The DCEU’s latest addition to its ever-expanding cinematic universe,The Suicide Squad, is finally here.James Gunn’s first endeavor within the DC film-verse, after making his transition from a successful MCU career, is attracting a lot of attention. After making blockbuster hits like theGuardians of the Galaxy, Gunn’s soft reboot of the 2016 movieSuicide Squadhas managed to please the critics and the fans alike. Gunn skillfully integrates humor into the dark and gory tone of the film, while also providing subtle nods to other famous franchises (for example, a particular scene fromHobbs and Shaw). If you haven’t watched the movie yet, you’re definitely missing out on one of the best movies from the DCEU so far.
And if you have, and you’re constantly fighting the urge to spoil the movie for others, please don’t. We have a better suggestion. Here at Collider, we have compiled a list of 15 movies likeThe Suicide Squadto watch while you wait for everyone else to get caught up. From classic war dramas to irrelevant superhero movies, these films are equally as dark, gory, comedic, and enjoyable as the DCEU’s latest installment.
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The Dirty Dozen
Let’s start off the list with the movie that was the biggest inspiration for James Gunn’sThe Suicide Squad. He himself confirmed iton his Twitter account. And we can clearly see what he meant.
A 1967 war film, the movie was inspired by the novel of the same name, written byE. M. Nathanson, which was itself inspired by a real-life WWII anecdote. OSS officer Major John Reisman (Lee Marvin) is tasked with training some of the Army’s worst prisoners and turning them into commandos to be sent on a virtual suicide mission, Project Amnesty. He collects 12 individuals, convicted for various crimes, known as the Dirty Dozen, and trains them to parachute across enemy lines and execute a German Personnel at a French chateau. The major reminds you ofThe Suicide Squad’s Rick Flag, and the funny, unhinged, and dangerous ‘dozen' show you why Gunn chose to base his version ofThe Suicide Squadon this film.
If you’re an early 2000s kid, you will surely remember this movie series. It was one of those movies that could fool your parents because of its cover, as a kid-friendly superhero film, while you enjoyed the brutal fights, F-bombs, and the overall outrageous tone of the film in the privacy of your room. The story revolves around a comic book geek named Dave (Aaron Johnson) who takes up the mantle of a masked crime fighter Kick-Ass. Having no experience being a vigilante, he finds himself locking horns with some of the worst criminals in the city, though accidentally. He is joined by the more experienced father-daughter superhero duo Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), an obvious homage to DC’s Batman and Robin, and together they set out to bring down the mafia once and for all. Though sharing a similar dark humour and gore-filled tone ofThe Suicide Squad,Kick-Assand its sequelKick-Ass 2stand out because of their story. The heroes are not forced by the government like theSuicide Squad, instead, they fight crime due to their own motivations, which makes the film even more interesting to watch.
Da 5 Bloods
Da 5 Bloodsis a fictional war story and a tribute to the forgotten heroes of the Vietnam War. Directed, produced, and co-written bySpike Lee, the plot follows a group of four aging Vietnam War veterans who return to the country in search of the remains of their fallen squad leader, as well as the treasure they buried there. The movie directly references some of the black soldiers who fought bravely for their country. The film starsDelroy Lindo,Jonathan Majors,Clarke Peters,Johnny Trí Nguyễn,Norm Lewis,Isiah Whitlock Jr.,Mélanie Thierry,Paul Walter Hauser,Jasper Pääkkönen,Jean Reno, and the late MCU starChadwick Boseman. The vets don’t really trust each other, much like the villains-turned-heroes ofThe Suicide Squad, but they always pull through, even after losing a comrade or two. If you lovedThe Suicide Squad, the funny and dark interaction between the characters and the gruesome battles inDa 5 Bloodswill surely match your taste.
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James Gunn’s first endeavor in the superhero genre,Superwas a hilarious, dark, and blood-splattered film featuring none other thanThe Office’sRainn Wilson. Fans of the famous sitcom can actually see a bit of Dwight Schrute in this movie, as his dreams to become a superhero come to life, which he soon realizes is not as easy as he initially thought.Superdoesn’t have the massive set-pieces thatThe Suicide Squaddoes, and it’s arguably an even darker film, but as Wilson’s character Frank, aka Crimson Bolt, sets out on his quest to rescue his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler), you can see the budding flame of Gunn’s talent for intertwining dark humor with extreme violence in superhero movies.
The Losers
A movie adaptation of a Vertigo Comic book series of the same name,The Losersgarnered a lot of attention due to its all-star cast, which includesJeffrey Dean Morgan,Zoe Saldana,Chris Evans, andIdris Elba. The Losers are an elite black-ops team of United States Special Forces operatives, led by Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). They are double-crossed on a search-and-destroy mission by their superior, Max (Jason Patric), who is a character similar to Amanda Waller inThe Suicide Squad- ruthlessly cunning and unconcerned about collateral damage. The movie features tons of cool action scenes and timely placed humor that makes it a perfect mix ofThe ExpendablesandThe Suicide Squad.
Guardians of the Galaxy
James Gunn debuted in the MCU with this amazing film, and it was an instant hit.Guardians of the Galaxywas a huge blockbuster and showed what Gunn is really capable of. It was the third highest-grossing film of 2014. The film unites a group of 5 infamous individuals from all over the galaxy, each with their own separate objective, who come together to save the universe. The film features an amazing cast includingChris Pratt,Zoe Saldana,Dave Bautista,Vin Diesel, andBradley Cooperas the titular Guardians. The sequelGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2was a huge hit as well, earning more than its predecessor. If you’re looking for a more light-hearted film to watch with your family but still hungover withThe Suicide Squadblues, this movie is your go-to.
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornetis a 2021 superhero film written bySeth RogenandEvan Goldberg. Rogen plays the titular hero andJay Choustarred as his dependable and highly talented partner Kato. The film shows the story of a rich newspaper publisher, Britt Reid, who decides to take on the mantle of the vigilante Green Hornet to fight crime while posing as a criminal. Clearly, Britt, who is a spoiled brat, realizes he is out of his league, and his partner, Kato, always has to come to his rescue. Through their funny and dangerous adventures, they fight their way past hordes of criminals, similar to how theSuicide Squadmunches through the Corto Maltese military.The Green Hornetis the perfect mix of action and comedy, and is definitely worth a watch.
Birds of Prey
If Harley Quinn was your favorite part ofThe Suicide Squad, you’re definitely going to want to watchCathy Yan’sBirds of Prey. Unlike the former, most of its members are heroes instead of villains, but they’re still a wild bunch, and following up her debut inSuicide Squad,Margot Robbie’s Harley takes center stage. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics, especially Robbie’s performance as Harley Quinn and carefully intertwined humour and action, with a tinge of feminism. If you are missing Harley and her unpredictable craziness,Birds of Preyshould be on your list, as she shines bright in all her psychotic glory.
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Alien Resurrection
The fourth movie in theAlienfranchise,Alien Resurrectionshifts slightly from its usual sci-fi horror theme to a more superheroic one. Directed byJean-Pierre Jeunetand written byJoss Whedon, the movie seesSigourney Weaver’s iconic character Ellen Ripley return to the silver screen as a cloned version of herself, after her death inAlien 3. However, she gains superhuman powers due to the intermixing of DNA with the Alien Queen who was growing inside Ripley inAlien 3at the time of her death. The plot moves forward as Ripley takes down the alien colony with the help of a group of space bounty hunters and a synthetic Annalee Call (Winona Ryder). Though more serious in tone thanThe Suicide Squad, some of the death scenes are even more gruesome than the DC movie, making it a must-watch for sci-fi splatter lovers.
Another superhero-thriller starringChris Evans,Push(2009) can be described as a combination of theX-MenandThe Suicide Squad. The film revolves around a group of people born with various superhuman abilities, like the mutants fromX-Men, who band together to take down a government agency that is using a dangerous drug to enhance their powers in hopes of creating an army of super-soldiers - aka, their own version of aSuicide Squad. Though only a moderate success at the box office,Pushfeatures some of the best CGI fight scenes and clever uses of superpowers and deserves a spot on your watchlist.
