I remember comic books when I was a kid. Hell, I remember comic books I read a week and a half ago, but what I remember reading was absolutely nothing like the 2016 David Ayer helmed first attempt Suicide Squad. If you were like me, Suicide Squad (2017) enraged you in the first twenty minutes with its inorganic story setups and dragging second act that bored me by the end of the first hour. I think I may have even taken an itty-bitty nap while waiting for something to happen. It wasn’t the rowdy, inappropriate, darkly funny story I grew up enjoying and, as a result, was immensely disappointing for this fan.
Warner Bros. doubled down, however. Instead of letting the Suicide Squad eke away into the obscure shadows of the DC back-catalog they really went all out, procuring writer-director James Gunn and a cast of (even more) A-level talent than its predecessor. Not to mention, it feels, looks, and sounds like a Suicide Squad comic book is supposed to: dark, rowdy, and inappropriate. Plus, King Shark… And he’s voiced by Sylvester Stallone!? Shut up and take my money, movie.
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So what can be discerned from the trailer: not a whole lot. I like that the nearly three-minute trailer is more about its irreverence than the actual plot though and seeing Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) nearly in tears as her team mounts a full tactical assault to save her from an unknown danger speaks more to the freewheeling likability of this hallowed group of criminals. Adding to the randomness is the density of this new Suicide Squad. Instead of a handful of villains being sent into an Escape From New York situation, we now have a much larger squad, and as the tagline says they’re, “dying to save the world.”
I think we’ll see some higher stakes in The Suicide Squad this year. I expect Battle Royale level gore where not everyone going in will be making it out in one piece. Cabin in the Woods style antics for Waller’s command center if you couldn’t tell from Steve Agee’s kaiju bit. And no shortage of inappropriate jokes and irreverent witticisms from all of the characters, most especially Peacemaker’s (John Cena) musings on what he’s willing to do for liberty.
The Suicide Squad will arrive in theaters and on HBO Max on August 6th. The trailer below is Rated R: viewer discretion is advised.
So what do you think of the trailer for The Suicide Squad? Do you agree with Sean that it looks rowdy and darkly comedic? Do you think it looks more like the comic book than the 2016 version? Let us know in the comments! And if you’re looking for horror trailers we’ve got you covered!
