The Suicide Squad (2021)

Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) is bringing the band back together for a new mission.  The first recruit is Savant (Michael Rooker), a man with supernatural spatial awareness.  He can bounce a ball off a wall and ricochet it on three more walls before it hits an unsuspecting bird.  In exchange for 10 years off his 15 year sentence, Savant accepts a suicide mission to Corto Maltese.  Other members of the team are Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Mongal, Javelin, TDK, Blackguard, and the Weasel.  No sooner have they landed on the beach than all hell breaks loose.  The landing is compromised!  Meanwhile, on a different beach, another suicide squad has landed.  Bloodsport (Idris Elba) leads this team, which has benefited from the distraction of the first suicide squad.  Among his forces are Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone!).

The movie is hilarious, a massive improvement over its predecessor.  Bloodsport plays the straight man with his team, being the only relatable person.  Everyone else is odder than the next.  Ratcatcher 2 is basically the Pied Piper, capable of summoning rats to do her bidding.  She has a pet rat named Sebastian.  She is always tired but has a good heart.  Peacemaker is so keen on peace that he will kill as many men, women, and children as it takes to get it.  The constant one-upmanship between Bloodsport and Peacemaker is great fun.  He delivers ridiculous lines with the utmost seriousness.  I had been impressed by John Cena's comic abilities in Trainwreck and that was no fluke.  He's terrific and I am now eager to watch the spinoff series, Peacemaker.  The Polka-Dot Man, who looked like he might be some cringy villain, is absolutely stellar.  Though arguably the most powerful member, he is clearly not leader material. Despite being depressed and infected with a potentially lethal multidimensional virus, he is a constant source of laughs.  Oh, to see through his eyes!  His mom is epic!   As great as all these characters are, King Shark is nonstop fun.  Silvester Stallone does his best dumb Rocky voice, making the constantly hungry shark-man a source of immense humor.  He is both childlike and monstrous.  He's nigh indestructible, insanely strong, and a lovable dunce.  His primary attack is to eat you!  And he eats a lot in this movie!  Num num.

James Gunn had taken the low tier material of Guardians of the Galaxy and turned it into gold.  Here, he has done it again.  More of this and the DC-verse could become an equal competitor to the MCU, especially since Marvel has been sagging since Avengers: Endgame.

Highly recommended.  Great popcorn fun.