The Suicide Squad

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
The Suicide Squad Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Gory and vulgar, but fun, with a surprising amount of heart.

R 2021 132 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 39 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 103 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Suicide Squad is a reboot of/follow-up to the 2016 misfire Suicide Squad, as well as a follow-up to the 2020 Harley Quinn movie Birds of Prey, all of which are part of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). It's vulgar, extremely gory, and irreverent, but it's also exhilarating and it has a lot of heart, as well as clear themes of teamwork. This movie is notably more graphic than the 2016 film: Expect intense blood and gore (bodies are slashed, blown apart, etc.), lots of death (including important characters), heavy weaponry, brutal fighting, torture, crashes/explosions, and more, all with an over-the-top, quasi-humorous, comic book style. Language is also very strong, with uses of "f--k," "s--t," "t-ts," "p---y," and much more. Characters have comically energetic (but not explicit) sex, wrecking the room and crashing objects to the floor. Nudity is mostly in the background but includes glimpses of breasts, chests, and a penis. There's some sex-related dialogue and sexual gestures. Main characters smoke and drink, and a character is seen shooting heroin. Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, and many more familiar faces co-star.

Community Reviews

WilDmac
WilDmac Adult
August 7, 2021
age 16+

Dont listen to your 12 year old

So to start this off I am 16 not an adult but no one looks at the kids section so I am here. The Movie is by far the best movie to come out in 2021 and I highly recommend any DC fan to see it. But If your child is that DC fan then I would not and here's why. The movie is extremely violent i love movie like saw and final destination and this movie is on about the same level for vioence people get shot, decapitated, ripped in half and even more and nothing is hidden at all, all the gore is there. Now for the language Lots of swearing but if your child goes to a public school they will be fine every word under the sun is said multiple time though out the movie. Now for the nudity. They're 2 times that nudity comes up in this movie, The 1st one is when the squad is raiding a village and a guy comes out without pants on and you see his penis out in the open its only for about 2 seconds but it is most definitely there. The 2nd time is when the squad goes to a gentlemen's club and there are dancers in the back round most of them have as much clothes on as they would have at the beach but some in the background are topless hard to see unless you are look for it. So in my opinion don't take anyone that is not in high school to see this movie i would recommend anywhere from 15/16 and up but it is up to you as the parent on if you do take you child to see this movie I would recommend not watching it with your child unless you have that type of relationship because it can get very awkward

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
5 people found this helpful.
Cody18198
Cody18198 Adult
August 22, 2021
age 13+

Best DCEU movie?

Great movie with lots of funny moments. Lots of violence and swearing, but in a light hearted way, not a horror movie kind of way. I'm not sure why sex is at 4 stars, when there was close to no sex in this movie. 1 character kisses another and is implied to have smashed, that's about it for that, everything else is comedic. If you are ok with swearing and violence and comedy, this is a great movie
2 people found this helpful.
See all 39 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE SUICIDE SQUAD, Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) sends the new Suicide Squad to the island of Corto Maltese to infiltrate a secret laboratory, where terrible experiments are underway. Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) is captured by the local military, while Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman) is taken by a band of rebels. Meanwhile, a second team -- consisting of Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), and King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) -- lands on another beach and proceeds with the mission, stopping to rescue Flag first. After tracking down mad scientist The Thinker (Peter Capaldi), the team, joined by Harley, finally discovers what they're up against: a mind-controlling alien supervillain known as Starro.

Is It Any Good?

Full of gleeful gore and carnage, infectiously silly jokes, and an overall vulgar, irreverent attitude, this wily, invigorating DCEU movie also offers surprisingly strong teamwork and lots of heart. A quasi-sequel (but more like a reboot) to the 2016 misfire Suicide Squad -- with only Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, and Amanda Waller carried over -- The Suicide Squad rambunctiously avoids the problems of that earlier movie, barreling over them like a noisy party bus. It's all thanks to writer-director James Gunn, who brought a similar dose of energy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Despite his commercial successes, Gunn seems to retain the spirit of the low-budget exploitation studio Troma where he got his start.

The Suicide Squad feels a little like a guerrilla effort, fast and loose, with wild invention taking precedence over visual effects. For example, Starro may be a giant effect, but its weird, googly eye and flailing movements make it genuinely memorable. But Gunn's secret weapon, borrowed from the Marvel Universe, is that the characters are actually quite lovable and even relatable (as opposed to the earlier gloomy, brooding DC heroes). The key here is Ratcatcher 2 (so called because she took over the mantle from her father). Her devotion to her fuzzy little rats gives her a strong, touching empathy that spills over to the rest of the characters, even the hard-headed Bloodsport. It all works together to make this a Squad that we'd certainly want to sign up with.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Suicide Squad's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

  • Do you consider the members of the Suicide Squad role models? Who are some other reluctant superheroes? What makes their stories compelling?

  • How does the movie convey the idea that teamwork is important? Does it emphasize any other positive character strengths? Do characters have to be wholly heroic to model positive traits?

  • How is drinking depicted? Do the characters make it look like fun? Are there consequences for drinking? Why does that matter?

  • How does this movie compare to other superhero movies, and specifically the movies in the DC Extended Universe? Which superhero movies are edgier, and how are they similar and different?

Movie Details

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