Suicide Squad finally hit the cinemas following months of intense coverage. High expectations were raised for the prospects of this darker and more subversive DC title. People familiar with the comic version will know all about the super villains who are temporarily released from incarceration to form a Dirty Dozen style unit of criminally minded misfits that embarks on dangerous missions. El Diablo, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Slipknot and Captain Boomerang are selected to form the latest team assembled in this DC Extended Universe conversion. OK, not the most psychotic or unrepentant of comic book super villains, but then they probably wouldn’t be.

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The movie opens with US government, and ARGUS official in the Suicide Squad comics, Amanda Waller convening the super villains for deadly missions in protecting the world from dangerous meta-humans, that will undoubtedly result in an almost certain death. The squad are offered reduced prison sentence as the incentive in exchange for their services, the downside being the explosive devices implanted in their necks to prevent escape. Special forces operative Colonel Rick Flag and his team are recruited to watch over the Suicide Squad in the field.

One of the selected prisoners is Enchantress, an ancient witch possessing the body of psychiatrist, June Moone. Enchantress (Cara Delevingne) feeling embittered about her and her brother Incubas’s imprisonment decides to reek revenge on mankind, transforming into the villain nemesis for the rest of the movie. The sequence of events leading to an assault on Midway City with a portal to another dimension, Incubas and legions of monsters. The ever wild and unpredictable Joker (Jared Leto), of course soon appears, his motivation being rescuing his love Harley Quinn. Ryan Gosling was originally in the reckoning for being cast as the Joker.

We discover more about the super villains as individual characters and their back stories through flashbacks, Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and others who are granted considerably more screen time are presented as more, fully formed characters. Some even manage to conjure empathy. To retain an R 13 rating inevitably the movie had to sacrifice any drive for going full out. The epic action sequences of the movie’s third act are visually arresting, complete with jump cuts and CGI spectacular set pieces. There is certainly a fast paced, energy to the director David Ayer’s (Training Day, Street Kings) action.

This is a more humorous offering from the DC Extended Universe, in many way representing the antithesis of the traditional comic dynamic. The protagonist’s witty and acerbic banter proving entertaining viewing. Warner Bros. had some reservations about the original rough cuts, subsequently expensive reshoots and extra photography were invested in. This version is apparently less darker, whether or not the special editions will feature some of the deleted scenes is not known.

If you are intending to head to your local cinema to watch Suicide Squad, expect relentless outpourings of action and violence, especially in the third act. If you want enjoyable, summer blockbuster fair with some humorous moments, this could be the perfect movie for you.