It is not unrealistic for people to think of James Gunn‘s The Suicide Squad as a bizarro version of his earlier work for the competition, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Both movies feature obscure characters plucked from the depths of their respective company’s comic book well and into mainstream light. It’s yet another ragtag band of underdog protagonists grouped together to overcome the odds on a deadly mission. However, while Guardians of the Galaxy is made to be more for the family, The Suicide Squad takes influence from Gunn’s early edgy B-movie sensibilities for shock value entertainment. And the result is wonderfully grotesque adventure that lives up to the film’s name.

Although audiences will recognize a few returning faces such as Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), The Suicide Squad serves as a half-sequel, half-reboot entry after the terrible first movie, but it works as a standalone film. Thankfully, Gunn avoids the pitfalls that the first movie suffers from and drops a team of unfamiliar characters right into the action, no elaborate introductions needed this time that derails the pacing of the film. A lot of these guys are cannon fodder anyway, as the name suggests, so you can expect a lot of them not to last long.

The film’s plot is simple: the returning Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) heads Task Force X, a black ops team that coerces super-criminals to join what is essentially a Suicide Squad to do the US government’s bidding. As a safety net, chips are embedded in the back of their heads. Go off mission or against orders, they go boom. However, as exchange for their cooperation, they get their sentences significantly reduced. But would they really trust Waller with that? The team’s mission is to infiltrate the small island nation of Corto Maltese, off the coast of South America, and destroy any records relating to Project Starfish.

Joining the few veterans from the first film are newcomers Blackguard (Pete Davidson), T.D.K. (Nathan Fillion), Javelin (Flula Borg), Mongal (Mayling Ng), and Weasel (Sean Gunn). But as this team heads to their certain deaths in the opening scene, another team arrives at the shore on the opposite side of Corto Maltese. They’re the “core” team in The Suicide Squad, consisting of team leader Bloodsport (Idris Elba), the nihilistic introvert Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), the blind nationalist Peacemaker (John Cena), and the charming human-shark hybrid King Shark (voiced by Sylvester Stallone). But the best addition to the crew is Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), a seemingly innocent convict who can control rats.

One of the biggest problems in the first film were the hollow characterization of its cast, who were just set-up to jump from one story beat to another. So Gunn’s challenge this time is turning these dishonorable criminals into protagonists that audiences will actually care about. These are supervillains who do heinous things, and their ultimate goal is to survive. But with Gunn’s gift for balancing character moments with the chaotic violence, his brilliance shines particularly in showing that while this ensemble have no problems swearing and killing, most of these so-called villains are just victims of circumstances who can be superheroes when given the right opportunities. By the end of the movie, not only did I care for these characters, but I absolutely felt sorry for them. And I’m sure the audiences will also feel the same. Idris Elba finally proves that he can land a leading role and carry it all the way through, even outshining both the returning Margot Robbie and Joel Kinnaman (whose character is thankfully redeemed). The breakout star is Daniela Melchior who, in her first English-language film, undeniably brings the heart and compassion in a team full of mercenaries. But everyone here is a joy to watch in their respective roles, which says something about Gunn’s skills in handling team movies.

Another crucial element he gets right is not letting the characters get lost in the action (and there’s a lot of it), which is not an easy feat seeing as how it’s too common in a lot of modern blockbusters. The Suicide Squad definitely embraces its R rating with a copious amount of edgy violence, showing front and center limbs getting ripped from bodies and people being eaten with a chunky sound. It’s definitely pushing the limits of how violent these movies can get when allowed, especially from the Big Two superhero companies. Although it may seem like a non-stop sensory assault, Gunn carefully mixes in funny beats and character moments along with the intense brutality, resulting in a well-crafted action comedy with very likeable anti-heroes.

Like with most superhero blockbusters, the film does get a bit repetitive as it enters its final third. Nevertheless, The Suicide Squad is ridiculously violent, but very funny with a sense of self-awareness that it stands out among DC’s polarizing slate of comic book movies. Still, it’s a little disappointing to find that studios feel the need to have another “big bad” serving as a final fight, even with villains as your protagonists. But James Gunn manages it just enough before it becomes too formulaic, and focusing back to his love of letting the underdogs shine.

Rating: ★★★½