Snarf Zagyg
Notorious Liquefactionist
Have you ever thought, "I really enjoy the humor of Guardians of the Galaxy, and the stylized violence of John Wick. Is there a movie that crosses the streams?"
Well, I can now provide an answer for you in the form of an unequivocal YES. The latest Suicide Squad, by MCU director James Gunn (Guardians of The Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy 2) provides, at its core, an instructive example of the ways in which the DCEU is different than the MCU, for both better or worse. But before getting to that, a major warning to all my fellow denizens of enworld-
If you want to see this movie, you can read this review, but DO NOT seek out a lot of information about it online. There is a ... thing ... that happens in the movie. Knowing what it is doesn't ruin the movie, but it will make the movie slightly less fun. I've seen people already starting to talk about it. Again, do not seek out information about the movie. I watched it cold and loved the surprise. But this review will be purposefully vague because for that reason.
Let's start with the thesis statement- the Warner Brothers (and their sister, Dot) have finally moved away from the Snyderverse. This has allowed them to fully embrace the auteurs they are hiring; the different movies of WB now look and feel very different depending on the vision of the director, whereas the MCU movies will subsume the creative vision of the directors into a more unified whole; yes, MCU movies are different and have different creative visions, but even the wildest of them (such as Ragnarok) still have to hit the same MCU beats.
The experimentation within the DC Universe, and especially within the new crop of "villain" movies (Suicide Squad, Joker) has allowed them, at best, to hit heights that the MCU can't. What they lack in continuity and consistency, they can (if done well) make up for in individual excellence. And that's where we get to Suicide Squad. While watching it, I kept thinking to myself that it felt a lot like James Gunn was allowed to create his own Guardians of The Galaxy movie, but without any guiderails- for better or worse. So you get the jokes, and emotion, and perfect music .... but also the cursing and an absolutely insane amount of violence.
No one would, or should, argue that this movie is an arthouse classic. It's not. It's big, it's fast, and it's stupid (but stupid in a very smart way). It is also hyper-violent, but more of a comedy than any action movie. If you are familiar with the superhero genre, or DC in general, or the Suicide Squad, it rewards that knowledge- but it's also not required. I watched it with someone who doesn't read comics or watch superhero movies much, and they loved it.
The movie was released on Friday to theaters, but if you (like me) don't feel up to going to a theater right now what with the Delta variant, it's also streaming on HBO Max.
Should I watch this? Random checklist-
Violence- Tons, and graphic, and done by the heroes. You know King Shark is in this? If the idea of seeing him eat people is not something you can stomach, don't watch.
Harley- If you found her annoying before, this is by far her best role. If you loved her before, this is by far her best role.
The Feels- Surprisingly, the movie did have the feels by the end. Don't know how Gunn does it.
Idris Elba- Most definitely.
Snarf's Review: 5/5 stars. Hear me now and believe me later, watch this if you like Guardians of the Galaxy and violence.
EDIT- Some Spoilers in the Spoilers Tag
Well, I can now provide an answer for you in the form of an unequivocal YES. The latest Suicide Squad, by MCU director James Gunn (Guardians of The Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy 2) provides, at its core, an instructive example of the ways in which the DCEU is different than the MCU, for both better or worse. But before getting to that, a major warning to all my fellow denizens of enworld-
If you want to see this movie, you can read this review, but DO NOT seek out a lot of information about it online. There is a ... thing ... that happens in the movie. Knowing what it is doesn't ruin the movie, but it will make the movie slightly less fun. I've seen people already starting to talk about it. Again, do not seek out information about the movie. I watched it cold and loved the surprise. But this review will be purposefully vague because for that reason.
Let's start with the thesis statement- the Warner Brothers (and their sister, Dot) have finally moved away from the Snyderverse. This has allowed them to fully embrace the auteurs they are hiring; the different movies of WB now look and feel very different depending on the vision of the director, whereas the MCU movies will subsume the creative vision of the directors into a more unified whole; yes, MCU movies are different and have different creative visions, but even the wildest of them (such as Ragnarok) still have to hit the same MCU beats.
The experimentation within the DC Universe, and especially within the new crop of "villain" movies (Suicide Squad, Joker) has allowed them, at best, to hit heights that the MCU can't. What they lack in continuity and consistency, they can (if done well) make up for in individual excellence. And that's where we get to Suicide Squad. While watching it, I kept thinking to myself that it felt a lot like James Gunn was allowed to create his own Guardians of The Galaxy movie, but without any guiderails- for better or worse. So you get the jokes, and emotion, and perfect music .... but also the cursing and an absolutely insane amount of violence.
No one would, or should, argue that this movie is an arthouse classic. It's not. It's big, it's fast, and it's stupid (but stupid in a very smart way). It is also hyper-violent, but more of a comedy than any action movie. If you are familiar with the superhero genre, or DC in general, or the Suicide Squad, it rewards that knowledge- but it's also not required. I watched it with someone who doesn't read comics or watch superhero movies much, and they loved it.
The movie was released on Friday to theaters, but if you (like me) don't feel up to going to a theater right now what with the Delta variant, it's also streaming on HBO Max.
Should I watch this? Random checklist-
Violence- Tons, and graphic, and done by the heroes. You know King Shark is in this? If the idea of seeing him eat people is not something you can stomach, don't watch.
Harley- If you found her annoying before, this is by far her best role. If you loved her before, this is by far her best role.
The Feels- Surprisingly, the movie did have the feels by the end. Don't know how Gunn does it.
Idris Elba- Most definitely.
Snarf's Review: 5/5 stars. Hear me now and believe me later, watch this if you like Guardians of the Galaxy and violence.
EDIT- Some Spoilers in the Spoilers Tag
1. How awesome was it that you had the whole decoy group killed off at the beginning?
2. No, really, they brought back Boomerang and brought in Michael Rooker & Nathan Fillion just to kill them off? I approve.
3. And building on that, the only way (the ONLY WAY) that the death of Pete Davidson / Blackguard could have been better is if there had been a sign on his chest saying, "I am a bard."
4. I don't know if I will ever hear Stallone again and NOT think of King Shark.
5. I think that Harley Quinn is ... well, I really do think Margot Robbie plays her perfectly, yet her live action roles have kind of sucked. I much prefer the animated version (either TAS or her great new show with Poison Ivy). But this was pretty good! Not too much, and the President scene was perfect and unexpected.
6. The main team was perfect in every way.
My general thoughts is that this definitely wasn't a great mass-market movie. The humor was far too dark, the politics were a little too ... political for some people (I thought it was perfect for the source material, but I've heard others complaints), and you either were carried away or weren't. I think the best litmus test for the movie isn't the opening beach scene- it's the massacre of the freedom fighters, which is perfectly in keeping with the source material, but might be too much for some people.
What I appreciated was the sheer number of in-jokes that functioned on multiple levels; in many ways, it worked like Deadpool, but without needing to break the fourth wall constantly. The whole "Milton" bit, for example, was inspired.
Not to mention the needing to pick people carefully based on their abilities (always a hallmark of getting the team together)- and who did they get?
-No one who could speak Spanish.
-Two people with the same power.
-A giant shark ... for a mission that required infiltrating a town! And another person with giant glowy dots.
-And, of course, a person with the power to control rats and a severe need for sleep. Because, you know, useful?
Anyway, it was enjoyable. It was everything the first Suicide Squad WASN'T.
EDIT- one more thing. WEASEL. He needs a spinoff. Maybe with some kids ... or ... not.
2. No, really, they brought back Boomerang and brought in Michael Rooker & Nathan Fillion just to kill them off? I approve.
3. And building on that, the only way (the ONLY WAY) that the death of Pete Davidson / Blackguard could have been better is if there had been a sign on his chest saying, "I am a bard."
4. I don't know if I will ever hear Stallone again and NOT think of King Shark.
5. I think that Harley Quinn is ... well, I really do think Margot Robbie plays her perfectly, yet her live action roles have kind of sucked. I much prefer the animated version (either TAS or her great new show with Poison Ivy). But this was pretty good! Not too much, and the President scene was perfect and unexpected.
6. The main team was perfect in every way.
My general thoughts is that this definitely wasn't a great mass-market movie. The humor was far too dark, the politics were a little too ... political for some people (I thought it was perfect for the source material, but I've heard others complaints), and you either were carried away or weren't. I think the best litmus test for the movie isn't the opening beach scene- it's the massacre of the freedom fighters, which is perfectly in keeping with the source material, but might be too much for some people.
What I appreciated was the sheer number of in-jokes that functioned on multiple levels; in many ways, it worked like Deadpool, but without needing to break the fourth wall constantly. The whole "Milton" bit, for example, was inspired.
Not to mention the needing to pick people carefully based on their abilities (always a hallmark of getting the team together)- and who did they get?
-No one who could speak Spanish.
-Two people with the same power.
-A giant shark ... for a mission that required infiltrating a town! And another person with giant glowy dots.
-And, of course, a person with the power to control rats and a severe need for sleep. Because, you know, useful?
Anyway, it was enjoyable. It was everything the first Suicide Squad WASN'T.
EDIT- one more thing. WEASEL. He needs a spinoff. Maybe with some kids ... or ... not.
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