James Gunn is best-known for making family-friendly Marvel movies, but is his gory-looking The Suicide Squad suitable for kids? Gunn has made the leap from the MCU to the DCEU to direct The Suicide Squad, a largely standalone follow-up to 2016's Suicide Squad. Some of the key characters and actors are back, such as Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn and Viola Davis' Amanda Waller, but for the most part this is a unique story about an all-new Task Force X.
When it comes to ratings and suitability for children, DC's movies have a reputation for often going a bit darker than the MCU. Batman can be brutal, and DC movies have often tended to be more more violent (or at least, that's the perception), though it's worth noting that none have been rated higher than a PG-13. Gunn's previous superhero movies have been the two Guardians of the Galaxy volumes, which are rather suitable for kids, so where does The Suicide Squad fit in?
To put it plainly, The Suicide Squad is not suitable for children. The movie is the first DC film to receive an R-rating from the MPAA, which is for: "strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use, and brief graphic nudity." The R-rating restricts The Suicide Squad from being viewed by anyone under 17 in theaters, although there'll be more parental discretion at home since it's simultaneously releasing on HBO Max. For people around 15-16, The Suicide Squad likely doesn't contain too much they've not seen in other movies, but it probably isn't suitable for viewers much younger than that. Gunn definitely earns his R-rating, and it's an incredibly gory and violent affair.
The Suicide Squad is based around the idea that anyone can and will die; Gunn has long promised to deliver on that premise, and he does so and then some. Without getting into character specifics, this is a movie where heads are exploded, bodies are ripped in half, and gunshots are shown in great detail. It's extremely bloody, gory, and violent, but what's more is that it revels in those aspects. Gunn's movies have their roots in Troma, a studio known for its horror flicks with over-the-top gore and blood splatters, and unlike Guardians of the Galaxy those sensibilities are very much on display here. There are stretches where the movie does go without bloodshed, but it has a high body count and some viewers may find certain scenes deeply unpleasant or uncomfortable to watch.
In terms of what else goes into The Suicide Squad's rating, then again there are plenty of swear words including several F-bombs, though the nudity is brief and the sexual references, while overt, are also relatively tame. This isn't a dark movie by any means; many of its moments are played for laughs, and there's a lot of levity, juvenile humor, and moments of real sweetness. But even with those in the mix, and despite its position as a big tentpole superhero movie, The Suicide Squad is definitely not suitable for kids.
