As you might expect, The Suicide Squad will open with all guns blazing - here's everything we know about the big introductory battle. Performing strongly at the box office but receiving a mauling from fans and critics, 2016's Suicide Squad left Warner Bros. in a quandary when it came to a possible sequel. The studio ultimately opted for a non-traditional follow-up, hiring James Gunn to helm The Suicide Squad, which connects to WB's wider DCEU franchise in the loosest possible terms. Starring a handful of returning delinquents alongside some fresh A-list faces, The Suicide Squad promises to be a comic book movie like no other.
Based on trailer footage and plot details revealed thus far, we know The Suicide Squad will see Viola Davis' Amanda Waller send a new class of replaceable reprobates into certain doom. Said doom is located on the fictional island of Corto Maltese, where a dictator's shady laboratory has been deemed too dangerous to leave standing. Somewhere along the way, Task Force X will encounter their craziest opponent yet, coming face-to-tentacle with Starro - a giant alien starfish from a particularly wild corner of DC comic history. As for how the team get there, here's every detail currently known.
The Suicide Squad's Opening Beach Battle Feels Like Saving Private Ryan
According to The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran (via Collider), the film's opening serves as a homage to war movies in the vein of Saving Private Ryan and Platoon. The sequence is especially close in spirit to the introductory D-Day battle of the former, which remains an astoundingly intense piece of cinema all these years later. The Suicide Squad's war-like beach clash will set the tone for Gunn's DC debut, and leaves no doubt as to how far removed this non-sequel is from 2016's Suicide Squad.
Kicking off proceedings in the style of a war movie highlights how important The Suicide Squad's Corto Maltese setting will be. This story isn't just about taking down a giant, brightly-colored alien (although it certainly is that); Task Force X are on a military endeavor to remove a foreign government from the international board.
The Opening Scene Is All Practical Effects
Judging from the information available, it seems The Suicide Squad's opening battle will be a melee of dazzling practical effects. Like Saving Private Ryan, there's a beach and ocean, apparently built on a 260ft studio backlot complete with functional wave machines. The set incorporates numerous big-budget props, including a tank, a flipped jeep, helicopters, and countless trees to create Corto Maltese's jungle atmosphere. This tangible reality of the setup put The Suicide Squad's through their paces on a challenging pyro-filled stage - something that couldn't be achieved with CGI, or even on location (where the locals perhaps wouldn't tolerate their idyllic beach being blown up).
The Suicide Squad's emphasis on practical effects is important for two reasons. Firstly, the 2016 movie was widely criticized for its overuse of CGI, and taking the polar opposite approach serves to differentiate the sequel from its maligned predecessor. Secondly, The Suicide Squad will feature digital effects aplenty thanks to Starro, with giant pink starfish somewhat hard to come by in real life. Opening with a volley of practical effects should help balance out The Suicide Squad's CG-heavy Starro scenes.
The Suicide Squad's Beach Battle Is HUGE
In terms of plot, The Suicide Squad's beach battle could be where the mission goes badly wrong, resulting in Harley Quinn's capture, and the formation of a new team (featuring Bloodsport) to rescue her. Alternatively, starting with a big fight could hint toward the use of flashbacks explaining the team's formation. The Suicide Squad could come out firing on all cylinders, then ease off the gas to recount how the various members were recruited, footage of which has already been seen in trailers.
Glimpses of The Suicide Squad's beach sequence can be seen in promo stills and trailer footage too, giving some sense of the scale involved. We know Harley Quinn whips out a bazooka and gets trigger happy, and a helicopter is seen swirling perilously toward the sandy floor. Though the full scene remains firmly under lock and key at Warner Bros. HQ, The Suicide Squad promises thrills, spills, and plenty of opening scene kills, since at least some of the gargantuan cast will be polished off in the very first hail of bullets.
