Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Suicide Squad review says that skilled director James Gunn slugs a homer with grisly madcap mayhem.

Kindly erase all visions of 2016’s Suicide Squad from your head. Although I got a kick out of it, it currently has a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, even though it starred Will Smith, Jared Leto and Margot Robbie.

Now, in the more than capable hands of writer/director James Gunn (The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise) the motley crew has a new, candy colored, criminally insane life. It’s one that’s consummately worth watching, even if you’re sick of movies based on comic books. This, after all, is about not-so-super villains, rather than so-very-super heroes, which makes it all the more amusing.

In this reboot/sequel, cold hearted special ops leader Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, who is quite the villain herself) collects a crew of imprisoned villains with super powers untested, to team up on an almost assuredly mission impossible. If and when they return, their sentences will be reduced or commuted.

The cast alone is worth the price of admission. We already know and love Robbie as Harley Quinn, but add Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Sylvester Stallone as the voice of King Shark, Pete Davidson as Blackgaurd and James Gunn’s brother Sean Gunn as Weasel, just to name a few, and you’ve got one crazy kaleidoscope of brassy bloodshed.

The beauty of The Suicide Squad is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously—you’ll never have more fun watching fatal fudge ups. Sure there’s plenty of violence, but it’s of the comic book variety, so you snicker rather than gasp. Anything that features a giant, pastel colored starfish lumbering about wrecking havoc, must be seen.

Rated R

Two Hours 12 Minutes

If, after reading this The Suicide Squad review, you’re dying to see it, catch it at home on HBO Max or get times and tickets for a theater near you on Fandango.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s The Suicide Squad review says that skilled director James Gunn slugs a homer with grisly madcap mayhem.