In the past, writer/director James Gunn has expressed doubt in the future of superhero cinema. He’s said that which is vaguely boring and formulaic will permeate the genre. Back in 2014, his solution to that problem was Guardians of the Galaxy and an anthropomorphic tree named Groot. Gunn’s first outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe retained a certain style he coined making smaller films by scrapping the bottom of Marvel’s barrel, bringing Peter Quill/Star-Lord the notoriety he so desperately craved.
Gunn’s foray into the DC Extended Universe with The Suicide Squad does a similar thing by plunging into the depths of its rogues’ gallery and coming up with a handful of oddball villains. As a standalone follow-up (wrap your mind around that) to David Ayer’s Suicide Squad (2016), the latest iteration of Task Force X sees the Joker’s pasty buffalo joined by an anthropomorphic great white and douchey Captain America. The R-rated film is bloodier and weirder than Guardians, but is it better?
Cover Photo: Marvel Studios/Warner Bros.
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No surprise here: once again, Marvel trumps DC. Both of these follow characters learning to become the best versions of themselves. The Suicide Squad is unrestrained by its R-rating and never boring, which is perhaps an adept reflection of Gunn’s signature style. However, Guardians of the Galaxy feels more genuine as its characters are more well-rounded and accessible. King Shark may be trending but Groot will live forever. Every time he dies a new version will sprout.
Overall Winner: Guardians of the Galaxy
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Suicide Squad Guardians
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Misfits
To quote Denarian Saal after the Guardians’ arrest on Xandar: “what a bunch of a-holes.” Except we would come to find that they were not a-holes but instead misunderstood, lovable losers; from the little boy who lost his mom and never grew up and the conflicted daughter of Thanos to Drax’s inability to understand sarcasm and a science experiment and his personal houseplant/bodyguard. Misfits that become one big, dysfunctional family.
Where the Guardians have six members, Task Force X boasts a massive roster—from the Detachable Kid to a Weasel that can’t swim. Paying homage to its source material, The Suicide Squad sees the bulk of those characters die before the title card. This leaves the audience with Rick Flag, Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, Polka-Dot Man, and King Shark—the film’s anthropomorphic answer to Groot. The Suicide Squad gets top marks for its eclectic group. However, that group feels incomplete and underdeveloped. The Guardians simply have better chemistry and arcs. The Suicide Squad is comparable to eating a bunch of appetizers waiting for the main course, which is fine if all you want to do is eat nachos all day.
Winner: Guardians of the Galaxy
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Story
Despite its otherworldly nature, Guardians of the Galaxy’s plot is pretty familiar (in a good way): everybody’s after the MacGuffin that is an orb secretly housing the Power Stone. Peter wants to sell it, Gamora wants to keep it away from Thanos, Rocket and Groot are after the bounty on Quill (and then become interested in selling the orb), and Drax wishes to avenge his wife and daughter. The story is consistently engaging, its humor never ill-timed, and makes one weep at just the right moment—“we are Groot.”
The Suicide Squad sees Task Force X sent to the island of Corto Maltese to destroy all traces of Project Starfish, which, of course, is the U.S.’s dirty laundry. With a handful of tangents, including what feels like another Harley Quinn solo movie inside of the larger movie, The Suicide Squad feels less cohesive than Guardians of the Galaxy.
Winner: Guardians of the Galaxy
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Villain
Ronan the Accuser is easily one of the MCU’s worst villains. On the surface, he’s a Kree zealot who likes killing people, and it doesn’t get much deeper than that. This isn’t Lee Pace’s fault. Guardians of the Galaxy isn’t about the villain, isn’t about its titular team. A cookie-cutter villain not only facilitates this focus but some of the film’s jokes.
Starro the Conqueror is a giant extraterrestrial starfish whose spores can possess people. Even the Justice League would have trouble with this guy. He’s (or she’s?) an extremely impressive CGI creation capable of destroying cities. Starro even manages to be sympathetic thanks to a tragic backstory about a misunderstood creature—which vibes with the identities of Task Force X. Before being taken into captivity and experimented on, Starro was “happy floating, staring at the stars.”
Winner: The Suicide Squad
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Action
The Suicide Squad is R-rated, hyper-violent, gruesome, and has an obscene death count. The feeling that no one is safe lends to the film’s scope and spectacle. From its thrilling and huge set pieces to Harley Quinn’s “flower power” fight scene, The Suicide Squad indulges in practical effects much more than CGI. Guardians of the Galaxy has some decent fight scenes but it leans into the action/comedy approach and its final CGI sky battle pales in comparison to the perspective-driven showdown with Starro on Corto Maltese.
Winner: The Suicide Squad
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Jokes
“[doesn’t] like to kill people, but if [he pretends] they’re [his] mom it’s easy” and Peacemaker “[[cherishes] peace with all [his] heart. [He doesn’t] care how many men, women, and children [he needs] to kill to get it.” Demented quotes/running gags and situational humor like that make The Suicide Squad hilarious. Guardians of the Galaxy arguably does a better job at combining drama and humor but Task Force X revels in absurdity.
Winner: The Suicide Squad
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Soundtrack
This may be the most important category in this battle. Ever since Peter Quill dances through Guardians of the Galaxy’s credits on Morag to Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love,” Gunn set a precedent for jukebox-worthy soundtracks. With that film, he curated a list of 60s and 70s pop songs to compliment everything that happens on screen. The soundtrack is a direct reflection of Peter’s nostalgia and sentiment surrounding mixtapes given to him by his late mother. The Suicide Squad’s soundtrack is more diverse but isn’t as tethered to the narrative.
Winner: Guardians of the Galaxy
