Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
DC's antiheroes disappoint in muddled, violent mess.
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Suicide Squad
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 80 parent reviews
Parents say this film is a highly divisive experience, with some praising its entertaining action and characters, particularly Harley Quinn, while others criticize its excessive violence, sexualization of female characters, and dark themes. Many recommend it for older teens given the strong language, gore, and complex storyline, though several reviews advocate against letting younger children view it due to mature content and negative messaging.
- entertaining action
- excessive violence
- character issues
- dark themes
- age suitability
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 322 kid reviews
What's the Story?
SUICIDE SQUAD is a DC Comics-based superhero adventure about a group of villains forced to band together for a deadly mission to save humanity. Ruthless intelligence official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) heads a secret government task force that uses imprisoned meta-humans and criminals with special skills to fight other enhanced humans in exchange for reduced sentences. Waller's group includes father/assassin-for-hire Deadshot (Will Smith); the Joker's maniacal love, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie); Aussie thief Boomerang (Jai Courtney), sewer-dwelling creature Killer Croc (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje); fire-starting gangster Diablo (Jay Hernandez); and ancient witch Enchantress (Cara Delevingne). When the Enchantress escapes and begins building a weapon of mass destruction, the team's first mission -- under the leadership of Col. Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) -- is to stop her. Meanwhile, the Joker (Jared Leto) will stop at nothing to free Harley.
Is It Any Good?
Despite the talented cast and Robbie's stand-out performance as Harley Quinn, this antihero story is a disappointment. That's especially apparent when you contrast it with the similarly themed Guardians of the Galaxy. Perhaps it's unfair to compare the relatively newly resurgent DC movie-verse with Marvel's big-screen machine, but in nearly every way that Guardians shone -- lots of humor, straightforward plot, nuanced relationships, emotional investment in characters' back stories -- Suicide Squad flounders. Aside from Deadshot's love of his daughter and Diablo's undeniably tragic story, there's not much about the Squad members to make audiences care whether they live or die. The plot is unnecessarily convoluted, and there are a few too many characters who get short shrift -- like Croc; Boomerang; Flag's mysterious sword-wielding pal, Katana (Karen Fukuhara); and the Enchantress' invulnerable brother.
Plus, the performances are uneven. Davis is perfectly cast as the sneering, hard-nosed antagonist (she may be the boss, but she clearly doesn't care about these criminals), and Robbie is obviously having a blast as the unstable Quinn, who's up for anything but really just wants to be with the Joker. Speaking of the Joker, so much has been reported (and hyped) about Leto's take on the iconic villain that it's utterly disappointing when he ends up as a side villain who takes a back seat to the Enchantress, because Delavingne isn't up to the task. The Enchantress looks like a costumed model trying out new belly dancing moves rather than a formidable figure like Marvel's Scarlet Witch or Phoenix. The cameos by Justice League characters tease more to come from the DC world; let's just hope it's a considerable improvement from this and Batman v Superman.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Suicide Squad's violence. How does the violence compare to that of other superhero movies? Do the supernatural or superpower-based characters make the violence seem less realistic? What impact does media violence have on kids?
What role do women play in the movie? There are four key female characters, but there's also a lot of gender-based humor and language. Did you find any of the comments sexist? Why or why not?
Are any of the Suicide Squad members role models? Why or why not?
What does the word "antihero" mean? Why are antiheroes appealing? What sets them apart from "regular" heroes?
How does the movie fit into the DC universe franchise? Do you think there should be sequels featuring the Suicide Squad?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 5, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : December 13, 2016
- Cast : Margot Robbie , Will Smith , Jai Courtney , Jared Leto
- Director : David Ayer
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Warner Bros.
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Superheroes
- Run time : 130 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sequences of violence and action throughout, disturbing behavior, suggestive content and language
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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