Suicide Squad (2016)

Movie · 2016 · Action, Adventure, Fantasy · 2h 2m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 0.4/10 (2.3M ratings)

Worst. Heroes. Ever.

Overview

From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.

Ratings

Director

David Ayer

Production

Warner Bros. Pictures, RatPac Entertainment, DC Films, Atlas Entertainment

Cast

Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Cara Delevingne, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood, Adam Beach, Karen Fukuhara, Common, David Harbour, Jim Parrack, Alex Meraz, Corina Calderon, Ezra Miller, Robin Atkin Downes

Where to watch

Max

Curator Review

Verdict

A loud, messy, often incoherent comic-book action movie that still has enough swagger, visual energy, and a few standout performances to make it intermittently entertaining. It’s best approached as a chaotic guilty pleasure rather than a polished superhero film.

Best for

  • Viewers who enjoy glossy, trashy blockbuster chaos
  • Fans of antihero team-ups and comic-book misfits
  • People who like style, needle drops, and big performances over tight plotting
  • Anyone curious about one of the most infamous studio-edited superhero movies

Skip if

  • You want clean storytelling or coherent character arcs
  • You’re looking for a serious or emotionally grounded DC movie
  • You’re easily irritated by clumsy editing and tonal whiplash
  • You dislike movies that feel more like a trailer than a complete film

Overview

Suicide Squad is the kind of studio blockbuster that seems to be fighting itself in real time. It has a strong premise, a killer cast, and moments of real pop-movie energy, but the execution is jagged, overstuffed, and often baffling. The result is less a satisfying ensemble adventure than a series of flashy scenes stitched together with very little confidence in the material.

Worth noting

And yet, it’s not a total wash. Margot Robbie gives the movie its most durable spark, Viola Davis brings authority, and the film occasionally lands on a nasty, comic-book pulp tone that feels more alive than the surrounding clutter. The soundtrack-heavy approach and the ragtag-team concept give it a certain disposable fun, even when the story is collapsing around it.

Bottom line

If you’re in the mood for a polished superhero movie, this is not the one. If you’re interested in a notorious misfire that still has enough personality to be weirdly watchable, it can be an entertaining disaster. Its appeal is almost entirely in the gap between ambition and execution.

Top Letterboxd reviews

•lily• (1.5★) · 5715 likes

Margot Robbie’s back must hurt after having to carry this entire film

•lily• (1.5★) · 4864 likes

films that suicide squad has more oscars than: •midsommar •knives out •blindspotting •portrait of a lady on fire •gone girl •the witch •good time •the handmaiden •your name •suspiria •raw •never rarely sometimes always

vanessa (1★) · 4714 likes

Isabelle Huppert did not come all the way from France to see Suicide Squad win an Oscar.

hunter strawberry (1.5★) · 3347 likes

I used to think that Jared's Joker is a comedy, but now I realized, it's a tragedy

Kairit (2★) · 2747 likes

me in suicide squad: so when do we kill ourselves?

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Topics

superhero, antihero ensemble, action-comedy, comic-book adaptation, chaotic tone, blockbuster spectacle, redemption arc, villain team, 2010s, stylized violence

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