DIRECTOR/WRITER: James Gunn
STARRING: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joe Kinnaman, Michael Rooker, Viola Davis, Nathan Fillion, Jai Courtney, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Daniela Mechior, David Dastmalchian, Sean Gunn, and Stephen Blackehart
As our favorite Squad maker, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) formulates the next configuration of DC’s Villians to save our world, it seems that there are quite a few of them wanting to take her up on her offer of taking on her next mission, all in the hopes of taking time of their jail sentence.
Back as the lead for another round is Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), as is our favorite female DC Villain, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), plus Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) has joined us once again, from his go round in David Ayers SUICIDE SQUAD conglomeration. But this time around it seems that we need the expertise of Bloodsport (Idris Elba) and Peacemaker (John Cena), leading us into this battle, along with the likes of Cleo Caza (Daniela Melchior) as Ratcatcher 2, Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian ), and King Shark (Voiced by Sylvester Stallone), to round out the team…
Saying that this grouping is a total band of misfits, is an understatement to say the least, but as we soon find out, it’s going to take the grit and tenacity of quite a few of these less popular DC characters to complete this mission on the island of Corto Maltese, but to step it up a notch in the graphic violence department as well, in order to get this situation under control…
I give THE SUICIDE SQUAD a rating of MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN!!! Even though I thoroughly enjoyed 2016’s Suicide Squad, compliments of Director David Ayers, James Gunn’s take this time around is more edgier, exceptionally more violent, and most importantly, Gunn gives a lot of the screen time this time around to my favorite DC character, Harley Quinn, which brought great joy to my heart. I mean, from the time Margot Robbie inhabited this crazy creature, I was hooked. But when Her film BIRDS OF PREY arrived, I was than enamored by this story, and what ended up on screen. Thank you, thank you James for bringing the girl I love back to life, with an exceptional storyline, and an even more exceptional performance from Robbie!!! But as much as I could go on, and on, and on about Margot, lest we not forget that we’ve snagged the exceptional Idris Elba to take on the lead of this mission, and the discontentment between Elba, as Bloodsport and Cena as Peacemaker, throughout the entire film leads to the Peacemaker getting his own spinoff, circa HBO MAX really soon. I also thoroughly enjoyed some of the less popular DC Characters getting their day in the sun, as who would have imagined that Ratcatcher 2, played perfectly by Cleo Caza, King Shark, voiced throughout by none other than Sylvester Stallone, and Polka Dot Man, played by David Dastmalchian, would be able to take on the armies of bad guys this time around…and somehow, some way this squad of D-listers manages to not only exist, but thrive throughout this total mayhem of a film. My only complaint about Gunn’s creation, is that I wished that a few of the DC characters that he tapped to be a part of this film, would have been able to stick around longer, especially Javelin and Blackguard, as I was really hoping to see more of what actors Flula Borg and Pete Davidson brought to these roles! Regardless of whether or not your favorite DC character makes it out alive, just know that this Suicide Squad is not only darker and grittier than what we have experienced before, but it’s also as graphically violent as it can get, so please, please, please heed the R-rating before you let your 6–12-year-old head out to the theater to catch this one, as it’s really made for a more mature DC comic loving audience, under Gunn’s direction and story power, every step of the way! I too must share that even if you have HBO MAX, and want to catch this film that way at home this weekend, do yourself a favor and head out to a theater near you to catch this fabulously demented new DC Film, as watching it on your TV, isn’t going to give this one the justice it deserves!!!
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 