in 2016 david ayer's suicide squad appeared. the film was clearly influenced by marvel's guardians of the galaxy (2014), with an emphasis on dysfunctional characters and an overuse of classic pop tunes. however, the film lacked the guardians charm and as a result played more like a long, grim music video. in the summer of 2018, james gunn, the director of the guardians of the galaxy films, was fired by disney over a twitter squabble. warner bros. saw his chance to hire him for a new dc movie; the sequel to suicide squad. under the anything but creative title the suicide squad, james gunn has managed to make an improved version of this concept. the premise remains the same, but the effect is ten times better. this sequel exchanges the stuffy atmosphere of the original for a refreshing 'anything goes' mentality. james gunn sees his characters as more than cartoon characters in colorful suits. he provides them with simple, yet effective motivations and character moments that make their personalities come alive. this reviewer was even able to put aside his shark phobia for king shark, a cross between shark and human. featuring bloodsport (idris elba), harley quinn (margot robbie), rick flag (joel kinnaman), peacemaker (john cena), king shark (sylvester stallone), ratcatcher 2 (daniela melchior) and polka-dot man (david dastmalchian) the cast is very broad. still, all characters get enough time to leave an impression. this is partly because the plot is quite straightforward. we've seen the tropical setting and militaristic opponents in so many 80s action movies that we don't have to make much effort to follow the plot. this predictability is only disrupted when a huge alien starfish shows up in the final phase. excesses like this show that gunn really enjoys the freedoms of the dc universe. where marvel's formalistic approach meant that he always had to color within the lines for the guardians of the galaxy films, here he also gets the chance to let his cynical sense of humor prevail. the suicide squad, for example, is full of vulgar jokes and gory violence. characters are mercilessly killed without ever considering the amount of blood spilled per scene. in that respect, the tone of the suicide squad is most reminiscent of the superhero comedy kick-ass (2010). all in all, the suicide squad is a pleasant surprise. the film never takes itself seriously and both the cast and director seem to have had tons of fun during production. this positive energy is contagious, making the suicide squad one of the highlights in the dc universe.