes place some time after (?) the original film. Harley & Boomerang; two surviving members of the previous Suicide Squad now being referred to as Task Force X are placed into a new group of superpowered criminals. Tasked with invading an island that hosts the leader of an anti-American regime and a dangerous plot involving a mind-controlling alien named Starro much of the team dies shortly after touching down on their destination. The new team was assembled days earlier featuring Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher, King Shark, Polka-Dot Man, and led by the also returning Colonel Rick Flag. The surviving members of both teams head out to the island and are split from Quinn & eventually captured by the enemy. Quinn has a B Plot involving a run-in with the dictator’s son whom she kills upon being suspicious of his criminal activities.

Harley is tortured as the Task Force X team escapes in an effort to save her. Harley escapes on her own surprising the team who also teamed up with the remaining members of a resistance group. They find a laboratory headed by The Thinker whom the capture to gain entrance. Thinker reveals that the group’s true goal isn’t just to stop Project Starfish, which is a plan to use the alien species of mind-control, but to also destroy any and all evidence of the US government’s involvement by destroying the lab with explosives. Peacemaker reveals himself as Amanda Waller’s trump card to ensure the evidence was destroyed. He and Flag get into a fight resulting in Flag being killed. Ratcatcher finds a hard drive containing evidence of the US’s involvement in Project Starfish which results in a chase with Peacemaker. Bloodsport, who split up with the others to place bombs finds Peacemaker and defends Ratcatcher seemingly killing Peacemaker in a shoot out. 

Following the destruction of the lab Starro is awakened and kills & takes control of several people (and kills Polka-Dot Man). The remaining members of the team deny direct orders from Walker to return opting instead to stop Starro and save the country. As Waller is about kill them she’s knocked unconscious by one of her agents who takes over the mission. Starro is killed when Ratcatcher summons every rat within the area who eats it alive. Bloodsport blackmails Waller with the hard drive threatening to release it if she ever tries to kill himself or the others essentially freeing them all. The end credits scene reveals that Weasel and Peacemaker survived with the latter being recovered by two of Waller’s agents.

As someone who enjoyed the original Suicide Squad, I can confidently say that The Suicide Squad is a much stronger film than the previous. This film doesn’t take itself as serious as that one and has some funny humor. The action scenes can be some of it’s strongest elements, especially when Cena, Alba, and Robbie were on screen. The acting and dialogue are also a vast improvement. It felt like James Gunn and the cast had so much fun making and being involved with this movie and it really shows on screen.

THE BAD: The worst thing about The Suicide Squad is that it has no idea what it wants to be as a DCEU film. And an example of that is all over the marketing. Like they tried incredibly hard to indicate that this wasn’t a direct sequel to the 2016 film. This felt like a similar incident with the Ghost Rider films, only in that regard they were very direct in letting you know that the two films didn’t share continuity. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS: The Suicide Squad is a more than excellent follow-up to a decent first attempt. While it suffers from continuity issues at least on a surface level the movie standouts with stellar direction, performances, and a well done a script. Otaku Dome gives The Suicide Squad an 85 out of 100.