Ashton Hamre

This movie just took its seat alongside Into the Spiderverse and Birds of Prey as another to renew my hope in superhero movies. Seeming even to make amends for its predecessor, a feat once thought impossible, The Suicide Squad took on more of a black comedy tone, simultaneously managing to build up emotion in a way that is largely neglected by other films of its genre. And somehow, it even took on a whole new purpose with a message about American imperialism, one I thought I'd never see since the thematically clunky disaster that was WW84. It took the original concept, prisoners being forced to do the US government's dirty work without question, and cranked that up to a gruesome 10, demanding audiences face the reality of the entertainment they chose to watch. Character development is strong, the pacing is perfect (especially in their use of flashbacks- what may have felt tedious in Birds of Prey now feels perfectly natural), and the cinematography is just straight up incredible. Though the gore, unorthodox sense of humor, and political messaging may take some points away from a lot of reviews, The Suicide Squad is everything I could've hoped for and more.

maybe i’m biased but i personally find it incredibly awkward, a little too overtly religious. the characters are one-dimensional and there is barely any development. they really force romance that in any other situation would make absolutely zero sense. it’s basically a knockoff of camp rock and high school musical without any real substance behind just how much they want to push their religious beliefs.

i gotta say, i do love this movie. i may be in the minority for saying that as a 19 year old but it’s genuinely entertaining. sure, some aspects of it are rather cheesy, and some references (i.e. ‘fleetwood yak’) are kind of cringeworthy, but keeping in mind the younger target audience as well as parents, it does make sense. the characters are lovable and the adult humor (particularly the “gardener” scene) never gets old. also if i remember correctly they actually paid attention to guitar fingerings in the animation, and as a musician myself i can appreciate that much, especially considering this came out before coco did. absolutely watch this!

it's been years since i watched this show, but this one truly changed my life. it was pure, raw, genuine, and it didn't shy away from real world issues. i was a sophomore in high school when it came out and it felt so real to the real things teenagers have to deal with, not cheesy and sure as hell not shying away from what it has to say. i saw some complaints on "political correctness" but honestly? that's so important. when this show came out, i had only been out as transgender for about a year, give or take. for my family to see a character like me, better yet played by a real trans actor (too often, cis people are casted instead. glad they didn't this time, ellie desautels KILLED IT!) was absolutely life changing. my only complaint is that it was canceled. it's been upwards of two years and i'm still devastated.