We're not "some kinda uh Suicide Squad," we're The Suicide Squad.
If the image of John Cena dismembering hapless goons with a machete appeals to your discerning taste then you've come to the right place.
In spite of the title, The Suicide Squad is for once neither a spin-off or soft reboot, with Gunn happy to launch into the action without any continuity babble or attempts to make a multiverse. Within minutes bullets are flying and heads are coming off, the first of several heavy showers of gore that drench the screen. The ultraviolence alone is reason enough to watch, and when the film plays to its strengths it's a bloody good action comedy. Elba, Kinnaman and John Cena bring action "hero" energy to the film alongside the always lovely Margot Robbie and a Stallone channeling the Rocky V brain damage. Cena is perhaps the greatest surprise of the film, especially considering his previous acting credits in "masterpieces" such as Fred. Whether that's reason enough to give him a spin-off remains to be seen.
But more than anything else this is 100% a Gunn film, and his touch is felt everywhere. It's good to see WB finally just let a director crack open the toy box and spend a couple of hours playing with action figures without constant oversight and the results speak for themselves. There is a bit of dead air between action sequences as Gunn seems to slide between Guardians of the Galaxy's "feel good fun" and the more outrageous blood and guts from his horror movie days, but all together it's easily one of the most polished DC films in a long time.