The Suicide Squad Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

8. It's A (Mostly) Standalone DCEU Movie

Almost any movie that's part of an ongoing cinematic universe will be beholden to the demands of that wider enterprise, often requiring them to tie in to the cosmic narrative fabric or, more grossly, set up future movies in the series.

And while it's little surprise that The Suicide Squad leaves the door open for a sequel and also nods towards the upcoming Peacemaker TV series, for the most part the film functions extremely well as a standalone entity.

Even if you've never seen the 2016 film or another DCEU movie, Gunn does a great job of wiping the slate semi-clean and giving new audience members an accessible "in" to this world.

There are occasional references to the larger universe - an early comment about Bloodshot putting Superman in the hospital, for instance - but the film lives very much in the now, rather than constantly looking to the past or future in order to appease studio executives.

If you were worried the film was going to have shoehorned teases for Black Adam, The Flash, or sequels to Aquaman and Shazam!, fear not, because there's nothing of the sort.