cinema couture
SUICIDE SQUAD T H E I N FA M O U S B L A C K O P S T E A M I S B A C K O N C E A G A I N
BY CHRISTEN GATES WALL
P H OTO C O U RT E S Y WA R N E R B RO S. E N T E RTA I N M E N T I N C
A
SERIOUS ARTISTIC CHALLENGE was undertaken by Director James Gunn and costume designer Kate Hawley when they sign on to the latest DC Universe project, The Suicide Squad (2021). The audience’s expectations are at the highest point. Fans of the DC Universe expect an homage to original artwork in the comics, cinema fans want to watch the same beloved characters do it all again, but better, in some undefinable way. The studio expects a return on its
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investment, despite COVID. What kind of artist would be brave enough to face this outrageous artistic battle for glory? Enter James Gunn, renegade director from St. Louis, Missouri. James already has a history of surprising the public. Recall his major career-defining film, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). Like Suicide Squad, Guardians was funny and irreverent. It’s filled with trademarks of his own style like the use of pop music to engrave visual artistry into our memory. Try to hum “Hey, hey,
come and get your love” by RedBone without thinking of a little dancing tree named Groot. To understand how The Suicide Squad earned a 91% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating compared to the poor 26% review of the first Suicide Squad (2016), we can review the role of wardrobe design. In the public’s eye, the Joker’s lover, lead actress Harley Quinn played by Margot Robbie, is remembered for her outrageous outfits. They have become a popular sexy Halloween costume. It became
