Anyone feeling burned by the dark and dour tone of Batman v Superman might have something to look forward to now. While most people consider the latest entry into the DCEU to be a mistake on just about every level, the movie’s follow up, Suicide Squad, looks like it might be all of the fun that its predecessor was not, and then some.
At least, that’s how it looks watching the latest trailer. While previous trailers looked worrisome with the emphasis on the dark and the gritty, ridiculous fun is given center stage here, proving that maybe DC knows how to have a good time after all.
While little is yet revealed about the overall plot, we’re given even more glimpses of the gang of superpowered miscreants assembled to protect the country from danger whether they like it or not. Previous trailers had relied on the presence of Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Jared Leto’s Joker to sell the premise, but here we see Suicide Squad has the ensemble it’s meant to be.
From director David Ayer, the film follows the plight of several imprisoned supervillains who’ve been given the opportunity to take time off of their sentences by performing dangerous missions on the behalf of the U.S. government. It may be hard to judge a film based on a trailer alone, but the emphasis here is in on the insane, comic book fun that both Man of Steel and Batman v Superman was entirely lacking.
As poorly received as both of those movies were, they both did a decent enough job of establishing a world that had the potential to be pure fun; that they, themselves, weren’t fun is an onus laid on director Zack Snyder. Suicide Squad is the first DCEU movie not under his helm, and the tonal difference is astounding. We won’t know for sure until the film drops in August, but the response to Suicide Squad is now one of cautious optimism. Even ardent Dawn of Justice haters are having a hard time admitting that this movie looks like anything but a madhouse of fun and entertainment and that’s exactly what it needs to be.
Who knows? Maybe Warner Brothers and DC can salvage their reputation, after all. I doubt they’ll ever be able to reach the level of Marvel, but at least they’re learning that it’s okay to have a little fun every now and again. Take a look for yourself. If nothing else, you have to admit that’s one of the better uses of “Ballroom Blitz” that’s happened in a while.
Suicide Squad opens August 5.
