Five years after director David Ayer released his disastrous film Suicide Squad, DC’s iconic villains and criminals returned in director James Gunn’s sequel The Suicide Squad, a huge improvement from the prior iteration.

Ever since the release of Zach Snyder’s Justice League Director’s Cut, many fans have hoped that DC could eventually compete with the immensely popular Marvel films. While DC has had many disappointments like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, The Suicide Squad sets itself apart.

The earlier films of the DC Extended Universe often took themselves too seriously to the point of being laughably edgy, whereas The Suicide Squad embraces its cartoonishly evil villains and ridiculous character designs to create a fresh and exhilarating action comedy.

While Marvel films always earn PG-13 ratings, The Suicide Squad is rated R. Although the rating may have sacrificed some of the movie’s box-office cash, it allowed Gunn to better translate the more mature and violent Suicide Squad comics to the screen.

The Suicide Squad follows the superpowered inmates of Belle Reve Penetentiary and their leader Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) as they complete a dangerous black operations mission.

Unlike the original, The Suicide Squad removes 20 minutes of boring expository flashbacks and montages. Instead, the movie opens with a thrilling action sequence that showcases Gunn’s directorial skill.

The actors’ chemistry facilitates a believable and organic connection between the characters, which the original failed to accomplish.

While the camerawork of superhero films can often be flat and unengaging, The Suicide Squad breaks this trend. The film’s vibrant color palette combined with photography director Henry Braham’s skill makes every frame of the movie feel important.

In a genre that has grown stale in recent years, The Suicide Squad overcomes the past failures of the DCEU and leaves fans excited for future DC films.

Final score: 8.5/10