Midway through The Suicide Squad, as the film’s ragtag ensemble is undercover at a seedy bar on the island of Corto Maltese, a character proposes a toast: “Here’s to being alive.” While there are countless elements of The Suicide Squad that inspired awe in me, I was surprised by all the different ways I loved that moment. Not only does the line perfectly encapsulate the team’s deadly circumstances (where one wrong move can lead to a bomb going off in your head), while also feeling like an unintentional mantra amid the past year of a pandemic — but in a way, it’s almost an acknowledgment of the very nature of superhero storytelling, where retcons, reboots, and even just the passage of time can lead to fascinating heroes and villains fading into obscurity. Outside of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), the group showcased in The Suicide Squad could safely be labeled “obscure” — they’re colorful baddies with only a handful of appearances under their belt, or B- and C-list antiheroes who are tossed aside in favor of bigger names. In any other context, putting any of The Suicide Squad’s ensemble in a major blockbuster would amount to a half-hearted punchline, but in the hands of writer-director James Gunn, it is an honest-to-God revelation. The Suicide Squad is an endlessly entertaining and creative masterpiece that overflows with humor and heart, all while showcasing the brilliant, absurd beauty of DC Comics in an unprecedented way.
