The Suicide Squad's reviews are overwhelmingly positive and as a result, it may set a new record on Rotten Tomatoes. The first reactions and reviews for new comic book movies are always exciting to see and peruse through, because practically every film is highly anticipated and fans always want to see how good, bad, or mediocre a new installment will be in either the Marvel or DC universes. Unfortunately, reviews have become more controversial over the years, though that likely won't be the case with The Suicide Squad.
Critics are currently responding well to The Suicide Squad, James Gunn's first movie in four years, with the two previous films he made being Guardians of the Galaxy and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 for Marvel Studios. At the moment, The Suicide Squad holds a score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes; out of 68 reviews, only 1 is considered "rotten". It's guaranteed that the number will fluctuate over the next two weeks as more critics see the movie and review it. If the trend of positive reviews continues, then The Suicide Squad could uphold its high rating, but if not, it might drop to the low 90s. Still, it has a chance to break a record on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rotten Tomatoes uses an adjusted score when ranking their highest-rated movies, but by pure percentage, the current highest-rated superhero movie is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse at 97%. It released in 2018 and became a massive critical and commercial success, grossing over $375 million and winning the Oscar for best animated movie. It remains to be seen where The Suicide Squad falls at the box office and if it receives any awards nominations, but if it maintains a Rotten Tomatoes score over 97%, it will become the highest-rated superhero movie of all-time on Rotten Tomatoes.
Even if it ties with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it'll be an achievement for Gunn and DC Films in general. It's no secret that DC movies have struggled with reviews and Rotten Tomatoes scores in recent years, becoming ever more divisive with each new release. Some films were "certified fresh" only to drop to "rotten" ratings with time. Still, there have been a few shining lights peppered throughout DC Films' slate; 2017's Wonder Woman holds a 93% rating and 2019's Shazam! has a 90% score. The only other DC movie to get over a 90% rating is The Dark Knight, but that released 13 years ago, long before the DCEU ever became a reality.
The Suicide Squad will still be in good company - ranking alongside Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame, Logan, and more - if it doesn't retain a score above 97%. However, it could break Gunn's own record of 92% as a director, which he received for Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. Critics seem enthused by The Suicide Squad and audience anticipation is as high as ever, so things are looking up for him and the movie.
