The Suicide Squad First Reactions Are In

Task Force X is back for another deadly mission in The Suicide Squad. Under the auspices of Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, a team of mainly C-list DC villains, led by Idris Elba’s Bloodsport and Margot Robbie’s endlessly charming Harley Quinn, will once again face insurmountable odds, which include plenty of explosions, dismemberments, and even a classic Justice League villain.

Described as a “war caper film” by Gunn, the director’s take on DC’s zaniest misfits and outcasts retains much of the gritty tone of David Ayer’s 2016 entry while also introducing the comedic timing that has become a signature of Gunn’s directorial style. The trailers released so far tease an extremely violent movie with plenty of laughs in between.

A band of misfits who learn to work together by facing a challenge much bigger than themselves sounds like familiar territory for Gunn, who has already directed two installments of MCU’s own version of a squad of anti-heroes. But The Suicide Squad not only does away with the cosmic trappings of Marvel’s big-screen space opera, it also tells a “much more complicated story,” according to Gunn.

“I think with the Guardians, you start out sort of knowing that they may have different problems, but at the end of the day, they’re all really good people,” the director told Den of Geek during a set visit in 2019. “That isn’t the case with this [movie]. This is a much more complicated story. Some of these characters may end up being good, some of them are definitely not good, and most of them are somewhere in between different shades of grey.”

Gunn also teased that The Suicide Squad will have a more somber tone than fans expect from Guardians movies: “It’s just a more grounded story. It’s a sad story. Even though we do kill some [characters] in Guardians of the Galaxy, in this movie, you really don’t know who’s going to get killed.

“I don’t think most people think that Star-Lord’s head is going to explode in the middle of the movie,” Gunn said. “Any of these characters [in The Suicide Squad], their heads could explode in the middle of the movie. It’s that unknown of being on edge and really not knowing what’s going to happen is much different.”

So, does Gunn’s latest comic book adaptation deliver the goods for DC? Well, the movie was screened for a group of fans and critics ahead of the worldwide premiere in August, and the reactions are quite positive so far. Take a look at what people are saying about The Suicide Squad on Twitter:

Sounds like we have plenty to look forward to when the movie hits theaters and HBO Max on Aug. 6! In the meantime, you can read all of our in-depth coverage of The Suicide Squad, including plenty more interviews with the cast and director, here.