Director James Gunn has a surefooted sense of humor, albeit humor that is completely bonkers and hitting-over-the-head-with-Harley-Quinn's-javelin type of humor but humorous nonetheless. I am no lover of Gunn's blood-soaked, inane and confused cult film "Super" though I do like his witty and upbeat "Guardians of the Galaxy." (Not seen "Movie 43" so don't ask). Blood-soaked with a hard, coarse R-rating is the name of the game with "The Suicide Squad" which is infinitely better than the by-the-numbers "Suicide Squad" from 2016. One of the saving graces of that film was Margot Robbie as the devious, devilish, hell-on-wheels Harley Quinn. This new sequel is funnier and insanely over-the-top with special-effects that are more than a little loopity loop and other colorful characters that are thankfully on an equal wavelength with Harley. A major plus.
Two Task Force X teams are sent to the fictional South American island known as Corto Maltese. Within this dangerous island that has military commandos is housed a lab known as Jötunheim, which looks like a straighter version of the Tower of Pisa. Within this lab are computer drives that contain information relevant to Project Starfish, a secret government plan involving an extraterrestrial starfish that decimated an astronaut crew. This starfish grows exponentially in size as it spawns smaller starfish that attach themselves to humans. More human hosts, bigger starfish that could be weaponized by some bad Corto Maltese heads of military against the U.S. and possibly the world.
One Task Force X team fails to approach the island beyond its initial perimeter and they all die except for Harley Quinn (Robbie). Captain Boomerang (returnee Jai Courtney from the first "Suicide" film) is killed in addition to a creature named Weasel (less said, the better which adds to the wicked humor). The other Task Force X team is far more reliable which includes Bloodsport (Idris Elba), who is adapted with a metal suit that can adapt and shape shift weapons; a hilarious John Cena as the ironically named Peacemaker who is deadly with his guns and explosive bullets and is often mocked for wearing what appears to be a toilet on his head; the always hungry-for-humans-as-snacks King Shark (Sylvester Stallone) who has no friends and is literally an anthropomorphic shark; creepy David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man who tosses colorful polka dots as weapons (not sure I can explain that power), and finally Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, a millennial who sleeps too much and can summon rats from everywhere with a wand of sorts. These supervillains are joined by Colonel Flag (returnee Joe Kinnaman) who actually has more fun with the role this time than in the previous entry - he tries to keep these super criminals in line. Also on board from the original film is Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, the unforgiving head of the task force. What is a little amazing is how writer-director James Gunn keeps all these characters in balance without ever sacrificing anyone for limited screen time. Unlike the jumbled 2016 "Suicide Squad," this one focuses squarely and expands on its characters with enough background tidbits to make us root for them (there was no one to root for in the original film). Robbie holds her own as the maniacal Harley who is a fierce killer yet she also wants to be friends with the group's members, notably the reluctant Bloodsport. Bloodsport has a fear of rats and also has little hope for these misguided criminals on his team, not to mention friction with his expletive-laden daughter whom Waller might kill if he does not comply with the mission. We learn how Polka Dot Man acquired his condition through a viral exposure and how he sees his dead mother everywhere. Most thrillingly with some emotional heft is the backstory of Ratcatcher 2, who learned from her dad how to summon rats and how not to fear them.
"The Suicide Squad" runs a bit long and is probably far too gratuitously violent yet it has chunks of profane and abrasive humor, inventive visual gags (the formation of intertitles within certain backgrounds is clever), stirring moments of escapism especially involving Idris Elba's Bloodsport and his literal cliffhanging moments, terrifically splashy music (Jim Carroll Band's "People Who Died" is the title opening song choice) and a very moving finish involving Ratcatcher 2 and Harley's sense of compassion over a dead character. The huge starfish that wrecks a Mexican town is so funny and so striking that you are not likely to forget it. An enjoyable romp that surprised even me.
