Spoiler Discussion

[Prison Mike]

I was just texting with one of my close friends--who I would consider part of the "GA" --and she hated the movie and one big thing that just lost her was Starro, she just...didnt understand why the climax centered around a big starfish kaiju. And her saying that made me wonder if a lot of other casual people might've been like "wtf am I watching?"

Yeah I kind of felt that throughout the movie. I felt it was more boring than anything else. For whatever reason, it just didn’t click with me.

 

[metaphysician]

I’m glad they didn’t make Harley the main focus. It would have been great to see Polka Dot man make it to the end but it keeps with the theme of it being a Suicide Squad.

King Shark was basically Hulk right down to the team leader telling him to smash the monster. Flagg dying was appropriate for the story. They actually made me care for him more than the first movie ever did.

And agree that it was uncharacteristic of Waller to knock send her whole team to Antarctica after they turned on her.

Being fair, we've seen would an awful dick Peacemaker is. Maybe she viewed being assigned as his personal handlers to be a worse punishment? *ahem*

Which, as an aside, I give props to Cena as Peacemaker. He was an *excellent* villain. Unlikable yet compelling, a great heel, and with top notch chemistry with Elba as Bloodsport.

 

[TheGDBatman]

Personally, I thought Starro fit in perfectly with the general vibe of the movie. As a DC fan, I had way more fun with that than I would have if they had used the "military threat" or whatever as the main baddie. Felt like it was ripped straight from a comic.

 

[Stringer]

I still didn't care for Harley much in this movie even though I like Margot in the role. Gunn still utilized her pretty well here, and during her escape scene there was this awesome blank gaze she was in where she's killing everyone devoid of any emotion with just a smirk on her face, great touch. Unfortunately Gunn pushed it a bit too much with the flower and bird flourish at the end. We didn't need it, we get it.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Personally, I thought Starro fit in perfectly with the general vibe of the movie. As a DC fan, I had way more fun with that than I would have if they had used the "military threat" or whatever as the main baddie. Felt like it was ripped straight from a comic.

Yeah, one thing to consider too is that

Spoiler

the team wasn’t actually sent in there to take out Starro. In fact, they were ordered not to engage the beast. So for what they were sent in to do (take out a bunch of soldiers and trash some files) they were a sufficient group. Now, I’ll admit, if we’re being realistic here, there’s NO way they should have been able to take Starro down but… it’s a movie after all.

 

[Drizzle]

The biggest question that's raised once Starro was unleashed is where the hell was the Justice League, even though there was never going to be a chance that any of them would have turned up.

 

[henzINNIT]

The biggest question that's raised once Starro was unleashed is where the hell was the Justice League, even though there was never going to be a chance that any of them would have turned up.

Fortunately the Justice League of this universe are all selfish isolationists so that answers that.

 

[Detective Conan]

 

[P Supreme]

In a world where superman exist no way he doesn't get involved when Starro gets all that news coverage he would be there in a heart beat but marvel has this problem too the series finale of falcon and winter soldier comes to mind stuff going down in NYC and Spiderman no where to be seen

 

[BobJM]

I personally wonder if the movie would’ve been better served if they were fighting a more grounded threat - like a Deathstroke or something. Personally, one aspect that I don’t care for the live-action movies we’ve gotten so far is that the missions they’ve been assigned on like fighting a ancient evil witch and fighting alien starfish has too much world-ending stakes than what the Squad should be doing. Assault on Arkham had the right idea; the mission was simple and small scaled & didn’t have anything too over-the-top. If there is a third Suicide Squad movie(which there most likely won’t be) then I hope they go smaller and have a more grounded threat. I mean does the Squad(who mostly don’t have powers anyway) really have to fight Justice League level threats like Starro?

To be fair, and @Deck Rickard already pointed this out, fighting a Kaiju wasn’t part of the original mission. It was a simple infiltrate-and-detonate plan that took a lot of left turns.

The biggest question that's raised once Starro was unleashed is where the hell was the Justice League, even though there was never going to be a chance that any of them would have turned up.

Off-world. Busy. Otherwise preoccupied.

Subsequent movies/sequels can address this, or not. I don’t sweat the “where are all the other heroes” in comic book films.

Task Force X was in Corto Maltese, far away in South America— perhaps Superman could have gotten there right away but it’s not like the finale was some lengthy event that Batman or Wonder Woman could have flown over to in their jets. It was over and done with rather quickly.

 

[batdude]

I was just texting with one of my close friends--who I would consider part of the "GA" --and she hated the movie and one big thing that just lost her was Starro, she just...didnt understand why the climax centered around a big starfish kaiju. And her saying that made me wonder if a lot of other casual people might've been like "wtf am I watching?"

Well, i think Starro was there for us comic fans. Though i guess you could compare it to the Stay puft Marshmallow man in Ghostbusters one.
I

 

[Detective Conan]

To be fair, and @Deck Rickard already pointed this out, fighting a Kaiju wasn’t part of the original mission. It was a simple infiltrate-and-detonate plan that took a lot of left turns.

Sure, but my point there is that they ultimately ended up having to fight a giant Kaiju when I think the mission could’ve ultimately lead to a more grounded threat that they could’ve fight like a Deathstroke, or a Joker. @kguillou mentioned that someone he knew who he considered part of the non-comic reading audience disliked the movie because the giant Kaiju monster took them out of the movie so I can’t help but wonder if what’s playing a role in audiences rejection of the movie is the weirdness, which a giant alien starfish would be part of.

However, even though I’ve said SS should’ve fought a grounded villain, I should be fair and acknowledge that even in the comics like in the New 52 the Squad has faced off with larger-than-life foes before(they fought General Zod at one point!) So it’s not without precedent for them to fight foes on that scale. However, given the budget and R-rating maybe it’d been more prudent to save costs and have the squad fight a more down-to-earth threat.

 

[kguillou]

I think that same weirdness hurt the first one too, all that dancing Enchantress and faceless cgi goon stuff. I think had the film had the Joker as the primary antagonist (and, you know, a better script overall) audiences would've eaten that movie up.

 

[BobJM]

To be fair, the Starro bit did take me out of the story a bit— all things considered, it did feel a little over-the-top. Even in a film that opens with Weasel & Mongal. But I still enjoyed the movie & consider it one of the best in the DCEU. Maybe the best?

I’d like to see a third film have the Squad infiltrate a cult/nation again—Bane in Santa Prisca, Ra’s al Ghul & the League of Assassins, or even Kobra. With the League of Assassins, you could have Deathstroke included too if they adapt that version of his character.

 

[MurkeNyou]

I really liked this movie, prob my Favorite DC thing I've seen in the last 10 years.

 

[TeeKay]

Holy **** this, movie was awesome. I died of laughter when Weasel was drowning.

Although I feel like Dead shot should have been the one in this movie. But Elba was awesome.

 

[P Supreme]

I think that same weirdness hurt the first one too, all that dancing Enchantress and faceless cgi goon stuff. I think had the film had the Joker as the primary antagonist (and, you know, a better script overall) audiences would've eaten that movie up.

this always bugged me u have access to joker something WB don't let others play with and u decide he is a background character in favor of a belly dance finale the T. Phillips movie proved that u don't do that to joker let alone the damage tat ...... i'll leave it that lol

 

[Primal Slayer]

One thing I would've preferred they kept from the first film...proper introductions to everyone with brief flashbacks to them in their glory days of comitting crime.

 

[P Supreme]

Mantis from GOTG was dancing in the club wish I discovered that on my own but read an article where Gunn mentions it

 

[metaphysician]

Fortunately the Justice League of this universe are all selfish isolationists so that answers that.

*snicker*

Being a little more generous, Starro only got to rampage for a relatively brief time before the Squad killed it. Even the Justice League is generally going to take more than ten minutes to deploy to a surprise disaster zone, at least one not located on top of where one of them already lives.

 

[CadeSkywalker28]

I noticed two things that are inconsistent with the previous movie.

In the 2016 movie, Flag disagreed with Waller on a lot of things and she manipulated him, but she still protected Flag and one of the mission rules was "if Flag dies, you all die." The second thing, Flag sees Waller killing her coworkers and he just says that he has had to do the dirty work too and that he doesn't judge her.

However, in Gunn movie, Waller sacrifices one of the best men, and Flag, informed of what the government has done, says "IMPOSSIBLE!!!"

 

[Micromind]

Such things need to be viewed by reading between the movies, at least that's what I do, which is good thing as not everything needs to be spelled out.

We can assume that since the events of first film, Flag has reached some understanding with Waller, kind of unwritten deal, which Waller breaks, hence the disbelief by Flag.

 

[HBarnill]

I keep seeing how Starro's rampage was against humanity at large but it didn't seem like that to me. They seemed more about killing everyone in the city ("This is my city") for their complicity, regardless of innocence. They did leave the Squad alone after they saved them. I assumed after they killed everyone there, they would've just rest there for the rest of their lives and killed anyone else trying to kill them out of self-defense. What's your take?

Note: I'm using "they" to be gender neutral.

 

[henzINNIT]

Regarding Waller and Flagg's relationship change: Flagg was too moral for Waller's mission, so I just assumed she recognized this too, and arranged to have him die and the plan carried out by people who wouldn't question it.

I've only seen it once so I can't remember, but is it said whether Flagg has any kind of history with the freedom fighters prior to the events of the film? Perhaps he was sympathetic to their cause already, and Waller knew this. If not, she may have just anticipated what his reaction would be to the truth uncovered in project starfish.

 

[metaphysician]

I keep seeing how Starro's rampage was against humanity at large but it didn't seem like that to me. They seemed more about killing everyone in the city ("This is my city") for their complicity, regardless of innocence. They did leave the Squad alone after they saved them. I assumed after they killed everyone there, they would've just rest there for the rest of their lives and killed anyone else trying to kill them out of self-defense. What's your take?

Note: I'm using "they" to be gender neutral.

That's my take too, more or less. I mean, maybe Starro would *eventually* become a threat to the world ( it is a one-starfish hegemonic swarm, after all ), but in the short term Starro seemed to "only" want to claim that city as its own, as revenge and/or food. Which feels about right, given the scale of the movie and the protagonists. People joke about everything being about the fate of the world, but there is plenty of space between "small intimate noir drama revolving around two or three people living or dying" and "the planet is at stake". This really isn't the same as the first movie, where Enchantress' scheme was explicitly about threatening the whole planet, not just ruling one city.

( As an aside, while I commented about the plausibility of the JL not showing up in time. . . if the Suicide Squad *did* die or leave? They absolutely *would* have shown up soon enough, cutting off this entire future "maybe Starro eventually threatens the world" branch. "A giant starfish monster destroys and enslaves an entire city" is absolutely the kind of scale to draw their attention, it just would take longer than ten minutes to do so. )