‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021) Trailer Breakdown

While David Ayer’s 2016 Suicide Squad fared poorly with critics and won’t be remembered as one of the favourite films from the DCEU, it was the first ensemble of villains to grace the DCEU. It was released two years after Guardians of the Galaxy, on the back of that movie’s surprising success. Now, with a fairly new cast and the GOTG director, James Gunn, DCEU has released its official trailer for the new Suicide Squad movie. 

The Suicide Squad  trailer opens with the suicide squad exchanging a series of rapid fire dialogues in a speeding bus. The camera whip pans around as Bloodsport (Idris Elba) throws weapons around to members of the Suicide Squad. Amanda Wallace (Viola Davis) commands the squad from the HQ. They are risking an important mission to rescue a mental defective person. The sound effects (SFX) ramps up in the background, a flurry of activities: a sniper gets in position, Bloodsport jogs frantically upfront, Bloodsport is hanging askew from a tightrope by a wall. At this point, the SFX hits its crescendo. Then, behind the squad, the mental defective they are on the mission to save suddenly appears:

Mental Defective: What are you guys doing?

Amanda Wallace: (off-screen) What?

Colonel Flag: (perplexed) You… We are…here to save you.

Mental Defective: You were gonna save me?

Colonel Flag: Wi-With a really good plan too.

Mental Defective: Well I can go back inside and we can still do it.

Bloodsport: That’s patronising. 

Mental Defective: (extends hand) I’m so sorry. Harley Quinn!

Warner Bros and DC logos fade in and out.

Voice over of Amanda Wallace reading the usual warnings to new Suicide Squad members plays as a series of new characters; Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Sol Soria (Alice Braga) are initiated into the Squad. Various shots of the squad members follow. Then the grotesque scene of King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone) chewing a man alive overlays everything.

Occasionally, the SFX goes out completely to highlight humour. This isn’t necessary, yet it doesn’t feel overboard because the visuals, the dialogues, the aura of the trailer, they all give off a feel-good, humourous atmosphere.

Apparently, the squad is going up against an army of sorts, probably protecting a prisoner, The Thinker (Peter Capaldi)—after giving him a proper, hilarious shakedown—from this army. The undermentioned dialogue exchange further highlights the trailer’s humour. The scene is a vegetation close to a beach and the Suicide Squad is running from something, disoriented:

Peace Maker (John Cena): What’s the plan?

Bloodsport: How the hell am I supposed to know?

Peace Maker: You are the leader. You are supposed to be decisive.

Bloodsport: And I have decided that you should eat a big bag of dicks.

Peace Maker: If this whole beach was completely covered in dicks and somebody said I should eat every dick until the beach was clean for liberty, I would say “No Problems”.

Sol Soria: Why would somebody put penises all over a beach?

Peace Maker: Who knows why madmen do what they do?

The irony is hilarious. A series of action sequence shots follow the squad looking badass and a silent emotional moment between Sol Soria and Bloodsport to show which characters will connect. But by far, the highlight of the closing scenes is the appearance of Starro, a Kaiju. James Gunn worked on Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” and it remains the funniest amongst marvel movies. It appears DC might have borrowed a leaf from their competition. 

The Suicide Squad will be released in theatres and HBO Max on August 6.