<><><><>
James Gunn was fired by Disney after some terrible tweets from his past were brought to light. He directed the first two Guardians of the Galaxy films from the MCU. Warner Brothers snagged Gunn’s talents and put him to work writing and directing The Suicide Squad. Harley Quinn, Margot Robbie, returns and is the only part of the DCCU I have seen before. She is joined by a wide cross-section of characters from the DC comics that do not appear interesting when first introduced.
As you spend time with Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Polka-Dot Man, and a talking shark, they grow on you. James Gunn knows how to keep just the right level of seriousness in his films to hold your attention and keep you entertained. The soundtrack is also fantastic, as you would expect from Guardians of the Galaxy. The McGuffin in the film is just as serious as the rest of the film and fits in perfectly. It is absurd and hilarious at the same time, but not to the point of being bad.
Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey and the original Suicide Squad were sugar-sweet feasts for the eyes. Most of the DCCU skews dark and brooding, but when Quinn is involved, it is a literal explosion of color. There are also plenty of explosions of blood. This film is very graphic with its cartoon violence. It takes full advantage of its R-rating.
Superhero, or supervillain in this case, films should be fun. James Gunn gets it and delivers everything I want from a fun superhero film.