The first Suicide Squad, released in 2016, has a dismal critics score of 26 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the James Gunn-directed sequel, The Suicide Squad, already has a 96 percent “Certified Fresh” from critics ahead of its Aug. 6 release. Although it might slip down the ratings in the days approaching its official release on HBO Max and in theaters, it isn’t likely to lose more than a few points. If The Suicide Squad does manage to hold its current score, though, this would make it one of the best-rated superhero movies ever.
Rotten Tomatoes is widely considered the premiere website regarding reviews of newly-released films. Movies get a percentage ranking on the Tomatometer based on “the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show” on the site, with “Fresh” meaning 60 percent of reviews or more are positive and “Rotten” meaning less than 60 percent of reviews are positive. However, the coveted title any new movie can get -- and can then subsequently use in their marketing -- is “Certified Fresh,” which means that the film has held a consistent 75 percent or higher “Fresh” rating and has at least five reviews from top critics. The Suicide Squad currently holds this “Certified Fresh” rating. It does not, as of yet, hold an audience score due to the website's policy changes in 2019 about reviewing movies that have not yet been released theatrically.
According to Rotten Tomatoes' official "75 Best Superhero Movies Of All Time" list, the number one superhero film is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the comic book-style animated movie about Miles Morales teaming up with Spider-People from all over the multiverse. Into the Spider-Verse was widely adored by audiences of all ages and garnered near-universal acclaim from critics, earning 97 percent on the Tomatometer, a 93 percent audience score and an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature to boot. Second on the list is The Incredibles, the Disney Pixar animated film about a family of superheroes, also with a stellar 97 percent on the Tomatometer, but a much lower audience score of 75 percent. Even though The Suicide Squad is trailing them by a single percentage point, it’s still impressive that the movie is already doing so well critically. At this rate, it could very well make it into the top three best-reviewed superhero films of all time.
The Suicide Squad’s current score matches that of Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, but the former film's audience score may determine whether or not it’s placed below or above Black Panther on Rotten Tomatoes’ list. Black Panther's audience score sits at 79 percent, but The Suicide Squad might pull a higher one upon its release. In the fourth and fifth positions, both holding a 94 percent on the Tomatometer, are Avengers: Endgame and The Dark Knight. The Suicide Squad has the ability to edge The Dark Knight out of its top five status and replace it as the best-reviewed DC film of all time, even if it is by a mere two percent.
If The Suicide Squad does keep its 96 percent, regardless of its audience score, that would put it in the top five superhero movies of all time -- a remarkable rating considering the universally-panned 2016 film. With most superhero movies lurking somewhere around the 60-85 percent mark on the Tomatometer, and the top ten not even dipping below 93 percent, The Suicide Squad’s current score makes it a rarified gem in the superhero genre. Of course, it could still dip below 96 percent ahead of August 6; if so, it could then join the ranks of other DC films in the top ten, like the 1978 Superman and 2016's Wonder Woman, which sit at 94 percent and 93 percent respectively. But even then, The Suicide Squad is still doing impressively well in anticipation of its theatrical release.
The Gunn-directed film is clearly making waves among critics based on its Tomatometer score and Certified Fresh status alone. Top Critics at Rotten Tomatoes cite Gunn’s particular extravagant vision and edgier content for its superior quality to the original Suicide Squad and even other DC and superhero movies. Olly Richards of Empire Magazine says it well: “When Gunn took on Guardians Of The Galaxy, he turned nonsense into gold for Marvel. By giving The Suicide Squad the same sense of mischief and an equally surreal streak, he's done the same for DC.” With a team as motley and wacky as the Suicide Squad, Gunn’s surreal, off-the-cuff and larger-than-life vision is bringing the characters to life in a way the 2016 film didn’t. There's even been calls for Ayer's cut of Suicide Squad to be released, with John Cena and Joel Kinnaman at the forefront.
Even despite the review-bombing Snyder Cut fans are doing, The Suicide Squad is proving to be one of the best-reviewed (and quite possibly the best) DC film ever made. And though last-minute fluctuations due to poor reviews could make its current score fall, it’ll still be up there with some of the greats.
The Suicide Squad arrives Thursday, Aug. 5, in theaters and on HBO Max.