The Suicide Squad Review: Supervillains Assemble In James Gunn's Bonkers DC Movie Reboot
Plus: Review of M Night Shyamalan's Old and the insect-drama The Swarm.
The Suicide Squad (M18)
Starring Idris Elba, John Cena, Margot Robbie
Directed by James Gunn
James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad has everything the first determiner-free Suicide Squad doesn’t: gore, swearing, jocularity and, well, better lighting.
That said, it wasn’t entirelyDavid Ayer’s fault the 2016 iteration of the DC property was watered-down and unremarkable (it did, however, win an Oscar for makeup), the result of the studio desperately trying to ram a square peg into a round hole (hey, let’s make it more Marvel-ish!).
For the do-over, the powers that be wised up: They let the Guardians of the Galaxy helmer go full-tilt boogie with the story of a ragtag bunch of incarcerated miscreants (portrayed by a gleefully game ensemble; pity some of them don’t have a longer screen time) on a secret government mission in exchange for commuted sentences.
The outcome: An inventively playful and deliriously yecchy reboot that doesn’t try to be part of a larger DC Extended Universe (it does set up for John Cena’s Peacemaker’s HBO Max spin-off series), but just the best standalone it can be. If the Guardians of the Galaxy were a K-pop group, then this Suicide Squad is a punk rock combo.
Clearly, Gunn had been entrusted with the key to the city but was also granted permission to wreck it — and as a viewer, I’m more than happy to pick up the tab for the damages. (4/5 stars)
Photo: Warner Bros Pictures
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Old: Don't worry, the reviews aren't that bad...
Old (PG13)
Starring Gael García Bernal, Vicky Krieps, Rufus Sewell, Alex Wolff, Thomasin Mckenzie
Directed by M Night Shyamalan
Following the disappointing Glass, his sequel to Unbreakable and Split, M Night Shyamalan scores a partial rebound with this glorified Twilight Zone parable — inspired by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters’ graphic 2011 novel, Sandcastle — about a secluded beach (filmed in Dominican Republic) which causes people to grow up rapidly (they age two years every hour). Shyamalan does a socko job with building the mystery with unnerving beats and off-kilter camera angles. The Big Reveal falters a bit, though; it can use more enigma than answers. As a treatise on mortality and the fleeting passage of time, it lingers on. (3/5 stars)
Photo: UIP
The Swarm: Suliane Brahim left her other face-mask at home.
The Swarm (NC16)
Starring Suliane Brahim, Sofian Khammes, Marie Narbonne
Directed by Just Philippot
Single mum Suliane Brahim is struggling to keep her locust-harvesting business afloat. Just when she is about to throw in the towel, she finds a way to boost production: feed the insects human blood. Before you know it, those protein-rich critters become a little vicious. Plague alert! Not quite The Birds-like creature-feature the trailer hyped it up to be, this French effort plays more like a prequel to that movie we were hoping for. Even then, the slow family drama (involving the rebellious daughter) gets in the way of the thrills until the third act when things finally go sideways.(2.5/5 stars) On Netflix
Photo: Netflix
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