Alternate ‘The Suicide Squad’ Trailer Showing In Theaters Is MUCH Better Than The One Released Last Week

UPDATE: Warner Bros’ said screw it and decided to just release the trailer in HD.

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Of the 23 movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (so far), James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite of them all (although, I’ve got a feeling Chloe Zhao’s Eternals may give it a run for its money).

Something about Gunn’s heart, humor, and unforced edginess — in a franchise that desperately needed some — created the perfect cocktail of an MCU film that I’ve argued is actually something of like a Star Wars for the new generation.

“From cinematography to soundtracking, from to story arc to emotional beats, Guardians of the Galaxy is a complete film in every sense of the word, and when taken in the context of the last two decades of science-fiction filmmaking, it arguably stands out above the rest,” I wrote in 2019.

Who didn’t awe at the size and scope of Knowhere or bop their head to the soundtrack? Who hasn’t howled at Rocket’s odd fetish for stealing prosthetic body parts? Who among us didn’t fight back tears when Peter Quill remembered his lost mother or when Groot said “we are” instead of “I am”? Guardians of the Galaxy is very much built like a traditional sci-fi action movie — let’s call it a sports car — on the outside, but on the inside, the comedic and soul-stirring sensibilities of its engine far surpass that of its peers.

I mention my passion for Guardians of the Galaxy in an article for The Suicide Squad is because I want to make it clear that I’m not just being a hater because I have all the faith in the world in James Gunn, particularly when it comes to the art of making a blockbuster about a rag-tag group of anti-heroes. And yet, when I saw the first trailer for his upcoming R-rated The Suicide Squad, I couldn’t help but feel… underwhelmed, with that sense of disappointment morphing into worry as I wondered if Warner Bros. was on course to repeat the sins of Suicide Squads past.

Maybe it’s me, but something about the trailer felt hollow, contrived — as if it were trying to replicate what a James Gunn movie would be without actually being a James Gunn movie. While far from being prepared to condemn The Suicide Squad, the first trailer left me feeling as though the minds behind the DC movies have learned nothing from their previous outings.

Perhaps Warner Bros. realized the error of their original marketing ways, as a newly-leaked trailer that’s seemingly being shown in theaters represents a vast improvement over the trailer that was rolled out last week.

Whatever The Suicide Squad ultimately ends up being, let’s just hope it’s better than 2016’s Suicide Squad. Similar to Zack Snyder’s Justice League, that’s really all we’re asking for.

RELATED: ‘Suicide Squad’ Director Says Studio Tried Turning His ‘Amazing’ Movie Into ‘Deadpool’

The Suicide Squad is scheduled to hit theaters and HBO Max in the United States on Friday, August 6. Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, and Viola Davis will be reprising their roles from the original, David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad, while additional actors such as Idris Elba, John Cena, Peter Capaldi, Michael Rooker, Pete Davidson, Nathan Fillion, Alice Braga, David Dastmalchia, and Daniel Melchior have also joined the cast.

 

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