Remake Battle Vol. 2: The Suicide Squads

Back again! The remake battle! Just what all 0 of you who read my blog demanded. Yes, I know that technically The Suicide Squad is not a remake of Suicide Squad. Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn is still here as is Viola Davis as Amanda Waller and Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang (the only time he’s been good in a movie). It’s more like a rebranding scenario. Regardless, it fits the same definition as to why a remake should be made. The first one had some good ideas and characters, but the overall execution was really poor (and there was a lot of studio interference). And the first version still made a lot of money, so there’s clearly some reason to re-visit this concept. Regardless as long as Warner Brothers are not going to actually #releasetheayercut I’m down to see another version of the suicide squad. So let’s compare them (not like this will be a fair fight like Peacemaker vs. Bloodsport).

Once again, I will be comparing them in the following five categories: Casting & Performance; Story & Themes; Production Values; Cinematography; Rewatchability. Both movies will be scored on a scale of 1-20 in each category, and then we will compare the final score at the end.

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Suicide Squad Vs. The Suicide Squad

Years Released:
- Original: 2016
- Remake: 2021

Stars:
- Original: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Cara Delevinge, Joel Kinnaman
- Remake: Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Daniela Melchior, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, Steve Agee, Sylvester Stallone, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, Jai Courtney, Flula Borg, Mayling Ng, Pete Davidson, Sean Gunn, Peter Capaldi

Directors:
- Original: David Ayer
- Remake: James Gunn

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SPOILER ALERT!!!

Casting & performance

• Look there’s going to be a lot of easy wins for the remake here, but this is probably the closest competition between the two. All the returning characters are at least equal and neither one has a standout performance in one movie that trumps the other. That eliminates Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney). So let’s look at the contrasting characters. Will Smith and Idris Elba are an obvious comparison as Will Smith was supposed to return for a sequel but couldn’t come to an agreement with the studio. They are both the leading male characters as well. As much love and popularity that Smith has in the public arena, Elba fits the role of a sarcastic, stoic antihero. But Will Smith still brings a level of notoriety to a movie. It’s a close match. The supporting characters are Diablo (Jay Hernandez), Enchantress (Cara Delevigne), and Joker (Jared Leto) for the original and Peacemaker (John Cena), King Shark/Nanaue (Steve Agee as the body double and Sylvester Stallone as the voice), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), and Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchoir) for the sequel. Of the original movie’s characters, the only slightly interesting one is Diablo because of his fire powers. Sue me but JARED LETO’S JOKER IS TRASH!!!! I’m not interested in this performance where he’s mimicking some kind of electronic dance music emcee and a 1940s crime boss. It’s too much. Enchantress is really there for Warner Brothers to show off the supermodel they cast by having her do the hula-hooping motion. Plus I enjoy the contradictory nature of Peacemaker, the randomness of Polka-Dot Man, the earnestness of Ratcatcher 2, and the bizarre innocence of King Shark.

  • Advantage: Remake (18 to 11)

Story & Themes

• If there’s a theme to the first entry in this duology, it’s that the bad guys are bad guys. Seriously, the characters just say it a lot. “We’re bad guys,” is an actual line that Margot Robbie says. The story is simple enough though. Bad guys are pulled together and sent on a dangerous mission, and they kind of bond during the mission. It’s not terrible or wonderful. It’s fine. The story of The Suicide Squad is just as simple as the first one: a dangerous team goes on a secret and very risky mission. The main difference being the sequel has an underlying theme about government conspiracies and blaming smaller nations for mistakes and errors. Plus the flow of the squad actually coming together and becoming friendly is paced properly.

  • Advantage: Remake (15 to 8)

Production Values

• While we might not always think about this one, I really do think it’s where the original truly fails the most. There is a constant state of darkness around everything and each seen. The CGI isn’t terrible, but it’s used in one of the most cliche ways possible at the end with a laser beam shooting into the sky. The sequel does a lot more in this regard. The R rating gives the sequel a lot more range to have some ridiculous violence and action scenes. Particularly there is an escape sequence with Harley Quinn that might be the very best action scene of all the recent DC movies. On top of this, the CGI for King Shark and the surprise ending villain is terrific.

  • Advantage: Remake (16 to 5)

Cinematography

• Personally, I actually kind of enjoy the action and some of the visual gags of the original movie here. I know that they were tacked on to give the movie a more casual feel after Batman v Superman was criticized for being too dower, but it’s still fun. The fight scenes aren’t terrible to watch either as the camera is used properly. The action and staging are far better in the sequel though. The fight scenes are still able to be thrilling and enjoyable while maintaining the dark comedy tone. Again, that escape sequence with Harley takes the cake here. But this actually a closer competition as well:

  • Advantage: Remake (16-10)

Rewatchability

• Despite its poor story and lack of weak elements, I do enjoy watching the original on occasion. The star power of Will Smith and Margot Robbie does make it a passible watch. There isn’t a standout scene though that will keep you invested in the movie until the end, and that really hurts the rewatchability. Conversely, almost every single action scene in the sequel is fun to watch. There’s the initial beach landing where almost half of the suicide squad dies. During the final battle, your nerves are still high, and we get to see all of the surviving heroes show off their skills. The short backstories we get of our characters are concise and motivating. And even after two viewings, the jokes keep landing for me.

  • Advantage: Remake (18-6)

Final score: Remake wins 83 to 40. It’s a blowout of pretty big proportions. Hopefully, that was not a shock to anyone who has seen both movies.

8/10 for the remake and 4/10 for the original.

Until I see another one.